Have you ever turned on a TV program a few minutes late? Chances are you'll turn it off before the show is over because you can't figure out what's going on. To understand a TV program, you have to see the beginning. Now think of the Bible. If you want to find out what's going on in this big book, to get the whole picture, it helps to start with Genesis. Why? Because Genesis is the book of beginnings. It explains how just about everything got started. If you don't understand how things in this world began, it will be harder to figure out why and how God is going to end things. In Genesis we marvel at the awesome creation of the entire universe by the spoken word of God. And we get our first glimpse into God's character. We see though everything else has a definite beginning, God is eternal. He always has been and always will be. We notice God's creativeness and power, we see his hatred and judgment of sin, and we view his incredible love for his people even when they constantly disobey him. Genesis is the book of beginnings: the beginning of the universe, of people, of sin, of salvation, and of an understanding of God. Take time to read Genesis. You will be amazed at how fascinating it is, and at how often other books in the Bible refer to something first mentioned in Genesis-the book of beginnings.
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GENES001
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1 In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.
2 The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit was moving over the water.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, so he divided the light from the darkness.
5 God named the light "day" and the darkness "night." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be something to divide the water in two."
7 So God made the air and placed some of the water above the air and some below it.
8 God named the air "sky." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second day.
9 Then God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the dry land will appear." And it happened.
10 God named the dry land "earth" and the water that was gathered together "seas." God saw that this was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the earth produce plants- some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant." And it happened.
12 The earth produced plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good.
13 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the third day.
14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and years.
15 They will be in the sky to give light to the earth." And it happened.
16 So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17 God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good.
19 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.
20 Then God said, "Let the water be filled with living things, and let birds fly in the air above the earth."
21 So God created the large sea animals and every living thing that moves in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each one producing more of its own kind. He also made every bird that flies, and each bird produced more of its own kind. God saw that this was good.
22 God blessed them and said, "Have many young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth."
23 Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fifth day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals, and let each produce more of its kind." And it happened.
25 So God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the tame animals, over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth."
27 So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.
28 God blessed them and said, "Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 God said, "Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you.
30 I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal." And it happened.
31 God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the sixth day.
1 When God began creating the heavens and the earth,
2 The earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light." And light appeared.
4-5 And God was pleased with it and divided the light from the darkness. He called the light "daytime," and the darkness "nighttime." Together they formed the first day.
6 And God said, "Let the vapors to form the sky above and the oceans below."
7-8 So God made the sky, dividing the vapor above from the water below. This all happened on the second day.
9-10 Then God said, "Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into oceans so that the dry land will emerge." And so it was. Then God named the dry land "earth," and the water "seas." And God was pleased.
11-12 And he said, "Let the earth burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant, and fruit trees with seeds inside the fruit, so that these seeds will produce the kinds of plants and fruits they came from." And so it was, and God was pleased.
13 This all occurred on the third day.
14-15 Then God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to give light to the earth and to identify the day and the night; they shall bring about the seasons on the earth, and mark the days and years." And so it was.
16 For God had made two huge lights, the sun and moon, to shine down upon the earth-the larger one, the sun, to preside over the day and the smaller one, the moon, to preside through the night; he had also made the stars.
17 And God set them in the sky to light the earth,
18 and to preside over the day and night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God was pleased.
19 This all happened on the fourth day.
20 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with fish and other life, and let the skies be filled with birds of every kind."
21-22 So God created great sea animals, and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God looked at them with pleasure, and blessed them all. "Multiply and stock the oceans," he told them, and to the birds he said, "Let your numbers increase. Fill the earth!"
23 That ended the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal-cattle and reptiles and wildlife of every kind." And so it was.
25 God made all sorts of wild animals and cattle and reptiles. And God was pleased with what he had done.
26 Then God said, "Let us make a man. -someone like ourselves,- to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas."
27 So God made man like his Maker.
Like God did God make man;
Man and maid did he make them.
28 And God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals.
29 And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
30 And I've given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food."
31 Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day.
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WORTH GENES 1:26
How are we made like God? The phrase Let us make man . . . like ourselves does not mean that God created us exactly like himself, especially in a physical sense. Instead, we are reflections of God's glory. We will never be totally like God, because he is our supreme Creator. Our best hope is to reflect his character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. We are made like God and therefore share many of his characteristics. Our worth is not defined by possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or popularity. Self-worth is knowing that God created us in his likeness. Criticizing or downgrading ourselves is criticizing what God has made. Because we are like God, we can feel positive about ourselves and our abilities. Knowing that you are a person of infinite worth gives you the freedom to love God, know him personally, and make a valuable contribution to those around you.
GENES002
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1 So the sky, the earth, and all that filled them were finished.
2 By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing, so he rested from all his work.
3 God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day, because on that day he rested from all the work he had done in creating the world.
4 This is the story of the creation of the sky and the earth. When the LORD God first made the earth and the sky,
5 there were still no plants on the earth. Nothing was growing in the fields because the LORD God had not yet made it rain on the land. And there was no person to care for the ground,
6 but a mist would rise up from the earth and water all the ground.
7 Then the LORD God took dust from the ground and formed a man from it. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nose, and the man became a living person.
8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in the east, in a place called Eden, and put the man he had formed into it.
9 The LORD God caused every beautiful tree and every tree that was good for food to grow out of the ground. In the middle of the garden, God put the tree that gives life and also the tree that gives the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed through Eden and watered the garden. From there the river branched out to become four rivers.
11 The first river, named Pishon, flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 The gold of that land is excellent. Bdellium and onyx are also found there.
13 The second river, named Gihon, flows around the whole land of Cush.
14 The third river, named Tigris, flows out of Assyria toward the east. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God put the man in the garden of Eden to care for it and work it.
16 The LORD God commanded him, "You may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden,
17 but you must not eat the fruit from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you ever eat fruit from that tree, you will die!"
18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."
19 From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the sky, and he brought them to the man so the man could name them. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name.
20 The man gave names to all the tame animals, to the birds in the sky, and to all the wild animals. But Adam did not find a helper that was right for him.
21 So the LORD God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man's ribs. Then God closed up the man's skin at the place where he took the rib.
22 The LORD God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man.
23 And the man said, "Now, this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body came from my body. I will call her `woman,' because she was taken out of man."
24 So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.
25 The man and his wife were naked, but they were not ashamed.
1 Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully completed, with all that they contained. 2 So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing, and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.
4 Here is a summary of the events in the creation of the heavens and earth when the Lord God made them.
5 There were no plants or grain sprouting up across the earth at first, for the Lord God hadn't sent any rain; nor was there anyone to farm the soil. 6 (However, water welled up from the ground at certain places and flowed across the land.)
7 The time came when the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person.
8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and placed in the garden the man he had formed.
9 The Lord God planted all sorts of beautiful trees there in the garden, trees producing the choicest of fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad.
10 A river from the land of Eden flowed through the garden to water it; afterwards the river divided into four branches.
11-12 One of these was named the Pishon; it winds across the entire length of the land of Havilah where nuggets of pure gold are found, also beautiful bdellium and even lapis lazuli.
13 The second branch is called the Gihon, crossing the entire length of the land of Cush.
14 The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of the city of Asher. And the fourth is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it.
16-17 But the Lord God gave the man this warning: "You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience-for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die."
18 And the Lord God said, "It isn't good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs."
19-20 So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever he called them, that was their name. But still there was no proper helper for the man.
21 Then the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he had removed it,
22 and made the rib into a woman, and brought her to the man.
23 "This is it!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own bone and flesh! Her name is `woman' because she was taken out of a man."
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife in such a way that the two become one person
25 Now although the man and his wife were both naked, neither of them was embarrassed or ashamed.
Ult. Issues: The Origin of Man ,!page "^origin" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
I Wonder: Bible and creation ,!page "^W001" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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MARRIAGE GENES 2:18-24
God's creative work was not complete until he made woman. He could have made her from the dust of the ground, as he made man. God chose, however, to make her from the man's flesh and bone. In so doing, he illustrated that in marriage man and woman symbolically become one flesh. This is a mystical union of the couple's hearts and lives. Throughout the Bible, God treats this special partnership seriously. If you are planning to be married, are you willing to keep the commitment that makes the two of you one? The goal in marriage should be more than friendship; it should be oneness.
GENES003
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1 Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, "Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?"
2 The woman answered the snake, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.
3 But God told us, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.' "
4 But the snake said to the woman, "You will not die.
5 God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree, you will learn about good and evil and you will be like God!"
6 The woman saw that the tree was beautiful, that its fruit was good to eat, and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband, and he ate it.
7 Then, it was as if their eyes were opened. They realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made something to cover themselves.
8 Then they heard the LORD God walking in the garden during the cool part of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the LORD God among the trees in the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man and said, "Where are you?"
10 The man answered, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
11 God asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?"
12 The man said, "You gave this woman to me and she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "How could you have done such a thing?" She answered, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
14 The LORD God said to the snake, "Because you did this, a curse will be put on you. You will be cursed as no other animal, tame or wild, will ever be. You will crawl on your stomach, and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."
16 Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant, and when you give birth to children, you will have great pain. You will greatly desire your husband, but he will rule over you."
17 Then God said to the man, "You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat. "So I will put a curse on the ground, and you will have to work very hard for your food. In pain you will eat its food all the days of your life.
18 The ground will produce thorns and weeds for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 You will sweat and work hard for your food. Later you will return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and when you die, you will return to the dust."
20 The man named his wife Eve, because she is the mother of everyone who has ever lived.
21 The LORD God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, "The man has become like one of us; he knows good and evil. We must keep him from eating some of the fruit from the tree of life, or he will live forever."
23 So the LORD God forced the man out of the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 After God forced the man out of the garden, he placed angels and a sword of fire that flashed around in every direction on its eastern border. This kept people from getting to the tree of life.
The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. So the serpent came to the woman. "Really?" he asked. "None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn't eat any of it?"
2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
4 "That's a lie!" the serpent hissed. "You'll not die!
5 God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened-you will be able to distinguish good from evil!"
6 The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking it was! And it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too.
7 And as they ate it, suddenly they became aware of their nakedness, and were embarrassed. So they strung fig leaves together to cover themselves around the hips.
8 That evening they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and they hid themselves among the trees. 9 The Lord God called to Adam, "Why are you hiding
10 And Adam replied, "I heard you coming and didn't want you to see me naked. So I hid."
11 "Who told you you were naked?" the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten fruit from the tree I warned you about?"
12 "Yes," Adam admitted, "but it was the woman you gave me who brought me some, and I ate it."
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, "How could you do such a thing?"
"The serpent tricked me," she replied.
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, "This is your punishment: You are singled out from among all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth-to be cursed. You shall grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. 15 From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head."
16 Then God said to the woman, "You shall bear children in intense pain and suffering; yet even so, you shall welcome your husband's affections, and he shall be your master."
17 And to Adam, God said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit when I told you not to, I have placed a curse upon the soil. All your life you will struggle to extract a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat its grasses.
19 All your life you will sweat to master it, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from the ground, and to the ground you will return."
20 The man named his wife Eve (meaning "The life-giving one"), for he said, "She shall become the mother of all mankind";
21 and the Lord God clothed Adam and his wife with garments made from skins of animals.
22 Then the Lord said, "Now that the man has become as we are, knowing good from bad, what if he eats the fruit of the Tree of Life and lives forever?"
23 So the Lord God banished him forever from the Garden of Eden, and sent him out to farm the ground from which he had been taken.
24 Thus God expelled him, and placed mighty angels at the east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword to guard the entrance to the Tree of Life.
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TEMPTATION GENES 3:1-6
Why does Satan tempt us? Temptation is Satan's invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God's kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. He's been busy getting people to sin ever since. He even tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:11), but Jesus did not sin. Eve could have resisted temptation by following these guidelines. We can follow them too. First, we must realize that being tempted is not a sin. We have not sinned until we give in to the temptation. Then, to resist temptation, we must (1) pray for strength to resist, (2) run, sometimes literally, and (3) say no when confronted with what we know is wrong. James 1:12 tells of the blessings and rewards for those who don't give in when tempted.
FREEDOM GENES 3:5
Adam and Eve got what they wanted: an intimate knowledge of both good and evil. But they got it by doing what was wrong, and the results were disastrous. Many people think that freedom means doing anything we want. God says true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do, and then doing what is right. The restrictions he gives us are for our good, helping us avoid evil. We have the freedom to walk in front of a speeding car, but we don't need to be hit to realize it would be foolish to do so. Don't listen to Satan's temptations. Don't think you have to experience evil to learn more about life.
DISOBEYING GENES 3:14-19
Adam and Eve learned by painful experience that because God is holy and hates sin, he must punish sinners. The rest of the book of Genesis recounts painful stories of lives ruined as a result of sin. Disobeying God is sin, and it breaks our fellowship with God. But fortunately, when we disobey, God is willing to forgive us and to restore our relationship with him.
GENES004
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1 Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Eve said, "With the LORD' s help, I have given birth to a man."
2 After that, Eve gave birth to Cain's brother Abel. Abel took care of flocks, and Cain became a farmer.
3 Later, Cain brought some food from the ground as a gift to God.
4 Abel brought the best parts from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift,
5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry and felt rejected.
6 The LORD asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why do you look so unhappy?
7 If you do things well, I will accept you, but if you do not do them well, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants you, but you must rule over it."
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out into the field." While they were out in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Later, the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain answered, "I don't know. Is it my job to take care of my brother?"
10 Then the LORD said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.
11 And now you will be cursed in your work with the ground, the same ground where your brother's blood fell and where your hands killed him.
12 You will work the ground, but it will not grow good crops for you anymore, and you will wander around on the earth."
13 Then Cain said to the LORD, "This punishment is more than I can stand!
14 Today you have forced me to stop working the ground, and now I must hide from you. I must wander around on the earth, and anyone who meets me can kill me."
15 The LORD said to Cain, "No! If anyone kills you, I will punish that person seven times more." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain warning anyone who met him not to kill him.
16 So Cain went away from the LORD and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 He had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time Cain was building a city, which he named after his son Enoch.
18 Enoch had a son named Irad, Irad had a son named Mehujael,
19 Lamech married two women, Adah and Zillah.
20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who became the first person to live in tents and raise cattle.
21 Jabal's brother was Jubal, the first person to play the harp and flute.
22 Zillah gave birth to TUBAL-CAIN, who made tools out of bronze and iron. The sister of TUBAL-CAIN was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice! You wives of Lamech, listen to what I say. I killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hitting me.
24 If Cain's killer is punished seven times, then Lamech's killer will be punished seventy-seven times."
25 Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth and said, "God has given me another child. He will take the place of Abel, who was killed by Cain."
26 Seth also had a son, and they named him Enosh. At that time people began to pray to the LORD.
Then Adam had sexual intercourse with Eve his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, Cain (meaning "I have created"). For, as she said, "With God's help, I have created a man!"
2 Her next child was his brother, Abel.
Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. At harvest time Cain brought the Lord a gift of his farm produce,
4 and Abel brought the fatty cuts of meat from his best lambs, and presented them to the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abel's offering,
5 but not Cain's. This made Cain both dejected and very angry, and his face grew dark with fury.
6 "Why are you angry?" the Lord asked him. "Why is your face so dark with rage?
7 It can be bright with joy if you will do what you should! But if you refuse to obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it!"
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, "Let's go out into the fields." And while they were together there, Cain attacked and killed his brother.
9 But afterwards the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother? Where is Abel?"
"How should I know?" Cain retorted. "Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?"
10 But the Lord said, "Your brother's blood calls to me from the ground. What have you done?
11 You are hereby banished from this ground which you have defiled with your brother's blood.
12 No longer will it yield crops for you, even if you toil on it forever! From now on you will be a fugitive and a tramp upon the earth, wandering from place to place."
13 Cain replied to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 For you have banished me from my farm and from you, and made me a fugitive and a tramp; and everyone who sees me will try to kill me."
15 The Lord replied, "They won't kill you, for I will give seven times your punishment to anyone who does." Then the Lord put an identifying mark on Cain as a warning not to kill him.
16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Then Cain's wife conceived and presented him with a baby son named Enoch; so when Cain founded a city, he named it Enoch, after his son.
18 Enoch was the father of Irad; Irad was the father of Mehujael; Mehujael was the father of Methusael; Methusael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two wives-Adah and Zillah.
20 To Adah was born a baby named Jabal. He became the first of the cattlemen and those living in tents.
21 His brother's name was Jubal, the first musician-the inventor of the harp and flute.
22 To Lamech's other wife, Zillah, was born Tubal-cain. He opened the first foundry
He opened the first foundry, forging instruments of bronze and iron.
23 One day Lamech said to Adah and Zillah, "Listen to me, my wives. I have killed a youth who attacked and wounded me.
24 If anyone who kills Cain will be punished seven times, anyone taking revenge against me for killing that youth should be punished seventy-seven times!"
25 Later on Eve gave birth to another son and named him Seth (meaning "Granted"); for, as Eve put it, "God has granted me another son for the one Cain killed."
26 When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. It was during his lifetime that men first began to call themselves "the Lord's people."
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DENIAL GENES 4:6-7
How do you react when someone suggests that you have done something wrong? Do you move to correct the mistake? Or do you deny that you need to correct it? After Cain's offering was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again. God even encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused, and the rest of his life is a startling example of what happens to those who refuse to admit their mistakes. The next time someone suggests you are wrong, take an honest look at yourself and choose God's way instead of Cain's.
SIN GENES 4:8-10
Adam and Eve's disobedience brought sin into the human race. They may have thought their sin (eating a harmless piece of fruit) wasn't very bad, but notice how quickly their sinful nature developed in the lives of their children. Simple disobedience degenerated into outright murder. Adam and Eve acted only against God, but Cain acted against both God and man. A small sin has a way of growing out of control. Let God help you with your little sins before they turn into tragedies.
Profile: Abel ,!page "^abel" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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1 This is the family history of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them in his own likeness.
2 He created them male and female, and on that day he blessed them and named them human beings.
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of another son in his likeness and image, and Adam named him Seth.
4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he had a son named Enosh.
7 After Enosh was born, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
8 So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he had a son named Kenan.
10 After Kenan was born, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
11 So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he had a son named Mahalalel.
13 After Mahalalel was born, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he had a son named Jared.
16 After Jared was born, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he had a son named Enoch.
19 After Enoch was born, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he had a son named Methuselah.
22 After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God 300 years more and had other sons and daughters.
23 So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God; one day Enoch could not be found, because God took him.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he had a son named Lamech.
26 After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
27 So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182, he had a son.
29 Lamech named his son Noah and said, "He will comfort us in our work, which comes from the ground the LORD has cursed."
30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31 So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Here is a list of some of the descendants of the man who was like God from the day of his creation.
2 God created man and woman and blessed them, and called them Man from the start.
3-5 Adam: Adam was 130 years old when his son Seth was born, the very image of his father in every way. After Seth was born, Adam lived another 800 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 930.
6-8 Seth: Seth was 105 years old when his son Enosh was born. Afterwards he lived another 807 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 912.
9-11 Enosh: Enosh was ninety years old when his son Kenan was born. Afterwards he lived another 815 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 905.
12-14 Kenan: Kenan was seventy years old when his son Mahalalel was born. Afterwards he lived another 840 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 910.
15-17 Mahalalel: Mahalalel was sixty-five years old when his son Jared was born. Afterwards he lived 830 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 895.
18-20 Jared: Jared was 162 years old when his son Enoch was born. Afterwards he lived another 800 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 962.
21-24 Enoch: Enoch was sixty-five years old when his son Methuselah was born. Afterwards he lived another 300 years in fellowship with God, and produced sons and daughters; then, when he was 365, and in constant touch with God, he disappeared, for God took him!
25-27 Methuselah: Methuselah was 187 years old when his son Lamech was born; afterwards he lived another 782 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 969.
28-31 Lamech: Lamech was 182 years old when his son Noah was born. Lamech named him Noah (meaning "Relief") because he said, "He will bring us relief from the hard work of farming this ground which God has cursed." Afterwards Lamech lived 595 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 777.
32 Noah: Noah was 500 years old and had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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ANCESTORS GENES 5:1
The Bible contains several lists of ancestors, called genealogies. Why are genealogies included in the Bible? The Hebrews passed on their beliefs through oral tradition. For many years in many places, writing was primitive or nonexistent. Stories were told to children who eventually passed them on to their children. Genealogies gave a skeletal outline that helped people remember the stories. For centuries these genealogies were added to and passed down from family to family. Even more important than preserving family tradition, genealogies were included to confirm the Bible's promise that the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born into the line of Abraham. Genealogies point out an interesting characteristic of God. People are important to him as individuals, not just as races or nations. Therefore God refers to people by name, mentioning their lifespan and descendants. The next time you feel overwhelmed in a vast crowd, remember that the focus of God's attention and love is on the individual ,and on you!
PREJUDICE GENES 5:3-5
All human beings are related, going back to Adam and Eve. Humankind is a family that shares one flesh and blood. Remember this when prejudice enters your mind or hatred invades your feelings. Each person is a valuable and unique creation of God, just as you are.
Profile: Adam and Eve ,!page "^adame" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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1 The number of people on earth began to grow, and daughters were born to them.
2 When the sons of God saw that these girls were beautiful, they married any of them they chose.
3 The LORD said, "My Spirit will not remain in human beings forever, because they are flesh. They will live only 120 years."
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had sexual relations with the daughters of human beings. These women gave birth to children, who became famous and were the mighty warriors of long ago.
5 The LORD saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked and that everything they thought about was evil.
6 He was sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them."
8 But Noah pleased the LORD.
9 This is the family history of Noah. Noah was a good man, the most innocent man of his time, and he walked with God.
10 He had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 People on earth did what God said was evil, and violence was everywhere.
12 When God saw that everyone on the earth did only evil,
13 he said to Noah, "Because people have made the earth full of violence, I will destroy all of them from the earth.
14 Build a boat of cypress wood for yourself. Make rooms in it and cover it inside and outside with tar.
15 This is how big I want you to build the boat: four hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high.
16 Make an opening around the top of the boat that is eighteen inches high from the edge of the roof down. Put a door in the side of the boat. Make an upper, middle, and lower deck in it.
17 I will bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy all living things that live under the sky, including everything that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will die.
18 But I will make an agreement with you- you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives will all go into the boat.
19 Also, you must bring into the boat two of every living thing, male and female. Keep them alive with you.
20 Two of every kind of bird, animal, and crawling thing will come to you to be kept alive.
21 Also gather some of every kind of food and store it on the boat as food for you and the animals."
22 Noah did everything that God commanded him.
S S Now a population explosion took place upon the earth. It was at this time that beings from the spirit world looked upon the beautiful earth women and took any they desired to be their wives. Then Jehovah said, "My Spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, wholly evil as he is. I will give him 120 years to mend his ways."
4 In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, of whom so many legends are told.
5 When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men's lives were only towards evil,
6 he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.
7 And he said, "I will blot out from the face of the earth all mankind that I created. Yes, and the animals too, and the reptiles and the birds. For I am sorry I made them."
8 But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. Here is the story of Noah: 9-10 He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God's will. And he had three sons-Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Meanwhile, the crime rate was rising rapidly across the earth, and, as seen by God, the world was rotten to the core.
12-13 As God observed how bad it was, and saw that all mankind was vicious and depraved, he said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all mankind; for the earth is filled with crime because of man. Yes, I will destroy mankind from the earth. 14 Make a boat from resinous wood, sealing it with tar; and construct decks and stalls throughout the ship. 15 Make it 450 feet long, 75feet wide, and 45feet high. 16 Construct a skylight all the way around the ship, eighteen inches below the roof; and make three decks inside the boat-a bottom, middle, and upper deck-and put a door in the side.
17 "Look! I am going to cover the earth with a flood and destroy every living being-everything in which there is the breath of life. All will die. 18 But I promise to keep you safe in the ship, with your wife and your sons and their wives. 19-20 Bring a pair of every animal-a male and a female-into the boat with you, to keep them alive through the flood. Bring in a pair of each kind of bird and animal and reptile. 21 Store away in the boat all the food that they and you will need." 22 And Noah did everything as God commanded him.
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PATIENCE GENES 6:3
What patience God showed, allowing the people of Noah's day a great deal of time (120 years) to change their sinful ways. God demonstrates his great patience with us as well. He is giving us time to quit living our way and begin living his way, the way he shows us in his Word. While 120 years seems like a long time for God to wait, time did run out one day, and the flood waters swept across the earth. Your time also may be running out. Turn to God to forgive your sins. You can't see the stopwatch of God's patience, and there is no bargaining for additional time.
INFLUENCE GENES 6:9-10
Although Noah lived among evil people, he tried to do what pleased God by conducting his affairs according to God's will. For a lifetime he walked step by step in faith, a living example to his generation. Like Noah, we live in a world filled with evil. Are we being an influence on others, or are we being influenced?
FAITHFUL GENES 6:15
The boat Noah built was no canoe! Picture yourself building a boat the length of one and a half football fields and as high as a four-story building. The ark was exactly six times longer than it was wide ,the same ratio used by modern shipbuilders. This huge boat was probably built miles from any body of water by only a few faithful men who believed God's promises and obeyed his commands.
Moral Dilemmas: Violence ,!page "^M0070" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "I have seen that you are the best person among the people of this time, so you and your family can go into the boat.
2 Take with you seven pairs, each male with its female, of every kind of clean animal, and take one pair, each male with its female, of every kind of unclean animal.
3 Take seven pairs of all the birds of the sky, each male with its female. This will allow all these animals to continue living on the earth after the flood.
4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth. It will rain forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe off from the earth every living thing that I have made."
5 Noah did everything the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came.
7 He and his wife and his sons and their wives went into the boat to escape the waters of the flood.
8 The clean animals, the unclean animals, the birds, and everything that crawls on the ground
9 came to Noah. They went into the boat in groups of two, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
10 Seven days later the flood started.
11 When Noah was six hundred years old, the flood started. On the seventeenth day of the second month of that year the underground springs split open, and the clouds in the sky poured out rain.
12 The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On that same day Noah and his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives went into the boat.
14 They had every kind of wild and tame animal, every kind of animal that crawls on the earth, and every kind of bird.
15 Every creature that had the breath of life came to Noah in the boat in groups of two.
16 One male and one female of every living thing came, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD closed the door behind them.
17 Water flooded the earth for forty days, and as it rose it lifted the boat above the earth. 19 The water rose so much that even the highest mountains under the sky were covered by it. 20 It continued to rise until it was more than twenty feet above the mountains. 21 All living things that moved on the earth died. This included all the birds, tame animals, wild animals, and creatures that swarm on the earth, as well as all human beings. 22 So everything on dry land that had the breath of life in it died. 23 God destroyed from the earth every living thing that was on the land- every man, animal, crawling thing, and bird of the sky. All that was left was Noah and what was with him in the boat. 24 And the waters continued to cover the earth for one hundred fifty days.
Finally the day came when the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous. 2 Bring in the animals, too-a pair of each, except those kinds I have chosen for eating and for sacrifice: take seven pairs of each of them, and seven pairs of every kind of bird. Thus there will be every kind of life reproducing again after the flood has ended. 4 One week from today I will begin forty days and nights of rain; and all the animals and birds and reptiles I have made will die."
5 So Noah did everything the Lord commanded him. 6 He was 600 years old when the flood came. 7 He boarded the boat with his wife and sons and their wives, to escape the flood. 8-9 With him were all the various kinds of animals-those for eating and sacrifice, and those that were not, and the birds and reptiles. They came into the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God commanded Noah.
10-12 One week later, when Noah was 600 years, two months, and seventeen days old, the rain came down in mighty torrents from the sky, and the subterranean waters burst forth upon the earth for forty days and nights. 13 But Noah had gone into the boat that very day with his wife and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. 14-15 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal-domestic and wild-and reptiles and birds of every sort. 16 Two by two they came, male and female, just as God had commanded. Then the Lord God
17 For forty days the roaring floods prevailed, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the water rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely upon it; 19 until finally the water covered all the high mountains under the whole heaven, 20 standing twenty-two feet and more above the highest peaks. 21 And all living things upon the earth perished-birds, domestic and wild animals, and reptiles and all mankind-22 everything that breathed and lived upon dry land. 23 All existence on the earth was blotted out-man and animals alike, and reptiles and birds. God destroyed them all, leaving only Noah alive, and those with him in the boat. 24 And the water covered the earth 150 days.
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WORRY GENES 7:16
Many have wondered how this animal kingdom roundup happened. Did Noah and his sons spend years collecting them? In reality the creation, along with Noah, was doing just as God had commanded. There seemed to be no problem gathering the animals ,God took care of the details of that job while Noah was doing his part by building the ark. Often we do just the opposite of Noah. We worry about details in our lives over which we have no control, while neglecting specific areas (such as attitudes, relationships, responsibilities) that are under our control. Like Noah, concentrate on what God has given you to do, and leave the rest to him.
GENES008
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild and tame animals with him in the boat. He made a wind blow over the earth, and the water went down.
2 The underground springs stopped flowing, and the clouds in the sky stopped pouring down rain.
3 The water that covered the earth began to go down. After one hundred fifty days it had gone down so much that the boat touched land again.
4 It came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month.
5 The water continued to go down so that by the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains could be seen.
6 Forty days later Noah opened the window he had made in the boat, and
7 he sent out a raven. It flew here and there until the water had dried up from the earth.
8 Then Noah sent out a dove to find out if the water had dried up from the ground.
9 The dove could not find a place to land because water still covered the earth, so it came back to the boat. Noah reached out his hand and took the bird and brought it back into the boat.
10 After seven days Noah again sent out the dove from the boat,
11 and that evening it came back to him with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth. Then Noah knew that the ground was almost dry.
12 Seven days later he sent the dove out again, but this time it did not come back.
13 When Noah was six hundred and one years old, in the first day of the first month of that year, the water was dried up from the land. Noah removed the covering of the boat and saw that the land was dry.
14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the land was completely dry.
15 Then God said to Noah,
16 "You and your wife, your sons, and their wives should go out of the boat.
17 Bring every animal out of the boat with you- the birds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. Let them have many young ones so that they might grow in number."
18 So Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives.
19 Every animal, everything that crawls on the earth, and every bird went out of the boat by families.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took some of all the clean birds and animals, and he burned them on the altar as offerings to God.
21 The LORD was pleased with these sacrifices and said to himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of human beings. Their thoughts are evil even when they are young, but I will never again destroy every living thing on the earth as I did this time.
22 "As long as the earth continues, planting and harvest, cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night will not stop."
God didn't forget about Noah and all the animals in the boat! He sent a wind to blow across the waters, and the floods began to disappear, 2 for the subterranean water sources ceased their gushing, and the torrential rains subsided. 3-4 So the flood gradually receded until, 150 days after it began, the boat came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 Three months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks appeared.
6 After another forty days, Noah opened a porthole 7 and released a raven that flew back and forth until the earth was dry. 8 Meanwhile he sent out a dove to see if it could find dry ground, 9 but the dove found no place to light, and returned to Noah, for the water was still too high. So Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back into the boat.
10 Seven days later Noah released the dove again, 11 and this time, toward evening, the bird returned to him with an olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the water was almost gone. 12 A week later he released the dove again, and this time she didn't come back.
13 Twenty-nine days after that, Noah opened the door to look, and the water was gone. 14 Eight more weeks went by. Then at last the earth was dry. 15-16 Then God told Noah, "You may all go out. 17 Release all the animals, birds, and reptiles, so that they will breed abundantly and reproduce in great numbers." 18-19 So the boat was soon empty. Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives all disembarked, along with all the animals, reptiles, and birds-all left the ark in pairs and groups.
20 Then Noah built an altar and sacrificed on it some of the animals and birds God had designated for that purpose. 21 And Jehovah was pleased with the sacrifice
and said to himself, "I will never do it again-I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though man's bent is always toward evil from his earliest youth, and even though he does such wicked things. 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night."
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Scripture: DEUTE 4 ,!page "DEUTE004" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES009
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1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Have many children; grow in number and fill the earth.
2 Every animal on earth, every bird in the sky, every animal that crawls on the ground, and every fish in the sea will respect and fear you. I have given them to you.
3 "Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants, but now I give you everything for food.
4 But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it, because blood gives life.
5 I will demand blood for life. I will demand the life of any animal that kills a person, and I will demand the life of anyone who takes another person's life.
6 "Whoever kills a human being will be killed by a human being, because God made humans in his own image.
7 "As for you, Noah, I want you and your family to have many children, to grow in number on the earth, and to become many."
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons,
9 "Now I am making my agreement with you and your people who will live after you,
10 and with every living thing that is with you- the birds, the tame and the wild animals, and with everything that came out of the boat with you- with every living thing on earth.
11 I make this agreement with you: I will never again destroy all living things by a flood. A flood will never again destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the agreement between me and you and every living creature that is with you.
13 I am putting my rainbow in the clouds as the sign of the agreement between me and the earth.
14 When I bring clouds over the earth and a rainbow appears in them,
15 I will remember my agreement between me and you and every living thing. Floods will never again destroy all life on the earth.
16 When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the agreement that continues forever between me and every living thing on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "The rainbow is a sign of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth."
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with him were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)
19 These three men were Noah's sons, and all the people on earth came from these three sons.
20 Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard.
21 When he drank wine made from his grapes, he became drunk and lay naked in his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, looked at his naked father and told his brothers outside.
23 Then Shem and Japheth got a coat and, carrying it on both their shoulders, they walked backwards into the tent and covered their father. They turned their faces away so that they did not see their father's nakedness.
24 Noah was sleeping because of the wine. When he woke up and learned what his youngest son, Ham, had done to him,
25 he said, "May there be a curse on Canaan! May he be the lowest slave to his brothers."
26 Noah also said, "May the LORD, the God of Shem, be praised! May Canaan be Shem's slave.
27 May God give more land to Japheth. May Japheth live in Shem's tents, and may Canaan be their slave."
28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
29 He lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
c c God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to have many children and to repopulate the earth.
2-"All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of you," God told him; "for I have placed them in your power, and they are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables. 4 But never eat animals unless their life-blood has been drained off. 5-6 And murder is forbidden. Man-killing animals must die, and any man who murders shall be killed; for to kill a man is to kill one made like God. 7 Yes, have many children and repopulate the earth and subdue it."
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9-11 "I solemnly promise you and your children
and the animals you brought with you-all these birds and cattle and wild animals-that I will never again send another flood to destroy the earth. 12 And I seal this promise with this sign: 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds as a sign of my promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my promise to you and to every being, that never again will the floods come and destroy all life. 16-17 For I will see the rainbow in the cloud and remember my eternal promise to every living being on the earth."
18 The names of Noah's three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the ancestor of the Canaanites.)
19 From these three sons of Noah came all the nations of the earth.
20-21 Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard, and he made wine. One day as he was drunk and lay naked in his tent, 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and went outside and told his two brothers. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it over their shoulders and, walking backwards into the tent, let it fall across their father to cover his nakedness as they looked the other way. 24-25 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor, and learned what had happened and what Ham, his younger son, had done, he cursed Ham's descendants:
"A curse upon the Canaanites," he swore.
"May they be the lowest of slaves
To the descendants of Shem and Japheth."
26-27 Then he said,
"God bless Shem,
And may Canaan be his slave.
God bless Japheth,
And let him share the prosperity of Shem,
And let Canaan be his slave."
28 Noah lived another 350 years after the Flood 29 and was 950 years old at his death.
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MURDER GENES 9:5-6
Here God explains why murder is so wrong: to kill a person is to kill one made like God. Because human beings are made in God's image, all people possess the qualities that distinguish us from animals: morality, reason, creativity, and self-worth. When we interact with others, we are interacting with beings made by God, beings to whom God offers eternal life. God wants us to recognize these special qualities in all people.
MOCKING GENES 9:20-27
Noah, the great hero of faith, got drunk ,a poor example of godliness to his sons. Perhaps this story is included to show us that even godly people can sin and that their bad influence affects their families. Although the wicked people had all been killed, the possibility of evil still existed in the hearts of Noah and his family. Ham's mocking attitude revealed a severe lack of respect for his father and for God.
GENES010
1 This is the family history of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. After the flood these three men had sons.
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
5 Those who lived in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea came from these sons of Japheth. All the families grew and became different nations, each nation with its own land and its own language.
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush also had a descendant named Nimrod, who became a very powerful man on earth.
9 He was a great hunter before the LORD, which is why people say someone is "like Nimrod, a great hunter before the LORD."
10 At first Nimrod's kingdom covered Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Babylonia.
11 From there he went to Assyria, where he built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, and Calah.
12 He also built Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah. Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the people of Crete. (The Philistines came from the Casluhites.) 15 Canaan was the father of Sidon, his first son, and of Heth. 16 He was also the father of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The families of the Canaanites scattered. 19 Their land reached from Sidon to Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 All these people were the sons of Ham, and all these families had their own languages, their own lands, and their own nations. 21 Shem, Japheth's older brother, also had sons. One of his descendants was the father of all the sons of Eber. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber. 25 Eber was the father of two sons- one named Peleg, because the earth was divided during his life, and the other was named Joktan. 26 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these people were the sons of Joktan. 30 They lived in the area between Mesha and Sephar in the hill country in the East. 31 These are the people from the family of Shem, arranged by families, languages, countries, and nations. 32 This is the list of the families from the sons of Noah, arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the nations who spread across the earth after the flood.
These are the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who were the three sons of Noah; for sons were born to them after the Flood.
2 The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Dodanim.
5 Their descendants became the maritime nations in various lands, each with a separate language.
6 The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabteca.
The sons of Raamah were: Sheba, Dedan.
8 One of the descendants of Cush was Nimrod, who became the first of the kings. 9 He was a mighty hunter, blessed of God, and his name became proverbial. People would speak of someone as being "like Nimrod-a mighty hunter, blessed of God."
10 The heart of his empire included Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. 11-12 From there he extended his reign to Assyria. He built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen (which is located between Nineveh and Calah), the main city of the empire.
13-14 Mizraim was the ancestor of the people inhabiting these areas: Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines), and Caphtorim.
15-19 Canaan's oldest son was Sidon, and he was also the father of Heth; from Canaan descended these nations: Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites. Eventually the descendants of Canaan spread from Sidon all the way to Gerar, in the Gaza strip; and to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.
20 These, then, were the descendants of Ham, spread abroad in many lands and nations, with many languages.
21 Eber descended from Shem, the oldest brother of Japheth. 22 Here is a list of Shem's other descendants: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram.
23 Aram's sons were: Uz, Hul, Gether, Mash.
24 Arpachshad's son was Shelah, and Shelah's son was Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber: Peleg (meaning "Division," for during his lifetime the people of the world were separated and dispersed), and Joktan (Peleg's brother).
26-30 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abima-el, Sheba, Ophir, Havi-lah, Jobab.
These descendants of Joktan lived all the way from Mesha to the eastern hills of Sephar.
31 These, then, were the descendants of Shem, classified according to their political groupings, languages, and geographical locations.
32 All of the men listed above descended from Noah, through many generations, living in the various nations that developed after the Flood.
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GENES011
1 At this time the whole world spoke one language, and everyone used the same words.
2 As people moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Let's make bricks and bake them to make them hard." So they used bricks instead of stones, and tar instead of mortar.
4 Then they said to each other, "Let's build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth."
5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built.
6 The LORD said, "Now, these people are united, all speaking the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 The place is called Babel since that is where the LORD confused the language of the whole world. So the LORD caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.
10 This is the family history of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born.
11 After that, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, his son Shelah was born.
13 After that, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, his son Eber was born.
15 After that, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, his son Peleg was born.
17 After that, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born.
19 After that, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, his son Serug was born.
21 After that, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, his son Nahor was born.
23 After that, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, his son Terah was born.
25 After that, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah was 70 years old, his sons Abram, Nahor, and Haran were born.
27 This is the family history of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
28 While his father, Terah, was still alive, Haran died in Ur in Babylonia, where he was born.
29 Abram and Nahor both married. Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
30 Sarai was not able to have children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram's wife) and moved out of Ur of Babylonia. They had planned to go to the land of Canaan, but when they reached the city of Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived to be 205 years old, and then he died in Haran.
At that time all mankind spoke a single language. 2 As the population grew and spread eastward, a plain was discovered in the land of Babylon and was soon thickly populated. 3-4 The people who lived there began to talk about building a great city, with a temple-tower reaching to the skies-a proud, eternal monument to themselves.
"This will weld us together," they said, "and keep us from scattering all over the world." So they made great piles of hard-burned brick, and collected bitumen to use as mortar.
5 But when God came down to see the city and the tower mankind was making, 6 he said, "Look! If they are able to accomplish all this when they have just begun to exploit their linguistic and political unity, just think of what they will do later! Nothing will be unattainable for them!
7 Come, let us go down and give them different languages, so that they won't understand each other's words!"
8 So, in that way, God scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel (meaning "confusion"), because it was there that Jehovah confused them by giving them many languages, thus widely scattering them across the face of the earth.
10-11 Shem's line of descendants included Arpachshad, born two years after the Flood when Shem was 100 years old; after that he lived another 500 years and had many sons and daughters.
12-13 When Arpachshad was thirty-five years old, his son Shelah was born, and after that he lived another 403 years and had many sons and daughters.
14-15 Shelah was thirty years old when his son Eber was born, living 403 years after that, and had many sons and daughters.
16-17 Eber was thirty-four years old when his son Peleg was born. He lived another 430 years afterwards and had many sons and daughters.
18-19 Peleg was thirty years old when his son Reu was born. He lived another 209 years afterwards and had many sons and daughters.
20-21 Reu was thirty-two years old when Serug was born. He lived 207 years after that, with many sons and daughters.
22-23 Serug was thirty years old when his son Nahor was born. He lived 200 years afterwards, with many sons and daughters.
24-25 Nahor was twenty-nine years old at the birth of his son Terah. He lived 119 years afterwards and had sons and daughters.
26 By the time Terah was seventy years old, he had three sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 And Haran had a son named Lot. 28 But Haran died young, in the land where he was born (in Ur of the Chaldeans), and was survived by his father.
29 Meanwhile, Abram married his half sister Sarai, while his brother Nahor married their orphaned niece, Milcah, who was the daughter of their brother Haran; and she had a sister named Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children. 31 Then Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but they stopped instead at the city of Haran and settled there. 32 And there Terah died at the age of 205.
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PRIDE GENES 11:4
The Tower of Babel was a great human achievement, a wonder of the world. But it was a monument to the people themselves rather than to God. We often build monuments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big house, fancy car, important job) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth, they take God's place in our lives. We are free to develop in many areas, but we are <R>not free to think we have replaced God. What monuments are in your life?
TRANSITION GENES 11:31
Terah left Ur to go to Canaan, but settled in Haran instead. Why did he stop halfway? It may have been his health, the climate, or even fear. But this did not change Abram's calling (God had told Abram, 12:1). He had respect for his father's leadership, but when Terah died, Abram moved on to Canaan. God's will may come in stages. As the time in Haran was a transition period for Abram, so God may give us transition periods and times of waiting to help us depend on him and trust his timing. If we patiently do his will during the transition times, we will be better prepared to serve him as we should when he calls us.
Profile: Abraham ,!page "^abraham" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Profile: Noah ,!page "^noah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES012
1 The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will place a curse on those who harm you. And all the people on earth will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram left Haran as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. At this time Abram was 7
5 years old. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and everything they owned, as well as all the servants they had gotten in Haran. They set out from Haran, planning to go to the land of Canaan, and in time they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through that land as far as the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time.
7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your descendants." So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 Then he traveled from Shechem to the mountain east of Bethel and set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. There Abram built another altar to the LORD and worshiped him.
9 After this, he traveled on toward southern Canaan.
10 At this time there was not much food in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because there was so little food.
11 Just before they arrived in Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know you are a very beautiful woman.
12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, `This woman is his wife.' Then they will kill me but let you live.
13 Tell them you are my sister so that things will go well with me and I may be allowed to live because of you."
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.
15 The Egyptian officers saw her and told the king of Egypt how beautiful she was. They took her to the king's palace, and
16 the king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was her brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
17 But the LORD sent terrible diseases on the king and all the people in his house because of Abram's wife Sarai.
18 So the king sent for Abram and said, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?
19 Why did you say, `She is my sister' so that I made her my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and leave!"
20 Then the king commanded his men to make Abram leave Egypt; so Abram and his wife left with everything they owned.
God had told Abram, "Leave your own country behind you, and your own people, and go to the land I will guide you to. 2 If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others.
3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you."
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went too; Abram was seventy-five years old at that time. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth-the cattle and slaves he had gotten in Haran-and finally arrived in Canaan. 6 Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem, and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. (This area was inhabited by Canaanites at that time.)
7 Then Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, "I am going to give this land to your descendants." And Abram built an altar there to commemorate Jehovah's visit. 8 Afterwards Abram left that place and traveled southward to the hilly country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he made camp, and made an altar to the Lord and prayed to him. 9 Thus he continued slowly southward to the Negeb, pausing frequently.
10 There was at that time a terrible famine in the land: and so Abram went on down to Egypt to live. 11-13 But as he was approaching the borders of Egypt, he asked Sarai his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister! "You are very beautiful," he told her, "and when the Egyptians see you they will say, `This is his wife. Let's kill him and then we can have her!' But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of you, and spare my life!" 14 And sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt everyone spoke of her beauty. 15 When the palace aides saw her, they praised her to their king, the Pharaoh, and she was taken into his harem.
16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her-sheep, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, and camels.
17 But the Lord sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh's household on account of her being there. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram before him and accused him sharply. "What is this you have done to me?" he demanded. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why were you willing to let me marry her, saying she was your sister? Here, take her and be gone!" 20 And Pharaoh sent them out of the country under armed escort-Abram, his wife, and all his household and possessions.
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3,3,5,252
4,4,7,398
5,5,9,497
6,6,11,732
7,7,13,870
8,8,15,1026
9,9,17,1231
10,10,19,1288
11,11,21,1415
12,12,23,1524
13,13,25,1641
14,14,27,1758
15,15,29,1840
16,16,31,1967
17,17,33,2135
18,18,35,2253
19,19,37,2368
20,20,39,2484
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,279
4,6,5,402
7,9,7,817
10,15,9,1245
16,16,11,1914
17,20,13,2026
PROMISE GENES 12:2
God promised to bless Abram and make him great, but there was one condition. Abram had to do what God wanted him to do. This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where God promised to build a great nation from Abram's family. Abram obeyed, leaving his home for God's promise of even greater blessings in the future. God may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness for him. Don't let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss God's plan for you.
FEAR GENES 12:11-13
Abram, acting out of fear, asked Sarai to tell a half-truth by saying she was his sister. She was Abram's half sister, but she was also his wife. Abram's intent was to deceive the Egyptians. He feared that if they knew the truth, they would kill him to get Sarai. She would have been a desirable addition to Pharaoh's harem because of her wealth, beauty, and potential for political alliance. As Sarai's brother, Abram would be given a place of honor. As her husband, however, his life would be in danger, because Sarai could not enter Pharaoh's harem unless Abram was dead. So Abram lost faith in God's protection, even after all God had promised him, and told a half-truth. This shows how lying compounds the effects of sin. When he lied, Abram's problems multiplied.
GENES013
1 So Abram, his wife, and Lot left Egypt, taking everything they owned, and traveled to southern Canaan.
2 Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.
3 He left southern Canaan and went back to Bethel where he had camped before, between Bethel and Ai,
4 and where he had built an altar. So he worshiped the LORD there.
5 During this time Lot was traveling with Abram, and Lot also had flocks, herds, and tents.
6 Abram and Lot had so many animals that the land could not support both of them together,
7 so Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen began to argue. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at this time.
8 Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, because we are brothers.
9 We should separate. The whole land is there in front of you. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left."
10 Lot looked all around and saw the whole Jordan Valley and that there was much water there. It was like the LORD' s garden, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
11 So Lot chose to move east and live in the Jordan Valley. In this way Abram and Lot separated.
12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived among the cities in the Jordan Valley, very near to Sodom.
13 Now the people of Sodom were very evil and were always sinning against the LORD.
14 After Lot left, the LORD said to Abram, "Look all around you- to the north and south and east and west.
15 All this land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.
16 I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people.
17 Get up! Walk through all this land because I am now giving it to you."
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at the city of Hebron. There he built an altar to the LORD.
So they left Egypt and traveled north into the Negeb-Abram with his wife, and Lot, and all that they owned, for Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3-4 Then they continued northward toward Bethel where he had camped before, between Bethel and Ai-to the place where he had built the altar. And there he again worshiped the Lord.
5 Lot too was very wealthy, with sheep and cattle and many servants.
6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds. There were too many animals for the available pasture. 7 So fights broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot, despite the danger they all faced from the tribes of Canaanites and Perizzites present in the land. 8 Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This fighting between our men has got to stop," he said. "We can't afford to let a rift develop between our clans. Close relatives such as we are must present a united front! 9 I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that part over there to the east, then I'll stay here in the western section. Or, if you want the west, then I'll go over there to the east."
10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan River, well watered everywhere (this was before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah); the whole section was like the Garden of Eden, or like the beautiful countryside around Zoar in Egypt. 11 So that is what Lot chose-the Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants, and thus he and Abram parted company. 12 For Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain, settling at a place near the city of Sodom. 13 The men of this area were unusually wicked, and sinned greatly against Jehovah.
14 After Lot was gone, the Lord said to Abram, "Look as far as you can see in every direction, 15 for I am going to give it all to you and your descendants. 16 And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they can't be counted! 17 Hike in all directions and explore the new possessions I am giving you." 18 Then Abram moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, and built an altar to Jehovah there.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,165
4,4,7,270
5,5,9,341
6,6,11,437
7,7,13,532
8,8,15,665
9,9,17,798
10,10,19,960
11,11,21,1196
12,12,23,1297
13,13,25,1412
14,14,27,1500
15,15,29,1611
16,16,31,1694
17,17,33,1837
18,18,35,1915
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,349
6,9,5,421
10,13,7,1200
14,18,9,1820
CONFLICT GENES 13:5-9
Facing a potential conflict with his nephew Lot, Abram took the initiative in settling the dispute. He gave Lot first choice, and showed a willingness to risk being cheated. Abram's example shows us how to respond to difficult family situations: (1) take the initiative in resolving conflicts; (2) let others have first choice, even if that means not getting what we want; (3) put family peace above personal desires.
CHARACTER GENES 13:10-11
Lot's character is revealed by his choices. He took the best share of the land even though it meant living near Sodom, a city known for its sin. He was greedy for the best, without thinking about his uncle Abram's needs or what was fair. Life is a series of choices. We too can choose the best while ignoring the needs and feelings of others. But this kind of choice, as Lot's life shows, leads to problems. When we stop making choices in God's direction, all that is left is to make choices in the wrong direction.
GENES014
ACTION
1 Now Amraphel was king of Babylonia, Arioch was king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer was king of Elam, and Tidal was king of Goiim.
2 All these kings went to war against several other kings: Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.)
3 These kings who were attacked united their armies in the Valley of Siddim (now the Dead Sea).
4 They had served Kedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year, they all turned against him.
5 Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings with him came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim.
6 They also defeated the Horites in the mountains of Edom to El Paran (near the desert).
7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). They defeated all the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Tamar.
8 At that time the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela went out to fight in the Valley of Siddim. (Bela is called Zoar.)
9 They fought against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Babylonia, and Arioch king of Ellasar- four kings fighting against five.
10 There were many tar pits in the Valley of Siddim. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ran away, some of the soldiers fell into the tar pits, but the others ran away to the mountains.
11 Now Kedorlaomer and his armies took everything the people of Sodom and Gomorrah owned, including their food.
12 They took Lot, Abram's nephew who was living in Sodom, and everything he owned. Then they left.
13 One of the men who was not captured went to Abram, the Hebrew, and told him what had happened. At that time Abram was camped near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre was a brother of Eshcol and Aner, and they had all made an agreement to help Abram.
14 When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called out his 318 trained men who had been born in his camp. He led the men and chased the enemy all the way to the town of Dan.
15 That night he divided his men into groups, and they made a surprise attack against the enemy. They chased them all the way to Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Then Abram brought back everything the enemy had stolen, the women and the other people, and Lot, and everything Lot owned.
17 After defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, Abram went home. As he was returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (now called King's Valley).
18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest for God Most High
19 and blessed Abram, saying, "Abram, may you be blessed by God Most High, the God who made heaven and earth.
20 And we praise God Most High, who has helped you to defeat your enemies." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "You may keep all these things for yourself. Just give me my people who were captured."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I make a promise to the LORD, the God Most High, who made heaven and earth.
23 I promise that I will not keep anything that is yours. I will not keep even a thread or a sandal strap so that you cannot say, `I made Abram rich.'
24 I will keep nothing but the food my young men have eaten. But give Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre their share of what we won, because they went with me into battle."
Now war filled the land-Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim 2 fought against: Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (later called Zoar).
These kings (of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela) mobilized their armies in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea). 4 For twelve years they had all been subject to King Chedorlaomer, but now in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.
5-6 One year later, Chedorlaomer and his allies arrived and the slaughter began. For they were victorious over the following tribes at the places indicated: the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim; the Zuzim in Ham; the Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim; the Horites in Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the desert.
7 Then they swung around to Enmishpat (later called Kadesh) and destroyed the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazan-tamar.
8-9 But now the other army, that of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar), unsuccessfully attacked Chedorlaomer and his allies as they were in the Dead Sea Valley (four kings against five). 10 As it happened, the valley was full of asphalt pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some slipped into the pits, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then the victors plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and carried off all their wealth and food, and went on their homeward way, 12 taking with them Lot-Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom-and all he owned. 13 One of the men who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was camping among the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite (brother of Eshcol and Aner, Abram's allies).
14 When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all, and chased after the retiring army as far as Dan. 15 He divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions, and pursued the fleeing army to Hobah, north of Damascus, 16 and recovered everything-the loot that had been taken, his relative Lot, and all of Lot's possessions, including the women and other captives.
17 As Abram returned from his strike against Chedorlaomer and the other kings at the valley of Shaveh (later called the King's Valley), the king of Sodom came out to meet him, 18 and Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who was a priest of the God of Highest Heaven, brought him bread and wine. 19-20 Then Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
"The blessing of the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, be upon you, Abram; and blessed be God, who has delivered your enemies over to you."
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot.
21 The king of Sodom told him, "Just give me back my people who were captured; keep for yourself the booty stolen from my city."
22 But Abram replied, "I have solemnly promised Jehovah, the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take so much as a single thread from you, lest you say, `Abram is rich because of what I gave him!' 24 All I'll accept is what these young men of mine have eaten; but give a share of the loot to Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, my allies."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,336
4,4,7,436
5,5,9,545
6,6,11,726
7,7,13,819
8,8,15,975
9,9,17,1115
10,10,19,1278
11,11,21,1486
12,12,23,1602
13,13,25,1705
14,14,27,1970
15,15,29,2157
16,16,31,2316
17,17,33,2447
18,18,35,2644
19,19,37,2739
20,20,39,2853
21,21,41,3020
22,22,43,3148
23,23,45,3269
24,24,47,3424
1,4,1,1
5,6,4,543
7,7,6,865
8,13,8,1005
14,16,10,1774
17,20,12,2230
21,21,16,2796
22,24,18,2928
ACTION GENES 14:14-16
When Abram learned that Lot was a prisoner, he immediately tried to help his nephew. It is easier and safer not to become involved, but with Lot in serious trouble, Abram acted at once. Sometimes we must get involved in a messy or painful situation in order to help others. We should be willing to act immediately when others need our help.
GENES015
1 After these things happened, the LORD spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what can you give me? I have no son, so my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die."
3 Abram said, "Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have."
4 Then the LORD spoke his word to Abram: "He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have."
5 Then God led Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count."
6 Abram believed the LORD. And the LORD accepted Abram's faith, and that faith made him right with God.
7 God said to Abram, "I am the LORD who led you out of Ur of Babylonia so that I could give you this land to own."
8 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, how can I be sure that I will own this land?"
9 The LORD said to Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old male sheep, a dove, and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought them all to God. Then Abram killed the animals and cut each of them into two pieces, laying each half opposite the other half. But he did not cut the birds in half.
11 Later, large birds flew down to eat the animals, but Abram chased them away.
12 As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he was asleep, a very terrible darkness came.
13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers and travel in a land they don't own. The people there will make them slaves and be cruel to them for four hundred years.
14 But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land, taking great wealth with them.
15 And you, Abram, will die in peace and will be buried at an old age.
16 After your great-great-grandchildren are born, your people will come to this land again. It will take that long, because I am not yet going to punish the Amorites for their evil behavior."
17 After the sun went down, it was very dark. Suddenly a smoking firepot and a blazing torch passed between the halves of the dead animals.
18 So on that day the LORD made an agreement with Abram and said, "I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.
19 This is the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."
Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and this is what he told him: "Don't be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings."
2-But Abram replied, "OLord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household will inherit all my wealth."
4 Then Jehovah told him, "No, no one else will be your heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own."
5 Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that-too many to count!" 6 And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith.
7 And he told him, "I am Jehovah who brought you out of the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land."
8 But Abram replied, "OLord Jehovah, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?" 9 Then Jehovah told him to take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon, 10 and to slay them and to cut them apart down the middle, and to separate the halves, but not to divide the birds. 11 And when the vultures came down upon the carcasses, Abram shooed them away.
12 That evening as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a vision of terrible foreboding, darkness, and horror.
13 Then Jehovah told Abram, "Your descendants will be oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and at the end they will come away with great wealth. 15 (But you will die in peace, at a ripe old age.) 16 After four generations they will return here to this land; for the wickedness of the Amorite nations living here now will not be ready for punishment until then."
17 As the sun went down and it was dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch that passed between the halves of the carcasses. 18 So that day Jehovah made this covenant with Abram: "I have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish to the Euphrates River. 19-21 And I give to them these nations: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,163
3,3,5,307
4,4,7,419
5,5,9,579
6,6,11,737
7,7,13,845
8,8,15,964
9,9,17,1043
10,10,19,1186
11,11,21,1372
12,12,23,1456
13,13,25,1572
14,14,27,1786
15,15,29,1920
16,16,31,1995
17,17,33,2191
18,18,35,2335
19,19,37,2505
20,20,39,2569
21,21,41,2609
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,169
4,4,5,344
5,6,7,464
7,7,9,738
8,11,11,854
12,12,13,1279
13,16,15,1414
17,21,17,1847
FAITH GENES 15:6
Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was believing in the Lord, not actions, that made Abram right with God (Romans 4:1-5). We too can have a right relationship with God by trusting him with our lives. Our outward actions ,church attendance, prayer, good deeds ,will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith ,the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. Right actions follow naturally as by-products.
GENES016
1 Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.
2 Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the LORD has not allowed me to have children, so have sexual relations with my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can have my own family through her." Abram did what Sarai said.
3 It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)
4 Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai badly.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is your fault. I gave my slave girl to you, and when she became pregnant, she began to treat me badly. Let the LORD decide who is right- you or me."
6 But Abram said to Sarai, "You are Hagar's mistress. Do anything you want to her." Then Sarai was hard on Hagar, and Hagar ran away.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the desert, by the road to Shur.
8 The angel said, "Hagar, Sarai's slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?" Hagar answered, "I am running away from my mistress Sarai."
9 The angel of the LORD said to her, "Go home to your mistress and obey her."
10 The angel also said, "I will give you so many descendants they cannot be counted."
11 The angel added, "You are now pregnant, and you will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your cries.
12 Ishmael will be like a wild donkey. He will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will attack all his brothers."
13 The slave girl gave a name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are `God who sees me,' "because she said to herself, "Have I really seen God who sees me?"
14 So the well there, between Kadesh and Bered, was called Beer Lahai Roi.
15 Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named him Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
But Sarai and Abram had no children. So Sarai took her maid, an Egyptian girl named Hagar, 2-and gave her to Abram to be his second wife.
"Since the Lord has given me no children," Sarai said, "you may sleep with my servant girl, and her children shall be mine."
And Abram agreed. (This took place ten years after Abram had first arrived in the land of Canaan.) 4 So he slept with Hagar, and she conceived; and when she realized she was pregnant, she became very proud and arrogant toward her mistress Sarai.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault. For now this servant girl of mine despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of being your wife. May the Lord judge you for doing this to me!"
6 "You have my permission to punish the girl as you see fit," Abram replied. So Sarai beat her and she ran away.
7 The Angel of the Lord found her beside a desert spring along the road to Shur.
8 The Angel: "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
Hagar: "I am running away from my mistress."
9-12 The Angel: "Return to your mistress and act as you should, for I will make you into a great nation. Yes, you are pregnant and your baby will be a son, and you are to name him Ishmael (`God hears'), because God has heard your woes. This son of yours will be a wild one-free and untamed as a wild ass! He will be against everyone, and everyone will feel the same toward him. But he will live near the rest of his kin."
13 Thereafter Hagar spoke of Jehovah-for it was he who appeared to her-as "the God who looked upon me," for she thought, "I saw God and lived to tell it."
14 Later that well was named "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." It lies between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 (Abram was eighty-six years old at this time.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,94
3,3,5,311
4,4,7,446
5,5,9,598
6,6,11,785
7,7,13,923
8,8,15,1024
9,9,17,1182
10,10,19,1264
11,11,21,1354
12,12,23,1492
13,13,25,1632
14,14,27,1792
15,15,29,1871
16,16,31,1944
1,4,1,1
5,5,5,516
6,6,7,721
7,7,9,837
8,8,11,921
9,12,14,1058
13,13,16,1484
14,14,18,1642
15,16,20,1750
INTERFERENCE GENES 16:3
Sarai took matters into her own hands by giving Hagar to Abram. Like Abram she had trouble believing God's promise that was apparently directed specifically toward Abram and Sarai. Out of this lack of faith came a series of problems. This always happens when we take over for God, trying to make his promise come true through efforts that are not in line with his specific directions. In this case, time was the greatest test of Abram and Sarai's willingness to let God work in their lives. Sometimes we too must simply wait. When we ask God for something and have to wait, it is a temptation to take matters into our own hands and interfere with God's plans.
FRUSTRATION GENES 16:5
Although Sarai arranged for Hagar to have a child by Abram, she later blamed Abram for the results. It is often easier to strike out in frustration and accuse someone else than to admit an error and ask forgiveness. (Adam and Eve did the same thing in 3:12-13.)
RUNAWAY GENES 16:8
As Hagar was running away from her mistress and her problem, the angel of <R>the Lord gave her this advice: (1) return and face Sarai, the cause of her problem, and (2) act as she should. Hagar needed to work on her attitude toward Sarai, no matter how justified it may have been. Running away from our problems rarely solves them. It is wise to face our problems squarely, accept God's promise of help, correct our attitudes, and act as we should.
GENES017
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right.
2 I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people."
3 Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him,
4 "I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.
5 I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations.
6 I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you.
7 And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.
8 You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants."
9 Then God said to Abraham, "You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on.
10 This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised.
11 Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you.
12 From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants.
13 Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever.
14 Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement."
15 God said to Abraham, "I will change the name of Sarai, your wife, to Sarah.
16 I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her."
17 Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?"
18 Then Abraham said to God, "Please let Ishmael be the son you promised."
19 God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
20 "As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.
21 But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year."
22 After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.
23 Then Abraham gathered Ishmael, all the males born in his camp, and the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.
25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.
26 Abraham and his son were circumcised on the same day.
27 Also on that day all the men in Abraham's camp were circumcised, including all those born in his camp and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to him and told him, "I am the Almighty; obey me and live as you should. 2-4 I will prepare a contract between us, guaranteeing to make you into a mighty nation. In fact you shall be the father of not only one nation, but a multitude of nations!" Abram fell face downward in the dust as God talked with him.
5 "What's more," God told him, "I am changing your name. It is no longer `Abram' (`Exalted Father'), but `Abraham' (`Father of Nations')-for that is what you will be. I have declared it. 6 I will give you millions of descendants who will form many nations! Kings shall be among your descendants! 7-8 And I will continue this agreement between us generation after generation, forever, for it shall be between me and your children as well. It is a contract that I shall be your God and the God of your posterity. And I will give all this land of Canaan to you and them, forever. And I will be your God.
9-10 "Your part of the contract," God told him, "is to obey its terms. You personally and all your posterity have this continual responsibility: that every male among you shall be circumcised; 11 the foreskin of his penis shall be cut off. This will be the proof that you and they accept this covenant. 12 Every male shall be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. This applies to every foreign-born slave as well as to everyone born in your household. This is a permanent part of this contract, and it applies to all your posterity. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will thus be marked as participants in my everlasting covenant. 14 Anyone who refuses these terms shall be cut off from his people; for he has violated my contract."
15 Then God added, "Regarding Sarai your wife-her name is no longer `Sarai' but `Sarah' (`Princess'). 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and make her the mother of nations! Many kings shall be among your posterity."
17 Then Abraham threw himself down in worship before the Lord, but inside he was laughing in disbelief!
"Me, be a father?" he said in amusement. "Me,100 years old? And Sarah, to have a baby at 90?"
18 And Abraham said to God, "Yes, do bless Ishmael!"
19 "No," God replied, "that isn't what I said. Sarah shall bear you a son; and you are to name him Isaac (`Laughter'), and I will sign my covenant with him forever, and with his descendants. 20 As for Ishmael, all right, I will bless him also, just as you have asked me to. I will cause him to multiply and become a great nation. Twelve princes shall be among his posterity. 21 But my contract is with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah next year at about this time."
22 That ended the conversation and God left. 23 Then, that very day, Abraham took Ishmael his son and every other male-born in his household or bought from outside-and cut off their foreskins, just as God had told him to. 24-27 Abraham was ninety-nine years old at that time, and Ishmael was thirteen. Both were circumcised the same day, along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether born there or bought as slaves.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,223
4,4,7,287
5,5,9,373
6,6,11,475
7,7,13,580
8,8,15,728
9,9,17,892
10,10,19,988
11,11,21,1114
12,12,23,1218
13,13,25,1404
14,14,27,1582
15,15,29,1691
16,16,31,1774
17,17,33,1924
18,18,35,2110
19,19,37,2189
20,20,39,2375
21,21,41,2601
22,22,43,2708
23,23,45,2779
24,24,47,2968
25,25,49,3034
26,26,51,3111
27,27,53,3172
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,364
9,14,5,968
15,16,7,1715
17,17,9,1982
18,18,12,2185
19,21,14,2241
22,27,16,2719
OBEDIENCE GENES 17:1
The Lord told Abram, I am the Almighty obey me and live as you should. God has the same message for us today. We are to obey him because he is God ,that is reason enough. If you don't think the benefits are worth it, consider who God is ,the only one with the power and ability to meet your every need.
Profile: Sarah ,!page "^sarah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES018
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1 Later, the LORD again appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day.
2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When Abraham saw them, he ran from his tent to meet them. He bowed facedown on the ground before them
3 and said, "Sir, if you think well of me, please stay awhile with me, your servant.
4 I will bring some water so all of you can wash your feet. You may rest under the tree,
5 and I will get some bread for you so you can regain your strength. Then you may continue your journey." The three men said, "That is fine. Do as you said."
6 Abraham hurried to the tent where Sarah was and said to her, "Hurry, prepare twenty quarts of fine flour, and make it into loaves of bread."
7 Then Abraham ran to his herd and took one of his best calves. He gave it to a servant, who hurried to kill it and to prepare it for food.
8 Abraham gave the three men the calf that had been cooked and milk curds and milk. While they ate, he stood under the tree near them.
9 The men asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" "There, in the tent," said Abraham.
10 Then the LORD said, "I will certainly return to you about this time a year from now. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him.
11 Abraham and Sarah were very old. Since Sarah was past the age when women normally have children,
12 she laughed to herself, "My husband and I are too old to have a baby."
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, `I am too old to have a baby'?
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? No! I will return to you at the right time a year from now, and Sarah will have a son."
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." But the LORD said, "No. You did laugh."
16 Then the men got up to leave and started out toward Sodom. Abraham walked along with them a short time to send them on their way.
17 The LORD said, "Should I tell Abraham what I am going to do now?
18 Abraham's children will certainly become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
19 I have chosen him so he would command his children and his descendants to live the way the LORD wants them to, to live right and be fair. Then I, the LORD, will give Abraham what I promised him."
20 Then the LORD said, "I have heard many complaints against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They are very evil.
21 I will go down and see if they are as bad as I have heard. If not, I will know."
22 So the men turned and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood there before the LORD.
23 Then Abraham approached him and asked, "Do you plan to destroy the good people along with the evil ones?
24 What if there are fifty good people in that city? Will you still destroy it? Surely you will save the city for the fifty good people living there.
25 Surely you will not destroy the good people along with the evil ones; then they would be treated the same. You are the judge of all the earth. Won't you do what is right?"
26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty good people in the city of Sodom, I will save the whole city because of them."
27 Then Abraham said, "Though I am only dust and ashes, I have been brave to speak to the Lord.
28 What if there are only forty-five good people in the city? Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five good people?" The LORD said, "If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy the city."
29 Again Abraham said to him, "If you find only forty good people there, will you destroy the city?" The LORD said, "If I find forty, I will not destroy it."
30 Then Abraham said, "Lord, please don't be angry with me, but let me ask you this. If you find only thirty good people in the city, will you destroy it?" He said, "If I find thirty good people there, I will not destroy the city."
31 Then Abraham said, "I have been brave to speak to the Lord. But what if there are twenty good people in the city?" He answered, "If I find twenty there, I will not destroy the city."
32 Then Abraham said, "Lord, please don't be angry with me, but let me bother you this one last time. What if you find ten there?" He said, "If I find ten there, I will not destroy it."
33 When the LORD finished speaking to Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, 2 he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them.
3-4 "Sirs," he said, "please don't go any farther. Stop awhile and rest here in the shade of this tree while I get water to refresh your feet, 5 and a bite to eat to strengthen you. Do stay awhile before continuing your journey."
"All right," they said, "do as you have said."
6 Then Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Mix up some pancakes! Use your best flour, and make enough for the three of them!" 7 Then he ran out to the herd and selected a fat calf and told a servant to hurry and butcher it. 8 Soon, taking them cheese and milk and the roast veal, he set it before the men and stood beneath the trees beside them as they ate.
9 "Where is Sarah, your wife?" they asked him.
"In the tent," Abraham replied.
10 Then the Lord said, "Next year I will give you and Sarah a son!" (Sarah was listening from the tent door behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long since past the time when she could have a baby.
12 So Sarah laughed silently. "A woman my age have a baby?" she scoffed to herself. "And with a husband as old as mine?"
13 Then God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say `Can an old woman like me have a baby?' 14 Is anything too hard for God? Next year, just as I told you, I will certainly see to it that Sarah has a son."
15 But Sarah denied it. "I didn't laugh," she lied, for she was afraid.
16 Then the men stood up from their meal and started on toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them part of the way.
17 "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" God asked. 18 "For Abraham shall become a mighty nation, and he will be a source of blessing for all the nations of the earth. 19 And I have picked him out to have godly descendants and a godly household-men who are just and good-so that I can do for him all I have promised."
20 So the Lord told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly evil, and that everything they do is wicked. 21 I am going down to see whether these reports are true or not. Then I will know."
22-23 So the other two went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham awhile. Then Abraham approached him and said, "Will you kill good and bad alike? 24 Suppose you find fifty godly people there within the city-will you destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? 25 That wouldn't be right! Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, to kill the godly with the wicked! Why, you would be treating godly and wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth be fair?"
26 And God replied, "If I find fifty godly people there, I will spare the entire city for their sake."
27 Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?"
And God said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five."
29 Then Abraham went further with his request. "Suppose there are only forty?"
And God replied, "I won't destroy it if there are forty."
30 "Please don't be angry," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak: suppose only thirty are found there?"
And God replied, "I won't do it if there are thirty there."
31 Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to God, let me continue -suppose there are only twenty?"
And God said, "Then I won't destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
32 Finally, Abraham said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry; I will speak but this once more! Suppose only ten are found?"
And God said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I won't destroy it."
33 And the Lord went on his way when he had finished his conversation with Abraham. And Abraham returned to his tent.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,164
3,3,5,322
4,4,7,411
5,5,9,504
6,6,11,666
7,7,13,813
8,8,15,957
9,9,17,1096
10,10,19,1189
11,11,21,1398
12,12,23,1502
13,13,25,1580
14,14,27,1688
15,15,29,1818
16,16,31,1923
17,17,33,2060
18,18,35,2132
19,19,37,2263
20,20,39,2466
21,21,41,2585
22,22,43,2673
23,23,45,2762
24,24,47,2874
25,25,49,3028
26,26,51,3207
27,27,53,3325
28,28,55,3425
29,29,57,3632
30,30,59,3794
31,31,61,4030
32,32,63,4220
33,33,65,4410
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,291
6,8,6,572
9,9,8,953
10,11,11,1036
12,12,13,1272
13,14,15,1396
15,15,17,1620
16,16,19,1695
17,19,21,1812
20,21,23,2133
22,25,25,2358
26,26,27,2876
27,28,29,2982
29,29,32,3256
30,30,35,3398
31,31,38,3561
32,32,41,3741
33,33,44,3933
TOO HARD GENES 18:14
Is anything too hard for God? The obvious answer is, Of course not! This question reveals much about God. Make it a habit to insert your specific needs into the question. Is this day in my life too hard for God? Is this habit I'm trying to break too hard for him? Is the communication problem I'm having too hard for him? Asking the question this way will remind you that God is personally involved in your life and will nudge you to ask for his power to help you.
LYING GENES 18:15
Sarah lied because she was afraid of being discovered. Fear is the most common motive for lying. We are afraid that our inner thoughts and emotions will be exposed or our wrongdoings discovered. But lying causes greater complications than telling the truth and brings even more problems. If God can't be trusted with our innermost thoughts and fears, we are in greater trouble than we first imagined.
PRAYER GENES 18:20-33
Did Abraham change God's mind? Of course not. The more likely answer is that God changed Abraham's mind. Abraham knew that God is just and that he punishes sin. But he may have wondered about God's mercy. Abraham seemed to be probing God's mind to see how merciful he really was. He left his conversation with God convinced that God was both kind and fair. Our prayers may not change God's mind, but they may change ours just as Abraham's prayer changed his. Prayer helps us better understand the mind of God.
GENES019
1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting near the city gate. When he saw them, he got up and went to them and bowed facedown on the ground.
2 Lot said, "Sirs, please come to my house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then tomorrow you may continue your journey." The angels answered, "No, we will spend the night in the city's public square."
3 But Lot begged them to come, so they agreed and went to his house. Then Lot prepared a meal for them. He baked bread without yeast, and they ate it.
4 Before bedtime, men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot's house.
5 They called to Lot, "Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sexual relations with them."
6 Lot went outside to them, closing the door behind him.
7 He said, "No, my brothers! Do not do this evil thing.
8 Look! I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don't do anything to these men. They have come to my house, and I must protect them."
9 The men around the house answered, "Move out of the way!" Then they said to each other, "This man Lot came to our city as a stranger, and now he wants to tell us what to do!" They said to Lot, "We will do worse things to you than to them." They started pushing him back and were ready to break down the door.
10 But the two men staying with Lot opened the door, pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door.
11 They struck those outside the door with blindness, so the men, both young and old, could not find the door.
12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have any other relatives in this city? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any other relatives? If you do, tell them to leave now,
13 because we are about to destroy this city. The LORD has heard of all the evil that is here, so he has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters, "Hurry and leave this city! The LORD is about to destroy it!" But they thought Lot was joking.
15 At dawn the next morning, the angels begged Lot to hurry. They said, "Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be destroyed when the city is punished."
16 But Lot delayed. So the two men took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the LORD was merciful to Lot and his family.
17 After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, "Run for your lives! Don't look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Run to the mountains, or you will be destroyed."
18 But Lot said to one of them, "Sir, please don't force me to go so far!
19 You have been merciful and kind to me and have saved my life. But I can't run to the mountains. The disaster will catch me, and I will die.
20 Look, that little town over there is not too far away. Let me run there. It's really just a little town, and I'll be safe there."
21 The angel said to Lot, "Very well, I will allow you to do this also. I will not destroy that town.
22 But run there fast, because I cannot destroy Sodom until you are safely in that town." (That town is named Zoar, because it is little.)
23 The sun had already come up when Lot entered Zoar.
24 The LORD sent a rain of burning sulfur down from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah
25 and destroyed those cities. He also destroyed the whole Jordan Valley, everyone living in the cities, and even all the plants.
26 At that point Lot's wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early the next morning, Abraham got up and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the Jordan Valley and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
29 God destroyed the cities in the valley, but he remembered what Abraham had asked. So God saved Lot's life, but he destroyed the city where Lot had lived.
30 Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave.
31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old. Everywhere on the earth women and men marry, but there are no men around here for us to marry.
32 Let's get our father drunk and have sexual relations with him. We can use him to have children and continue our family."
33 That night the two girls got their father drunk, and the older daughter went and had sexual relations with him. But Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I had sexual relations with my father. Let's get him drunk again tonight so you can go and have sexual relations with him, too. In this way we can use our father to have children to continue our family."
35 So that night they got their father drunk again, and the younger daughter went and had sexual relations with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of all the Moabite people who are still living today.
38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him BEN-AMMI. He is the father of all the Ammonite people who are still living today.
That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived. When he saw them he stood up to meet them, and welcomed them.
2 "Sirs," he said, "come to my home as my guests for the night; you can get up as early as you like and be on your way again."
"Oh, no thanks," they said, "we'll just stretch out here along the street."
But he was very urgent, until at last they went home with him, and he set a great feast before them, complete with freshly baked unleavened bread. After the meal, 4 as they were preparing to retire for the night, the men of the city-yes, Sodomites, young and old from all over the city-surrounded the house 5 and shouted to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we can rape them."
6 Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7 "Please, fellows," he begged, "don't do such a wicked thing. 8 Look-I have two virgin daughters, and I'll surrender them to you to do with as you wish. But leave these men alone, for they are under my protection."
9 "Stand back," they yelled. "Who do you think you are? We let this fellow settle among us and now he tries to tell us what to do! We'll deal with you far worse than with those other men." And they lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door.
10 But the two men reached out and pulled Lot in and bolted the door 11 and temporarily blinded the men of Sodom so that they couldn't find the door.
12 "What relatives do you have here in the city?" the men asked. "Get them out of this place-sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we will destroy the city completely. The stench of the place has reached to heaven and God has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters' fianc
s, "Quick, get out of the city, for the Lord is going to destroy it." But the young men looked at him as though he had lost his senses.
15 At dawn the next morning the angels became urgent. "Hurry," they said to Lot, "take your wife and your two daughters who are here and get out while you can, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city."
16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety, outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.
17 "Flee for your lives," the angels told him. "And don't look back. Escape to the mountains. Don't stay down here on the plain or you will die."
18-20 "Oh no, sirs, please," Lot begged, "since you've been so kind to me and saved my life, and you've granted me such mercy, let me flee to that little village over there instead of into the mountains, for I fear disaster in the mountains. See, the village is close by and it is just a small one. Please, please, let me go there instead. Don't you see how small it is? And my life will be saved."
21 "All right," the angel said, "I accept your proposition and won't destroy that little city.
22 But hurry! For I can do nothing until you are there." (From that time on that village was named Zoar, meaning "Little City.")
23 The sun was rising as Lot reached the village.
24 Then the Lord rained down fire and flaming tar from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah,
25 and utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, eliminating all life-people, plants, and animals alike.
26 But Lot's wife looked back as she was following along behind him and became a pillar of salt.
27 That morning Abraham was up early and hurried out to the place where he had stood before the Lord.
28 He looked out across the plain to Sodom and Gomorrah and saw columns of smoke and fumes, as from a furnace, rising from the cities there.
29 So God heeded Abraham's plea and kept Lot safe, removing him from the maelstrom of death that engulfed the cities.
30 Afterwards Lot left Zoar, fearful of the people there, and went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters.
31 One day the older girl said to her sister, "There isn't a man anywhere in this entire area that our father would let us marry. And our father will soon be too old for having children.
32 Come, let's fill him with wine and then we will sleep with him, so that our clan will not come to an end."
33 So they got him drunk that night, and the older girl went in and had sexual intercourse with her father; but he was unaware of her lying down or getting up again.
34 The next morning she said to her younger sister, "I slept with my father last night. Let's fill him with wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him, so that our family line will continue."
35 So they got him drunk again that night, and the younger girl went in and lay with him, and, as before, he didn't know that anyone was there.
36 And so it was that both girls became pregnant from their father.
37 The older girl's baby was named Moab; he became the ancestor of the nation of the Moabites.
38 The name of the younger girl's baby was Benammi; he became the ancestor of the nation of the Ammonites.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,169
3,3,5,397
4,4,7,552
5,5,9,650
6,6,11,789
7,7,13,850
8,8,15,910
9,9,17,1142
10,10,19,1457
11,11,21,1574
12,12,23,1689
13,13,25,1873
14,14,27,2006
15,15,29,2200
16,16,31,2385
17,17,33,2564
18,18,35,2751
19,19,37,2829
20,20,39,2976
21,21,41,3113
22,22,43,3219
23,23,45,3362
24,24,47,3420
25,25,49,3506
26,26,51,3640
27,27,53,3728
28,28,55,3832
29,29,57,3969
30,30,59,4130
31,31,61,4249
32,32,63,4419
33,33,65,4547
34,34,67,4725
35,35,69,5001
36,36,71,5184
37,37,73,5251
38,38,75,5390
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,181
6,8,7,767
9,9,9,1055
10,11,11,1304
12,13,13,1457
14,14,15,1725
15,15,17,1914
16,16,19,2132
17,17,21,2307
18,20,23,2457
21,21,25,2859
22,22,27,2957
23,23,28,3087
24,24,30,3140
25,25,31,3228
26,26,33,3373
27,27,35,3473
28,28,37,3578
29,29,39,3722
30,30,41,3843
31,31,43,3972
32,32,45,4162
33,33,47,4275
34,34,49,4444
35,35,51,4647
36,36,53,4794
37,37,55,4865
38,38,57,4963
DIFFERENT GENES 19:14
Lot had lived so long, and was so content among ungodly people that he was no longer a believable witness for God. He had allowed his environment to shape him, rather than he shaping his environment. Do those who know you see you as a witness for God, or are you just one of the crowd, blending in unnoticed? Lot had compromised to the point that he was almost useless to God. When he finally made a stand, nobody listened. Have you also become useless to God because you are too much like your environment? To make a difference, you must first decide to be different in what you believe and how you act.
LOOKING BACK GENES 19:26
Lot's wife turned back to look at the smoldering city of Sodom. Clinging to the past, she was unwilling to turn completely from sin. Are you looking back longingly at sin while trying to move forward with God? You can't make progress with God as long as you are holding on to pieces of your old life. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:24: You cannot serve two masters.
Profile: Lot ,!page "^lot" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES020
1 Abraham left Hebron and traveled to southern Canaan where he stayed awhile between Kadesh and Shur. When he moved to Gerar,
2 he told people that his wife Sarah was his sister. Abimelech king of Gerar heard this, so he sent some servants to take her.
3 But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You will die. The woman you took is married."
4 But Abimelech had not gone near Sarah, so he said, "Lord, would you destroy an innocent nation?
5 Abraham himself told me, `This woman is my sister,' and she also said, `He is my brother.' I am innocent. I did not know I was doing anything wrong."
6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, "Yes, I know you did not realize what you were doing. So I did not allow you to sin against me and touch her.
7 Give Abraham his wife back. He is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all your family will surely die."
8 So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his officers and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, "What have you done to us? What wrong did I do against you? Why did you bring this trouble to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me.
10 What were you thinking that caused you to do this?"
11 Then Abraham answered, "I thought no one in this place respected God and that someone would kill me to get Sarah.
12 And it is true that she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but she is not the daughter of my mother.
13 When God told me to leave my father's house and wander in many different places, I told Sarah, `You must do a special favor for me. Everywhere we go tell people I am your brother.' "
14 Then Abimelech gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves. He also gave Sarah, Abraham's wife, back to him
15 and said, "Look around you at my land. You may live anywhere you want."
16 Abimelech said to Sarah, "I gave your brother Abraham twenty-five pounds of silver to make up for any wrong that people may think about you. I want everyone to know that you are innocent."
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servant girls so they could have children.
18 The LORD had kept all the women in Abimelech's house from having children as a punishment on Abimelech for taking Abraham's wife Sarah.
Now Abraham moved south to the Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur. One day, when visiting the city of Gerar, 2 he declared that Sarah was his sister! Then King Abimelech sent for her, and had her brought to him at his palace.
But that night God came to him in a dream and told him, "You are a dead man, for that woman you took is married."
4 But Abimelech hadn't slept with her yet, so he said, "Lord, will you slay an innocent man? 5 He told me, `She is my sister,' and she herself said, `Yes, he is my brother.' I hadn't the slightest intention of doing anything wrong."
6 "Yes, I know," the Lord replied. "That is why I held you back from sinning against me; that is why I didn't let you touch her. 7 Now restore her to her husband, and he will pray for you (for he is a prophet) and you shall live. But if you don't return her to him, you are doomed to death along with all your household."
8 The king was up early the next morning, and hastily called a meeting of all the palace personnel and told them what had happened. And great fear swept through the crowd.
9-10 Then the king called for Abraham. "What is this you've done to us?" he demanded. "What have I done that deserves treatment like this, to make me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? Who would suspect that you would do a thing like this to me? Whatever made you think of this vile deed?"
11-12 "Well," Abraham said, "I figured this to be a godless place. `They will want my wife and will kill me to get her,' I thought. And besides, she is my sister-or at least a half sister (we both have the same father)-and I married her. 13 And when God sent me traveling far from my childhood home, I told her, `Have the kindness to mention, wherever we come, that you are my sister.' "
14 Then King Abimelech took sheep and oxen and servants-both men and women-and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.
15 "Look my kingdom over, and choose the place where you want to live," the king told him. 16 Then he turned to Sarah. "Look," he said, "I am giving your `brother' a thousand silver pieces as damages for what I did, to compensate for any embarrassment and to settle any claim against me regarding this matter. Now justice has been done."
17 Then Abraham prayed, asking God to cure the king and queen and the other women of the household, so that they could have children; 18 for God had stricken all the women with barrenness to punish Abimelech for taking Abraham's wife.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,131
3,3,5,262
4,4,7,373
5,5,9,475
6,6,11,631
7,7,13,788
8,8,15,960
9,9,17,1107
10,10,19,1311
11,11,21,1370
12,12,23,1491
13,13,25,1612
14,14,27,1802
15,15,29,1933
16,16,31,2012
17,17,33,2208
18,18,35,2330
1,3,1,1
4,5,4,353
6,7,6,589
8,8,8,914
9,10,10,1089
11,13,12,1388
14,14,13,1778
15,16,15,1918
17,18,17,2259
GENES021
1 The LORD cared for Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised.
2 Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would.
3 Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to.
4 He circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.
7 No one thought that I would be able to have Abraham's child, but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son."
8 Isaac grew, and when he became old enough to eat food, Abraham gave a great feast.
9 But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. (Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian slave.)
10 So Sarah said to Abraham, "Throw out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all."
11 This troubled Abraham very much because Ishmael was also his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, "Don't be troubled about the boy and the slave woman. Do whatever Sarah tells you. The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.
13 I will also make the descendants of Ishmael into a great nation because he is your son, too."
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a leather bag full of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Carrying these things and her son, Hagar went and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
15 Later, when all the water was gone from the bag, Hagar put her son under a bush.
16 Then she went away a short distance and sat down. She thought, "My son will die, and I cannot watch this happen." She sat there and began to cry.
17 God heard the boy crying, and God's angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, "What is wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there.
18 Help him up and take him by the hand. I will make his descendants into a great nation."
19 Then God showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her bag with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. Ishmael lived in the desert and became an archer.
21 He lived in the Desert of Paran, and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt.
22 Then Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.
23 So make a promise to me here before God that you will be fair with me and my children and my descendants. Be kind to me and to this land where you have lived as a stranger- as kind as I have been to you."
24 And Abraham said, "I promise."
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about Abimelech's servants who had seized a well of water.
26 But Abimelech said, "I don't know who did this. You never told me about this before today."
27 Then Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and they made an agreement.
28 Abraham also put seven female lambs in front of Abimelech.
29 Abimelech asked Abraham, "Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?"
30 Abraham answered, "Accept these lambs from me to prove that you believe I dug this well."
31 So that place was called Beersheba because they made a promise to each other there.
32 After Abraham and Abimelech made the agreement at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the LORD, the God who lives forever.
34 And Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Then God did as he had promised, and Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a baby son in his old age, at the time God had said; and Abraham named him Isaac (meaning "Laughter!"). 4-5 Eight days after he was born, Abraham circumcised him, as God required. (Abraham was 100 years old at that time.)
6 And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter! All who hear about this shall rejoice with me. 7 For who would have dreamed that I would ever have a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a child in his old age!"
8 Time went by and the child grew and was weaned; and Abraham gave a party to celebrate the happy occasion. 9 But when Sarah noticed Ishmael-the son of Abraham and the Egyptian girl Hagar-teasing Isaac, 10 she turned upon Abraham and demanded, "Get rid of that slave girl and her son. He is not going to share your property with my son. I won't have it."
11 This upset Abraham very much, for after all, Ishmael too was his son.
12 But God told Abraham, "Don't be upset over the boy or your slave-girl wife; do as Sarah says, for Isaac is the son through whom my promise will be fulfilled. 13 And I will make a nation of the descendants of the slave girl's son, too, because he also is yours."
14 So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food for the journey, and strapped a canteen of water to Hagar's shoulders and sent her away with their son. She walked out into the wilderness of Beersheba, wandering aimlessly.
15 When the water was gone she left the youth in the shade of a bush 16 and went off and sat down a hundred yards or so away. "I don't want to watch him die," she said, and burst into tears, sobbing wildly.
17 Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, "Hagar, what's wrong? Don't be afraid! For God has heard the lad's cries as he is lying there. 18 Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants."
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well; so she refilled the canteen and gave the lad a drink. 20-21 And God blessed the boy and he grew up in the wilderness of Paran, and became an expert archer. And his mother arranged a marriage for him with a girl from Egypt.
22 About this time King Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his troops, came to Abraham and said to him, "It is evident that God helps you in everything you do; 23 swear to me by God's name that you won't defraud me or my son or my grandson, but that you will be on friendly terms with my country, as I have been toward you."
24 Abraham replied, "All right, I swear to it!" 25 Then Abraham complained to the king about a well the king's servants had taken violently away from Abraham's servants.
26 "This is the first I've heard of it," the king exclaimed, "and I have no idea who is responsible. Why didn't you tell me before?"
27 Then Abraham gave sheep and oxen to the king, as sacrifices to seal their pact.
28-29 But when he took seven ewe lambs and set them off by themselves, the king inquired, "Why are you doing that?"
30 And Abraham replied, "They are my gift to you as a public confirmation that this well is mine."
31 So from that time on the well was called Beer-sheba ("Well of the Oath"), because that was the place where they made their covenant. 32 Then King Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his army, returned home again. 33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree beside the well and prayed there to the Lord, calling upon the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham lived in the Philistine country for a long time.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,220
4,4,7,284
5,5,9,360
6,6,11,429
7,7,13,525
8,8,15,648
9,9,17,737
10,10,19,853
11,11,21,1001
12,12,23,1074
13,13,25,1240
14,14,27,1341
15,15,29,1555
16,16,31,1643
17,17,33,1796
18,18,35,1959
19,19,37,2054
20,20,39,2181
21,21,41,2274
22,22,43,2360
23,23,45,2487
24,24,47,2699
25,25,49,2737
26,26,51,2840
27,27,53,2939
28,28,55,3025
29,29,57,3091
30,30,59,3181
31,31,61,3278
32,32,63,3369
33,33,65,3528
34,34,67,3631
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,303
8,10,5,515
11,11,7,874
12,13,9,950
14,14,11,1218
15,16,13,1454
17,18,15,1664
19,21,17,1936
22,23,19,2210
24,25,21,2538
26,26,23,2711
27,27,25,2847
28,29,27,2933
30,30,29,3052
31,34,31,3154
SURPRISE GENES 21:7
After repeated promises, a visit by two angels, and the appearance of the Lord himself, Sarah finally cried out with surprise and joy at the birth of her son. Because of her doubt, worry, and fear, she had forfeited the peace she could have felt in God's wonderful promise to her. The way to have peace of mind is to focus on God's promises. Trust him to do what he says.
Profile: Isaac ,!page "^isaac" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES022
1 After these things God tested Abraham's faith. God said to him, "Abraham!" And he answered, "Here I am."
2 Then God said, "Take your only son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Kill him there and offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two servants with him. After he cut the wood for the sacrifice, they went to the place God had told them to go.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you."
6 Abraham took the wood for the sacrifice and gave it to his son to carry, but he himself took the knife and the fire. So he and his son went on together.
7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" Abraham answered, "Yes, my son." Isaac said, "We have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb we will burn as a sacrifice?"
8 Abraham answered, "God will give us the lamb for the sacrifice, my son." So Abraham and his son went on together
9 and came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar there. He laid the wood on it and then tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the wood on the altar.
10 Then Abraham took his knife and was about to kill his son.
11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham!" Abraham answered, "Yes."
12 The angel said, "Don't kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you trust God and that you have not kept your son, your only son, from me."
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a male sheep caught in a bush by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep and killed it. He offered it as a whole burnt offering to God, and his son was saved.
14 So Abraham named that place The LORD Provides. Even today people say, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 and said, "The LORD says, `Because you did not keep back your son, your only son, from me, I make you this promise by my own name:
17 I will surely bless you and give you many descendants. They will be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, and they will capture the cities of their enemies.
18 Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you obeyed me.' "
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants. They all traveled back to Beersheba, and Abraham stayed there.
20 After these things happened, someone told Abraham: "Your brother Nahor and his wife Milcah have children now.
21 The first son is Uz, and the second is Buz. The third son is Kemuel (the father of Aram).
22 Then there are Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah was the mother of these eight sons, and Nahor, Abraham's brother, was the father.
24 Also Nahor had four other sons by his slave woman Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Later on, God tested Abraham's faith and obedience.
"Abraham!" God called.
"Yes, Lord?" he replied.
2 "Take with you your only son-yes, Isaac whom you love so much-and go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I'll point out to you!"
The next morning Abraham got up early, chopped wood for a fire upon the altar, saddled his donkey, and took with him his son Isaac and two young men who were his servants, and started off to the place where God had told him to go. 4 On the third day of the journey Abraham saw the place in the distance.
5 "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the young men, "and the lad and I will travel yonder and worship, and then come right back."
6 Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering upon Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the flint for striking a fire. So the two of them went on together.
7 "Father," Isaac asked, "we have the wood and the flint to make the fire, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
8 "God will see to it, my son," Abraham replied. And they went on.
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him.
11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes, Lord!" he answered.
12 "Lay down the knife; don't hurt the lad in any way," the Angel said, "for I know that God is first in your life-you have not withheld even your beloved son from me."
13 Then Abraham noticed a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it, instead of his son, as a burnt offering on the altar. 14 Abraham named the place "Jehovah provides"-and it still goes by that name to this day.
15 Then the Angel of God called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 "I, the Lord, have sworn by myself that because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son from me, 17 I will bless you with incredible blessings and multiply your descendants into countless thousands and millions, like the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands along the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, 18 and your offspring will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth-all because you have obeyed me."
19 So they returned to his young men and traveled home again to Beer-sheba.
20-23 After this, a message arrived that Milcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor, had borne him eight sons. Their names were: Uz, the oldest, Buz, the next oldest, Kemuel (father of Aram), Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, Bethuel (father of Rebekah).
24 He also had four other children from his concubine, Reumah: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, Maacah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,112
3,3,5,312
4,4,7,508
5,5,9,584
6,6,11,724
7,7,13,883
8,8,15,1062
9,9,17,1181
10,10,19,1356
11,11,21,1422
12,12,23,1536
13,13,25,1699
14,14,27,1902
15,15,29,2030
16,16,31,2103
17,17,33,2241
18,18,35,2429
19,19,37,2533
20,20,39,2642
21,21,41,2759
22,22,43,2856
23,23,45,2923
24,24,47,3057
1,1,1,1
2,4,5,107
5,5,8,608
6,6,10,748
7,7,12,931
8,8,14,1051
9,10,16,1121
11,11,18,1407
12,12,21,1520
13,14,23,1692
15,18,25,1938
19,19,27,2456
20,23,29,2535
24,24,31,2792
TESTS GENES 22:1
God gave Abraham a test, not to trip him and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to obey God and thus to develop his character. Just as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are tested we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop our character.
TIMING GENES 22:7-8
Why did God ask Abraham to perform human sacrifice? Heathen nations practiced human sacrifice, but God condemned this as a terrible sin (Leviticus 20:1-5). God did not want Isaac to die, but he wanted Abraham to prove that he loved God more than he loved his promised and long-awaited son. God was testing Abraham. The purpose of testing is to strengthen our character and deepen our commitment to God and his perfect timing. Through this difficult experience, Abraham strengthened his commitment to obey God. He also learned about God's ability to provide.
GENES023
1 Sarah lived to be one hundred twenty-seven years old.
2 She died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham was very sad and cried because of her.
3 After a while he got up from the side of his wife's body and went to talk to the Hittites. He said,
4 "I am only a stranger and a foreigner here. Sell me some of your land so that I can bury my dead wife."
5 The Hittites answered Abraham,
6 "Sir, you are a great leader among us. You may have the best place we have to bury your dead. You may have any of our burying places that you want, and none of us will stop you from burying your dead wife."
7 Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites.
8 He said to them, "If you truly want to help me bury my dead wife here, speak to Ephron, the son of Zohar for me.
9 Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah at the edge of his field. I will pay him the full price. You can be the witnesses that I am buying it as a burial place."
10 Ephron was sitting among the Hittites at the city gate. He answered Abraham,
11 "No, sir. I will give you the land and the cave that is in it, with these people as witnesses. Bury your dead wife."
12 Then Abraham bowed down before the Hittites.
13 He said to Ephron before all the people, "Please let me pay you the full price for the field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead there."
14 Ephron answered Abraham,
15 "Sir, the land is worth ten pounds of silver, but I won't argue with you over the price. Take the land, and bury your dead wife."
16 Abraham agreed and paid Ephron in front of the Hittite witnesses. He weighed out the full price, ten pounds of silver, and they counted the weight as the traders normally did.
17 So Ephron's field in Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold.
18 Abraham became the owner of the field, the cave in it, and all the trees that were in the field. The sale was made at the city gate, with the Hittites as witnesses.
19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. (Mamre was later called Hebron in the land of Canaan.)
20 So Abraham bought the field and the cave in it from the Hittites to use as a burying place.
When Sarah was 127 years old, she died in Hebron in the land of Canaan; there Abraham mourned and wept for her. Then, standing beside her body, he said to the men of Heth:
4 "Here I am, a visitor in a foreign land, with no place to bury my wife. Please sell me a piece of ground for this purpose."
5-6 "Certainly," the men replied, "for you are an honored prince of God among us; it will be a privilege to have you choose the finest of our sepulchres, so that you can bury her there."
7 Then Abraham bowed low before them and said, 8 "Since this is your feeling in the matter, be so kind as to ask Ephron, Zohar's son, 9 to sell me the cave of Mach-pelah, down at the end of his field. I will of course pay the full price for it, whatever is publicly agreed upon, and it will become a permanent cemetery for my family."
10 Ephron was sitting there among the others, and now he spoke up, answering Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the citizens of the town: 11 "Sir," he said to Abraham, "please listen to me. I will give you the cave and the field without any charge. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you free. Go and bury your dead."
12 Abraham bowed again to the men of Heth, 13 and replied to Ephron, as all listened: "No, let me buy it from you. Let me pay the full price of the field, and then I will bury my dead."
14-15 "Well, the land is worth 400 pieces of silver," Ephron said, "but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead."
16 So Abraham paid Ephron the price he had suggested-400 pieces of silver, as publicly agreed. 17-18 This is the land he bought: Ephron's field at Mach-pelah, near Mamre, and the cave at the end of the field, and all the trees in the field. They became his permanent possession, by agreement in the presence of the men of Heth at the city gate. 19-20 So Abraham buried Sarah there, in the field and cave deeded to him by the men of Heth as a burial plot.
I Wonder: What God expects ,!page "^W002" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,61
3,3,5,180
4,4,7,286
5,5,9,396
6,6,11,433
7,7,13,646
8,8,15,716
9,9,17,835
10,10,19,1004
11,11,21,1088
12,12,23,1212
13,13,25,1264
14,14,27,1414
15,15,29,1446
16,16,31,1583
17,17,33,1766
18,18,35,1830
19,19,37,2002
20,20,39,2157
1,3,1,1
4,4,2,175
5,6,4,304
7,9,6,494
10,11,8,832
12,13,10,1192
14,15,12,1381
16,20,14,1516
6fLfLfL
GENES024
"NCfC
'"'"1 Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
2 Abraham said to his oldest servant, who was in charge of everything he owned, "Put your hand under my leg.
3 Make a promise to me before the LORD, the God of heaven and earth. Don't get a wife for my son from the Canaanite girls who live around here.
4 Instead, go back to my country, to the land of my relatives, and get a wife for my son Isaac."
5 The servant said to him, "What if this woman does not want to return with me to this land? Then, should I take your son with me back to your homeland?"
6 Abraham said to him, "No! Don't take my son back there.
7 The LORD, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and the land of my relatives. And he promised me, `I will give this land to your descendants.' The LORD will send his angel before you to help you get a wife for my son there. w
8 If the girl won't come back with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not take my son back there."
9 So the servant put his hand under his master's leg and made a promise to Abraham about this.
10 The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left, carrying with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Northwest Mesopotamia to Nahor's city.
11 In the evening, when the women come out to get water, he made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city.
12 The servant said, "LORD, God of my master Abraham, allow me to find a wife for his son today. Please show this kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Here I am, standing by the spring, and the girls from the city are coming out to get water.
14 I will say to one of them, `Please put your jar down so I can drink.' Then let her say, `Drink, and I will also give water to your camels.' If that happens, I will know she is the right one for your servant Isaac and that you have shown kindness to my master."
15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, came out of the city. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham's brother.) Rebekah was carrying her water jar on her shoulder.
16 She was very pretty, a virgin; she had never had sexual relations with a man. She went down to the spring and filled her jar, then came back up.
17 The servant ran to her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."
18 Rebekah said, "Drink, sir." She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink.
19 After he finished drinking, Rebekah said, "I will also pour some water for your camels."
20 So she quickly poured all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels. Then she kept running to the well until she had given all the camels enough to drink.
21 The servant quietly watched her. He wanted to be sure the LORD had made his trip successful.
22 After the camels had finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ring weighing one-fifth of an ounce and two gold arm bracelets weighing about four ounces each.
23 He asked, "Who is your father? Is there a place in his house for me and my men to spend the night?"
24 Rebekah answered, "My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor."
25 Then she said, "And, yes, we have straw for your camels and a place for you to spend the night."
26 The servant bowed and worshiped the LORD
27 and said, "Blessed is the LORD, the God of my master Abraham. The LORD has been kind and truthful to him and has led me to my master's relatives."
28 Then Rebekah ran and told her mother's family about all these things.
29 She had a brother named Laban, who ran out to Abraham's servant, who was still at the spring.
30 Laban had heard what she had said and had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms. So he ran out to the well, and there was the man standing by the camels at the spring.
31 Laban said, "Sir, you are welcome to come in; you don't have to stand outside. I have prepared the house for you and also a place for your camels."
32 So Abraham's servant went into the house. After Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and food, he gave water to Abraham's servant so he and the men with him could wash their feet.
33 Then Laban gave the servant food, but the servant said, "I will not eat until I have told you why I came." So Laban said, "Then tell us."
34 He said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master in everything, and he has become a rich man. The LORD has given him many flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels, and horses.
36 Sarah, my master's wife, gave birth to a son when she was old, and my master has given everything he owns to that son.
37 My master had me make a promise to him and said, `Don't get a wife for my son from the Canaanite girls who live around here.
38 Instead, you must go to my father's people and to my family. There you must get a wife for my son.'
39 I said to my master, `What if the woman will not come back with me?'
40 But he said, `I serve the LORD, who will send his angel with you and will help you. You will get a wife for my son from my family and my father's people.
41 Then you will be free from the promise. But if they will not give you a wife for my son, you will be free from this promise.'
42 "Today I came to this spring. I said, `LORD, God of my master Abraham, please make my trip successful.
43 I am standing by this spring. I will wait for a young woman to come out to get water, and I will say, "Please give me water from your jar to drink."
44 Then let her say, "Drink this water, and I will also get water for your camels." By this I will know the LORD has chosen her for my master's son.'
45 "Before I finished my silent prayer, Rebekah came out of the city with her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and got water. I said to her, `Please give me a drink.'
46 She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, `Drink this. I will also get water for your camels.' So I drank, and she gave water to my camels too.
47 When I asked her, `Who is your father?' she answered, `My father is Bethuel son of Milcah and Nahor.' Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms,
48 and I bowed my head and thanked the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, because he led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 Now, tell me, will you be kind and truthful to my master? And if not, tell me so. Then I will know what I should do."
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is clearly from the LORD, and we cannot change what must happen.
51 Rebekah is yours. Take her and go. Let her marry your master's son as the LORD has commanded."
52 When Abraham's servant heard these words, he bowed facedown on the ground before the LORD.
53 Then he gave Rebekah gold and silver jewelry and clothes. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.
54 The servant and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, the servant said, "Now let me go back to my master."
55 Rebekah's mother and her brother said, "Let Rebekah stay with us at least ten days. After that she may go."
56 But the servant said to them, "Do not make me wait, because the LORD has made my trip successful. Now let me go back to my master."
57 Rebekah's brother and mother said, "We will call Rebekah and ask her what she wants to do."
58 They called her and asked her, "Do you want to go with this man now?" She said, "Yes, I do."
59 So they allowed Rebekah and her nurse to go with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 They blessed Rebekah and said, "Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of people, and may your descendants capture the cities of their enemies."
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got on the camels and followed the servant and his men. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 At this time Isaac had left Beer Lahai Roi and was living in southern Canaan.
63 One evening when he went out to the field to think, he looked up and saw camels coming.
64 Rebekah also looked and saw Isaac. Then she jumped down from the camel
65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant answered, "That is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and she became his wife. Isaac loved her very much, and so he was comforted after his mother's death.
\ \ Abraham was now a very old man, and God blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his household administrator, who was his oldest servant,
"Swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son marry one of these local girls, these Canaanites. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife for him there."
5 "But suppose I can't find a girl who will come so far from home?" the servant asked. "Then shall I take Isaac there, to live among your relatives?"
6 "No!" Abraham warned. "Be careful that you don't do that under any circumstance. 7 For the Lord God of heaven told me to leave that land and my people, and promised to give me and my children this land. He will send his angel on ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a girl from there to be my son's wife. 8 But if you don't succeed, then you are free from this oath; but under no circumstances are you to take my son there."
9 So the servant vowed to follow Abraham's instructions.
10 He took with him ten of Abraham's camels loaded with samples of the best of everything his master owned and journeyed to Iraq, to Nahor's village. 11 There he made the camels kneel down outside the town, beside a spring. It was evening, and the women of the village were coming to draw water.
12 "OJehovah, the God of my master," he prayed, "show kindness to my master Abraham and help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey. 13 See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the girls of the village are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request: When I ask one of them for a drink and she says, `Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels too!'-let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac's wife. That is how I will know."
15-16 As he was still speaking to the Lord about this, a beautiful young girl named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder and filled it at the spring. (Her father was Bethuel the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.) 17 Running over to her, the servant asked her for a drink.
18 "Certainly, sir," she said, and quickly lowered the jug for him to drink. 19 Then she said, "I'll draw water for your camels, too, until they have enough!"
20 So she emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the spring again and kept carrying water to the camels until they had enough. 21 The servant said no more, but watched her carefully to see if she would finish the job, so that he would know whether she was the one. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he produced a quarter-ounce gold earring and two five-ounce gold bracelets for her wrists.
23 "Whose daughter are you, miss?" he asked. "Would your father have any room to put us up for the night?"
24 "My father is Bethuel," she replied. "My grandparents are Milcah and Nahor. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and food for the camels, and a guest room."
26 The man stood there a moment with head bowed, worshiping Jehovah. 27 "Thank you, Lord God of my master Abraham," he prayed; "thank you for being so kind and true to him, and for leading me straight to the family of my master's relatives."
28 The girl ran home to tell her folks,
29-30 and when her brother Laban saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and heard her story, he rushed out to the spring where the man was still standing beside his camels, and said to him, 31 "Come and stay with us, friend why stand here outside the city when we have a room all ready for you, and a place prepared for the camels!"
32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban gave him straw to bed down the camels, and feed for them, and water for the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then supper was served. But the old man said, "I don't want to eat until I have told you why I am here."
"All right," Laban said, "tell us your errand."
34 "I am Abraham's servant," he explained. 35 "And Jehovah has overwhelmed my master with blessings so that he is a great man among the people of his land. God has given him flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and a fortune in silver and gold, and many slaves and camels and donkeys.
36 "Now when Sarah, my master's wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master's son, and my master has given him everything he owns.
37 And my master made me promise not to let Isaac marry one of the local girls
38 but to come to his relatives here in this far-off land, to his brother's family and to bring back a girl from here to marry his son. 39 `But suppose I can't find a girl who will come?' I asked him. 40 `She will,' he told me-`for my Lord, in whose presence I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your mission successful. Yes, find a girl from among my relatives, from my brother's family. 41 You are under oath to go and ask. If they won't send anyone, then you are freed from your promise.'
42 "Well, this afternoon when I came to the spring I prayed this prayer: `OJehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if you are planning to make my mission a success, please guide me in this way: 43 Here I am, standing beside this spring. I will say to some girl who comes out to draw water, "Please give me a drink of water!" 44 And she will reply, "Certainly! And I'll water your camels too!" Let that girl be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master's son.'
45 "Well, while I was still speaking these words, Rebekah was coming along with her water jug upon her shoulder; and she went down to the spring and drew water and filled the jug. I said to her, `Please give me a drink.' 46 She quickly lifted the jug down from her shoulder so that I could drink, and told me, `Certainly, sir, and I will water your camels too!' So she did! 47 Then I asked her, `Whose family are you from?' And she told me, `Nahor's. My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.' So I gave her the ring and the bracelets. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, because he had led me along just the right path to find a girl from the family of my master's brother.
49 So tell me, yes or no. Will you or won't you be kind to my master and do what is right? When you tell me, then I'll know what my next step should be, whether to move this way or that."
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "The Lord has obviously brought you here, so what can we say? 51 Take her and go! Yes, let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah has directed."
52 At this reply, Abraham's servant fell to his knees before Jehovah. 53 Then he brought out jewels set in solid gold and silver for Rebekah, and lovely clothing; and he gave many valuable presents to her mother and brother. 54 Then they had supper, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning he said, "Send me back to my master!"
55 "But we want Rebekah here at least another ten days or so!" her mother and brother exclaimed. "Then she can go."
56 But he pleaded, "Don't hinder my return; the Lord has made my mission successful, and I want to report back to my master."
57 "Well," they said, "we'll call the girl and ask her what she thinks."
58 So they called Rebekah. "Are you willing to go with this man?" they asked her.
And she replied, "Yes, I will go."
59 So they told her good-bye, sending along the woman who had been her childhood nurse, 60 and blessed her with this blessing as they parted:
"Our sister,
May you become
The mother of many millions!
May your descendants
Overcome all your enemies."
61 So Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and went with him.
62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negeb, had returned to Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was taking a walk out in the fields, meditating, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 Rebekah noticed him and quickly dismounted.
65 "Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?" she asked the servant.
And he replied, "It is my master's son!" So she covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac the whole story.
67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special comfort to him after the loss of his mother.
Profile: Rebekah ,!page "^rebekah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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MARRIAGE GENES 24:4
Abraham wanted Isaac to marry a relative. This was a common and acceptable practice that had the added advantage of avoiding intermarriage with heathen neighbors. A son's wife was usually chosen by the parents. It was common for a woman to be married in her early teens, although Rebekah was probably older.
BEAUTY GENES 24:15-16
Rebekah had physical beauty, but the servant was looking for a sign of inner beauty. Our appearance is important to us, and we spend time and money improving it. But how do we develop our inner beauty? Patience, kindness, and joy are the beauty treatments that help us become truly lovely ,on the inside.
GENES025
1 Abraham married again, and his new wife was Keturah.
2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's descendants were the people of Assyria, Letush, and Leum.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.
6 But before Abraham died, he did give gifts to the sons of his other wives, then sent them to the East to be away from Isaac.
7 Abraham lived to be one hundred seventy-five years old.
8 He breathed his last breath and died at an old age, after a long and satisfying life.
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron east of Mamre. (Ephron was the son of Zohar the Hittite.)
10 So Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah in the same field that he had bought from the Hittites.
11 After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac was now living at Beer Lahai Roi.
12 This is the family history of Ishmael, Abraham's son. (Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant, was Ishmael's mother.)
13 These are the names of Ishmael's sons in the order they were born: Nebaioth, the first son, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were Ishmael's sons, and these are the names of the tribal leaders listed according to their settlements and camps.
17 Ishmael lived one hundred thirty-seven years and then breathed his last breath and died.
18 His descendants lived from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt stretching toward Assyria. They often attacked the descendants of his brothers.
19 This is the family history of Isaac. Abraham had a son named Isaac.
20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, who came from Northwest Mesopotamia. She was Bethuel's daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Isaac's wife could not have children, so Isaac prayed to the LORD for her. The LORD heard Isaac's prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant.
22 While she was pregnant, the babies struggled inside her. She asked, "Why is this happening to me?" Then she went to get an answer from the LORD.
23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your body, and two groups of people will be taken from you. One group will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."
24 When the time came, Rebekah gave birth to twins.
25 The first baby was born red. Since his skin was like a hairy robe, he was named Esau.
26 When the second baby was born, he was holding on to Esau's heel, so that baby was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter. He loved to be out in the fields. But Jacob was a quiet man and stayed among the tents.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he hunted the wild animals that Isaac enjoyed eating. But Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day Jacob was boiling a pot of vegetable soup. Esau came in from hunting in the fields, weak from hunger.
30 So Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red soup, because I am weak with hunger." (That is why people call him Edom.)
31 But Jacob said, "You must sell me your rights as the firstborn son."
32 Esau said, "I am almost dead from hunger. If I die, all of my father's wealth will not help me."
33 But Jacob said, "First, promise me that you will give it to me." So Esau made a promise to Jacob and sold his part of their father's wealth to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and vegetable soup, and he ate and drank, and then left. So Esau showed how little he cared about his rights as the firstborn son.
Now Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, and she bore him several children: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah. Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's sons were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
5 Abraham deeded everything he owned to Isaac; 6 however, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off into the east, away from Isaac.
7-8 Then Abraham died, at the ripe old age of 175, 9-10 and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Mach-pelah near Mamre, in the field Abraham had purchased from Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite, where Sarah, Abraham's wife, was buried.
11 After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings upon Isaac. (Isaac had now moved south to Beer-lahai-roi in the Negeb.)
12-15 Here is a list, in the order of their births, of the descendants of Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's slave girl: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of his became the founders of twelve tribes that bore their names. 17 Ishmael finally died at the age of 137, and joined his ancestors.
18 These descendants of Ishmael were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur (which is a little way to the northeast of the Egyptian border in the direction of Assyria). And they were constantly at war with one another.
19 This is the story of Isaac's children: 20 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddam-aram. Rebekah was the sister of Laban. 21 Isaac pleaded with Jehovah to give Rebekah a child, for even after many years of marriage
she had no children. Then at last she became pregnant. 22 And it seemed as though children were fighting each other inside her!
"I can't endure this," she exclaimed. So she asked the Lord about it.
23 And he told her, "The sons in your womb shall become two rival nations. One will be stronger than the other; and the older shall be a servant of the younger!"
24 And sure enough, she had twins. 25 The first was born so covered with reddish hair that one would think he was wearing a fur coat! So they called him "Esau."
26 Then the other twin was born with his hand on Esau's heel! So they called him Jacob (meaning "Grabber"). Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
27 As the boys grew, Esau became a skillful hunter, while Jacob was a quiet sort who liked to stay at home. 28 Isaac's favorite was Esau, because of the venison he brought home, and Rebekah's favorite was Jacob.
29 One day Jacob was cooking stew when Esau arrived home exhausted from the hunt.
30 Esau: "Boy, am I starved! Give me a bite of that red stuff there!" (From this came his nickname "Edom," which means "Red Stuff.")
31 Jacob: "All right, trade me your birthright for it!"
32 Esau: "When a man is dying of starvation, what good is his birthright?"
33 Jacob: "Well then, vow to God that it is mine!"
And Esau vowed, thereby selling all his eldest-son rights to his younger brother. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread, peas, and stew; so he ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the loss of the rights he had thrown away.
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REQUESTS GENES 25:21
As Isaac pleaded with God for children, so the Bible encourages us to ask and even plead for our most personal and important requests. God wants to grant our requests, but he wants us to ask him. Even then, as Isaac learned, God may decide to withhold his answer for a while in order to (1) deepen our insight into what we really need, (2) broaden our appreciation for his answers, or (3) allow us to mature so we can use his gifts more wisely.
PRESSURE GENES 25:32-33
Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. We can fall into the same trap. When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it. But immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future. Esau exaggerated his hunger. I'm dying of starvation, he said. This thought made his choice much easier, because if he was starving, what good was an inheritance anyway? The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent. We sometimes feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else seems to matter, and we lose our perspective. We can avoid making Esau's mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with its long-range consequences before we act.
GENES026
1 Now there was a time of hunger in the land, besides the time of hunger that happened during Abraham's life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar to see Abimelech king of the Philistines.
2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Don't go down to Egypt, but live in the land where I tell you to live.
3 Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I will give you and your descendants all these lands, and I will keep the oath I made to Abraham your father.
4 I will give you many descendants, as hard to count as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed.
5 I will do this because your father Abraham obeyed me. He did what I said and obeyed my commands, my teachings, and my rules."
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 His wife Rebekah was very beautiful, and the men of that place asked Isaac about her. Isaac said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to tell them she was his wife. He thought they might kill him so they could have her.
8 Isaac lived there a long time. One day as Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out his window, he saw Isaac holding his wife Rebekah tenderly.
9 Abimelech called for Isaac and said, "This woman is your wife. Why did you say she was your sister?" Isaac said to him, "I was afraid you would kill me so you could have her."
10 Abimelech said, "What have you done to us? One of our men might have had sexual relations with your wife. Then we would have been guilty of a great sin."
11 So Abimelech warned everyone, "Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death."
12 Isaac planted seed in that land, and that year he gathered a great harvest. The LORD blessed him very much,
13 and he became rich. He gathered more wealth until he became a very rich man.
14 He had so many slaves and flocks and herds that the Philistines envied him.
15 So they stopped up all the wells the servants of Isaac's father Abraham had dug. (They had dug them when Abraham was alive.) The Philistines filled those wells with dirt.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave our country because you have become much more powerful than we are."
17 So Isaac left that place and camped in the Valley of Gerar and lived there.
18 Long before this time Abraham had dug many wells, but after he died, the Philistines filled them with dirt. So Isaac dug those wells again and gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Isaac's servants dug a well in the valley, from which a spring of water flowed.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar argued with them and said, "This water is ours." So Isaac named that well Argue because they argued with him.
21 Then his servants dug another well. When the people also argued about it, Isaac named that well Fight.
22 He moved from there and dug another well. No one argued about this one, so he named it Room Enough. Isaac said, "Now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be successful in this land."
23 From there Isaac went to Beersheba.
24 The LORD appeared to him that night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Don't be afraid, because I am with you. I will bless you and give you many descendants because of my servant Abraham."
25 So Isaac built an altar and worshiped the LORD there. He also made a camp there, and his servants dug a well.
26 Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought with him Ahuzzath, who advised him, and Phicol, the commander of his army.
27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to see me? You were my enemy and forced me to leave your country."
28 They answered, "Now we know that the LORD is with you. Let us swear an oath to each other. Let us make an agreement with you
29 that since we did not hurt you, you will not hurt us. We were good to you and sent you away in peace. Now the LORD has blessed you."
30 So Isaac prepared food for them, and they all ate and drank.
31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left in peace.
32 That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug, saying, "We found water in that well."
33 So Isaac named it Shibah and that city is called Beersheba even now.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married two Hittite women- Judith daughter of Beeri and Basemath daughter of Elon.
35 These women brought much sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah.
Now a severe famine overshadowed the land, as had happened before, in Abraham's time, and so Isaac moved to the city of Gerar where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
2 Jehovah appeared to him there and told him, "Don't go to Egypt. Do as I say and stay here in this land. If you do, I will be with you and bless you, and I will give all this land to you and to your descendants, just as I promised Abraham your father. 4 And I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars! And I will give them all of these lands; and they shall be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. 5 I will do this because Abraham obeyed my commandments and laws."
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister!" For he feared for his life if he told them she was his wife; he was afraid they would kill him to get her, for she was very attractive. 8 But sometime later, King Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac and Rebekah making love.
9 Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?"
"Because I was afraid I would be murdered," Isaac replied. "I thought someone would kill me to get her from me."
10 "How could you treat us this way?" Abimelech exclaimed. "Someone might carelessly have raped her, and we would be doomed." 11 Then Abimelech made a public proclamation: "Anyone harming this man or his wife shall die."
12 That year Isaac's crops were tremendous-100 times the grain he sowed. For Jehovah blessed him. 13 He was soon a man of great wealth and became richer and richer. 14 He had large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. And the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So they filled up his wells with earth-all those dug by the servants of his father Abraham.
16 And King Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us."
17 So Isaac moved to Gerar Valley and lived there instead. 18 And Isaac redug the wells of his father Abraham, the ones the Philistines had filled after his father's death, and gave them the same names they had had before, when his father had named them. 19 His shepherds also dug a new well in Gerar Valley, and found a gushing underground spring.
20 Then the local shepherds came and claimed it. "This is our land and our well," they said, and argued over it with Isaac's herdsmen. So he named the well, "The Well of Argument!"
21 Isaac's men then dug another well, but again there was a fight over it. So he called it, "The Well of Anger."
22 Abandoning that one, he dug again, and the local residents finally left him alone. So he called it, "The Well of Room Enough for Us at Last!"
"For now at last," he said, "the Lord has made room for us and we shall thrive."
23 When he went to Beer-sheba, 24 Jehovah appeared to him on the night of his arrival. "I am the God of Abraham your father," he said. "Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you, and will give you so many descendants that they will become a great nation-because of my promise to Abraham, who obeyed me." 25 Then Isaac built an altar and worshiped Jehovah; and he settled there, and his servants dug a well.
26 One day Isaac had visitors from Gerar. King Abimelech arrived with his advisor, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.
27 "Why have you come?" Isaac asked them. "This is obviously no friendly visit, since you kicked me out in a most uncivil way."
28 "Well," they said, "we can plainly see that Jehovah is blessing you. We've decided to ask for a treaty between us. 29 Promise that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you, and in fact, have done only good to you and have sent you away in peace; we bless you in the name of the Lord."
30 So Isaac prepared a great feast for them, and they ate and drank in preparation for the treaty ceremonies. 31 In the morning, as soon as they were up, they each took solemn oaths to seal a nonaggression pact. Then Isaac sent them happily home again.
32 That very same day Isaac's servants came to tell him, "We have found water"-in the well they had been digging. 33 So he named the well, "The Well of the Oath,"
and the city that grew up there was named "Oath," and is called that to this day.
34 Esau, at the age of forty, married a girl named Judith, daughter of Be-eri the Hethite; and he also married Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hethite. 35 But Isaac and Rebekah were bitter about his marrying them.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,192
3,3,5,307
4,4,7,480
5,5,9,671
6,6,11,803
7,7,13,835
8,8,15,1067
9,9,17,1220
10,10,19,1402
11,11,21,1563
12,12,23,1664
13,13,25,1779
14,14,27,1863
15,15,29,1946
16,16,31,2124
17,17,33,2236
18,18,35,2319
19,19,37,2521
20,20,39,2608
21,21,41,2751
22,22,43,2861
23,23,45,3057
24,24,47,3100
25,25,49,3310
26,26,51,3427
27,27,53,3560
28,28,55,3671
29,29,57,3803
30,30,59,3943
31,31,61,4011
32,32,63,4129
33,33,65,4248
34,34,67,4324
35,35,69,4448
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,180
6,8,5,678
9,9,7,1049
10,11,10,1266
12,15,12,1490
16,16,14,1881
17,19,16,2022
20,20,18,2374
21,21,20,2558
22,22,22,2675
23,25,25,2906
26,26,27,3321
27,27,29,3454
28,29,31,3585
30,31,33,3888
32,33,35,4144
34,35,38,4393
JEALOUSY GENES 26:12-16
God kept his promise to bless Isaac. The neighboring Philistines grew jealous because everything Isaac did seemed to go right. So they plugged his wells and tried to get rid of him. Jealousy is a dividing force strong enough to tear apart the mightiest of nations or the closest of friends. When you find yourself becoming jealous of others, try thanking God for their good fortune. Before striking out in anger, consider what you could lose.
WISDOM GENES 26:17-22
Three times Isaac and his men dug new wells. When the first two disputes arose, Isaac moved on. Finally there was enough room for everyone. Rather than start a huge conflict, Isaac compromised for the sake of peace. Would you be willing to give up an important position or valuable possession to keep peace? Ask God for the wisdom to know when to withdraw and when to stand and fight.
PARENTS GENES 26:34-35
Esau married heathen women, and this really upset his parents. Most parents have a wealth of good advice because they have a lifetime of insight into their children's character. You may not agree with everything your parents say, but at least talk with them and listen carefully. This will help avoid the hard feelings Esau experienced.
Profile: Esau ,!page "^esau" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES027
1 When Isaac was old, his eyesight was poor, so he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, "Son." Esau answered, "Here I am."
2 Isaac said, "I am old and don't know when I might die.
3 So take your bow and arrows and go hunting in the field for an animal for me to eat.
4 When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die."
5 So Esau went out in the field to hunt. Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau.
6 She said to her son Jacob, "Listen, I heard your father saying to your brother Esau,
7 `Kill an animal and prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.'
8 So obey me, my son, and do what I tell you.
9 Go out to our goats and bring me two of the best young ones. I will prepare them just the way your father likes them.
10 Then you will take the food to your father, and he will bless you before he dies."
11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth!
12 If my father touches me, he will know I am not Esau. Then he will not bless me but will place a curse on me because I tried to trick him."
13 So Rebekah said to him, "If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame. Just do what I said and go, get the goats for me."
14 So Jacob went out and got two goats and brought them to his mother, and she cooked them in the special way Isaac enjoyed.
15 She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house and put them on the younger son Jacob.
16 She also took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob's hands and neck.
17 Then she gave Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 Jacob went in to his father and said, "Father." And his father said, "Yes, my son. Who are you?"
19 Jacob said to him, "I am Esau, your first son. I have done what you told me. Now sit up and eat some meat of the animal I hunted for you. Then bless me."
20 But Isaac asked his son, "How did you find and kill the animal so quickly?" Jacob answered, "Because the LORD your God helped me to find it."
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son. Then I will know if you are really my son Esau."
22 So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac touched him and said, "Your voice sounds like Jacob's voice, but your hands are hairy like the hands of Esau."
23 Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his hands were hairy like Esau's hands, so Isaac blessed him.
24 Isaac asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob answered, "Yes, I am."
25 Then Isaac said, "Bring me the food, and I will eat it and bless you." So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate. Jacob gave him wine, and he drank.
26 Then Isaac said to him, "My son, come near and kiss me."
27 So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau's clothes, he blessed him and said, "The smell of my son is like the smell of the field that the LORD has blessed.
28 May God give you plenty of rain and good soil so that you will have plenty of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. May you be master over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. May everyone who curses you be cursed, and may everyone who blesses you be blessed."
30 Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting.
31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. He said, "Father, rise and eat the food that your son killed for you and then bless me."
32 Isaac asked, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am your son- your firstborn son- Esau."
33 Then Isaac trembled greatly and said, "Then who was it that hunted the animals and brought me food before you came? I ate it, and I blessed him, and it is too late now to take back my blessing."
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he let out a loud and bitter cry. He said to his father, "Bless me- me, too, my father!"
35 But Isaac said, "Your brother came and tricked me. He has taken your blessing."
36 Esau said, "Jacob is the right name for him. He has tricked me these two times. He took away my share of everything you own, and now he has taken away my blessing." Then Esau asked, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?"
37 Isaac answered, "I gave Jacob the power to be master over you, and all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept him strong with grain and new wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son."
38 But Esau continued, "Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me, too, Father!" Then Esau began to cry out loud.
39 Isaac said to him, "You will live far away from the best land, far from the rain.
40 You will live by using your sword, and you will be a slave to your brother. But when you struggle, you will break free from him."
41 After that Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing from Isaac. He thought to himself, "My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him. Then I will kill Jacob."
42 Rebekah heard about Esau's plan to kill Jacob. So she sent for Jacob and said to him, "Listen, your brother Esau is comforting himself by planning to kill you.
43 So, my son, do what I say. My brother Laban is living in Haran. Go to him at once!
44 Stay with him for a while, until your brother is not so angry.
45 In time, your brother will not be angry, and he will forget what you did to him. Then I will send a servant to bring you back. I don't want to lose both of my sons on the same day."
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of these Hittite women here in this land, I want to die."
One day, in Isaac's old age when he was almost blind, he called for Esau his oldest son.
Isaac: "My son?"
Esau: "Yes, Father?"
2-4 Isaac: "I am an old man now, and expect every day to be my last. Take your bow and arrows out into the fields and get me some venison, and prepare it just the way I like it-savory and good-and bring it here for me to eat, and I will give you the blessings that belong to you, my firstborn son, before I die."
5 But Rebekah overheard the conversation. So when Esau left for the field to hunt for the venison, 6-7 she called her son Jacob and told him what his father had said to his brother.
8-10 Rebekah: "Now do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flocks and bring me two young goats, and I'll prepare your father's favorite dish from them. Then take it to your father, and after he has enjoyed it he will bless you before his death, instead of Esau!"
11-12 Jacob: "But Mother! He won't be fooled that easily. Think how hairy Esau is, and how smooth my skin is! What if my father feels me? He'll think I'm making a fool of him and curse me instead of blessing me!"
13 Rebekah: "Let his curses be on me, dear son. Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats."
14 So Jacob followed his mother's instructions, bringing the dressed kids, which she prepared in his father's favorite way. 15 Then she took Esau's best clothes-they were there in the house-and instructed Jacob to put them on. 16 And she made him a pair of gloves from the hairy skin of the young goats, and fastened a strip of the hide around his neck; 17 then she gave him the meat, with its rich aroma, and some fresh-baked bread.
18 Jacob carried the platter of food into the room where his father was lying.
Jacob: "Father?"
Isaac: "Yes? Who is it, my son-Esau or Jacob?"
19 Jacob: "It's Esau, your oldest son. I've done as you told me to. Here is the delicious venison you wanted. Sit up and eat it, so that you will bless me with all your heart!"
20 Isaac: "How were you able to find it so quickly, my son?"
Jacob: "Because Jehovah your God put it in my path!"
21 Isaac: "Come over here. I want to feel you and be sure it really is Esau!"
22 (Jacob goes over to his father. He feels him!)
Isaac: (to himself) "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's!"
23 (The ruse convinces Isaac and he gives Jacob his blessings):
24 Isaac: "Are you really Esau?"
Jacob: "Yes, of course."
25 Isaac: "Then bring me the venison, and I will eat it and bless you with all my heart."
(Jacob takes it over to him and Isaac eats; he also drinks the wine Jacob brings him.)
26 Isaac: "Come here and kiss me, my son!"
(Jacob goes over and kisses him on the cheek. Isaac sniffs his clothes, and finally seems convinced.)
27-29 Isaac: "The smell of my son is the good smell of the earth and fields that Jehovah has blessed. May God always give you plenty of rain for your crops, and good harvests and grapes. May many nations be your slaves. Be the master of your brothers. May all your relatives bow low before you. Cursed are all who curse you, and blessed are all who bless you."
30 (As soon as Isaac has blessed Jacob, and almost before Jacob leaves the room, Esau arrives, coming in from his hunting. 31 He also has prepared his father's favorite dish and brings it to him.)
Esau: "Here I am, Father, with the venison. Sit up and eat it so that you can give me your finest blessings!"
32 Isaac: "Who is it?"
Esau: "Why, it's me, of course! Esau, your oldest son!"
33 (Isaac begins to tremble noticeably.)
Isaac: "Then who is it who was just here with venison, and I have already eaten it and blessed him with irrevocable blessing?"
34 (Esau begins to sob with deep and bitter sobs.)
Esau: "Omy Father, bless me, bless me too!"
35 Isaac: "Your brother was here and tricked me and has carried away your blessing."
36 Esau: (bitterly) "No wonder they call him `The Cheater.'
For he took my birthright, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?"
37 Isaac: "I have made him your master, and have given him yourself and all of his relatives as his servants. I have guaranteed him abundance of grain and wine-what is there left to give?"
38 Esau: "Not one blessing left for me? Omy Father, bless me too."
(Isaac says nothing as Esau weeps.)
39-40 Isaac: "Yours will be no life of ease and luxury, but you shall hew your way with your sword. For a time you will serve your brother, but you will finally shake loose from him and be free."
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him. He said to himself, "My father will soon be gone, and then I will kill Jacob." 42 But someone got wind of what he was planning and reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him that his life was being threatened by Esau.
43 "This is what to do," she said. "Flee to your Uncle Laban in Haran. 44 Stay there with him awhile until your brother's fury is spent, 45 and he forgets what you have done. Then I will send for you. For why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?"
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm sick and tired of these local girls. I'd rather die than see Jacob marry one of them."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,168
3,3,5,229
4,4,7,320
5,5,9,440
6,6,11,544
7,7,13,635
8,8,15,765
9,9,17,815
10,10,19,939
11,11,21,1029
12,12,23,1124
13,13,25,1270
14,14,27,1414
15,15,29,1543
16,16,31,1660
17,17,33,1744
18,18,35,1814
19,19,37,1918
20,20,39,2079
21,21,41,2228
22,22,43,2349
23,23,45,2513
24,24,47,2623
25,25,49,2702
26,26,51,2855
27,27,53,2919
28,28,55,3109
29,29,57,3214
30,30,59,3439
31,31,61,3547
32,32,63,3706
33,33,65,3797
34,34,67,3999
35,35,69,4136
36,36,71,4223
37,37,73,4451
38,38,75,4655
39,39,77,4779
40,40,79,4868
41,41,81,5005
42,42,83,5177
43,43,85,5344
44,44,87,5434
45,45,89,5504
46,46,91,5693
1,1,1,1
2,4,5,136
5,7,7,453
8,10,9,638
11,12,11,906
13,13,13,1123
14,17,15,1227
18,18,17,1664
19,19,21,1814
20,20,23,1995
21,21,26,2115
22,22,28,2197
23,23,31,2323
24,24,32,2389
25,25,35,2453
26,26,38,2635
27,29,41,2785
30,31,43,3150
32,32,46,3462
33,33,49,3547
34,34,52,3720
35,35,55,3820
36,36,57,3909
37,37,60,4086
38,38,62,4279
39,40,65,4387
41,42,67,4587
43,45,69,4880
46,46,71,5141
GOALS GENES 27:5-10
When Rebekah learned that Isaac was preparing to bless Esau, she quickly devised a plan to trick him into blessing Jacob instead. Although God had already told her that Jacob would become the family leader (25:23-26), Rebekah took matters into her own hands. She resorted to doing something wrong to try to bring about what God had already said would happen. For Rebekah, the end justified the means. No matter how good we think our goals are, we should not attempt to achieve them by doing what is wrong.
WARNING GENES 27:11-12
How we react to a moral dilemma often exposes our real motives. Frequently we are more worried about getting caught than about doing what is right. Jacob did not seem concerned about the deceitfulness of his mother's plan; instead he was afraid of getting in trouble while carrying it out. If you are worried about getting caught, you are probably in a position that is less than honest. Let your fear of getting caught be a warning to do right. Jacob paid a huge price for carrying out this dishonest plan.
ANGER GENES 27:41
Esau was so angry at Jacob that he failed to see his own wrong in giving away the birthright in the first place. Jealous anger blinds us from seeing the good things we have and makes us dwell on what we don't have. When you lose something of great value, or if others conspire against you and succeed, anger is the first and most natural reaction. But you can control your feelings by (1) recognizing your reaction for what it is, (2) praying for strength, and (3) asking God for help to see the opportunities that even your bad situation may provide.
,\78,
Profile: Jacob ,!page "^jacob" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES028
1 Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, "You must not marry a Canaanite woman.
2 Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, in Northwest Mesopotamia. Laban, your mother's brother, lives there. Marry one of his daughters.
3 May God Almighty bless you and give you many children, and may you become a group of many peoples.
4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham so that you may own the land where you are now living as a stranger, the land God gave to Abraham."
5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Northwest Mesopotamia, to Laban the brother of Rebekah. Bethuel the Aramean was the father of Laban and Rebekah, and Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Northwest Mesopotamia to find a wife there. He also learned that Isaac had commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Northwest Mesopotamia.
8 So Esau saw that his father Isaac did not want his sons to marry Canaanite women.
9 Now Esau already had wives, but he went to Ishmael son of Abraham, and he married Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter. Mahalath was the sister of Nebaioth.
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.
11 When he came to a place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. He found a stone and laid his head on it to go to sleep.
12 Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder resting on the earth and reaching up into heaven, and he saw angels of God going up and coming down the ladder.
13 Then Jacob saw the LORD standing above the ladder, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your grandfather, and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are now sleeping.
14 Your descendants will be as many as the dust of the earth. They will spread west and east, north and south, and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.
15 I am with you and will protect you everywhere you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, but I did not know it."
17 He was afraid and said, "This place frightens me! It is surely the house of God and the gate of heaven."
18 Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone he had slept on and set it up on its end. Then he poured olive oil on the top of it.
19 At first, the name of that city was Luz, but Jacob named it Bethel.
20 Then Jacob made a promise. He said, "I want God to be with me and to protect me on this journey. I want him to give me food to eat and clothes to wear
21 so I will be able to return in peace to my father's house. If the LORD does these things, he will be my God.
22 This stone which I have set up on its end will be the house of God. And I will give God one-tenth of all he gives me."
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and said to him, "Don't marry one of these Canaanite girls. 2 Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your cousins-your Uncle Laban's daughters. God Almighty bless you and give you many children; may you become a great nation of many tribes! 4 May God pass on to you and to your descendants the mighty blessings promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we now are foreigners, for God has given it to Abraham."
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to visit his Uncle Laban, his mother's brother-the son of Bethuel the Aramean.
6-8 Esau realized that his father despised the local girls, and that his father and mother had sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, with his father's blessing, to get a wife from there, and that they had strictly warned him against marrying a Canaanite girl, and that Jacob had agreed and had left for Paddan-aram. 9 So Esau went to his Uncle Ishmael's family and married another wife from there, besides the wives he already had. Her name was Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth, and daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son.
10 So Jacob left Beer-sheba and journeyed toward Haran. 11 That night, when he stopped to camp at sundown, he found a rock for a headrest and lay down to sleep, 12 and dreamed that a reached from earth to heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down upon it.
13 At the top of the stairs stood the Lord. "I am Jehovah," he said, "the God of Abraham, and of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on is yours! I will give it to you and to your descendants. 14 For you will have descendants as many as dust! They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south; and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What's more, I am with you, and will protect you wherever you go, and will bring you back safely to this land; I will be with you constantly until I have finished giving you all I am promising."
16-17 Then Jacob woke up. "God lives here!" he exclaimed in terror. "I've stumbled into his home! This is the awesome entrance to heaven!" 18 The next morning he got up very early and set his stone headrest upright as a memorial pillar, and poured olive oil over it. 19 He named the place Bethel ("House of God"), though the previous name of the nearest village was Luz.
20 And Jacob vowed this vow to God: "If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes, 21 and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Jehovah as my God! 22 And this memorial pillar shall become a place for worship; and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,253
4,4,7,358
5,5,9,525
6,6,11,713
7,7,13,899
8,8,15,992
9,9,17,1080
10,10,19,1235
11,11,21,1286
12,12,23,1425
13,13,25,1582
14,14,27,1805
15,15,29,2004
16,16,31,2168
17,17,33,2275
18,18,35,2387
19,19,37,2530
20,20,39,2605
21,21,41,2763
22,22,43,2879
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,521
6,9,5,658
10,12,7,1169
13,15,9,1441
16,19,11,2045
20,22,13,2419
PERSONAL GENES 28:10-15
God's covenant promise to Abraham and Isaac was offered to Jacob as well. But it was not enough to be Abraham's grandson; Jacob had to establish his own personal relationship with God. God has no grandchildren; each of us must have a personal relationship with him. It is not enough to hear wonderful stories about Christians in your family. You need to become part of the story yourself (see Galatians 3:6-7).
GENES029
1 Then Jacob continued his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 He looked and saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, because they drank water from this well. A large stone covered the mouth of the well.
3 When all the flocks would gather there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place.
4 Jacob said to the shepherds there, "My brothers, where are you from?" They answered, "We are from Haran."
5 Then Jacob asked, "Do you know Laban, grandson of Nahor?" They answered, "We know him."
6 Then Jacob asked, "How is he?" They answered, "He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming now with his sheep."
7 Jacob said, "But look, it is still the middle of the day. It is not time for the sheep to be gathered for the night, so give them water and let them go back into the pasture."
8 But they said, "We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered. Then we will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep."
9 While Jacob was talking with the shepherds, Rachel came with her father's sheep, because it was her job to care for the sheep.
10 When Jacob saw Laban's daughter Rachel and Laban's sheep, he went to the well and rolled the stone from its mouth and watered Laban's sheep. Now Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's mother.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and cried.
12 He told her that he was from her father's family and that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.
14 Then Laban said, "You are my own flesh and blood." Jacob stayed there a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "You are my relative, but it is not right for you to work for me without pay. What would you like me to pay you?"
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah, and the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was very beautiful.
18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, "Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you."
19 Laban said, "It would be better for her to marry you than someone else, so stay here with me."
20 So Jacob worked for Laban seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like just a few days to him because he loved Rachel very much.
21 After seven years Jacob said to Laban, "Give me Rachel so that I may marry her. The time I promised to work for you is over."
22 So Laban gave a feast for all the people there.
23 That evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and they had sexual relations.
24 (Laban gave his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter to be her servant.)
25 In the morning when Jacob saw that he had had sexual relations with Leah, he said to Laban, "What have you done to me? I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel! Why did you trick me?"
26 Laban said, "In our country we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter.
27 But complete the full week of the marriage ceremony with Leah, and I will give you Rachel to marry also. But you must serve me another seven years."
28 So Jacob did this, and when he had completed the week with Leah, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
29 (Laban gave his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)
30 So Jacob had sexual relations with Rachel also, and Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
31 When the LORD saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, he made it possible for Leah to have children, but not Rachel.
32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, because she said, "The LORD has seen my troubles. Surely now my husband will love me."
33 Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon and said, "The LORD has heard that I am not loved, so he has given me this son."
34 Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi and said, "Now, surely my husband will be close to me, because I have given him three sons."
35 Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, because she said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Then Leah stopped having children.
Jacob traveled on, finally arriving in the land of the East. 2 He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep lying beside a well in an open field, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well. (The custom was that the stone was not removed until all the flocks were there. After watering them, the stone was rolled back over the mouth of the well again.) 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked them where they lived.
"At Haran," they said.
5 "Do you know a fellow there named Laban, the son of Nahor?"
"We sure do."
6 "How is he?"
"He's well and prosperous. Look, there comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."
7 "Why don't you water the flocks so they can get back to grazing?" Jacob asked. "They'll be hungry if you stop so early in the day!"
8 "We don't roll away the stone and begin the watering until all the flocks and shepherds are here," they replied.
9 As this conversation was going on, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 And because she was his cousin-the daughter of his mother's brother-and because the sheep were his uncle's, Jacob went over to the well and rolled away the stone and watered his uncle's flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and started crying! 12-13 He explained about being her cousin on her father's side, and that he was her Aunt Rebekah's son. She quickly ran and told her father, Laban, and as soon as he heard of Jacob's arrival, he rushed out to meet him and greeted him warmly and brought him home. Then Jacob told him his story.
14 "Just think, my very own flesh and blood," Laban exclaimed.
After Jacob had been there about a month, 15 Laban said to him one day, "Just because we are relatives is no reason for you to work for me without pay. How much do you want?" 16 Now Laban had two daughters, Leah, the older, and her younger sister, Rachel. 17 Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely, and in every way a beauty. 18 Well, Jacob was in love with Rachel. So he told her father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel as my wife."
19 "Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to someone outside the family."
20 So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay for Rachel. But they seemed to him but a few days, he was so much in love. 21 Finally the time came for him to marry her.
"I have fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife, so that I can sleep with her."
22 So Laban invited all the men of the settlement to celebrate with Jacob at a big party. 23 Afterwards, that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 (And Laban gave to Leah a servant girl, Zilpah, to be her maid.) 25 But in the morning-it was Leah!
"What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked for seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?"
26 "It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter ahead of her sister," Laban replied smoothly.
27 "Wait until the bridal week is over and you can have Rachel too-if you promise to work for me another seven years!"
28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. Then Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel a servant girl, Bilhah, to be her maid. 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah, and stayed and worked the additional seven years.
31 But because Jacob was slighting Leah, Jehovah let her have a child, while Rachel was barren. 32 So Leah became pregnant and had a son, Reuben (meaning "God has noticed my trouble"), for she said, "Jehovah has noticed my trouble-now my husband will love me." 33 She soon became pregnant again and had another son and named him Simeon (meaning "Jehovah heard"), for she said, "Jehovah heard that I was unloved, and so he has given me another son." 34 Again she became pregnant and had a son, and named him Levi (meaning "Attachment") for she said, "Surely now my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!" 35 Once again she was pregnant and had a son and named him Judah (meaning "Praise"), for she said, "Now I will praise Jehovah!" And then she stopped having children.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,88
3,3,5,258
4,4,7,428
5,5,9,540
6,6,11,634
7,7,13,756
8,8,15,938
9,9,17,1095
10,10,19,1228
11,11,21,1430
12,12,23,1473
13,13,25,1605
14,14,27,1803
15,15,29,1889
16,16,31,2036
17,17,33,2120
18,18,35,2178
19,19,37,2317
20,20,39,2419
21,21,41,2569
22,22,43,2702
23,23,45,2757
24,24,47,2847
25,25,49,2924
26,26,51,3127
27,27,53,3235
28,28,55,3391
29,29,57,3509
30,30,59,3593
31,31,61,3735
32,32,63,3863
33,33,65,4025
34,34,67,4192
35,35,69,4369
1,4,1,1
5,5,4,477
6,6,7,557
7,7,10,658
8,8,12,795
9,13,14,913
14,18,16,1558
19,19,19,2089
20,21,21,2185
22,25,24,2471
26,26,27,2888
27,27,29,2993
28,30,31,3116
31,35,33,3384
WAITING GENES 29:20-28
People often wonder if waiting a long time for something they want is worth it. Jacob waited seven years to marry Rachel. After being tricked, he agreed to work seven more years for her! The most important goals and desires are worth working and waiting for. Movies and television have created the illusion that people have to wait only about an hour to solve their problems or get what they want. Don't be trapped into thinking the same is true in real life. Patience is hardest when we need it the most, but it is the key to achieving our goals.
Profile: Rachel ,!page "^rachel" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES030
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1 When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she envied her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, "Can I do what only God can do? He is the one who has kept you from having children."
3 Then Rachel said, "Here is my slave girl Bilhah. Have sexual relations with her so she can give birth to a child for me. Then I can have my own family through her."
4 So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a wife, and he had sexual relations with her.
5 She became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
6 Rachel said, "God has judged me innocent. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son," so she named him Dan.
7 Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel said, "I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won." So she named that son Naphtali.
9 Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
10 When Zilpah had a son,
11 Leah said, "I am lucky," so she named him Gad.
12 Zilpah gave birth to another son,
13 and Leah said, "I am very happy! Now women will call me happy," so she named him Asher.
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandrake plants and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 Leah answered, "You have already taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son's mandrakes." But Rachel answered, "If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you may sleep with Jacob tonight."
16 When Jacob came in from the field that night, Leah went out to meet him. She said, "You will have sexual relations with me tonight because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.
17 Then God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant again. She gave birth to a fifth son
18 and said, "God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband." So Leah named her son Issachar.
19 Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son.
20 She said, "God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honor me, because I have given him six sons," so she named him Zebulun.
21 Later Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer, making it possible for her to have children.
23 When she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, she said, "God has taken away my shame,"
24 and she named him Joseph. Rachel said, "I wish the LORD would give me another son."
25 After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Now let me go to my own home and country.
26 Give me my wives and my children and let me go. I have earned them by working for you, and you know that I have served you well."
27 Laban said to him, "If I have pleased you, please stay. I know the LORD has blessed me because of you.
28 Tell me what I should pay you, and I will give it to you."
29 Jacob answered, "You know that I have worked hard for you, and your flocks have grown while I cared for them.
30 When I came, you had little, but now you have much. Every time I did something for you, the LORD blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own family?"
31 Laban asked, "Then what should I give you?" Jacob answered, "I don't want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I will come back and take care of your flocks.
32 Today let me go through all your flocks. I will take every speckled or spotted sheep, every black lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. That will be my pay.
33 In the future you can easily see if I am honest. When you come to look at my flocks, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any lamb that isn't black, you will know I stole it."
34 Laban answered, "Agreed! We will do what you ask."
35 But that day Laban took away all the male goats that had streaks or spots, all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them), and all the black sheep. He told his sons to watch over them.
36 Then he took these animals to a place that was three days' journey away from Jacob. Jacob took care of all the flocks that were left.
37 So Jacob cut green branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them.
38 He put the branches in front of the flocks at the watering places. When the animals came to drink, they also mated there,
39 so the flocks mated in front of the branches. Then the young that were born were streaked, speckled, or spotted.
40 Jacob separated the young animals from the others, and he made them face the streaked and dark animals in Laban's flock. Jacob kept his animals separate from Laban's.
41 When the stronger animals in the flock were mating, Jacob put the branches before their eyes so they would mate near the branches.
42 But when the weaker animals mated, Jacob did not put the branches there. So the animals born from the weaker animals were Laban's, and those born from the stronger animals were Jacob's.
43 In this way Jacob became very rich. He had large flocks, many male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
Rachel, realizing she was barren, became envious of her sister. "Give me children or I'll die," she exclaimed to Jacob.
2 Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he flared. "He is the one who is responsible for your barrenness."
Then Rachel told him, "Sleep with my servant girl Bilhah, and her children will be mine." 4 So she gave him Bilhah to be his wife, and he slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan (meaning "Justice"), for she said, "God has given me justice, and heard my plea and given me a son." 7 Then Bilhah, Rachel's servant girl, became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali (meaning "Wrestling"), for she said, "I am in a fierce contest with my sister and I am winning!"
9 Meanwhile, when Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, she gave her servant girl Zilpah to Jacob, to be his wife, 10 and soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11 Leah named him Gad (meaning "My luck has turned!").
12 Then Zilpah produced a second son, 13 and Leah named him Asher (meaning "Happy"), for she said, "What joy is mine! The other women will think me blessed indeed!"
14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her.
15 But Leah angrily replied, "Wasn't it enough to steal my husband? And now will you steal my son's mandrakes too?"
Rachel said sadly, "He will sleep with you tonight because of the mandrakes."
16 That evening as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me tonight!" she said; "for I am hiring you with some mandrakes my son has found!" So he did. 17 And God answered her prayers and she became pregnant again, and gave birth to her fifth son. 18 She named him Issachar (meaning "Wages"), for she said, "God has repaid me for giving my slave girl to my husband." 19 Then once again she became pregnant, with a sixth son. 20 She named him Zebulun (meaning "Gifts"), for she said, "God has given me good gifts for my husband. Now he will honor me, for I have given him six sons." 21 Afterwards she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered about Rachel's plight, and answered her prayers by giving her a child. 23-24 For she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. "God has removed the dark slur against my name," she said. And she named him Joseph (meaning "May I also have another!"), for she said, "May Jehovah give me another son."
25 Soon after the birth of Joseph to Rachel, Jacob said to Laban, "I want to go back home. 26 Let me take my wives and children-for I earned them from you-and be gone, for you know how fully I have paid for them with my service to you."
27 "Please don't leave me," Laban replied, "for a fortune-teller that I consulted told me that the many blessings I've been enjoying are all because of your being here. 28 How much of a raise do you need to get you to stay? Whatever it is, I'll pay it."
29 Jacob replied, "You know how faithfully I've served you through these many years, and how your flocks and herds have grown. 30 For it was little indeed you had before I came, and your wealth has increased enormously; Jehovah has blessed you from everything I do! But now, what about me? When should I provide for my own family?"
31-32 "What wages do you want?" Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, "If you will do one thing, I'll go back to work for you. Let me go out among your flocks today and remove all the goats that are speckled or spotted, and all the black sheep. Give them to me as my wages. 33 Then if you ever find any white goats or sheep in my flock, you will know that I have stolen them from you!"
34 "All right!" Laban replied. "It shall be as you have said!"
35-36 So that very day Laban went out and formed a flock for Jacob of all the male goats that were ringed and spotted, and the females that were speckled and spotted with any white patches, and all of the black sheep. He gave them to Jacob's sons to take them three days' distance, and Jacob stayed and cared for Laban's flock. 37 Then Jacob took fresh shoots from poplar, almond, and sycamore trees, and peeled white streaks in them, 38 and placed these rods beside the watering troughs so that Laban's flocks would see them when they came to drink; for that is when they mated. 39-40 So the flocks mated before the white-streaked rods, and their offspring were streaked and spotted, and Jacob added them to his flock. Then he divided out the ewes from Laban's flock and segregated them from the rams, and let them mate only with Jacob's black rams. Thus he built his flocks from Laban's. 41 Moreover, he watched for the stronger animals to mate, and placed the peeled branches before them, 42 but didn't with the feebler ones. So the less healthy lambs were Laban's and the stronger ones were Jacob's! 43 As a result, Jacob's flocks increased rapidly and he became very wealthy, with many servants, camels, and donkeys.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,147
3,3,5,277
4,4,7,448
5,5,9,551
6,6,11,599
7,7,13,723
8,8,15,787
9,9,17,894
10,10,19,1001
11,11,21,1031
12,12,23,1085
13,13,25,1126
14,14,27,1221
15,15,29,1420
16,16,31,1639
17,17,33,1867
18,18,35,1968
19,19,37,2097
20,20,39,2162
21,21,41,2304
22,22,43,2368
23,23,45,2472
24,24,47,2570
25,25,49,2661
26,26,51,2759
27,27,53,2896
28,28,55,3006
29,29,57,3072
30,30,59,3189
31,31,61,3366
32,32,63,3547
33,33,65,3715
34,34,67,3914
35,35,69,3972
36,36,71,4194
37,37,73,4335
38,38,75,4487
39,39,77,4616
40,40,79,4736
41,41,81,4910
42,42,83,5048
43,43,85,5241
1,1,1,1
2,8,3,125
9,11,6,782
12,13,8,1018
14,14,10,1186
15,15,12,1358
16,21,15,1556
22,24,17,2253
25,26,19,2576
27,28,21,2816
29,30,23,3073
31,33,25,3408
34,34,28,3794
35,43,30,3860
CONSEQUENCES GENES 30:4-12
Rachel and Leah were locked in a cruel contest. In their race to have more children, they both gave their servant girls to Jacob as concubines. Jacob would have been wise to refuse, even though this was an accepted custom of the day. The fact that a custom is socially acceptable does not mean it is wise or right. You will be spared much heartbreak if you look at the potential consequences ,to you or others ,of your actions. Are you doing anything now that might cause future problems?
TRUSTING GENES 30:22-24
Eventually God answered Rachel's prayers and gave her a child of her own. In the meantime, however, she had given her servant girl to Jacob. Trusting God when nothing seems to happen is difficult. But it is harder still to live with the consequences of taking matters into our own hands. Resist the temptation to think God has forgotten you. Have patience and courage to wait for God to act.
GENES031
:<;2<
1 One day Jacob heard Laban's sons talking. They said, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned, and in this way he has become rich."
2 Then Jacob noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before.
3 The LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land where your ancestors lived, and I will be with you."
4 So Jacob told Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where he kept his flocks.
5 He said to them, "I have seen that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You both know that I have worked as hard as I could for your father,
7 but he cheated me and changed my pay ten times. But God has not allowed your father to harm me.
8 When Laban said, `You can have all the speckled animals as your pay,' all the animals gave birth to speckled young ones. But when he said, `You can have all the streaked animals as your pay,' all the flocks gave birth to streaked babies.
9 So God has taken the animals away from your father and has given them to me. "I had a dream during the season when the flocks were mating. I saw that the only male goats who were mating were streaked, speckled, or spotted. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in that dream and said, `Jacob!' I answered, `Yes!' 12 The angel said, `Look! Only the streaked, speckled, or spotted male goats are mating. I have seen all the wrong things Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you poured olive oil on the stone you set up on end and where you made a promise to me. Now I want you to leave here and go back to the land where you were born.' " 14 Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, "Our father has nothing to give us when he dies. 15 He has treated us like strangers. He sold us to you, and then he spent all of the money you paid for us. 16 God took all this wealth from our father, and now it belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you to do." 17 So Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and they began their journey back to Isaac, his father, in the land of Canaan. All the flocks of animals that Jacob owned walked ahead of them. He carried everything with him that he had gotten while he lived in Northwest Mesopotamia. 19 While Laban was gone to cut the wool from his sheep, Rachel stole the idols that belonged to him. 20 And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was leaving. 21 Jacob and his family left quickly, crossed the Euphrates River, and traveled toward the mountains of Gilead. 22 Three days later Laban learned that Jacob had run away, 23 so he gathered his relatives and began to chase him. After seven days Laban found him in the mountains of Gilead. 24 That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, "Be careful! Do not say anything to Jacob, good or bad." 25 So Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had made his camp in the mountains, so Laban and his relatives set up their camp in the mountains of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You cheated me and took my daughters as if you had captured them in a war. 27 Why did you run away secretly and trick me? Why didn't you tell me? Then I could have sent you away with joy and singing and with the music of tambourines and harps. 28 You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. You were very foolish to do this! 29 I have the power to harm you, but last night the God of your father spoke to me and warned me not to say anything to you, good or bad. 30 I know you want to go back to your home, but why did you steal my idols?" 31 Jacob answered Laban, "I left without telling you, because I was afraid you would take your daughters away from me. 32 If you find anyone here who has taken your idols, that person will be killed! Your relatives will be my witnesses. You may look for anything that belongs to you and take anything that is yours." (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's idols.) 33 So Laban looked in Jacob's tent, in Leah's tent, and in the tent where the two slave women stayed, but he did not find his idols. When he left Leah's tent, he went into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel had hidden the idols inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Although Laban looked through the whole tent, he did not find them. 35 Rachel said to her father, "Father, don't be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you because I am having my monthly period." So Laban looked through the camp, but he did not find his idols. 36 Then Jacob became very angry and said, "What wrong have I done? What law have I broken to cause you to chase me? 37 You have looked through everything I own, but you have found nothing that belongs to you. If you have found anything, show it to everyone. Put it in front of your relatives and my relatives, and let them decide which one of us is right. 38 I have worked for you now for twenty years. During all that time none of the lambs and kids died during birth, and I have not eaten any of the male sheep from your flocks. 39 Any time an animal was killed by wild beasts, I did not bring it to you, but made up for the loss myself. You made me pay for any animal that was stolen during the day or night. 40 In the daytime the sun took away my strength, and at night I was cold and could not sleep. 41 I worked like a slave for you for twenty years- the first fourteen to get your two daughters and the last six to earn your flocks. During that time you changed my pay ten times. 42 But the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, was with me. Otherwise, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble I had and the hard work I did, and last night he corrected you." 43 Laban said to Jacob, "These girls are my daughters. Their children belong to me, and these flocks are mine. Everything you see here belongs to me, but I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children. 44 Let us make an agreement, and let us set up a pile of stones to remind us of it." 45 So Jacob took a large rock and set it up on its end. 46 He told his relatives to gather rocks, so they took the rocks and piled them up; then they ate beside the pile. 47 Laban named that place in his language A Pile to Remind Us, and Jacob gave the place the same name in Hebrew. 48 Laban said to Jacob, "This pile of rocks will remind us of the agreement between us." That is why the place was called A Pile to Remind Us. 49 It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "Let the LORD watch over us while we are separated from each other. 50 Remember that God is our witness even if no one else is around us. He will know if you harm my daughters or marry other women. 51 Here is the pile of rocks that I have put between us and here is the rock I set up on end. 52 This pile of rocks and this rock set on end will remind us of our agreement. I will never go past this pile to hurt you, and you must never come to my side of them to hurt me. 53 Let the God of Abraham, who is the God of Nahor and the God of their fathers, punish either of us if we break this agreement." So Jacob made a promise in the name of the God whom his father Isaac worshiped. 54 Then Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his relatives to share in the meal. After they finished eating, they spent the night on the mountain. 55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them, and then he left to return home.
But Jacob learned that Laban's sons were grumbling, "He owes everything he owns to our father. All his wealth is at our father's expense." 2 Soon Jacob noticed a considerable cooling in Laban's attitude toward him.
Jehovah now spoke to Jacob and told him, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives there; and I will be with you."
4 So one day Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where he was with the flocks, 5 to talk things over with them.
"Your father has turned against me," he told them, "and now the God of my fathers has come and spoken to me. 6 You know how hard I've worked for your father, 7 but he has been completely unscrupulous and has broken his wage contract with me again and again and again. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm! 8 For if he said the speckled animals would be mine, then all the flock produced speckled; and when he changed and said I could have the streaked ones, then all the lambs were streaked! 9 In this way God has made me wealthy at your father's expense.
10 "And at the mating season, I had a dream, and saw that the he-goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and mottled. 11 Then, in my dream, the Angel of God called to me 12 and told me that I should mate the white female goats with streaked, speckled, and mottled male goats. `For I have seen all that Laban has done to you,' the Angel said. 13 `I am the God you met at Bethel,' he continued, `the place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land of your birth.' "
14 Rachel and Leah replied, "That's fine with us! There's nothing for us here-none of our father's wealth will come to us anyway! 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women; he sold us, and what he received for us has disappeared. 16 The riches God has given you from our father were legally ours and our children's to begin with! So go ahead and do whatever God has told you to."
17-20 So one day while Laban was out shearing sheep, Jacob set his wives and sons on camels, and fled without telling Laban his intentions. He drove the flocks before him-Jacob's flocks he had gotten there at Paddan-aram-and took everything he owned and started out to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 21 So he fled with all of his possessions (and Rachel stole her father's household gods and took them with her) and crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the territory of Gilead.
22 Laban didn't learn of their flight for three days. 23 Then, taking several men with him, he set out in hot pursuit and caught up with them seven days later, at Mount Gilead. 24 That night God appeared to Laban in a dream.
"Watch out what you say to Jacob," he was told. "Don't give him your blessing and don't curse him." 25 Laban finally caught up with Jacob as he was camped at the top of a ridge; Laban, meanwhile, camped below him in the mountains.
26 "What do you mean by sneaking off like this?" Laban demanded. "Are my daughters prisoners, captured in a battle, that you have rushed them away like this? 27 Why didn't you give me a chance to have a farewell party, with singing and orchestra and harp? 28 Why didn't you let me kiss my grandchildren and tell them good-bye? This is a strange way to act. 29 I could crush you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and told me, `Be careful not to be too hard on Jacob!' 30 But see here-though you feel you must go, and long so intensely for your childhood home-why have you stolen my idols?"
31 "I sneaked away because I was afraid," Jacob answered. "I said to myself, `He'll take his daughters from me by force.' 32 But as for your household idols, a curse upon anyone who took them. Let him die! If you find a single thing we've stolen from you, I swear before all these men, I'll give it back without question." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had taken them.
33 Laban went first into Jacob's tent to search there, then into Leah's, and then searched the two tents of the concubines, but didn't find them. Finally he went into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel, remember, was the one who had stolen the idols; she had stuffed them into her camel saddle and now was sitting on them! So although Laban searched the tents thoroughly, he didn't find them.
35 "Forgive my not getting up, Father," Rachel explained, "but I'm having my monthly period." So Laban didn't find them.
36-37 Now Jacob got mad. "What did you find?" he demanded of Laban. "What is my crime? You have come rushing after me as though you were chasing a criminal and have searched through everything. Now put everything I stole out here in front of us, before your men and mine, for all to see and to decide whose it is! 38 Twenty years I've been with you, and all that time I cared for your ewes and goats so that they produced healthy offspring, and I never touched one ram of yours for food. 39 If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, did I show them to you and ask you to reduce the count of your flock? No, I took the loss. You made me pay for every animal stolen from the flocks, whether I could help it or not.
40 I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day, and through the cold and sleepless nights. 41 Yes, twenty years-fourteen of them earning your two daughters, and six years to get the flock! And you have reduced my wages ten times! 42 In fact, except for the grace of God-the God of my grandfather Abraham, even the glorious God of Isaac, my father-you would have sent me off without a penny to my name. But God has seen your cruelty and my hard work, and that is why he appeared to you last night."
43 Laban replied, "These women are my daughters, and these children are mine, and these flocks and all that you have-all are mine. So how could I harm my own daughters and grandchildren? 44 Come now and we will sign a peace pact, you and I, and will live by its terms."
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument, 46 and told his men to gather stones and make a heap, and Jacob and Laban ate together beside the pile of rocks. 47-48 They named it "The Witness Pile"-"Jegar-sahadutha," in Laban's language, and "Galeed" in Jacob's.
"This pile of stones will stand as a witness against us if either of us trespasses across this line," Laban said. 49 So it was also called "The Watchtower" (Mizpah). For Laban said, "May the Lord see to it that we keep this bargain when we are out of each other's sight. 50 And if you are harsh to my daughters, or take other wives, I won't know, but God will see it. 51-52 This heap," Laban continued, "stands between us as a witness of our vows that I will not cross this line to attack you and you will not cross it to attack me. 53 I call upon the God of Abraham and Nahor, and of their father, to destroy either one of us who does."
So Jacob took oath before the mighty God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. 54 Then Jacob presented a sacrifice to God there at the top of the mountain, and invited his companions to a feast, and afterwards spent the night with them on the mountain. 55 Laban was up early the next morning and kissed his daughters and grandchildren, and blessed them, and returned home.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,143
3,3,5,222
4,4,7,326
5,5,9,413
6,6,11,554
7,7,13,629
8,8,15,731
9,55,17,975
1,3,1,1
4,9,4,353
10,13,7,1056
14,16,8,1596
17,21,10,1992
22,25,12,2498
26,30,15,2958
31,32,17,3570
33,34,19,3946
35,35,21,4332
36,39,23,4456
40,42,25,5179
43,44,27,5692
45,55,29,5965
DILGENCE GENES 31:38-42
Jacob made it a habit to do more than was expected of him. When his flocks were attacked, he took the losses rather than splitting them with Laban. He worked hard even after several pay cuts. His diligence eventually paid off; his flocks began to multiply. Making a habit of doing more than is expected can pay off. It (1) pleases God, (2) earns recognition and advancement, (3) enhances your reputation, (4) builds others' confidence in you, (5) gives you more experience and knowledge, and (6) develops your spiritual maturity.
GENES032
1 When Jacob also went his way, the angels of God met him.
2 When he saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob's brother Esau was living in the area called Seir in the country of Edom. Jacob sent messengers to Esau,
4 telling them, "Give this message to my master Esau: `This is what Jacob, your servant, says: I have lived with Laban and have remained there until now.
5 I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants. I send this message to you and ask you to accept us.' "
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, "We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him."
7 Then Jacob was very afraid and worried. He divided the people who were with him and all the flocks, herds, and camels into two camps.
8 Jacob thought, "Esau might come and destroy one camp, but the other camp can run away and be saved."
9 Then Jacob said, "God of my father Abraham! God of my father Isaac! LORD, you told me to return to my country and my family. You said that you would treat me well.
10 I am not worthy of the kindness and continual goodness you my walking stick, but now I own enough to have two camps.
11 Please save me from my brother Esau. I am afraid he will come and kill all of us, even the mothers with the children.
12 You said to me, `I will treat you well and will make your children as many as the sand of the seashore. There will be too many to count.' "
13 Jacob stayed there for the night and prepared a gift for Esau from what he had with him:
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred female sheep and twenty male sheep,
15 thirty female camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.
16 Jacob gave each separate flock of animals to one of his servants and said to them, "Go ahead of me and keep some space between each herd."
17 Jacob gave them their orders. To the servant with the first group of animals he said, "My brother Esau will come to you and ask, `Whose servant are you? Where are you going and whose animals are these?'
18 Then you will answer, `They belong to your servant Jacob. He sent them as a gift to you, my master Esau, and he also is coming behind us.' "
19 Jacob ordered the second servant, the third servant, and all the other servants to do the same thing. He said, "Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
20 Say, `Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.' "Jacob thought, "If I send these gifts ahead of me, maybe Esau will forgive me. Then when I see him, perhaps he will accept me."
21 So Jacob sent the gifts to Esau, but he himself stayed that night in the camp.
22 During the night Jacob rose and crossed the Jabbok River at the crossing, taking with him his two wives, his two slave girls, and his eleven sons.
23 He sent his family and everything he had across the river.
24 So Jacob was alone, and a man came and wrestled with him until the sun came up.
25 When the man saw he could not defeat Jacob, he struck Jacob's hip and put it out of joint.
26 Then he said to Jacob, "Let me go. The sun is coming up." But Jacob said, "I will let you go if you will bless me."
27 The man said to him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Jacob."
28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won."
29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But the man said, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob named that place Peniel, saying, "I have seen God face to face, but my life was saved."
31 Then the sun rose as he was leaving that place, and Jacob was limping because of his leg.
32 So even today the people of Israel do not eat the muscle that is on the hip joint of animals, because Jacob was touched there.
So Jacob and his household started on again. And the angels of God came to meet him. When he saw them he exclaimed, "God lives here!" So he named the place "God's territory!"
Jacob now sent messengers to his brother, Esau, in Edom, in the land of Seir, 4 with this message: "Hello from Jacob! I have been living with Uncle Laban until recently, 5 and now I own oxen, donkeys, sheep, goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform you of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to us."
6 The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on the way to meet Jacob-with an army of 400 men! 7 Jacob was frantic with fear. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups; 8 for he said, "If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape."
9 Then Jacob prayed, "OGod of Abraham my grandfather, and of my father Isaac-OJehovah who told me to return to the land of my relatives, and said that you would do me good-10 I am not worthy of the least of all your loving-kindnesses shown me again and again just as you promised me. For when I left home I owned nothing except a walking stick! And now I am two armies! 11 OLord, please deliver me from destruction at the hand of my brother Esau, for I am frightened-terribly afraid that he is coming to kill me and these mothers and my children. 12 But you promised to do me good, and to multiply my descendants until they become as the sands along the shores-too many to count."
13-15 Jacob stayed where he was for the night, and prepared a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats, 20male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels, with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
16 He instructed his servants to drive them on ahead, each group of animals by itself, separated by a distance between. 17 He told the men driving the first group that when they met Esau and he asked, "Where are you going? Whose servants are you? Whose animals are these?"-18 they should reply: "These belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau! He is coming right behind us!"
19 Jacob gave the same instructions to each driver, with the same message. 20 Jacob's strategy was to appease Esau with the presents before meeting him face-to-face! "Perhaps," Jacob hoped, "he will be friendly to us." 21 So the presents were sent on ahead, and Jacob spent that night in the camp.
22-24 But during the night he got up and wakened his two wives and his two concubines and eleven sons, and sent them across the Jordan River at the Jabbok ford with all his possessions, then returned again to the camp and was there alone; and a Man wrestled with him until dawn. 25 And when the Man saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.
26 Then the Man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn."
But Jacob panted, "I will not let you go until you bless me."
27 "What is your name?" the Man asked.
"Jacob," was the reply.
28 "It isn't anymore!" the Man told him. "It is Israel-one who has power with God. Because you have been strong with God, you shall prevail with men."
29 "What is your name?" Jacob asked him.
"No, you mustn't ask," the Man told him. And he blessed him there.
30 Jacob named the place "Peniel" ("The Face of God"), for he said, "I have seen God face-to-face, and yet my life is spared." 31 The sun rose as he started on, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 (That is why even today the people of Israel don't eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,64
3,3,5,157
4,4,7,274
5,5,9,432
6,6,11,556
7,7,13,697
8,8,15,837
9,9,17,944
10,10,19,1114
11,11,21,1238
12,12,23,1363
13,13,25,1510
14,14,27,1606
15,15,29,1709
16,16,31,1825
17,17,33,1971
18,18,35,2181
19,19,37,2329
20,20,39,2494
21,21,41,2677
22,22,43,2763
23,23,45,2917
24,24,47,2983
25,25,49,3070
26,26,51,3168
27,27,53,3291
28,28,55,3366
29,29,57,3529
30,30,59,3659
31,31,61,3763
32,32,63,3860
1,5,1,1
6,8,4,533
9,12,6,832
13,15,8,1516
16,18,10,1751
19,21,12,2157
22,25,14,2458
26,26,16,2861
27,27,19,2978
28,28,22,3045
29,29,24,3199
30,32,27,3312
CONFLICT GENES 32:9-12
How would you feel knowing you were about to meet the person you had cheated out of his most precious possession? Jacob had taken Esau's birthright (25:33) and his blessings (27:27-40). Now he was about to meet this brother for the first time in 20 years, and he was frantic with fear. He collected his thoughts, however, and decided to pray. When we face a difficult conflict, we can run about frantically or we can pause to pray. Which approach will be more effective?
GENES033
1 Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and with him were four hundred men. So Jacob divided his children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave girls.
2 Jacob put the slave girls with their children first, then Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph last.
3 Jacob himself went out in front of them and bowed down flat on the ground seven times as he was walking toward his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and put his arms around him and hugged him. Then Esau kissed him, and they both cried.
5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, "Who are these people with you?" Jacob answered, "These are the children God has given me. God has been good to me, your servant."
6 Then the two slave girls and their children came up to Esau and bowed down flat on the earth before him.
7 Leah and her children also came up to Esau and also bowed down flat on the earth. Last of all, Joseph and Rachel came up to Esau, and they, too, bowed down flat before him.
8 Esau said, "I saw many herds as I was coming here. Why did you bring them?" Jacob answered, "They were to please you, my master."
9 But Esau said, "I already have enough, my brother. Keep what you have."
10 Jacob said, "No! Please! If I have pleased you, then accept the gift I give you. I am very happy to see your face again. It is like seeing the face of God, because you have accepted me.
11 So I beg you to accept the gift I give you. God has been very good to me, and I have more than I need." And because Jacob begged, Esau accepted the gift.
12 Then Esau said, "Let us be going. I will travel with you."
13 But Jacob said to him, "My master, you know that the children are weak. And I must be careful with my flocks and their young ones. If I force them to go too far in one day, all the animals will die.
14 So, my master, you go on ahead of me, your servant. I will follow you slowly and let the animals and the children set the speed at which we travel. I will meet you, my master, in Edom."
15 So Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my people with you." "No, thank you," said Jacob. "I only want to please you, my master."
16 So that day Esau started back to Edom.
17 But Jacob went to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his animals. That is why the place was named Succoth.
18 Jacob left Northwest Mesopotamia and arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. There he camped east of the city.
19 He bought a part of the field where he had camped from the sons of Hamor father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver.
20 He built an altar there and named it after God, the God of Israel.
Then, far in the distance, Jacob saw Esau coming with his 400 men. 2 Jacob now arranged his family into a column, with his two concubines and their children at the head, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother he bowed low seven times before him. 4 And then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him affectionately and kissed him; and both of them were in tears!
5 Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, "Who are these people with you?"
"My children," Jacob replied. 6 Then the concubines came forward with their children, and bowed low before him. 7 Next came Leah with her children, and bowed, and finally Rachel and Joseph came and made their bows.
8 "And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?" Esau asked.
And Jacob replied, "They are my gifts, to curry your favor!"
9 "Brother, I have plenty," Esau laughed. "Keep what you have."
10 "No, but please accept them," Jacob said, "for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile! I was as frightened of you as though approaching God!
11 Please take my gifts. For God has been very generous to me and I have enough." So Jacob insisted, and finally Esau accepted them.
12 "Well, let's be going," Esau said. "My men and I will stay with you and lead the way."
13 But Jacob replied, "As you can see, some of the children are small, and the flocks and herds have their young, and if they are driven too hard, they will die. 14 So you go on ahead of us and we'll follow at our own pace and meet you at Seir."
15 "Well," Esau said, "at least let me leave you some of my men to assist you and be your guides."
"No," Jacob insisted, "we'll get along just fine. Please do as I suggest."
16 So Esau started back to Seir that same day. 17 Meanwhile Jacob and his household went as far as Succoth. There he built himself a camp, with pens for his flocks and herds. (That is why the place is called Succoth, meaning "huts.") 18 Then they arrived safely at Shechem, in Canaan, and camped outside the city. 19 (He bought the land he camped on from the family of Hamor, Shechem's father, for 100 pieces of silver. 20 And there he erected an altar and called it "El-Elohe-Israel," "The Altar to the God of Israel.")
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,155
3,3,5,282
4,4,7,412
5,5,9,532
6,6,11,731
7,7,13,842
8,8,15,1021
9,9,17,1157
10,10,19,1235
11,11,21,1428
12,12,23,1589
13,13,25,1655
14,14,27,1861
15,15,29,2054
16,16,31,2192
17,17,33,2238
18,18,35,2378
19,19,37,2517
20,20,39,2649
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,435
8,8,6,743
9,9,9,880
10,10,11,947
11,11,13,1102
12,12,15,1239
13,14,17,1332
15,15,19,1581
16,20,22,1759
BITTERNESS GENES 33:1-11
It is refreshing to see Esau's change of heart when the two brothers meet again. The bitterness over losing his birthright and blessing (25:29-34) seems gone. Instead Esau is content with what he has. Jacob even exclaims how great it is to see his brother obviously pleased with him (33:10). Life can deal us some bad situations. We can feel cheated, as Esau did, but we don't have to remain bitter. We can remove bitterness from our lives by honestly expressing our feelings to God, forgiving those who have wronged us, and being content with what we have.
GENES034
1 At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land.
2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he took her and forced her to have sexual relations with him.
3 Shechem fell in love with Dinah, and he spoke kindly to her.
4 He told his father, Hamor, "Please get this girl for me so I can marry her."
5 Jacob learned how Shechem had disgraced his daughter, but since his sons were out in the field with the cattle, Jacob said nothing until they came home.
6 While he waited, Hamor father of Shechem went to talk with Jacob.
7 When Jacob's sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were very angry that Shechem had done such a wicked thing to Israel. It was wrong for him to have sexual relations with Jacob's daughter; a thing like this should not be done.
8 But Hamor talked to Dinah's brothers and said, "My son Shechem is deeply in love with Dinah. Please let him marry her.
9 Marry our people. Give your women to our men as wives and take our women for your men as wives.
10 You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own land and to trade here."
11 Shechem also talked to Jacob and to Dinah's brothers and said, "Please accept my offer. I will give anything you ask.
12 Ask as much as you want for the payment for the bride, and I will give it to you. Just let me marry Dinah."
13 Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father with lies, because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah.
14 The brothers said to them, "We cannot allow you to marry our sister, because you are not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us.
15 But we will allow you to marry her if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us.
16 Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women, and we will live in your land and become one people.
17 If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah and leave."
18 What they asked seemed fair to Hamor and Shechem.
19 So Shechem quickly went to be circumcised because he loved Jacob's daughter. Now Shechem was the most respected man in his family.
20 So Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
21 "These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. There is enough land for all of us. Let us marry their women, and we can let them marry our women.
22 But we must agree to one thing: All our men must be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land, and we will be one people.
23 If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land."
24 All the people who had come to the city gate heard this. They agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every man was circumcised.
25 Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah's brothers), took their swords and made a surprise attack on the city, killing all the men there.
26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem and then took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left.
27 Jacob's sons came upon the dead bodies and stole everything that was in the city, to pay them back for what Shechem had done to their sister.
28 So the brothers took the flocks, herds, and donkeys, and everything in the city and in the fields.
29 They took every valuable thing the people owned, even their wives and children and everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have caused me a lot of trouble. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me. Since there are only a few of us, if they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed."
31 But the brothers said, "We will not allow our sister to be treated like a prostitute."
One day Dinah, Leah's daughter, went out to visit some of the neighborhood girls, 2 but when Shechem, son of King Hamor the Hivite, saw her, he took her and raped her. He fell deeply in love with her, and tried to win her affection.
4 Then he spoke to his father about it. "Get this girl for me," he demanded. "I want to marry her."
5 Word soon reached Jacob of what had happened, but his sons were out in the fields herding cattle, so he did nothing until their return. 6-7 Meanwhile King Hamor, Shechem's father, went to talk with Jacob, arriving just as Jacob's sons came in from the fields, too shocked and angry to overlook the insult, for it was an outrage against all of them.
8 Hamor told Jacob, "My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter, and longs for her to be his wife. Please let him marry her. 9-10 Moreover, we invite you folks to live here among us and to let your daughters marry our sons, and we will give our daughters as wives for your young men. And you shall live among us wherever you wish and carry on your business among us and become rich!"
11 Then Shechem addressed Dinah's father and brothers. "Please be kind to me and let me have her as my wife," he begged. "I will give whatever you require. 12 No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will pay it-only give me the girl as my wife."
13 Her brothers then lied to Shechem and Hamor, acting dishonorably because of what Shechem had done to their sister. 14 They said, "We couldn't possibly. For you are not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for her to marry such a man. 15 I'll tell you what we'll do-if every man of you will be circumcised, 16 then we will intermarry with you and live here and unite with you to become one people. 17 Otherwise we will take her and be on our way."
18-19 Hamor and Shechem gladly agreed, and lost no time in acting upon this request, for Shechem was very much in love with Dinah, and could, he felt sure, sell the idea to the other men of the city-for he was highly respected and very popular. 20 So Hamor and Shechem appeared before the city council and presented their request.
21 "Those men are our friends," they said. "Let's invite them to live here among us and ply their trade. For the land is large enough to hold them, and we can intermarry with them. 22 But they will only consider staying here on one condition-that every one of us men be circumcised, the same as they are. 23 But if we do this, then all they have will become ours and the land will be enriched. Come on, let's agree to this so that they will settle here among us."
24 So all the men agreed, and all were circumcised. 25 But three days later, when their wounds were sore and sensitive to every move they made, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, took their swords, entered the city without opposition, and slaughtered every man there, 26 including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house and returned to their camp again. 27 Then all of Jacob's sons went over and plundered the city because their sister had been dishonored there. 28 They confiscated all the flocks and herds and donkeys-everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the city and outside in the fields, 29 and took all the women and children, and wealth of every kind.
30 Then Jacob said to Levi and Simeon, "You have made me stink among all the people of this land-all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will come and crush us, and we will all be killed."
31 "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" they retorted.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,238
4,4,7,305
5,5,9,388
6,6,11,547
7,7,13,619
8,8,15,878
9,9,17,1003
10,10,19,1105
11,11,21,1200
12,12,23,1325
13,13,25,1440
14,14,27,1553
15,15,29,1694
16,16,31,1814
17,17,33,1943
18,18,35,2014
19,19,37,2071
20,20,39,2209
21,21,41,2312
22,22,43,2505
23,23,45,2658
24,24,47,2788
25,25,49,2919
26,26,51,3134
27,27,53,3232
28,28,55,3381
29,29,57,3487
30,30,59,3603
31,31,61,3863
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,238
5,7,5,341
8,10,7,695
11,12,9,1090
13,17,11,1342
18,20,13,1794
21,23,15,2128
24,29,17,2595
30,30,19,3301
31,31,21,3512
PASSION GENES 34:1-4
Shechem may have been a victim of love at first sight, but his actions were impulsive and evil. Not only did he sin against Dinah; he sinned against the entire family (34:6-7). The consequences of his deed were severe both for his family and for Jacob's (34:25-31). Even Shechem's declared love for Dinah could not excuse the evil he did by raping her. Don't allow sexual passion to boil over into evil actions. Passion must be controlled.
REVENGE GENES 34:30-31
In seeking revenge against Shechem, Simeon and Levi lied, stole, and murdered. Their desire for justice was right, but their ways of achieving it were wrong. Because of their sin, their father cursed them with his dying breath (49:5-7). Generations later, their descendants lost the part of the Promised Land allotted to them. When tempted to return evil for evil, leave revenge to God and spare yourself the dreadful consequences of sin.
GENES035
1 God said to Jacob, "Go to the city of Bethel and live there. Make an altar to the God who appeared to you there when you were running away from your brother Esau."
2 So Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods you have, and make yourselves clean, and change your clothes.
3 We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to God, who has helped me during my time of trouble. He has been with me everywhere I have gone."
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and the earrings they were wearing, and he hid them under the great tree near the town of Shechem.
5 Then Jacob and his sons left there. But God caused the people in the nearby cities to be afraid, so they did not follow them.
6 And Jacob and all the people who were with him went to Luz, which is now called Bethel, in the land of Canaan.
7 There Jacob built an altar and named the place Bethel, after God, because God had appeared to him there when he was running from his brother.
8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak tree at Bethel, so they named that place Oak of Crying.
9 When Jacob came back from Northwest Mesopotamia, God appeared to him again called Jacob any longer. Your new name will be Israel." So he called him Israel. 11 God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Have many children and grow in number as a nation. You will be the ancestor of many nations and kings. 12 The same land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you and your descendants." 13 Then God left him. 14 Jacob set up a stone on edge in that place where God had talked to him, and he poured a drink offering and olive oil on it to make it special for God. 15 And Jacob named the place Bethel. 16 Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby, 17 but she was having much trouble. When Rachel's nurse saw this, she said, "Don't be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son." 18 Rachel gave birth to the son, but she herself died. As she lay dying, she named the boy Son of My Suffering, but Jacob called him Benjamin. 19 Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath, a district of Bethlehem, 20 and Jacob set up a rock on her grave to honor her. That rock is still there. 21 Then Israel continued his journey and camped just south of Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was there, Reuben had sexual relations with Israel's slave woman Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons. 23 He had six sons by his wife Leah: Reuben, his first son, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 He had two sons by his wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 He had two sons by Rachel's slave girl Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. 26 And he had two sons by Leah's slave girl Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These are Jacob's sons who were born in Northwest Mesopotamia. 27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre near Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac lived one hundred eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last breath and died when he was very old, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
"Move on to Bethel now, and settle there," God said to Jacob, "and build an altar to worship me-the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau."
2 So Jacob instructed all those in his household to destroy the idols they had brought with them, and to wash themselves and to put on fresh clothing. "For we are going to Bethel," he told them, "and I will build an altar there to the God who answered my prayers in the day of my distress, and was with me on my journey."
4 So they gave Jacob all their idols and their earrings, and he buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem. 5 Then they started on again. And the terror of God was upon all the cities they journeyed through, so that they were not attacked. 6 Finally they arrived at Luz (also called Bethel), in Canaan. 7 And Jacob erected an altar there and named it "The altar to the God who met me here at Bethel" because it was there at Bethel that God appeared to him when he was fleeing from Esau.
8 Soon after this Rebekah's old nurse, Deborah, died and was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. And ever after it was called "The Oak of Weeping."
9 Upon Jacob's arrival at Bethel, en route from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him once again and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, "You shall no longer be called Jacob (`Grabber'), but Israel (`One who prevails with God'). 11 I am God Almighty," the Lord said to him, "and I will cause you to be fertile and to multiply and to become a great nation, yes, many nations; many kings shall be among your descendants. 12 And I will pass on to you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and to your descendants."
13-14 Afterwards Jacob built a stone pillar at the place where God had appeared to him; and he poured wine over it as an offering to God and then anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15 Jacob named the spot Bethel ("House of God"), because God had spoken to him there.
16 Leaving Bethel, he and his household traveled on toward Ephrath (Bethlehem). But Rachel's pains of childbirth began while they were still a long way away. 17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, "Wonderful-another boy!" 18 And with Rachel's last breath (for she died) she named him "Ben-oni" ("Son of my sorrow"); but his father called him "Benjamin" ("Son of my right hand").
19 So Rachel died, and was buried near the road to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set up a monument of stones upon her grave, and it is there to this day.
21 Then Israel journeyed on and camped beyond the Tower of Eder. 22 It was while he was there that Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and someone told Israel about it.
Here are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's oldest child, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant girl: Dan, Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant girl: Gad, Asher.
All these were born to him at Paddan-aram.
27 So Jacob came at last to Isaac his father at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham too had lived. 28-29 Isaac died soon afterwards, at the ripe old age of 180. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,171
3,3,5,324
4,4,7,493
5,5,9,648
6,6,11,780
7,7,13,897
8,8,15,1045
9,29,17,1167
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,168
4,7,5,493
8,8,7,986
9,12,9,1157
13,15,11,1695
16,18,13,1966
19,20,15,2371
21,22,17,2544
23,23,19,2777
24,24,21,2871
25,25,23,2915
26,26,25,2979
27,29,28,3082
PREVAILING GENES 35:10
God reminded Jacob of his new name, Israel, which meant one who prevails with God. Although Jacob's life was littered with difficulties and trials, his new name was a tribute to his desire to stay close to God despite life's disappointments.
Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem-free life. Consequently, as life gets tough, they draw back disappointed. Instead, they should determine to stick close to God through life's storms. Problems and difficulties are painful but inevitable; you might as well see them as opportunities for growth. You can't prevail with God unless you have troubles to prevail over.
INHERITANCE GENES 35:22
Reuben's sin was costly, although not right away. As the oldest son, he stood to receive a double portion of the family inheritance and a place of leadership among his people. Reuben may have thought he got away with his sin. No more is mentioned of it until Jacob, on his deathbed, assembled his family for the final blessing. Suddenly Jacob took away Reuben's double portion and gave it to someone else (49:4). Sin's consequences can plague us long after the sin is committed. When we do something wrong we may think we can escape unnoticed, only to discover later that the sin has been quietly breeding serious consequences.
GENES036
1 This is the family history of Esau (also called Edom).
2 Esau married women from the land of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite;
3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
4 Adah gave birth to Eliphaz for Easu. Basemath gave him Reuel,
5 and Oholibamah gave him Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau's sons who were born in the land of Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the people who lived with him, his herds and other animals, and all the belongings he had gotten in Canaan, and he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.
7 Esau's and Jacob's belongings were becoming too many for them to live in the same land. The land where they had lived could not support both of them, because they had too many herds.
8 So Esau lived in the mountains of Edom. (Esau is also named Edom.)
9 This is the family history of Esau. He is the ancestor of the Edomites, who live in the mountains of Edom.
10 Esau's sons were Eliphaz, son of Adah and Esau, and Reuel, son of Basemath and Esau.
11 Eliphaz had five sons: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Eliphaz also had a slave woman named Timna, and Timna and Eliphaz gave birth to Amalek. These were Esau's grandsons by his wife Adah.
13 Reuel had four sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were Esau's grandsons by his wife Basemath.
14 Esau's third wife was Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. (Anah was the son of Zibeon.) Esau and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15 These were the leaders that came from Esau: Esau's first son was Eliphaz. From him came these leaders: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the leaders that came from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Adah.
17 Esau's son Reuel was the father of these leaders: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the leaders that came from Reuel in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.
18 Esau's wife Oholibamah gave birth to these leaders: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the leaders that came from Esau's wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau (also called Edom), and these were their leaders.
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These sons of Seir were the leaders of the Horites in Edom.
22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam. (Timna was Lotan's sister.)
23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the hot springs in the desert while he was caring for his father's donkeys.
25 The children of Anah were Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.
29 These were the names of the Horite leaders: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the Horite families who lived in the land of Edom.
31 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before the Israelites ever had a king:
32 Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom. He came from the city of Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah became king. Jobab was from Bozrah.
34 When Jobab died, Husham became king. He was from the land of the Temanites.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who had defeated Midian in the country of Moab, became king. Hadad was from the city of Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah became king. He was from Masrekah.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul became king. He was from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River.
38 When Shaul died, BAAL-HANAN son of Acbor became king.
39 When BAAL-HANAN son of Acbor died, Hadad became king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of ME-ZAHAB.
40 These Edomite leaders, listed by their families and regions, came from Esau. Their names were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
43 Magdiel, and Iram. They were the leaders of Edom. (Esau was the father of the Edomites.) The area where each of these families lived was named after that family.
Here is a list of the descendants of Esau (also called Edom): 2-Esau married three local girls from Canaan: Adah (daughter of Elon the Hethite), Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite), Basemath (his cousin-she was a daughter of Ishmael-the sister of Nebaioth).
4 Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel.
5 Esau and Oholibamah had sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.
6-8 Then Esau took his wives, children, household servants, cattle and flocks-all the wealth he had gained in the land of Canaan-and moved away from his brother Jacob to Mount Seir. (For there was not land enough to support them both because of all their cattle.)
9 Here are the names of Esau's descendants, the Edomites, born to him in Mount Seir:
10-12 Descended from his wife Adah, born to her son Eliphaz were: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Amalek (born to Timna, Eliphaz' concubine).
13-14 Esau also had grandchildren from his wife Basemath. Born to her son Reuel were: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah.
15-16 Esau's grandchildren became the heads of clans, as listed here: the clan of Teman, the clan of Omar, the clan of Zepho, the clan of Kenaz, the clan of Korah, the clan of Gatam, the clan of Amalek.
The above clans were the descendants of Eliphaz, the oldest son of Esau and Adah.
17 The following clans were the descendants of Reuel, born to Esau and his wife Basemath while they lived in Canaan: the clan of Nahath, the clan of Zerah, the clan of Shammah, the clan of Mizzah.
18-19 And these are the clans named after the sons of Esau and his wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah): the clan of Jeush, the clan of Jalam, the clan of Korah.
20-21 These are the names of the tribes that descended from Seir, the Horite-one of the native families of the land of Seir: the tribe of Lotan, the tribe of Shobal, the tribe of Zibeon, the tribe of Anah, the tribe of Dishon, the tribe of Ezer, the tribe of Dishan.
22 The children of Lotan (the son of Seir) were Hori and Heman. (Lotan had a sister, Timna.)
23 The children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, Onam.
24 The children of Zibeon: Aiah, Anah. (This is the boy who discovered a hot springs in the wasteland while he was grazing his father's donkeys.)
25 The children of Anah: Dishon, Oholibamah.
26 The children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, Cheran.
27 The children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, Akan.
28-30 The children of Dishan: Uz, Aran.
31-39 These are the names of the kings of Edom (before Israel had her first king):
King Bela (son of Beor), from Dinhabah in Edom.
Succeeded by:
King Jobab (son of BoZerah), from the city of Bozrah.
Succeeded by: King Husham, from the land of the Temanites.
Succeeded by: King Hadad (son of Bedad), the leader of the forces that defeated the army of Midian when it invaded Moab. His city was Avith.
Succeeded by: King Samlah, from Masrekah.
Succeeded by: King Shaul, from Rehoboth-by-the-River.
Succeeded by: King Baal-hanan (son of Achbor).
Succeeded by: King Hadad, from the city of Pau.
King Hadad's wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab.
40-43 Here are the names of the subtribes of Esau, living in the localities named after themselves: the clan of Timna, the clan of Alvah, the clan of Jetheth, the clan of Oholibamah, the clan of Elah, the clan of Pinon, the clan of Kenaz, the clan of Teman, the clan of Mibzar, the clan of Magdiel, the clan of Iram.
These, then, are the names of the subtribes of Edom, each giving its name to the area it occupied. (All were Edomites, descendants of Esau.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,210
4,4,7,274
5,5,9,342
6,6,11,457
7,7,13,676
8,8,15,865
9,9,17,938
10,10,19,1051
11,11,21,1143
12,12,23,1211
13,13,25,1352
14,14,27,1466
15,15,29,1617
16,16,31,1754
17,17,33,1887
18,18,35,2094
19,19,37,2260
20,20,39,2345
21,21,41,2450
22,22,43,2543
23,23,45,2617
24,24,47,2689
25,25,49,2837
26,26,51,2910
27,27,53,2976
28,28,55,3031
29,29,57,3075
30,30,59,3155
31,31,61,3269
32,32,63,3365
33,33,65,3446
34,34,67,3524
35,35,69,3607
36,36,71,3747
37,37,73,3813
38,38,75,3902
39,39,77,3963
40,40,79,4137
41,41,81,4261
42,42,83,4293
43,43,85,4322
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,296
5,5,5,381
6,8,7,502
9,9,9,769
10,12,10,855
13,14,12,1002
15,16,14,1123
17,17,17,1412
18,19,19,1612
20,21,21,1775
22,22,23,2045
23,23,25,2141
24,24,27,2208
25,25,29,2357
26,26,31,2405
27,27,33,2467
28,30,35,2517
31,39,37,2560
40,43,49,3254
GENES037
1 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived.
2 This is the family history of Jacob: Joseph was a young man, seventeen years old. He and his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, cared for the flocks. Joseph gave his father bad reports about his brothers.
3 Since Joseph was born when his father Israel was old, Israel loved him more than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves.
4 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother and could not speak to him politely.
5 One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
6 Joseph said, "Listen to the dream I had.
7 We were in the field tying bundles of wheat together. My bundle stood up, and your bundles of wheat gathered around it and bowed down to it."
8 His brothers said, "Do you really think you will be king over us? Do you truly think you will rule over us?" His brothers hated him even more because of his dreams and what he had said.
9 Then Joseph had another dream, and he told his brothers about it also. He said, "Listen, I had another dream. I saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me."
10 Joseph also told his father about this dream, but his father scolded him, saying, "What kind of dream is this? Do you really believe that your mother, your brothers, and I will bow down to you?"
11 Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father thought about what all these things could mean.
12 One day Joseph's brothers went to Shechem to graze their father's flocks.
13 Israel said to Joseph, "Go to Shechem where your brothers are grazing the flocks." Joseph answered, "I will go."
14 His father said, "Go and see if your brothers and the flocks are all right. Then come back and tell me." So Joseph's father sent him from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph came to Shechem,
15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16 Joseph answered, "I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing the flocks?"
17 The man said, "They have already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph went to look for his brothers and found them in Dothan.
18 Joseph's brothers saw him coming from far away. Before he reached them, they made a plan to kill him.
19 They said to each other, "Here comes that dreamer.
20 Let's kill him and throw his body into one of the wells. We can tell our father that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams."
21 But Reuben heard their plan and saved Joseph, saying, "Let's not kill him.
22 Don't spill any blood. Throw him into this well here in the desert, but don't hurt him!" Reuben planned to save Joseph later and send him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his robe with long sleeves
24 and threw him into the well. It was empty, and there was no water in it.
25 While Joseph was in the well, the brothers sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his death?
27 Let's sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we will not be guilty of killing our own brother. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." And the other brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite traders came by, the brothers took Joseph out of the well and sold him to the Ishmaelites for eight ounces of silver. And the Ishmaelites took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben came back to the well and Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes to show he was upset.
30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there! What shall I do?"
31 The brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood.
32 Then they brought the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, "We found this robe. Look it over carefully and see if it is your son's robe."
33 Jacob looked it over and said, "It is my son's robe! Some savage animal has eaten him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!"
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on rough cloth to show that he was upset, and he continued to be sad about his son for a long time.
35 All of his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he could not be comforted. He said, "I will be sad about my son until the day I die." So Jacob cried for his son Joseph.
36 Meanwhile the Midianites who had bought Joseph had taken him to Egypt. There they sold him to Potiphar, an officer to the king of Egypt and captain of the palace guard.
So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived.
2 Jacob's son Joseph was now seventeen years old. His job, along with his half brothers, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, was to shepherd his father's flocks. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things they were doing. Now as it happened, Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, because Joseph was born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob gave him a special gift-a brightly colored coat.
4 His brothers of course noticed their father's partiality, and consequently hated Joseph; they couldn't say a kind word to him. 5 One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing even deeper hatred.
6 "Listen to this," he proudly announced. 7 "We were out in the field binding sheaves, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves all gathered around it and bowed low before it!"
8 "So you want to be our king, do you?" his brothers derided. And they hated him both for the dream and for his cocky attitude.
9 Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. "Listen to my latest dream," he boasted. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!" 10 This time he told his father as well as his brothers; but his father rebuked him. "What is this?" he asked. "Shall I indeed, and your mother and brothers come and bow before you?" 11 His brothers were fit to be tied concerning this affair, but his father gave it quite a bit of thought and wondered what it all meant.
12 One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to Shechem to graze them there. 13-14 A few days later Israel called for Joseph, and told him, "Your brothers are over in Shechem grazing the flocks. Go and see how they are getting along, and how it is with the flocks, and bring me word."
"Very good," Joseph replied. So he traveled to Shechem from his home at Hebron Valley. 15 A man noticed him wandering in the fields.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked.
16 "For my brothers and their flocks," Joseph replied. "Have you seen them?"
17 "Yes," the man told him, "they are no longer here. I heard your brothers say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph followed them to Dothan and found them there. 18 But when they saw him coming, recognizing him in the distance, they decided to kill him!
19-20 "Here comes that master-dreamer," they exclaimed. "Come on, let's kill him and toss him into a well and tell Father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what will become of all his dreams!"
21-22 But Reuben hoped to spare Joseph's life. "Let's not kill him," he said; "we'll shed no blood-let's throw him alive into this well here; that way he'll die without our touching him!" (Reuben was planning to get him out later and return him to his father.) 23 So when Joseph got there, they pulled off his brightly colored robe, 24 and threw him into an empty well-there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down for supper. Suddenly they noticed a string of camels coming towards them in the distance, probably Ishmaelite traders who were taking gum, spices, and herbs from Gilead to Egypt.
26-27 "Look there," Judah said to the others. "Here come some Ishmaelites. Let's sell Joseph to them! Why kill him and have a guilty conscience? Let's not be responsible for his death, for, after all, he is our brother!" And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver, and they took him along to Egypt. 29 Some time later, Reuben (who was away when the traders came by) returned to get Joseph out of the well. When Joseph wasn't there, he ripped at his clothes in anguish and frustration.
30 "The child is gone; and I, where shall I go now?" he wept to his brothers. 31 Then the brothers killed a goat and spattered its blood on Joseph's coat, 32 and took the coat to their father and asked him to identify it.
"We found this in the field," they told him. "Is it Joseph's coat or not?" 33 Their father recognized it at once.
"Yes," he sobbed, "it is my son's coat. A wild animal has eaten him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces."
34 Then Israel tore his garments and put on sackcloth and mourned for his son in deepest mourning for many weeks. 35 His family all tried to comfort him, but it was no use.
"I will die in mourning for my son," he would say, and then break down and cry.
36 Meanwhile, in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh-the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard, the chief executioner.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,307
4,4,7,459
5,5,9,607
6,6,11,708
7,7,13,755
8,8,15,903
9,9,17,1095
10,10,19,1269
11,11,21,1471
12,12,23,1580
13,13,25,1661
14,14,27,1781
15,15,29,1977
16,16,31,2066
17,17,33,2173
18,18,35,2330
19,19,37,2439
20,20,39,2497
21,21,41,2665
22,22,43,2747
23,23,45,2912
24,24,47,2999
25,25,49,3079
26,26,51,3283
27,27,53,3385
28,28,55,3571
29,29,57,3757
30,30,59,3866
31,31,61,3958
32,32,63,4031
33,33,65,4183
34,34,67,4317
35,35,69,4460
36,36,71,4645
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,79
4,5,5,522
6,7,7,765
8,8,9,944
9,11,11,1075
12,15,13,1552
16,16,17,2023
17,18,19,2103
19,20,21,2362
21,25,23,2573
26,29,25,3172
30,33,27,3768
34,35,31,4219
36,36,34,4476
FAVORITISM GENES 37:3
In Joseph's day, everyone had a cloak. These were used to warm oneself, to bundle up belongings for a trip, to wrap babies, to sit on, or even to serve as security for a loan. Most cloaks were knee length, short sleeved, and plain. In contrast, Joseph's coat was probably of the kind worn by royalty ,long sleeved, ankle length, and colorful. The coat became a symbol of Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph, and it aggravated the already strained relations between Joseph and his brothers. Favoritism in families may be unavoidable, but its divisive effects should be minimized. Parents may not be able to change their feelings toward a favorite child, but they can change their actions toward the others.
BRAGGING GENES 37:6-11
Joseph's brothers were already angry over the possibility of being ruled by their little brother. Joseph then fueled the fire with his immature attitude and boastful manner. No one enjoys a braggart. Joseph learned his lesson the hard way. His angry brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him. After several years of hardship, Joseph learned an important lesson: because our talents and knowledge come from God, it is more appropriate to thank him for them than to brag about them. Later, Joseph gives God the credit (41:16).
JEALOUSY GENES 37:19-20
Could jealousy ever make you feel like killing someone? Before saying, look at what happened in this story. Ten men were willing to kill their youngest brother over a cloak and a few reported dreams. Their deep jealousy had grown into ugly rage, blinding them completely to what was right. Jealousy can be hard to recognize, because our reasons for it seem to make sense. But left unchecked, jealousy grows quickly and leads to serious sins. The longer you cultivate jealous feelings, the harder it is to uproot them. The time to deal with jealousy is when you notice yourself keeping score of what others have.
ME FIRST GENES 37:30
Reuben returned to the pit to find Joseph, but his little brother was gone. His first response, in effect, was rather than What is going to happen to Joseph?
GENES038
1 About that time, Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah in the town of Adullam.
2 There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah had sexual relations with her,
3 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom Judah named Er.
4 Later she gave birth to another son and named him Onan.
5 Still later she had another son and named him Shelah. She was at Kezib when this third son was born.
6 Judah chose a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er.
7 But Er, Judah's oldest son, did what the LORD said was evil, so the LORD killed him.
8 Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and have sexual relations with your dead brother's wife. It is your duty to provide children for your brother in this way."
9 But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him, so when he was supposed to have sexual relations with Tamar he did not complete the sex act. This made it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant and for Er to have descendants.
10 The LORD was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done, so the LORD killed Onan also.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go back to live in your father's house, and don't marry until my young son Shelah grows up." Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father's home.
12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had gotten over his sorrow, he went to Timnah to his men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him.
13 Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep.
14 So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow and covered her face with a veil to hide who she was. Then she sat down by the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah's younger son Shelah had grown up, but Judah had not made plans for her to marry him.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face with a veil.
16 So Judah went to her and said, "Let me have sexual relations with you." He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law. She asked, "What will you give me if I let you have sexual relations with me?"
17 Judah answered, "I will send you a young goat from my flock." She answered, "First give me something to keep as a deposit until you send the goat."
18 Judah asked, "What do you want me to give you as a deposit?" Tamar answered, "Give me your seal and its cord, and give me your walking stick." So Judah gave these things to her. Then Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and Tamar became pregnant.
19 When Tamar went home, she took off the veil that covered her face and put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.
20 Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat to find the woman and get back his seal and the walking stick he had given her, but Hirah could not find her.
21 He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, "Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?" They answered, "There has never been a prostitute here."
22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I could not find the woman, and the people who lived there said, `There has never been a prostitute here.' "
23 Judah said, "Let her keep the things. I don't want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her."
24 About three months later someone told Judah, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant." Then Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned to death."
25 When the people went to bring Tamar out, she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, "The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this seal and its cord and this walking stick, and tell me whose they are."
26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more in the right than I. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised." And Judah did not have sexual relations with her again.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her body.
28 While she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string on his hand and said, "This baby came out first."
29 But he pulled his hand back in, so the other baby was born first. The nurse said, "So you are able to break out first," and they named him Perez.
30 After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah.
About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam and lived there with a man named Hirah. 2 There he met and married a Canaanite girl-the daughter of Shua. 3-5 They lived at Chezib and had three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. These names were given to them by their mother, except for Er, who was named by his father.
6 When his oldest son, Er, grew up, Judah arranged for him to marry a girl named Tamar. 7 But Er was a wicked man, and so the Lord killed him.
8 Then Judah said to Er's brother, Onan, "You must marry Tamar, as our law requires of a dead man's brother; so that her sons from you will be your brother's heirs."
9 But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be counted as his own, and so, although he married her, whenever he went in to sleep with her, he spilled the sperm on the bed to prevent her from having a baby which would be his brother's. 10 So far as the Lord was concerned, it was very wrong of him to deny a child to his deceased brother, so he killed him, too. 11 Then Judah told Tamar, his daughter-in-law, not to marry again at that time, but to return to her childhood home and to her parents, and to remain a widow there until his youngest son, Shelah, was old enough to marry her. (But he didn't really intend for Shelah to do this, for fear God would kill him, too, just as he had his two brothers.) So Tamar went home to her parents.
12 In the process of time Judah's wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite, went to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep. 13 When someone told Tamar that her father-in-law had left for the sheepshearing at Timnah, 14 and realizing by now that she was not going to be permitted to marry Shelah, though he was fully grown, she laid aside her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. 15 Judah noticed her as he went by and thought she was a prostitute, since her face was veiled. 16 So he stopped and propositioned her to sleep with him, not realizing of course that she was his own daughter-in-law.
"How much will you pay me?" she asked.
17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he promised.
"What pledge will you give me, so that I can be sure you will send it?" she asked.
18 "Well, what do you want?" he inquired.
"Your identification seal and your walking stick," she replied. So he gave them to her and she let him come and sleep with her; and she became pregnant as a result. 19 Afterwards she resumed wearing her widow's clothing as usual. 20 Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat back to her, and to pick up the pledges he had given her, but Hirah couldn't find her!
21 So he asked around of the men of the city, "Where does the prostitute live who was soliciting out beside the road at the entrance of the village?"
"But we've never had a public prostitute here," they replied. 22 So he returned to Judah and told him he couldn't find her anywhere, and what the men of the place had told him.
23 "Then let her keep them!" Judah exclaimed. "We tried our best. We'd be the laughingstock of the town to go back again."
24 About three months later word reached Judah that Tamar, his daughter-in-law, was pregnant, obviously as a result of prostitution.
"Bring her out and burn her," Judah shouted.
25 But as they were taking her out to kill her she sent this message to her father-in-law: "The man who owns this identification seal and walking stick is the father of my child. Do you recognize them?"
26 Judah admitted that they were his and said, "She is more in the right than I am, because I refused to keep my promise to give her to my son Shelah." But he did not marry her.
27 In due season the time of her delivery arrived and she had twin sons. 28 As they were being born, the midwife tied a scarlet thread around the wrist of the child who appeared first, 29 but he drew back his hand and the other baby was actually the first to be born. "Where did you come from!" she exclaimed. And ever after he was called Perez (meaning "Bursting Out"). 30 Then, soon afterwards, the baby with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,112
3,3,5,240
4,4,7,316
5,5,9,378
6,6,11,485
7,7,13,558
8,8,15,649
9,9,17,821
10,10,19,1062
11,11,21,1159
12,12,23,1409
13,13,25,1632
14,14,27,1736
15,15,29,2028
16,16,31,2134
17,17,33,2349
18,18,35,2504
19,19,37,2759
20,20,39,2884
21,21,41,3049
22,22,43,3215
23,23,45,3367
24,24,47,3512
25,25,49,3724
26,26,51,3960
27,27,53,4162
28,28,55,4243
29,29,57,4383
30,30,59,4536
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,324
8,8,5,470
9,11,7,639
12,16,9,1396
17,17,12,2220
18,20,15,2367
21,22,18,2800
23,23,21,3131
24,24,23,3257
25,25,26,3439
26,26,28,3645
27,30,30,3826
Profile: Reuben ,!page "^reuben" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES039
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer to the king of Egypt and the captain of the palace guard. He bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. He lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.
3 Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD made Joseph successful in everything he did.
4 So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph and allowed him to be his personal servant. He put Joseph in charge of the house, trusting him with everything he owned.
5 When Joseph was put in charge of the house and everything Potiphar owned, the LORD blessed the people in Potiphar's house because of Joseph. And the LORD blessed everything that belonged to Potiphar, both in the house and in the field.
6 So Potiphar left Joseph in charge of everything he owned and was not concerned about anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome.
7 After some time the wife of Joseph's master began to desire Joseph, and one day she said to him, "Have sexual relations with me."
8 But Joseph refused and said to her, "My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has put me in charge of everything he owns.
9 There is no one in his house greater than I. He has not kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How can I do such an evil thing? It is a sin against God."
10 The woman talked to Joseph every day, but he refused to have sexual relations with her or even spend time with her.
11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work as usual and was the only man in the house at that time.
12 His master's wife grabbed his coat and said to him, "Come and have sexual relations with me." But Joseph left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house.
13 When she saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hands and had run outside,
14 she called to the servants in her house and said, "Look! This Hebrew slave was brought here to shame us. He came in and tried to have sexual relations with me, but I screamed.
15 My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his coat with me."
16 She kept his coat until her husband came home,
17 and she told him the same story. She said, "This Hebrew slave you brought here came in to shame me!
18 When he came near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat."
19 When Joseph's master heard what his wife said Joseph had done, he became very angry.
20 So Potiphar arrested Joseph and put him into the prison where the king's prisoners were put. And Joseph stayed there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness and caused the prison warden to like Joseph.
22 The prison warden chose Joseph to take care of all the prisoners, and he was responsible for whatever was done in the prison.
23 The warden paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's care because the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful in everything he did.
When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a captive of the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased from them by Potiphar, a member of the personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Now this man Potiphar was the captain of the king's bodyguard and his chief executioner. 2 The Lord greatly blessed Joseph there in the home of his master, so that everything he did succeeded. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph in a very special way. 4 So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with him. Soon he was put in charge of the administration of Potiphar's household, and all of his business affairs. 5 At once the Lord began blessing Potiphar for Joseph's sake. All his household affairs began to run smoothly, his crops flourished and his flocks multiplied. 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph the complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. He hadn't a worry in the world with Joseph there, except to decide what he wanted to eat! Joseph, by the way, was a very handsome young man.
7 One day at about this time Potiphar's wife began making eyes at Joseph, and suggested that he come and sleep with her.
8 Joseph refused. "Look," he told her, "my master trusts me with everything in the entire household; 9 he himself has no more authority here than I have! He has held back nothing from me except you yourself because you are his wife. How can I do such a wicked thing as this? It would be a great sin against God."
10 But she kept on with her suggestions day after day, even though he refused to listen, and kept out of her way as much as possible. 11 Then one day as he was in the house going about his work-as it happened, no one else was around at the time-12 she came and grabbed him by the sleeve demanding, "Sleep with me." He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled from the house. 13 When she saw that she had his jacket, and that he had fled, 14-15 she began screaming; and when the other men around the place came running in to see what had happened, she was crying hysterically. "My husband had to bring in this Hebrew slave to insult us!" she sobbed. "He tried to rape me, but when I screamed, he ran, and forgot to take his jacket."
16 She kept the jacket, and when her husband came home that night, 17 she told him her story.
"That Hebrew slave you've had around here tried to rape me, 18 and I was only saved by my screams. He fled, leaving his jacket behind!"
19 Well, when her husband heard his wife's story, he was furious. 20 He threw Joseph into prison, where the king's prisoners were kept in chains. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph there, too, and was kind to him by granting him favor with the chief jailer. 22 In fact, the jailer soon handed over the entire prison administration to Joseph, so that all the other prisoners were responsible to him. 23 The chief jailer had no more worries after that, for Joseph took care of everything, and the Lord was with him so that everything ran smoothly and well.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,218
3,3,5,342
4,4,7,454
5,5,9,620
6,6,11,862
7,7,13,1026
8,8,15,1162
9,9,17,1302
10,10,19,1483
11,11,21,1606
12,12,23,1720
13,13,25,1884
14,14,27,1968
15,15,29,2151
16,16,31,2227
17,17,33,2281
18,18,35,2388
19,19,37,2465
20,20,39,2557
21,21,41,2696
22,22,43,2801
23,23,45,2934
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,1014
8,9,5,1138
10,15,7,1454
16,18,9,2244
19,23,12,2478
ATTITUDE GENES 39:2
As a prisoner and slave, Joseph could have seen his situation as hopeless. Instead, he did his best with each small task given him. His diligence and positive attitude were soon noticed by the jail warden, who promoted him to prison administrator. Are you in the midst of a seemingly hopeless predicament? At work, at home, or at school, follow Joseph's example by taking each small task and doing your best. Remember how God turned Joseph's situation around. He will see your efforts and can reverse even overwhelming odds.
SEDUCTION GENES 39:9
Potiphar's wife failed to seduce Joseph, who resisted this temptation by saying it would be a sin against God. Joseph didn't say, I'd be hurting you, or I'd be sinning against Potiphar, or I'd be sinning against myself. Under pressure, such excuses are easily rationalized away. Remember that sexual sin is not just between two consenting adults. It is an act of disobedience to God.
TEMPTATION GENES 39:10-15
Joseph avoided Potiphar's wife as much as possible. He refused her advances and finally ran from her. Sometimes merely trying to avoid temptation is not enough. We must turn and run, especially when the temptations seem very strong, as is often the case in sexual temptations.
Profile: Joseph ,!page "^joseph" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES040
1 After these things happened, two of the king's officers displeased the king- the man who served wine to the king and the king's baker.
2 The king became angry with his officer who served him wine and his baker,
3 so he put them in the prison of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was kept.
4 The captain of the guard put the two prisoners in Joseph's care, and they stayed in prison for some time.
5 One night both the king's officer who served him wine and the baker had a dream. Each had his own dream with its own meaning.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw they were worried.
7 He asked the king's officers who were with him, "Why do you look so unhappy today?"
8 The two men answered, "We both had dreams last night, but no one can explain their meaning to us." Joseph said to them, "God is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams. Tell me your dreams."
9 So the man who served wine to the king told Joseph his dream. He said, "I dreamed I saw a vine, and
10 on the vine were three branches. I watched the branches bud and blossom, and then the grapes ripened.
11 I was holding the king's cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave it to the king."
12 Then Joseph said, "I will explain the dream to you. The three branches stand for three days.
13 Before the end of three days the king will free you, and he will allow you to return to your work. You will serve the king his wine just as you did before.
14 But when you are free, remember me. Be kind to me, and tell the king about me so I can get out of this prison.
15 I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing here to deserve being put in prison."
16 The baker saw that Joseph's explanation of the dream was good, so he said to him, "I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three bread baskets on my head.
17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked food for the king, but the birds were eating this food out of the basket on my head."
18 Joseph answered, "I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets stand for three days.
19 Before the end of three days, the king will cut off your head! He will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh."
20 Three days later, on his birthday, the king gave a feast for all his officers. In front of his officers, he released from prison the chief officer who served his wine and the chief baker.
21 The king gave his chief officer who served wine his old position, and once again he put the king's cup of wine into the king's hand.
22 But the king hanged the baker on a pole. Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would,
23 but the officer who served wine did not remember Joseph. He forgot all about him.
^ ^ Some time later it so happened that the king of Egypt became angry with both his chief baker and his chief butler, so he jailed them both in the prison where Joseph was, in the castle of Potiphar, the captain of the guard, who was the chief executioner. 4 They remained under arrest there for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to wait on them. 5 One night each of them had a dream. 6 The next morning Joseph noticed that they looked dejected and sad.
7 "What in the world is the matter?" he asked.
8 And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean."
"Interpreting dreams is God's business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw."
9-10 The butler told his dream first. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a vine with three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it, and gave it to him to drink."
12 "I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches mean three days! 13 Within three days Pharaoh is going to take you out of prison and give you back your job again as his chief butler. 14 And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor, and mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland among the Hebrews, and now this-here I am in jail when I did nothing to deserve it."
16 When the chief baker saw that the first dream had such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too.
"In my dream," he said, "there were three baskets of pastries on my head. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them."
18-19 "The three baskets mean three days," Joseph told him. "Three days from now Pharaoh will take off your head and impale your body on a pole, and the birds will come and pick off your flesh!"
20 Pharaoh's birthday came three days later, and he held a party for all of his officials and household staff. He sent for his chief butler and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the prison. 21 Then he restored the chief butler to his former position; 22 but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. 23 Pharaoh's wine taster, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him a thought.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,142
3,3,5,222
4,4,7,325
5,5,9,437
6,6,11,569
7,7,13,644
8,8,15,734
9,9,17,942
10,10,19,1048
11,11,21,1157
12,12,23,1281
13,13,25,1381
14,14,27,1544
15,15,29,1662
16,16,31,1782
17,17,33,1945
18,18,35,2080
19,19,37,2183
20,20,39,2323
21,21,41,2518
22,22,43,2658
23,23,45,2760
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,468
8,8,5,518
9,11,8,708
12,15,10,1014
16,17,12,1473
18,19,15,1758
20,23,17,1956
OPPORTUNITY GENES 40:8
When the subject of dreams came up, Joseph focused everyone's attention on God. Rather than using the situation to make himself look good, he turned it into a powerful witness for the Lord. One secret of effective witnessing is to recognize opportunities to relate God to the other person's experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speak, as Joseph did.
GENES041
1 Two years later the king dreamed he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
2 He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, eating the grass.
3 Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the king woke up.
5 The king slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.
6 After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and burned by the hot east wind.
7 The thin heads of grain ate the seven full and good heads. Then the king woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream.
8 The next morning the king was troubled about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The king told them his dreams, but no one could explain their meaning to him.
9 Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, "Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot about it.
10 There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.
11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning.
12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and
13 things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged."
14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king.
15 The king said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you."
16 Joseph answered the king, "I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king."
17 Then the king said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows that came up out of the river and ate the grass.
19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river that were thin and lean and ugly- the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt.
20 And these thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows,
21 but after they had eaten the seven cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as thin and ugly as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.
22 "I had another dream. I saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.
23 Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them, but these heads were thin and ugly and were burned by the hot east wind.
24 Then the thin heads ate the seven good heads. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain its meaning to me."
25 Then Joseph said to the king, "Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows stand for seven years, and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.
27 The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger.
28 This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do.
29 You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt.
30 But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger, and all the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land.
31 People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food, because the hunger that follows will be so great.
32 You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen, and he will make it happen soon.
33 "So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 And let the king also appoint officers over the land, who should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years.
35 They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming, and under the king's authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it.
36 That food should be saved to use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger."
37 This seemed like a very good idea to the king, and all his officers agreed.
38 And the king asked them, "Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God's spirit is truly in him!"
39 So the king said to Joseph, "God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are, so
40 I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders, and only I will be greater than you."
41 Then the king said to Joseph, "Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt."
42 Then the king took off from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it, and he put it on Joseph's finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear, and he put a gold chain around Joseph's neck.
43 The king had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot, and people walked ahead of his chariot calling, "Bow down!" By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.
44 The king said to him, "I am the king, and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission."
45 The king gave Joseph the name ZAPHENATH-PANEAH. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king's court and traveled through all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven good years, the crops in the land grew well.
48 And Joseph gathered all the food which was produced in Egypt during those seven years of good crops and stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city.
49 Joseph stored much grain, as much as the sand of the seashore- so much that he could not measure it.
50 Joseph's wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Before the years of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons.
51 Joseph named the first son Manasseh and said, "God has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all my father's family."
52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim and said, "God has given me children in the land of my troubles."
53 The seven years of good crops came to an end in the land of Egypt.
54 Then the seven years of hunger began, just as Joseph had said. In all the lands people had nothing to eat, but in Egypt there was food.
55 The time of hunger became terrible in all of Egypt, and the people cried to the king for food. He said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
56 The hunger was everywhere in that part of the world. And Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt, because the time of hunger became terrible in Egypt.
57 And all the people in that part of the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the hunger was terrible everywhere in that part of the world.
One night two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River, 2 when suddenly, seven sleek, fat cows came up out of the river and began grazing in the grass. Then seven other cows came up from the river, but they were very skinny and all their ribs stood out. They went over and stood beside the fat cows. 4 Then the skinny cows ate the fat ones! At which point, Pharaoh woke up!
5 Soon he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain on one stalk, with every kernel well formed and plump. 6 Then, suddenly, seven more heads appeared on the stalk, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. 7 And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was all a dream. 8 Next morning, as he thought about it, he became very concerned as to what the dreams might mean; he called for all the magicians and sages of Egypt and told them about it, but not one of them could suggest what his dreams meant. 9 Then the king's wine taster spoke up. "Today I remember my sin!" he said. 10 "Some time ago when you were angry with a couple of us and put me and the chief baker in jail in the castle of the captain of the guard, 11 the chief baker and I each had a dream one night. 12 We told the dreams to a young Hebrew fellow there who was a slave of the captain of the guard, and he told us what our dreams meant. 13 And everything happened just as he said: I was restored to my position of wine taster, and the chief baker was executed, and impaled on a pole."
14 Pharaoh sent at once for Joseph. He was brought hastily from the dungeon, and after a quick shave and change of clothes, came in before Pharaoh.
15 "I had a dream last night," Pharaoh told him, "and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you."
16 "I can't do it by myself," Joseph replied, "but God will tell you what it means!"
17 So Pharaoh told him the dream. "I was standing upon the bank of the Nile River," he said, 18 "when suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows came up out of the river and began grazing along the riverbank. 19 But then seven other cows came up from the river, very skinny and bony-in fact, I've never seen such poor-looking specimens in all the land of Egypt. 20 And these skinny cattle ate up the seven fat ones that had come out first, 21 and afterwards they were still as skinny as before! Then I woke up.
22 "A little later I had another dream. This time there were seven heads of grain on one stalk, and all seven heads were plump and full. 23 Then, out of the same stalk, came seven withered, thin heads. 24 And the thin heads swallowed up the fat ones! I told all this to my magicians, but not one of them could tell me the meaning."
25 "Both dreams mean the same thing," Joseph told Pharaoh. "God was telling you what he is going to do here in the land of Egypt. 26 The seven fat cows (and also the seven fat, well-formed heads of grain) mean that there are seven years of prosperity ahead. 27 The seven skinny cows (and also the seven thin and withered heads of grain) indicate that there will be seven years of famine following the seven years of prosperity.
28 "So God has showed you what he is about to do: 29 The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but afterwards there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten and wiped out; famine will consume the land. 31 The famine will be so terrible that even the memory of the good years will be erased. 32 The double dream gives double impact, showing that what I have told you is certainly going to happen, for God has decreed it, and it is going to happen soon. 33 My suggestion is that you find the wisest man in Egypt and put him in charge of administering a nationwide farm program. 34-35 Let Pharaoh divide Egypt into five administrative districts, and let the officials of these districts gather into the royal storehouses all the excess crops of the next seven years, 36 so that there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise, disaster will surely strike."
37 Joseph's suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his assistants. 38 As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the Spirit of God." 39 Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said to him, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the country! 40 I am hereby appointing you to be in charge of this entire project. What you say goes, throughout all the land of Egypt. I alone will outrank you."
41-42 Then Pharaoh placed his own signet ring on Joseph's finger as a token of his authority, and dressed him in beautiful clothing and placed the royal gold chain about his neck and declared, "See, I have placed you in charge of all the land of Egypt."
43 Pharaoh also gave Joseph the chariot of his second-in-command, and wherever he went the shout arose, "Kneel down!" 44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, "I, the king of Egypt, swear that you shall have complete charge over all the land of Egypt."
45 Pharaoh gave him a name meaning "He has the godlike power of life and death!" And he gave him a wife, a girl named Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. So Joseph became famous throughout the land of Egypt. 46 He was thirty years old as he entered the service of the king. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and began traveling all across the land.
47 And sure enough, for the next seven years there were bumper crops everywhere. 48 During those years, Joseph requisitioned for the government a portion of all the crops grown throughout Egypt, storing them in nearby cities. 49 After seven years of this, the granaries were full to overflowing, and there was so much that no one kept track of the amount.
50 During this time before the arrival of the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of the sun god Re of Heliopolis. 51 Joseph named his oldest son Manasseh (meaning "Made to Forget"-what he meant was that God had made up to him for all the anguish of his youth, and for the loss of his father's home). 52 The second boy was named Ephraim (meaning "Fruitful"-"For God has made me fruitful in this land of my slavery," he said).
53 So at last the seven years of plenty came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There were crop failures in all the surrounding countries, too, but in Egypt there was plenty of grain in the storehouses. 55 The people began to starve. They pleaded with Pharaoh for food, and he sent them to Joseph. "Do whatever he tells you to," he instructed them.
56-57 So now, with severe famine all over the world, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians and to those from other lands who came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,87
3,3,5,195
4,4,7,345
5,5,9,437
6,6,11,568
7,7,13,675
8,8,15,806
9,9,17,1005
10,10,19,1142
11,11,21,1276
12,12,23,1372
13,13,25,1576
14,14,27,1691
15,15,29,1842
16,16,31,2010
17,17,33,2128
18,18,35,2224
19,19,37,2315
20,20,39,2466
21,21,41,2532
22,22,43,2699
23,23,45,2791
24,24,47,2924
25,25,49,3058
26,26,51,3181
27,27,53,3321
28,28,55,3475
29,29,57,3562
30,30,59,3653
31,31,61,3836
32,32,63,3953
33,33,65,4101
34,34,67,4209
35,35,69,4355
36,36,71,4537
37,37,73,4720
38,38,75,4803
39,39,77,4922
40,40,79,5043
41,41,81,5165
42,42,83,5261
43,43,85,5470
44,44,87,5661
45,45,89,5805
46,46,91,6001
47,47,93,6150
48,48,95,6219
49,49,97,6443
50,50,99,6551
51,51,101,6691
52,52,103,6825
53,53,105,6934
54,54,107,7008
55,55,109,7151
56,56,111,7328
57,57,113,7514
1,4,1,1
5,13,3,418
14,14,5,1596
15,15,7,1747
16,16,9,1937
17,21,11,2025
22,24,13,2538
25,27,15,2873
28,36,17,3304
37,40,19,4281
41,42,21,4822
43,44,23,5079
45,46,25,5329
47,49,27,5710
50,52,29,6069
53,55,31,6564
56,57,33,6963
PREPARATION GENES 41:14
Our most important opportunities may come when we least expect them. Joseph was brought hastily from the dungeon and pushed before Pharaoh. Did he have time to prepare? Yes and no. He had no warning that he suddenly would be pulled from prison and questioned by the king. Yet Joseph was ready for almost anything because of his right relationship with God. It was not Joseph's knowledge of dreams that helped him interpret their meaning. It was his knowledge of God. Be ready for opportunities by getting to know more about God. Then you will be ready to take on almost anything that comes your way.
SERVING GENES 41:38-40
Joseph rose quickly to the top, from prison walls to Pharaoh's palace. His training for this important position involved being first a slave and then a prisoner. In each situation he learned the importance of serving God and others. Whatever your situation, no matter how undesirable, consider it part of your training program for serving God.
GENES042
TESTS
1 Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, so he said to his sons, "Why are you just sitting here looking at one another?
2 I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us to eat, so that we will live and not die."
3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, because he was afraid that something terrible might happen to him.
5 Along with many other people, the sons of Israel went to Egypt to buy grain, because the people in the land of Canaan were also hungry.
6 Now Joseph was governor over Egypt. He was the one who sold the grain to on the ground before him.
7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were, but he acted as if he didn't know them. He asked unkindly, "Where do you come from?" They answered, "We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food."
8 Joseph knew they were his brothers, but they did not know who he was.
9 And Joseph remembered his dreams about his brothers bowing to him. He said to them, "You are spies! You came to learn where the nation is weak!"
10 But his brothers said to him, "No, my master. We come as your servants just to buy food.
11 We are all sons of the same father. We are honest men, not spies."
12 Then Joseph said to them, "No! You have come to learn where this nation is weak!"
13 And they said, "We are ten of twelve brothers, sons of the same father, and we live in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is there with our father right now, and our other brother is gone."
14 But Joseph said to them, "I can see I was right! You are spies!
15 But I will give you a way to prove you are telling the truth. As surely as the king lives, you will not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here.
16 One of you must go and get your brother. The rest of you will stay here in prison. We will see if you are telling the truth. If not, as surely as the king lives, you are spies."
17 Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
18 On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. Do this and I will let you live:
19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison while the rest of you go and carry grain back to feed your hungry families.
20 Then bring your youngest brother back here to me. If you do this, I will know you are telling the truth, and you will not die." The brothers agreed to this.
21 They said to each other, "We are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his trouble, and he begged us to save him, but we refused to listen. That is why we are in this trouble now."
22 Then Reuben said to them, "I told you not to harm the boy, but you refused to listen to me. So now we are being punished for what we did to him."
23 When Joseph talked to his brothers, he used an interpreter, so they did not know that Joseph understood what they were saying.
24 Then Joseph left them and cried. After a short time he went back and spoke to them. He took Simeon and tied him up while the other brothers watched.
25 Joseph told his servants to fill his brothers' bags with grain and to put the money the brothers had paid for the grain back in their bags. The servants were also to give them what they would need for their trip back home. And the servants did this.D
26 So the brothers put the grain on their donkeys and left.
27 When they stopped for the night, one of the brothers opened his sack to get food for his donkey. Then he saw his money in the top of the sack.
28 He said to the other brothers, "The money I paid for the grain has been put back. Here it is in my sack!" The brothers were very frightened. They said to each other, "What has God done to us?"
29 The brothers went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him everything that had happened.
30 They said, "The master of that land spoke unkindly to us. He accused us of spying on his country,
31 but we told him that we were honest men, not spies.
32 We told him that we were ten of twelve brothers- sons of one father. We said that one of our brothers was gone and that our youngest brother was with our father in Canaan.
33 "Then the master of the land said to us, `Here is a way I can know you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain to feed your hungry families, and go.
34 And bring your youngest brother to me so I will know you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give you back your brother whom you leave with me, and you can move about freely in our land.' "
35 As the brothers emptied their sacks, each of them found his money in his sack. When they and their father saw it, they were afraid.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You are robbing me of all my children. Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin away, too. Everything is against me."
37 Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put my two sons to death if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. Trust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you."
38 But Jacob said, "I will not allow Benjamin to go with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only son left from my wife Rachel. I am afraid something terrible might happen to him during the trip to Egypt. Then I would be sad until the day I die."
When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one another? 2 I have heard that there is grain available in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death."
So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain. 4 However, Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother Benjamin go with them, for fear some harm might happen to him as it had to his brother Joseph.
5 So it was that Israel's sons arrived in Egypt along with many others from many lands to buy food, for the famine was as severe in Canaan as it was everywhere else.
6 Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt, and in charge of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came, and bowed low before him, with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph recognized them instantly, but pretended he didn't.
"Where are you from?" he demanded roughly.
"From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy grain."
8-9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams of long ago! But he said to them, "You are spies. You have come to see how destitute the famine has made our land."
10 "No, no," they exclaimed. "We have come to buy food. 11 We are all brothers and honest men, sir! We are not spies!"
12 "Yes, you are," he insisted. "You have come to see how weak we are."
13 "Sir," they said, "there are twelve of us brothers, and our father is in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is there with our father, and one of our brothers is dead."
14 "So?" Joseph asked. "What does that prove?
You are spies. 15 This is the way I will test your story: I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you are not going to leave Egypt until this youngest brother comes here. 16 One of you go and get your brother! I'll keep the rest of you here, bound in prison. Then we'll find out whether your story is true or not. If it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."
17 So he threw them all into jail for three days.
18 The third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man and I'm going to give you an opportunity to prove yourselves. 19 I'm going to take a chance that you are honorable; only one of you shall remain in chains in jail, and the rest of you may go on home with grain for your families; 20 but bring your youngest brother back to me. In this way I will know whether you are telling me the truth; and if you are, I will spare you." To this they agreed.
21 Speaking among themselves, they said, "This has all happened because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his terror and anguish and heard his pleadings, but we wouldn't listen."
22 "Didn't I tell you not to do it?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we are going to die because we murdered him."
23 Of course they didn't know that Joseph understood them as he was standing there, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter. 24 Now he left the room and found a place where he could weep. Returning, he selected Simeon from among them and had him bound before their eyes. 25 Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain, but also gave secret instructions to put each brother's payment at the top of his sack! He also gave them provisions for their journey. 26 So they loaded up their donkeys with the grain and started for home. 27 But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get some grain to feed the donkeys, there was his money in the mouth of the sack!
28 "Look," he exclaimed to his brothers, "my money is here in my sack." They were filled with terror. Trembling, they exclaimed to each other. "What is this that God has done to us?" 29 So they came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened.
30 "The king's chief assistant spoke very roughly to us," they told him, "and took us for spies. 31 `No, no,' we said, `we are honest men, not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father; one is dead, and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man told us, `This is the way I will find out if you are what you claim to be. Leave one of your brothers here with me and take grain for your families and go on home, 34 but bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I shall know whether you are spies or honest men; if you prove to be what you say, then I will give you back your brother and you can come as often as you like to purchase grain.' "
35 As they emptied out the sacks, there at the top of each was the money paid for the grain! Terror gripped them, as it did their father.
36 Then Jacob exclaimed, "You have bereaved me of my children-Joseph didn't come back, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin too! Everything has been against me."
37 Then Reuben said to his father, "Kill my two sons if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him."
38 But Jacob replied, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother Joseph is dead and he alone is left of his mother's children. If anything should happen to him, I would die."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,131
3,3,5,258
4,4,7,327
5,5,9,462
6,6,11,604
7,7,13,709
8,8,15,920
9,9,17,996
10,10,19,1147
11,11,21,1243
12,12,23,1317
13,13,25,1406
14,14,27,1609
15,15,29,1680
16,16,31,1848
17,17,33,2033
18,18,35,2091
19,19,37,2194
20,20,39,2345
21,21,41,2509
22,22,43,2713
23,23,45,2866
24,24,47,3000
25,25,49,3156
26,26,51,3414
27,27,53,3478
28,28,55,3628
29,29,57,3828
30,30,59,3940
31,31,61,4045
32,32,63,4104
33,33,65,4283
34,34,67,4466
35,35,69,4669
36,36,71,4808
37,37,73,4992
38,38,75,5161
1,4,1,1
5,5,4,466
6,7,6,636
8,9,10,992
10,11,12,1149
12,12,14,1271
13,13,16,1346
14,16,18,1526
17,17,21,1973
18,20,23,2026
21,21,25,2485
22,22,27,2675
23,27,29,2809
28,29,31,3535
30,34,33,3819
35,35,34,4504
36,36,36,4645
37,37,38,4823
38,38,40,4948
*D,z-
TESTS GENES 42:7
Joseph could have revealed his identity to his brothers at once. But Joseph's last memory of them was of staring in horror at their faces as slave traders carried him away. Were his brothers still evil and treacherous, or had they changed over the years? Joseph decided to put them through a few tests to find out.
GENES043
1 Still no food grew in the land of Canaan.
2 When Jacob's family had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob said to them, "Go to Egypt again and buy a little more grain for us to eat."
3 But Judah said to Jacob, "The governor of that country strongly warned us, `If you don't bring your brother back with you, you will not be allowed to see me.'
4 If you will send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5 But if you refuse to send Benjamin, we will not go. The governor of that country warned us that we would not see him if we didn't bring Benjamin with us."
6 Israel said, "Why did you tell the man you had another brother? You have caused me a lot of trouble."
7 The brothers answered, "He questioned us carefully about ourselves and our family. He asked us, `Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We just answered his questions. How could we know he would ask us to bring our other brother to him?"
8 Then Judah said to his father Jacob, "Send Benjamin with me, and we will go at once so that we, you, and our children may live and not die.
9 I will guarantee you that he will be safe, and I will be personally responsible for him. If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me all my life.
10 If we had not wasted all this time, we could have already made two trips."
11 Then their father Jacob said to them, "If it has to be that way, then do this: Take some of the best foods in our land in your packs. Give them to the man as a gift: some balm, some honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12 Take twice as much money with you this time, and take back the money that was returned to you in your sacks last time. Maybe it was a mistake.
13 And take Benjamin with you. Now leave and go to the man.
14 I pray that God Almighty will cause the governor to be merciful to you and that he will allow Simeon and Benjamin to come back with you. If I am robbed of my children, then I am robbed of them!"
15 So the brothers took the gifts. They also took twice as much money as they had taken the first time, and they took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant in charge of his house, "Bring those men into my house. Kill an animal and prepare a meal. Those men will eat with me today at noon."
17 The servant did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house.
18 The brothers were afraid when they were brought to Joseph's house and thought, "We were brought here because of the money that was put in our sacks on the first trip. He wants to attack us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys."
19 So the brothers went to the servant in charge of Joseph's house and spoke to him at the door of the house.
20 They said, "Master, we came here once before to buy food.
21 While we were going home, we stopped for the night and when we opened our sacks each of us found all his money in his sack. We brought that money with us to give it back to you.
22 And we have brought more money to pay for the food we want to buy this time. We don't know who put that money in our sacks."
23 But the servant answered, "It's all right. Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, must have put the money in your sacks. I got the money you paid me for the grain last time." Then the servant brought Simeon out to them.
24 The servant led the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave their donkeys food to eat.
25 The men prepared their gift to give to Joseph when he arrived at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat with him there.
26 When Joseph came home, the brothers gave him the gift they had brought into the house and bowed down to the ground in front of him.
27 Joseph asked them how they were doing. He said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still alive?"
28 The brothers answered, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." And they bowed low before Joseph to show him respect.
29 When Joseph saw his brother Benjamin, who had the same mother as he, Joseph asked, "Is this your youngest brother you told me about?" Then he said to Benjamin, "God be good to you, my son!"
30 Then Joseph hurried off because he had to hold back the tears when he saw his brother Benjamin. So Joseph went into his room and cried there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out. He controlled himself and said, "Serve the meal."
32 So they served Joseph at one table, his brothers at another table, and the Egyptians who ate with him at another table. This was because Egyptians did not like Hebrews and never ate with them.
33 Joseph's brothers were seated in front of him in order of their ages, from oldest to youngest. They looked at each other because they were so amazed.
34 Food from Joseph's table was taken to them, but Benjamin was given five times more food than the others. Joseph's brothers ate and drank freely with him.
But there was no relief from the terrible famine throughout the land. 2 When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, their father said to them, "Go again and buy us a little food."
3-5 But Judah told him, "The man wasn't fooling one bit when he said, `Don't ever come back again unless your brother is with you.' We cannot go unless you let Benjamin go with us."
6 "Why did you ever tell him you had another brother?" Israel moaned. "Why did you have to treat me like that?"
7 "But the man specifically asked us about our family," they told him. "He wanted to know whether our father was still living and he asked us if we had another brother, so we told him. How could we know that he was going to say, `Bring me your brother'?"
8 Judah said to his father, "Send the lad with me and we will be on our way; otherwise we will all die of starvation-and not only we, but you and all our little ones. 9 I guarantee his safety. If I don't bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For we could have gone and returned by this time if you had let him come."
11 So their father Israel finally said to them, "If it can't be avoided, then at least do this. Load your donkeys with the best products of the land. Take them to the man as gifts-balm, honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double money so that you can pay back what was in the mouths of your sacks, as it was probably someone's mistake, 13 and take your brother and go. 14 May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he will release Simeon and return Benjamin. And if I must bear the anguish of their deaths, then so be it."
15 So they took the gifts and double money and went to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, he said to the manager of his household, "These men will eat with me this noon. Take them home and prepare a big feast." 17 So the man did as he was told and took them to Joseph's palace. 18 They were badly frightened when they saw where they were being taken.
"It's because of the money returned to us in our sacks," they said. "He wants to pretend we stole it and seize us as slaves, with our donkeys."
19 As they arrived at the entrance to the palace, they went over to Joseph's household manager, 20 and said to him, "Osir, after our first trip to Egypt to buy food, 21 as we were returning home, we stopped for the night and opened our sacks, and the money was there that we had paid for the grain. Here it is; we have brought it back again, 22 along with additional money to buy more grain. We have no idea how the money got into our sacks."
23 "Don't worry about it," the household manager told them; "your God, even the God of your fathers, must have put it there, for we collected your money all right."
Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them. 24 They were then conducted into the palace and given water to refresh their feet; and their donkeys were fed. 25 Then they got their presents ready for Joseph's arrival at noon, for they were told that they would be eating there. 26 When Joseph came home they gave him their presents, bowing low before him.
27 He asked how they had been getting along. "And how is your father-the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"
28 "Yes," they replied. "He is alive and well." Then again they bowed before him.
29 Looking at his brother Benjamin, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about? How are you, my son? God be gracious to you." 30 Then Joseph made a hasty exit, for he was overcome with love for his brother and had to go out and cry. Going into his bedroom, he wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out, keeping himself under control. "Let's eat," he said.
32 Joseph ate by himself, his brothers were served at a separate table, and the Egyptians at still another; for Egyptians despise Hebrews and never eat with them. 33 He told each of them where to sit, and seated them in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest, much to their amazement! 34 Their food was served to them from his own table. He gave the largest serving to Benjamin-five times as much as to any of the others! They had a wonderful time bantering back and forth, and the wine flowed freely!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,49
3,3,5,211
4,4,7,376
5,5,9,455
6,6,11,616
7,7,13,724
8,8,15,987
9,9,17,1133
10,10,19,1292
11,11,21,1374
12,12,23,1614
13,13,25,1764
14,14,27,1828
15,15,29,2030
16,16,31,2214
17,17,33,2414
18,18,35,2495
19,19,37,2731
20,20,39,2845
21,21,41,2910
22,22,43,3095
23,23,45,3227
24,24,47,3466
25,25,49,3606
26,26,51,3746
27,27,53,3885
28,28,55,4004
29,29,57,4144
30,30,59,4341
31,31,61,4490
32,32,63,4585
33,33,65,4785
34,34,67,4942
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,201
6,6,5,386
7,7,7,501
8,10,9,759
11,14,11,1103
15,18,13,1665
19,22,16,2209
23,26,18,2655
27,27,21,3186
28,28,23,3307
29,31,25,3392
32,34,27,3786
RESPONSIBLE GENES 43:9
Judah accepted full responsibility for Benjamin's safety. He did not know what that might mean for him, but he was determined to carry it out. In the end it was Judah's stirring words that caused Joseph to break down and reveal himself to his brothers (44:18-34). Accepting and fulfilling responsibilities is difficult, but it builds character and confidence, earns others' respect, and motivates us to complete our work. When you have been given an assignment to complete or a responsibility to fulfill, commit yourself to seeing it through.
GENES044
D"\"R$
1 Then Joseph gave a command to the servant in charge of his house. He said, "Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man's money into his sack with the grain.
2 Put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother, along with his money for the grain." The servant did what Joseph told him.
3 At dawn the brothers were sent away with their donkeys.
4 They were not far from the city when Joseph said to the servant in charge of his house, "Go after the men. When you catch up with them, say, `Why have you paid back evil for good?
5 The cup you have stolen is the one my master uses for drinking and for explaining dreams. You have done a very wicked thing!' "
6 So the servant caught up with the brothers and said to them what Joseph had told him to say.
7 But the brothers said to the servant, "Why do you say these things? We would not do anything like that!
8 We brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So surely we would not steal silver or gold from your master's house.
9 If you find that silver cup in the sack of one of us, then let him die, and we will be your slaves."
10 The servant said, "We will do as you say, but only the man who has taken the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go free."
11 Then every brother quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.
12 The servant searched the sacks, going from the oldest brother to the youngest, and found the cup in Benjamin's sack.
13 The brothers tore their clothes to show they were afraid. Then they put their sacks back on the donkeys and returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers went back to Joseph's house, Joseph was still there, so the brothers bowed facedown on the ground before him.
15 Joseph said to them, "What have you done? Didn't you know that a man like me can learn things by signs and dreams?"
16 Judah said, "Master, what can we say? And how can we show we are not guilty? God has uncovered our guilt, so all of us will be your slaves, not just Benjamin."
17 But Joseph said, "I will not make you all slaves! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back safely to your father."
18 Then Judah went to Joseph and said, "Master, please let me speak plainly to you, and please don't be angry with me. I know that you are as powerful as the king of Egypt himself.
19 When we were here before, you asked us, `Do you have a father or a brother?'
20 And we answered you, `We have an old father. And we have a younger brother, who was born when our father was old. This youngest son's brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother's children left alive, and our father loves him very much.'
21 Then you said to us, `Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.'
22 And we said to you, `That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.'
23 But you said to us, `If you don't bring your youngest brother, you will not be allowed to see me again.'
24 So we went back to our father and told him what you had said.
25 "Later, our father said, `Go again and buy us a little more food.'
26 We said to our father, `We cannot go without our youngest brother. Without our youngest brother, we will not be allowed to see the governor.'
27 Then my father said to us, `You know that my wife Rachel gave me two sons.
28 When one son left me, I thought, "Surely he has been torn apart by a wild animal," and I haven't seen him since.
29 Now you want to take this son away from me also. But something terrible might happen to him, and I would be miserable until the day I die.'
30 Now what will happen if we go home to our father without our youngest brother? He is so important in our father's life that
31 when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father.
32 "I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe. I said to my father, `If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me all my life.'
33 So now, please allow me to stay here and be your slave, and let the young boy go back home with his brothers.
34 I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I couldn't stand to see my father that sad."
When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph ordered his household manager to fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they could carry-and to put into the mouth of each man's sack the money he had paid! 2 He was also told to put Joseph's own silver cup at the top of Benjamin's sack, along with the grain money. So the household manager did as he was told. The brothers were up at dawn and on their way with their loaded donkeys.
4 But when they were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his household manager, "Chase after them and stop them and ask them why they are acting like this when their benefactor has been so kind to them? 5 Ask them, `What do you mean by stealing my lord's personal silver drinking cup, which he uses for fortune-telling? What a wicked thing you have done!' " 6 So he caught up with them and spoke to them along the lines he had been instructed.
7 "What in the world are you talking about?" they demanded. "What kind of people do you think we are, that you accuse us of such a terrible thing as that? 8 Didn't we bring back the money we found in the mouth of our sacks? Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9 If you find his cup with any one of us, let that one die. And all the rest of us will be slaves forever to your master."
10 "Fair enough," the man replied, "except that only the one who stole it will be a slave, and the rest of you can go free."
11 They quickly took down their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them. 12 He began searching the oldest brother's sack, going on down the line to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's! 13 They ripped their clothing in despair, loaded the donkeys again, and returned to the city. 14 Joseph was still home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.
15 "What were you trying to do?" Joseph demanded. "Didn't you know such a man as I would know who stole it?"
16 And Judah said, "Oh, what shall we say to my lord? How can we plead? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. Sir, we have all returned to be your slaves, both we and he in whose sack the cup was found."
17 "No," Joseph said. "Only the man who stole the cup, he shall be my slave. The rest of you can go on home to your father."
18 Then Judah stepped forward and said, "Osir, let me say just this one word to you. Be patient with me for a moment, for I know you can doom me in an instant, as though you were Pharaoh himself.
19 "Sir, you asked us if we had a father or a brother, 20 and we said, `Yes, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him very much.' 21 And you said to us, `Bring him here so that I can see him.' 22 But we said to you, `Sir, the lad cannot leave his father, for his father would die.' 23 But you told us, `Don't come back here unless your youngest brother is with you.' 24 So we returned to our father and told him what you had said. 25 And when he said, `Go back again and buy us a little food,' 26 we replied, `We can't, unless you let our youngest brother go with us. Only then may we come.'
27 "Then my father said to us, `You know that my wife had two sons, 28 and that one of them went away and never returned-doubtless torn to pieces by some wild animal; I have never seen him since. 29 And if you take away his brother from me also, and any harm befalls him, I shall die with sorrow.' 30 And now, sir, if I go back to my father and the lad is not with us-seeing that our father's life is bound up in the lad's life-31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die; and we will be responsible for bringing down his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 32 Sir, I pledged my father that I would take care of the lad. I told him, `If I don't bring him back to you, I shall bear the blame forever.' 33 Please sir, let me stay here as a slave instead of the lad, and let the lad return with his brothers. 34 For how shall I return to my father if the lad is not with me? I cannot bear to see what this would do to him."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,197
3,3,5,333
4,4,7,395
5,5,9,581
6,6,11,715
7,7,13,814
8,8,15,924
9,9,17,1080
10,10,19,1187
11,11,21,1327
12,12,23,1407
13,13,25,1531
14,14,27,1668
15,15,29,1813
16,16,31,1936
17,17,33,2103
18,18,35,2261
19,19,37,2446
20,20,39,2530
21,21,41,2784
22,22,43,2859
23,23,45,2976
24,24,47,3088
25,25,49,3157
26,26,51,3231
27,27,53,3380
28,28,55,3462
29,29,57,3582
30,30,59,3729
31,31,61,3860
32,32,63,4011
33,33,65,4169
34,34,67,4286
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,443
7,9,5,893
10,10,7,1303
11,14,9,1431
15,15,11,1843
16,16,13,1955
17,17,15,2190
18,18,17,2318
19,26,19,2517
27,34,20,3238
CHANGE GENES 44:16-34
When Judah was younger, he showed no regard for his brother Joseph or his father, Jacob. First he convinced his brothers to sell Joseph as a slave (37:27); then he joined his brothers in lying to his father about Joseph's fate (37:32). But what a change had taken place in Judah! The man who sold one favored little brother into slavery now offered to become a slave himself to save another favored little brother. He was so concerned for his father and younger brother that he was willing to die for them. When you are ready to give up hope on yourself or others, remember that God can change even the most selfish personality.
GENES045
1 Joseph could not control himself in front of his servants any longer, so he cried out, "Have everyone leave me." When only the brothers were left with Joseph, he told them who he was.
2 Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the people in the king's palace heard about it.
3 He said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But the brothers could not answer him, because they were very afraid of him.
4 So Joseph said to them, "Come close to me." When the brothers came close to him, he said to them, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt.
5 Now don't be worried or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to save people's lives.
6 No food has grown on the land for two years now, and there will be five more years without planting or harvest.
7 So God sent me here ahead of you to make sure you have some descendants left on earth and to keep you alive in an amazing way.
8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. God has made me the highest officer of the king of Egypt. I am in charge of his palace, and I am the master of all the land of Egypt.
9 "So leave quickly and go to my father. Tell him, `Your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all Egypt. Come down to me quickly.
10 Live in the land of Goshen where you will be near me. Your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have will also be near me.
11 I will care for you during the next five years of hunger so that you and your family and all that you have will not starve.'
12 "Now you can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that the one speaking to you is really Joseph.
13 So tell my father about how powerful I have become in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. Now hurry and bring him back to me."
14 Then Joseph hugged his brother Benjamin and cried, and Benjamin cried also.
15 And Joseph kissed all his brothers and cried as he hugged them. After this, his brothers talked with him.
16 When the king of Egypt and his officers learned that Joseph's brothers had come, they were very happy.
17 So the king said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers to load their animals and go back to the land of Canaan
18 and bring their father and their families back here to me I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they will eat the best food we have here.
19 Tell them to take some wagons from Egypt for their children and their wives and to bring their father back also.
20 Tell them not to worry about bringing any of their things with them, because we will give them the best of what we have in Egypt."
21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as the king had ordered and food for their trip.
22 He gave each brother a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin five changes of clothes and about seven and one-half pounds of silver.
23 Joseph also sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other food for his father on his trip back.
24 Then Joseph told his brothers to go. As they were leaving, he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way home."
25 So the brothers left Egypt and went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
26 They told him, "Joseph is still alive and is the ruler over all the land of Egypt." Their father was shocked and did not believe them.
27 But when the brothers told him everything Joseph had said, and when Jacob saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt, he felt better.
28 Israel said, "Now I believe you. My son Joseph is still alive, and I will go and see him before I die."
Joseph could stand it no longer.
"Out, all of you," he cried out to his attendants, and he was left alone with his brothers. 2 Then he wept aloud. His sobs could be heard throughout the palace, and the news was quickly carried to Pharaoh's palace.
"I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?" But his brothers couldn't say a word, they were so stunned with surprise.
4 "Come over here," he said. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt! 5 But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it! He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive, so that you will become a great nation. 8 Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh, and manager of this entire nation, ruler of all the land of Egypt.
9 "Hurry, return to my father and tell him, `Your son Joseph says, "God has made me chief of all the land of Egypt. Come down to me right away! 10 You shall live in the land of Goshen so that you can be near me with all your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have. 11-12 I will take care of you there' " (you men are witnesses of my promise, and my brother Benjamin has heard me say it) " `for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you will come to utter poverty along with all your household.' " 13 Tell our father about all my power here in Egypt, and how everyone obeys me. And bring him to me quickly."
14 Then, weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin and Benjamin began weeping too. 15 And he did the same with each of his brothers, who finally found their tongues! 16 The news soon reached Pharaoh-"Joseph's brothers have come"; and Pharaoh was very happy to hear it, as were his officials.
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers to load their pack animals and return quickly to their homes in Canaan, 18 and to bring your father and all of your families and come here to Egypt to live. Tell them, `Pharaoh will assign to you the very best territory in the land of Egypt. You shall live off the fat of the land!' 19 And tell your brothers to take wagons from Egypt to carry their wives and little ones, and to bring your father here. 20 Don't worry about your property, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours."
21 So Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh had commanded, and provisions for the journey, 22 and he gave each of them new clothes-but to Benjamin he gave five changes of clothes and three hundred pieces of silver! 23 He sent his father ten donkey-loads of the good things of Egypt, and ten donkeys loaded with grain and all kinds of other food, to eat on his journey. 24 So he sent his brothers off.
"Don't quarrel along the way!" was his parting shot! 25 And leaving, they returned to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.
26 "Joseph is alive," they shouted to him. "And he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!" But Jacob's heart was like a stone; he couldn't take it in. 27 But when they had given him Joseph's messages, and when he saw the wagons filled with food that Joseph had sent him, his spirit revived.
28 And he said, "It must be true! Joseph my son is alive! I will go and see him before I die."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,191
3,3,5,302
4,4,7,451
5,5,9,623
6,6,11,755
7,7,13,873
8,8,15,1006
9,9,17,1191
10,10,19,1333
11,11,21,1496
12,12,23,1628
13,13,25,1747
14,14,27,1893
15,15,29,1976
16,16,31,2089
17,17,33,2199
18,18,35,2310
19,19,37,2462
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21,21,41,2720
22,22,43,2832
23,23,45,2973
24,24,47,3156
25,25,49,3272
26,26,51,3360
27,27,53,3502
28,28,55,3658
1,3,1,1
4,8,5,397
9,13,7,1012
14,16,9,1680
17,20,11,1972
21,25,13,2516
26,27,16,3048
28,28,18,3340
INTENTIONS GENES 45:4-8
Although Joseph's brothers had wanted to get rid of him, God used even their evil actions to fulfill his ultimate plan. He sent Joseph ahead to preserve their lives, save Egypt, and prepare the way for the beginning of the nation of Israel. God is in control. His plans are not dictated by human actions. When others intend evil toward you, remember that they are only God's tools. As Joseph said to his brothers, As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people (50:20).
GENES046
1 So Israel took all he had and started his trip. He went to Beersheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 During the night God spoke to Israel in a vision and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And Jacob answered, "Here I am."
3 Then God said, "I am God, the God of your father. Don't be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make your descendants a great nation there.
4 I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you out of Egypt again. Joseph's own hands will close your eyes when you die."
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba. The sons of Israel loaded their father, their children, and their wives in the wagons the king of Egypt had sent.
6 They also took their farm animals and everything they had gotten in Canaan. So Jacob went to Egypt with all his descendants-
7 his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters. He took all his family to Egypt with him.
8 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who went into Egypt (Jacob and his descendants). Reuben was Jacob's first son.
9 Reuben's sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 Simeon's sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (Simeon's son by a Canaanite woman).
11 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 Judah's sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.
13 Issachar's sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 Zebulun's sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah and Jacob born in Northwest Mesopotamia, in addition to his daughter Dinah. There were thirty-three persons in this part of Jacob's family.
16 Gad's sons were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister was Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These are Jacob's sons by Zilpah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. There were sixteen persons in this part of Jacob's family.
19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 In Egypt, Joseph became the father of Manasseh and Ephraim by his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
21 Benjamin's sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Jacob by his wife Rachel. There were fourteen persons in this part of Jacob's family.
23 Dan's son was Hushim.
24 Naphtali's sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are Jacob's sons by Bilhah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. There were seven persons in this part of Jacob's family.
26 So the total number of Jacob's direct descendants who went to Egypt was sixty-six, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons.
27 Joseph had two sons born in Egypt, so the total number in the family of Jacob in Egypt was seventy.
28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to see Joseph in Goshen. When Jacob and his people came into the land of Goshen,
29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as Joseph saw his father, he hugged him, and cried there for a long time.
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, because I have seen your face and I know you are still alive."
31 Joseph said to his brothers and his father's family, "I will go and tell the king you are here. I will say, `My brothers and my father's family have left the land of Canaan and have come here to me.
32 They are shepherds and take care of farm animals, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and everything they own with them.'
33 When the king calls you, he will ask, `What work do you do?'
34 This is what you should tell him: `We, your servants, have taken care of farm animals all our lives. Our ancestors did the same thing.' Then the king will allow you to settle in the land of Goshen, away from the Egyptians, because they don't like to be near shepherds."
So Israel set out with all his possessions, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices there to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision.
"Jacob! Jacob!" he called.
"Yes?" Jacob answered.
3-4 "I am God," the voice replied, "the God of your father. Don't be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that you become a great nation there. And I will go down with you into Egypt and I will bring your descendants back again; but you shall die in Egypt with Joseph at your side."
5 So Jacob left Beer-sheba, and his sons brought him to Egypt, along with their little ones and their wives, in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them. 6 They brought their livestock, too, and all their belongings accumulated in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt-Jacob and all his children, 7 sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters-all his loved ones.
8-14 Here are the names of his sons and grandchildren who went with him into Egypt:
Reuben, his oldest son;
Reuben's sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
Simeon and his sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul (Shaul's mother was a girl from Canaan).
Levi and his sons: Gershon, Kohath, Merari.
Judah and his sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, Zerah (however, Er and Onan died while still in Canaan, before Israel went to Egypt).
The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
Issachar and his sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob, Shimron.
Zebulun and his sons: Sered, Elon, Jahleel.
15 So these descendants of Jacob and Leah, not including their daughter Dinah, born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, were thirty-three in all.
16-17 Also accompanying him were:
Gad and his sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni,
Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
Asher and his sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi,
Beriah, and a sister, Serah.
Beriah's sons were Heber and Malchiel.
18 These sixteen persons were the sons of Jacob and Zilpah, the slave girl given to Leah by her father, Laban.
19-22 Also in the total of Jacob's household were these fourteen sons and descendants of Jacob and Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin;
Joseph's sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim (their mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis);
23-25 Also in the group were these seven sons and descendants of Jacob and Bilhah, the slave girl given to Rachel by her father, Laban:
Dan and his son: Hushim.
Naphtali and his sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
26 So the total number of those going to Egypt, of his own descendants, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons, was sixty-six. 27 With Joseph and his two sons included, the total number of people in Jacob's household there in Egypt was seventy.
28 Jacob sent Judah on ahead to tell Joseph that they were on the way, and would soon arrive in Goshen-which they did. 29 Joseph jumped into his chariot and journeyed to Goshen to meet his father and they fell into each other's arms and wept a long while.
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, for I have seen you again and know you are alive."
31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to all their households, "I'll go and tell Pharaoh that you are here, and that you have come from the land of Canaan to join me. 32 And I will tell him, `These men are shepherds. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.' 33 So when Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, 34 tell him, `We have been shepherds from our youth, as our fathers have been for many generations.' When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the land of Goshen." For shepherds were despised and hated in other parts of Egypt.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,137
3,3,5,251
4,4,7,398
5,5,9,529
6,6,11,676
7,7,13,807
8,8,15,913
9,9,17,1048
10,10,19,1107
11,11,21,1215
12,12,23,1268
13,13,25,1414
14,14,27,1475
15,15,29,1528
16,16,31,1702
17,17,33,1777
18,18,35,1902
19,19,37,2055
20,20,39,2120
21,21,41,2248
22,22,43,2347
23,23,45,2462
24,24,47,2491
25,25,49,2554
26,26,51,2707
27,27,53,2837
28,28,55,2944
29,29,57,3062
30,30,59,3225
31,31,61,3347
32,32,63,3553
33,33,65,3697
34,34,67,3765
1,2,1,1
3,4,5,236
5,7,7,534
8,14,9,905
15,15,19,1499
16,17,21,1637
18,18,28,1865
19,22,30,1979
23,25,35,2352
26,27,39,2578
28,29,41,2826
30,30,43,3085
31,34,45,3187
REASSURED GENES 46:3-4
God told Jacob to leave his home and travel to a strange and faraway land. But God reassured him by promising to go with him and take care of him. When new situations or surroundings frighten or worry you, recognize that experiencing fear is normal. To be paralyzed by fear, however, is an indication that you question God's ability to take care of you.
Profile: Judah ,!page "^judah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES047
WORDS
1 Joseph went in to the king and said, "My father and my brothers have arrived from Canaan with their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in the land of Goshen."
2 Joseph chose five of his brothers to introduce to the king.
3 The king said to the brothers, "What work do you do?" And they said to him, "We, your servants, are shepherds, just as our ancestors were."
4 They said to the king, "We have come to live in this land, because there is no grass in the land of Canaan for our animals to eat, and the hunger is terrible there. So please allow us to live in the land of Goshen."
5 Then the king said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you,
6 and you may choose any place in Egypt for them to live. Give your father and your brothers the best land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if any of them are skilled shepherds, put them in charge of my sheep and cattle."
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and introduced him to the king, and Jacob blessed the king.
8 Then the king said to Jacob, "How old are you?"
9 Jacob said to him, "My life has been spent wandering from place to place. It has been short and filled with trouble- only one hundred thirty years. My ancestors lived much longer than I."
10 Then Jacob blessed the king and left.
11 Joseph obeyed the king and gave his father and brothers the best land in Egypt, near the city of Rameses.
12 And Joseph gave his father, his brothers, and everyone who lived with them the food they needed.
13 The hunger became worse, and since there was no food anywhere in the land, Egypt and Canaan became very poor.
14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan. People paid for the grain they were buying, and he brought that money to the king's palace.
15 After some time, when the people in Egypt and Canaan had no money left, they went to Joseph and said, "Please give us food. Our money is gone, and if we don't eat, we will die here in front of you."
16 Joseph answered, "Since you have no money, give me your farm animals, and I will give you food in return."
17 So people brought their farm animals to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. And he kept them alive by trading food for their farm animals that year.
18 The next year the people came to Joseph and said, "You know we have no money left, and all our animals belong to you. We have nothing left except our bodies and our land.
19 Surely both we and our land will die here in front of you. Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we will be slaves to the king, together with our land. Give us seed to plant so that we will live and not die, and the land will not become a desert."
20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for the king. Every Egyptian sold Joseph his field, because the hunger was very great. So the land became the king's,
21 and Joseph made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other.
22 The only land he did not buy was the land the priests owned. They did not need to sell their land because the king paid them for their work. So they had money to buy food.
23 Joseph said to the people, "Now I have bought you and your land for the king, so I will give you seed and you can plant your fields.
24 At harvest time you must give one-fifth to the king. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves to use as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your families, and your children."
25 The people said, "You have saved our lives. If you like, we will become slaves of the king."
26 So Joseph made a law in Egypt, which continues today: One-fifth of everything from the land belongs to the king. The only land the king did not get was the priests' land.
27 The Israelites continued to live in the land of Goshen in Egypt. There they got possessions and had many children and grew in number.
28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, so he lived to be one hundred forty-seven years old.
29 When Israel knew he soon would die, he called his son Joseph to him and said to him, "If you love me, put your hand under my leg. Promise me you will not bury me in Egypt.
30 When I die, carry me out of Egypt, and bury me where my ancestors are buried." Joseph answered, "I will do as you say."
31 Then Jacob said, "Promise me." And Joseph promised him that he would do this. Then Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
Upon their arrival, Joseph went in to see Pharaoh.
"My father and my brothers are here from Canaan," he reported, "with all their flocks and herds and possessions. They wish to settle in the land of Goshen."
2 He took five of his brothers with him, and presented them to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh asked them, "What is your occupation?"
And they replied, "We are shepherds like our ancestors. 4 We have come to live here in Egypt, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan-the famine is very bitter there. We request permission to live in the land of Goshen."
5-6 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Choose anywhere you like for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. The land of Goshen will be fine. And if any of them are capable, put them in charge of my flocks, too."
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 "How old are you?" Pharaoh asked him.
9 Jacob replied, "I have lived 130 long, hard years, and I am not nearly as old as many of my ancestors." 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left.
11 So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt-the land of Rameses-to his father and brothers, just as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph furnished food to them in accordance with the number of their dependents.
13 The famine became worse and worse, so that all the land of Egypt and Canaan was starving. 14 Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan in exchange for grain, and he brought the money to Pharaoh's treasure-houses. 15 When the people were out of money, they came to Joseph crying again for food.
"Our money is gone," they said, "but give us bread; for why should we die?"
16 "Well then," Joseph replied, "give me your livestock. I will trade you food in exchange."
17 So they brought their cattle to Joseph in exchange for food. Soon all the horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys of Egypt were in Pharaoh's possession.
18 The next year they came again and said, "Our money is gone, and our cattle are yours, and there is nothing left but our bodies and land. 19 Why should we die? Buy us and our land and we will be serfs to Pharaoh. We will trade ourselves for food, then we will live, and the land won't be abandoned."
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; all the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe. And the land became Pharaoh's. 21 Thus all the people of Egypt became Pharaoh's serfs. 22 The only land he didn't buy was that belonging to the priests, for they were assigned food from Pharaoh and didn't need to sell.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, "See, I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is grain. Go and sow the land. 24 And when you harvest it, a fifth of everything you get belongs to Pharaoh. Keep four parts for yourselves to be used for next year's seed, and as food for yourselves and for your households and little ones."
25 "You have saved our lives," they said. "We will gladly be the serfs of Pharaoh."
26 So Joseph made it a law throughout the land of Egypt-and it is still the law-that Pharaoh should have as his tax 20percent of all the crops except those produced on the land owned by the temples.
27 So Israel lived in the land of Goshen in Egypt, and soon the people of Israel began to prosper, and there was a veritable population explosion among them. 28 Jacob lived seventeen years after his arrival, so that he was 147 years old at the time of his death. 29 As the time drew near for him to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "Swear to me most solemnly that you will honor this, my last request: do not bury me in Egypt. 30 But when I am dead, take me out of Egypt and bury me beside my ancestors." And Joseph promised. 31 "Swear that you will do it," Jacob insisted. And Joseph did. Soon afterwards Jacob took to his bed.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,186
3,3,5,252
4,4,7,398
5,5,9,620
6,6,11,705
7,7,13,940
8,8,15,1046
9,9,17,1100
10,10,19,1294
11,11,21,1339
12,12,23,1452
13,13,25,1556
14,14,27,1673
15,15,29,1845
16,16,31,2051
17,17,33,2165
18,18,35,2380
19,19,37,2559
20,20,39,2822
21,21,41,2986
22,22,43,3063
23,23,45,3242
24,24,47,3382
25,25,49,3574
26,26,51,3674
27,27,53,3852
28,28,55,3993
29,29,57,4091
30,30,59,4270
31,31,61,4397
1,1,1,1
2,4,4,214
5,6,8,568
7,7,10,785
8,8,12,866
9,10,14,909
11,12,16,1070
13,15,18,1285
16,16,21,1671
17,17,23,1767
18,19,25,1921
20,22,27,2226
23,24,29,2577
25,25,31,2913
26,26,33,3000
27,31,35,3202
WORDS GENES 47:29-31
Jacob had Joseph promise to bury him in his homeland. Few things were written in this culture, so a person's word then carried as much force as a written contract today. People today seem to find it easy to say, I didn't mean what I said. God's people, however, are to speak the truth and live the truth. Let your words be as binding as a written contract.
GENES048
1 Some time later Joseph learned that his father was very sick, so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim and went to his father.
2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." Jacob was weak, so he used all his strength and sat up on his bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me there.
4 He said to me, `I will give you many children. I will make you the father of many peoples, and I will give your descendants this land forever.'
5 Your two sons, who were born here in Egypt before I came, will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will be my sons just as Reuben and Simeon are my sons.
6 But if you have other children, they will be your own, and their land will be part of the land given to Ephraim and Manasseh.
7 When I came from Northwest Mesopotamia, Rachel died in the land of Canaan, as we were traveling toward Ephrath. This made me very sad, and I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath." (Today Ephrath is Bethlehem.)
8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these boys?"
9 Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons that God has given me here in Egypt." Israel said, "Bring your sons to me so I may bless them."
10 At this time Israel's eyesight was bad because he was old. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Israel kissed the boys and put his arms around them.
11 He said to Joseph, "I thought I would never see you alive again, and now God has let me see you and also your children."
12 Then Joseph moved his sons off Israel's lap and bowed facedown to the ground.
13 He put Ephraim on his right side and Manasseh on his left. (So Ephraim was near Israel's left hand, and Manasseh was near Israel's right hand.) Joseph brought the boys close to Israel.
14 But Israel crossed his arms and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was younger. He put his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn son.
15 And Israel blessed Joseph and said, "My ancestors Abraham and Isaac served our God, and like a shepherd God has led me all my life.
16 He was the Angel who saved me from all my troubles. Now I pray that he will bless these boys. May my name be known through these boys, and may the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac be known through them. May they have many descendants on the earth."'
17 When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim's head, he didn't like it. So he took hold of his father's hand, wanting to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18 Joseph said to his father, "You are doing it wrong, Father. Manasseh is the firstborn son. Put your right hand on his head."
19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will be great and have many descendants. But his younger brother will be greater, and his descendants will be enough to make a nation."
20 So Israel blessed them that day and said, "When a blessing is given in Israel, they will say: `May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' "In this way he made Ephraim greater than Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Look at me; I am about to die. But God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your fathers.
22 I have given you something that I did not give your brothers- the land of Shechem that I took from the Amorite people with my sword and my bow."
One day not long after this, word came to Joseph that his father was failing rapidly. So, taking with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, he went to visit him. 2 When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he gathered his strength and sat up in the bed to greet him, and said to him,
"God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, `I will make you a great nation and I will give this land of Canaan to you and to your children's children, for an everlasting possession.' 5 And now, as to these two sons of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived, I am adopting them as my own, and they will inherit from me just as Reuben and Simeon will. 6 But any other children born to you shall be your own, and shall inherit Ephraim's and Manasseh's portion from you. 7 For your mother, Rachel, died after only two children when I came from Paddan-aram, as we were just a short distance from Ephrath, and I buried her beside the road to Bethlehem." 8 Then Israel looked over at the two boys. "Are these the ones?" he asked.
9 "Yes," Joseph told him, "these are my sons whom God has given me here in Egypt."
And Israel said, "Bring them over to me and I will bless them."
10 Israel was half blind with age, so that he could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him and he kissed and embraced them.
11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I never thought that I would see you again, but now God has let me see your children too."
12-13 Joseph took the boys by the hand, bowed deeply to him, and led the boys to their grandfather's knees-Ephraim at Israel's left hand and Manasseh at his right. 14 But Israel crossed his arms as he stretched them out to lay his hands upon the boys' heads, so that his right hand was upon the head of Ephraim, the younger boy, and his left hand was upon the head of Manasseh, the older. He did this purposely.
15 Then he blessed Joseph with this blessing: "May God, the God of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, the God who has shepherded me all my life, wonderfully bless these boys. 16 He is the Angel who has kept me from all harm. May these boys be an honor to my name and to the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they become a mighty nation."
17 But Joseph was upset and displeased when he saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim's head; so he lifted it to place it on Manasseh's head instead.
18 "No, Father," he said. "You've got your right hand on the wrong head! This one over here is the older. Put your right hand on him!"
19 But his father refused. "I know what I'm doing, my son," he said. "Manasseh too shall become a great nation, but his younger brother shall become even greater."
20 So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: "May the people of Israel bless each other by saying, `God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.' " (Note that he put Ephraim before Manasseh.)
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to Canaan, the land of your fathers. 22 And I have given the choice land of Shekem to you instead of to your brothers, as your portion of that land which I took from the Amorites with my sword and with my bow."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,138
3,3,5,291
4,4,7,404
5,5,9,554
6,6,11,726
7,7,13,858
8,8,15,1081
9,9,17,1149
10,10,19,1296
11,11,21,1460
12,12,23,1588
13,13,25,1673
14,14,27,1865
15,15,29,2029
16,16,31,2168
17,17,33,2432
18,18,35,2625
19,19,37,2757
20,20,39,2967
21,21,41,3166
22,22,43,3310
1,8,1,1
9,9,4,1103
10,10,7,1254
11,11,9,1394
12,14,11,1519
15,16,13,1934
17,17,15,2283
18,18,17,2452
19,19,19,2590
20,20,21,2757
21,22,23,2972
BLESSING GENES 48:8-20
Jacob gave Ephraim the greater blessing, instead of his older brother Manasseh. When Joseph objected, Jacob refused to listen, because God had told him that Ephraim would become greater. God often works in unexpected ways. When he chooses people to fulfill his plans, he always goes deeper than appearance, tradition, or position. He sometimes surprises us by choosing the less obvious person. God can use you to carry out his plans, even if you don't think you have all the qualifications.
I Wonder: Does God care when bad things happen? ,!page "^W003" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
GENES049
TRUST
1 Then Jacob called his sons to him. He said, "Come here to me, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future.
2 "Come together and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father."
3 "Reuben, my first son, you are my strength. Your birth showed I could be a father. You have the highest position among my sons, and you are the most powerful.
4 But you are uncontrolled like water, so you will no longer lead your brothers. This is because you got into your father's bed and shamed me by having sexual relations with my slave girl.
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers who used their swords to do violence.
6 I will not join their secret talks, and I will not meet with them to plan evil. They killed men because they were angry, and they crippled oxen just for fun.
7 May their anger be cursed, because it is too violent. May their violence be cursed, because it is too cruel. I will divide them up among the tribes of Jacob and scatter them through all the tribes of Israel.
8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grab your enemies by the neck, and your brothers will bow down to you.
9 Judah is like a young lion. You have returned from killing, my son. Like a lion, he stretches out and lies down to rest, and no one is brave enough to wake him.
10 Kings will come from Judah's family; someone from Judah will always be on the throne. Judah will rule until Shiloh comes, and the nations will obey him.
11 He ties his donkey to a grapevine, his young donkey to the best branch. He can afford to use wine to wash his clothes and the best wine to wash his robes.
12 His eyes are dark like the color of wine, and his teeth are as white as the color of milk.
13 "Zebulun will live near the sea. His shore will be a safe place for ships, and his land will reach as far as Sidon.
14 "Issachar is like a strong donkey who lies down while carrying his load.
15 When he sees his resting place is good and how pleasant his land is, he will put his back to the load and become a slave.
16 "Dan will rule his own people like the other tribes in Israel.
17 Dan will be like a snake by the side of the road, a dangerous snake lying near the path. That snake bites a horse's leg, and the rider is thrown off backward.
18 "LORD, I wait for your salvation.
19 "Robbers will attack Gad, but he will defeat them and drive them away.
20 "Asher's land will grow much good food; he will grow food fit for a king.
21 "Naphtali is like a female deer that runs free, that has beautiful fawns.
22 "Joseph is like a grapevine that produces much fruit, a healthy vine watered by a spring, whose branches grow over the wall.
23 Archers attack him violently and shoot at him angrily,
24 but he aims his bow well. His arms are made strong. He gets his power from the Mighty God of Jacob and his strength from the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25 Your father's God helps you. God Almighty blesses you. He blesses you with rain from above, with water from springs below, with many babies born to your wives, and many young ones born to your animals.
26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the oldest mountains, greater than the good things of the long-lasting hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the one who was separated from his brothers.
27 "Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats what he has caught, and in the evening he divides what he has taken."
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He gave each son the blessing that was right for him.
29 Then Israel gave them a command and said, "I am about to die. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
30 That cave is in the field of Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.
31 Abraham and Sarah his wife are buried there. Isaac and Rebekah his wife are buried there, and I buried my wife Leah there.
32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittite people."
33 After Jacob finished talking to his sons, he lay down. He put his feet back on the bed, took his last breath, and died.
Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, "Gather around me and I will tell you what is going to happen to you in the days to come. 2 Listen to me, Osons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
"Reuben, you are my oldest son, the child of my vigorous youth. You are the head of the list in rank and in honor. 4 But you are unruly as the wild waves of the sea, and you shall be first no longer. I am demoting you, for you slept with one of my wives and thus dishonored me.
5 "Simeon and Levi are two of a kind. They are men of violence and injustice. 6 Omy soul, stay away from them. May I never be a party to their wicked plans. For in their anger they murdered a man, and maimed oxen just for fun. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce and cruel. Therefore, I will scatter their descendants throughout Israel.
8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you. You shall destroy your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow before you. 9 Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. He has settled down as a lion-who will dare to rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes, whom all people shall obey. 11 He has chained his steed to the choicest vine and washed his clothes in wine.
12 His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 "Zebulun shall dwell on the shores of the sea and shall be a harbor for ships, with his borders extending to Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong beast of burden resting among the saddlebags. 15 When he saw how good the countryside was, how pleasant the land, he willingly bent his shoulder to the task and served his masters with vigor.
16 "Dan shall govern his people like any other tribe in Israel.
17 He shall be a serpent in the path that bites the horses' heels, so that the rider falls off.
618 I trust in your salvation, Lord.
19 "A marauding band shall stamp upon Gad, but he shall rob and pursue them!
20 "Asher shall produce rich foods, fit for kings!
21 "Naphtali is a deer let loose, producing lovely fawns.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful tree beside a fountain. His branches shade the wall. 23 He has been severely injured by those who shot at him and persecuted him,
24 but their weapons were shattered by the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25 May the God of your fathers, the Almighty, bless you with blessings of heaven above and of the earth beneath-blessings of the breasts and of the womb,
26 blessings of the grain and flowers, blessings reaching to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. These shall be the blessings upon the head of Joseph who was exiled from his brothers.
27 "Benjamin is a wolf that prowls. He devours his enemies in the morning, and in the evening divides the loot."
28 So these are the blessings that Israel, their father, blessed his twelve sons with.
29-30 Then he told them, "Soon I will die. You must bury me with my fathers in the land of Canaan, in the cave in the field of Mach-pelah, facing Mamre-the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hethite for a burial ground.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 It is the cave which my grandfather Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth." 33 Then, when Jacob had finished his prophecies to his sons, he lay back in the bed, breathed his last, and died.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,128
3,3,5,208
4,4,7,373
5,5,9,566
6,6,11,640
7,7,13,804
8,8,15,1018
9,9,17,1143
10,10,19,1310
11,11,21,1470
12,12,23,1632
13,13,25,1730
14,14,27,1853
15,15,29,1933
16,16,31,2062
17,17,33,2132
18,18,35,2298
19,19,37,2339
20,20,39,2417
21,21,41,2498
22,22,43,2579
23,23,45,2711
24,24,47,2773
25,25,49,2935
26,26,51,3144
27,27,53,3404
28,28,55,3537
29,29,57,3681
30,30,59,3824
31,31,61,3986
32,32,63,4116
33,33,65,4190
1,4,1,1
5,7,4,486
8,11,6,832
12,12,8,1239
13,13,10,1311
14,15,12,1433
16,16,14,1653
17,18,16,1720
19,19,20,1859
20,20,22,1939
21,21,24,1993
22,23,26,2054
24,24,27,2210
25,25,29,2311
26,26,30,2466
27,27,32,2661
28,28,34,2777
29,30,36,2867
31,31,38,3092
32,33,40,3217
TRUST GENES 49:18
In the middle of his prophecy to Dan, Jacob exclaimed, I trust in your salvation, Lord. He was emphasizing to Dan that he would be a strong leader only if his trust was in God, not in his natural strength or ability. Those who are strong, attractive, or talented often find it easier to trust in themselves than in God, who gave them their gifts. Remember to thank God for what you are and have so your trust does not become misplaced.
GENES050
1 When Jacob died, Joseph hugged his father and cried over him and kissed him.
2 He commanded the doctors who served him to prepare his father's body, so the doctors prepared Jacob's body to be buried.
3 It took the doctors forty days to prepare his body (the usual time it took). And the Egyptians had a time of sorrow for Jacob that lasted seventy days.
4 When this time of sorrow had ended, Joseph spoke to the king's officers and said, "If you think well of me, please tell this to the king:
5 `When my father was near death, I made a promise to him that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan, in a burial place that he cut out for himself. So please let me go and bury my father, and then I will return.' "
6 The king answered, "Keep your promise. Go and bury your father."
7 So Joseph went to bury his father. All the king's officers, the older leaders, and all the leading men of Egypt went with Joseph.
8 Everyone who lived with Joseph and his brothers went with him, as well as everyone who lived with his father. They left only their children, their flocks, and their herds in the land of Goshen.
9 They went with Joseph in chariots and on horses. It was a very large group.
10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they cried loudly and bitterly for his father. Joseph's time of sorrow continued for seven days.
11 The people that lived in Canaan saw the sadness at the threshing floor of Atad and said, "Those Egyptians are showing great sorrow!" So now that place is named Sorrow of the Egyptians.
12 So Jacob's sons did as their father commanded.
13 They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried it in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought this cave and field from Ephron the Hittite to use as a burial place.
14 After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and everyone who had gone with him to bury his father.
15 After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph is still angry with us? We did many wrong things to him. What if he plans to pay us back?"
16 So they sent a message to Joseph that said, "Your father gave this command before he died.
17 He said to us, `You have done wrong and have sinned and done evil to Joseph. Tell Joseph to forgive you, his brothers.' So now, Joseph, we beg you to forgive our wrong. We are the servants of the God of your father." When Joseph received the message, he cried.
18 And his brothers went to him and bowed low before him and said, "We are your slaves."
19 Then Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Can I do what only God can do?
20 You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done.
21 So don't be afraid. I will take care of you and your children." So Joseph comforted his brothers and spoke kind words to them.
22 Joseph continued to live in Egypt with all his father's family. He died when he was one hundred ten years old.
23 During Joseph's life Ephraim had children and grandchildren, and Joseph's son Manasseh had a son named Makir. Joseph accepted Makir's children as his own.
24 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will take care of you. He will lead you out of this land to the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
25 Then Joseph had the sons of Israel make a promise. He said, "Promise me that you will carry my bones with you out of Egypt."
Joseph threw himself upon his father's body and wept over him and kissed him.
2 Afterwards he commanded his morticians to embalm the body. The embalming process required forty days, with a period of national mourning of seventy days.
4 Then, when at last the mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh's staff and requested them to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf.
5 "Tell His Majesty," he requested them, "that Joseph's father made Joseph swear to take his body back to the land of Canaan, to bury him there. Ask His Majesty to permit me to go and bury my father; assure him that I will return promptly."
6 Pharaoh agreed. "Go and bury your father, as you promised," he said.
7 So Joseph went, and a great number of Pharaoh's counselors and assistants-all the senior officers of the land,
8 as well as all of Joseph's people-his brothers and their families. But they left their little children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen.
9 So a very great number of chariots, cavalry, and people accompanied Joseph.
10 When they arrived at Atad (meaning "Threshing Place of Brambles"), beyond the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn funeral service, with a seven-day period of lamentation for Joseph's father.
11 The local residents, the Canaanites, renamed the place Abel-mizraim (meaning "Egyptian Mourners") for they said, "It is a place of very deep mourning by these Egyptians."
12-13 So his sons did as Israel commanded them, and carried his body into the land of Canaan and buried it there in the cave of Mach-pelah-the cave Abraham had bought in the field of Ephron the Hethite, close to Mamre.
14 Then Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to the funeral of his father.
15 But now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers were frightened.
"Now Joseph will pay us back for all the evil we did to him," they said.
16-17 So they sent him this message: "Before he died, your father instructed us to tell you to forgive us for the great evil we did to you. We servants of the God of your father beg you to forgive us." When Joseph read the message, he broke down and cried.
18 Then his brothers came and fell down before him and said, "We are your slaves."
19 But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? 20 As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people.
21 No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them.
22 So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph was 110 years old when he died.
23 He lived to see the birth of his son Ephraim's children, and the children of Machir, Manasseh's son, who played at his feet.
24 "Soon I will die," Joseph told his brothers, "but God will surely come and get you, and bring you out of this land of Egypt and take you back to the land he promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
25 Then Joseph made his brothers promise with an oath that they would take his body back with them when they returned to Canaan.
26 So Joseph died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
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2,2,3,84
3,3,5,211
4,4,7,369
5,5,9,513
6,6,11,744
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8,8,15,951
9,9,17,1151
10,10,19,1233
11,11,21,1407
12,12,23,1599
13,13,25,1653
14,14,27,1857
15,15,29,1997
16,16,31,2153
17,17,33,2251
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20,20,39,2694
21,21,41,2813
22,22,43,2947
23,23,45,3065
24,24,47,3227
25,25,49,3403
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,83
4,4,5,242
5,5,7,377
6,6,9,621
7,7,11,695
8,8,12,809
9,9,14,961
10,10,16,1042
11,11,18,1251
12,13,20,1428
14,14,22,1650
15,15,24,1766
16,17,27,1917
18,18,29,2177
19,20,31,2263
21,21,33,2525
22,22,35,2662
23,23,37,2781
24,24,39,2912
25,25,41,3134
26,26,43,3266
RELIABLE GENES 50:5
Joseph had proven himself trustworthy as Pharaoh's adviser. Because of his good record, Pharaoh was sure that he would return to Egypt as promised after burying his father in Canaan. Privileges and freedom often result when we have demonstrated our trust<R>worthiness. Because trust must be built gradually over time, take every opportunity to prove your reliability even in minor matters.
CONFIDENCE GENES 50:24
Joseph was ready to die. He had no doubts that God would keep his promise and one day bring the Israelites back to their homeland. What a tremendous example! The secret of that kind of faith is a lifetime of trusting God. Your faith is like a muscle ,it grows with exercise, gaining strength over time. After a lifetime of exercising trust, your faith can be as strong as Joseph's. Then at your death, you can be confident that God will fulfill all his promises to you and to all those faithful to him who may live after you.
FAITHFULNESS GENES 50:6
The book of Genesis gives us rich descriptions of the lives of many great men and women who walked with God. They sometimes succeeded and often failed. Yet we learn much by reading the biographies of these people. Where did they get their motivation and courage? They got it by realizing God was with them despite their inadequacies. Knowing this should encourage us to be faithful to God, to rely on him for guidance, and to utilize the potential he has given us.
VEXODU
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PURPOSE:
To record the events of Israel's deliverance from Egypt and development as a nation
AUTHOR:
Moses
DATE WRITTEN:
1450-1410 B.C., approximately the same as Genesis
WHERE WRITTEN:
In the wilderness during Israel's wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai Peninsula
SETTING:
Egypt. God's people, once highly favored in the land, are now slaves. A God of great miracles is about to set them free.
Egypt, Goshen, Nile River, Land of Midian, Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, Mount Sinai
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Exodus relates more miracles than any other Old Testament book and is noted for containing the Ten Commandmentssss
"I promise!" she exclaimed. But soon her words were forgotten in the rush and excitement of school. Remember when you promised to do something for a friend, but then forgot? Or what about when someone made an important promise to you and then didn't come through? Promises are part of life-from innocent childhood pledges to earnest, romantic commitments. We promise to do something, be somewhere, or give something. And when others make promises to us, we expect them to keep their word. If not, we become angry, disappointed, and even heartbroken. The book of Exodus is all about promises: God's promises to his people. We too are God's people. Just as God was faithful to Israel in keeping promises he made to them, he will keep every promise he has made to us: promises to love us no matter what, to care for and protect us, to help with temptation we can't handle, to comfort and teach us, and to bring us to heaven someday. Do you know the promises of God? Do you realize the things God has said he will do for you and to you? If you do, you understand how incredible those promises are. If you don't, you may have no idea of the many ways God has promised to be there for you. Each and every promise God makes, he keeps. To the Israelites and to you.
1,10,1,1
1,1,1,1
EXODU001
1 When Jacob went to Egypt, he took his sons, and each son took his own family with him. These are the names of the sons of Israel:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 There was a total of seventy people who were descendants of Jacob. Jacob's son Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all the people who had lived at that same time.
7 But the people of Israel had many children, and their number grew greatly. They became very strong, and the country of Egypt was filled with them.
8 Then a new king began to rule Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was.
9 This king said to his people, "Look! The people of Israel are too many and too strong for us to handle!
10 If we don't make plans against them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join our enemies and fight us and escape from the country!"
11 So the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.
12 But the harder the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work, the more the Israelites grew in number and spread out. So the Egyptians became very afraid of them
13 and demanded even more of them.
14 They made their lives bitter. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work.
15 Two Hebrew nurses, named Shiphrah and Puah, helped the Israelite women give birth to their babies. The king of Egypt said to the nurses,
16 "When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies, watch! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!"
17 But the nurses feared God, so they did not do as the king told them; they let all the boy babies live.
18 Then the king of Egypt sent for the nurses and said, "Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?"
19 The nurses said to him, "The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can get there."
20 God was good to the nurses. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger.
21 Because the nurses feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 So the king commanded all his people, "Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live."
1 This is the list of the sons of Jacob who accompanied him to Egypt, with their families: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.
5 So the total number who went with him was seventy (for Joseph was already there). 6 In due season Joseph and each of his brothers died, ending that generation. 7 Meanwhile, their descendants were very fertile, increasing rapidly in numbers; there was a veritable population explosion so that they soon became a large nation, and they filled the land of Goshen.
8 Then, eventually, a new king came to the throne of Egypt who felt no obligation to the descendants of Joseph.
9 He told his people, "These Israelis are becoming dangerous to us because there are so many of them. 10 Let's figure out a way to put an end to this. If we don't, and war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us and escape out of the country."
11 So the Egyptians made slaves of them and put brutal taskmasters over them to wear them down under heavy burdens while building the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed them, the more the Israelis seemed to multiply! The Egyptians became alarmed 13-14 and made the Hebrew slavery more bitter still, forcing them to toil long and hard in the fields and to carry heavy loads of mortar and brick.
15-16 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, instructed the Hebrew midwives (their names were Shiphrah and Puah) to kill all Hebrew boys as soon as they were born, but to let the girls live. 17 But the midwives feared God and didn't obey the king-they let the boys live too.
18 The king summoned them before him and demanded, "Why have you disobeyed my command and let the baby boys live?"
19 "Sir," they told him, "the Hebrew women have their babies so quickly that we can't get there in time! They are not slow like the Egyptian women!"
20 And God blessed the midwives because they were God-fearing women. So the people of Israel continued to multiply and to become a mighty nation. 21 And because the midwives revered God, he gave them children of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all of his people to throw the newborn Hebrew boys into the Nile River. But the girls, he said, could live.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,137
3,3,5,172
4,4,7,207
5,5,9,244
6,6,11,358
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9,9,17,699
10,10,19,809
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13,13,25,1352
14,14,27,1391
15,15,29,1604
16,16,31,1748
17,17,33,1897
18,18,35,2007
19,19,37,2122
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21,21,41,2388
22,22,43,2462
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8,8,5,546
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15,17,11,1406
18,18,13,1678
19,19,15,1796
20,22,17,1948
FOREIGNERS EXODU 1:1
Jacob's family had moved to Egypt at the invitation of Joseph, one of Jacob's sons, who had become a great ruler under Pharaoh. Jacob's family grew into a large nation. But, as foreigners and newcomers, their lives were quite different from the lives of the Egyptians. The Hebrews worshiped one God; the Egyptians worshiped many gods. The Hebrews were wanderers; the Egyptians had a deeply rooted culture. The Hebrews were shepherds; the Egyptians were builders. The Hebrews were also physically separated from the rest of the Egyptians: they lived in Goshen, north of the great Egyptian cultural centers.
OVERCOMERS EXODU 1:12
The Egyptians tried to wear down the Hebrew people by forcing them into slavery and mistreating them. Instead, the Hebrews multiplied and grew stronger. When we are burdened or mistreated, we may feel defeated. But our burdens can make us stronger and develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future. We cannot be overcomers without troubles to overcome. Be true to God in the hard times, because even the worst situations can make us better people.
EXODU002
1 Now a man from the family of Levi married a woman who was also from the family of Levi.
2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw how wonderful the baby was, she hid him for three months.
3 But after three months she was not able to hide the baby any longer, so she got a basket and covered it with tar so that it would float. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the tall stalks of grass at the edge of the Nile River.
4 The baby's sister stood a short distance away to see what would happen to him.
5 Then the daughter of the king of Egypt came to the river to take a bath, and her servant girls were walking beside the river. When she saw the basket in the tall grass, she sent her slave girl to get it.
6 The king's daughter opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, so she felt sorry for him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew babies."
7 Then the baby's sister asked the king's daughter, "Would you like me to go and find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"
8 The king's daughter said, "Go!" So the girl went and got the baby's own mother.
9 The king's daughter said to the woman, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took her baby and nursed him.
10 When the child grew older, the woman took him to the king's daughter, and she adopted the baby as her own son. The king's daughter named him Moses, because she had pulled him out of the water.
11 Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people and saw that they were forced to work very hard. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses' own people.
12 Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the one that was in the wrong, "Why are you hitting one of your own people?"
14 The man answered, "Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid and thought, "Now everyone knows what I did."
15 When the king heard what Moses had done, he tried to kill him. But Moses ran away from the king and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down near a well.
16 There was a priest in Midian who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to get water to fill the water troughs for their father's flock.
17 Some shepherds came and chased the girls away, but Moses defended the girls and watered their flock.
18 When they went back to their father Reuel, he asked them, "Why have you come home early today?"
19 The girls answered, "The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian defended us. He got water for us and watered our flock."
20 He asked his daughters, "Where is this man? Why did you leave him? Invite him to eat with us."
21 Moses agreed to stay with Jethro, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to be his wife.
22 Zipporah gave birth to a son. Moses named him Gershom, because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned, because they were forced to work very hard. When they cried for help, God heard them.
24 God heard their cries, and he remembered the agreement he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 He saw the troubles of the people of Israel, and he was concerned about them.
1 There were at this time a Hebrew fellow and girl of the tribe of Levi who married and had a family, and a baby son was born to them. When the baby's mother saw that he was an unusually beautiful baby, she hid him at home for three months. 3 Then, when she could no longer hide him, she made a little boat from papyrus reeds, waterproofed it with tar, put the baby in it, and laid it among the reeds along the river's edge. 4 The baby's sister watched from a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Well, this is what happened: A princess, one of Pharaoh's daughters, came down to bathe in the river, and as she and her maids were walking along the riverbank, she spied the little boat among the reeds and sent one of the maids to bring it to her. 6 When she opened it, there was a baby! And he was crying. This touched her heart. "He must be one of the Hebrew children!" she said.
7 Then the baby's sister approached the princess and asked her, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
8 "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the little girl rushed home and called her mother!
9 "Take this child home and nurse him for me," the princess instructed the baby's mother, "and I will pay you well!" So she took him home and nursed him.
10 Later, when he was older, she brought him back to the princess and he became her son. She named him Moses (meaning "to draw out") because she had drawn him out of the water.
11 One day, many years later when Moses had grown up and become a man, he went out to visit his fellow Hebrews and saw the terrible conditions they were under. During his visit he saw an Egyptian knock a Hebrew to the ground-one of his own Hebrew brothers! 12 Moses looked this way and that to be sure no one was watching, then killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day as he was out visiting among the Hebrews again, he saw two of them fighting. "What are you doing, hitting your own Hebrew brother like that?" he said to the one in the wrong.
14 "And who are you?" the man demanded. "I suppose you think you are our prince and judge! And do you plan to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?" When Moses realized that his deed was known, he was frightened. 15 And sure enough, when Pharaoh heard about it he ordered Moses arrested and executed. But Moses ran away into the land of Midian. As he was sitting there beside a well, 16 seven girls who were daughters of the priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flocks. 17 But the shepherds chased the girls away. Moses then came to their aid and rescued them from the shepherds and watered their flocks.
18 When they returned to their father, Reuel, he asked, "How did you get the flocks watered so quickly today?"
19 "An Egyptian defended us against the shepherds," they told him; "he drew water for us and watered the flocks."
20 "Well, where is he?" their father demanded. "Did you just leave him there? Invite him home for supper."
21 Moses eventually decided to accept Reuel's invitation to live with them, and Reuel gave him one of the girls, Zipporah, as his wife. 22 They had a baby named Gershom (meaning "foreigner"), for he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."
23 Several years later the king of Egypt died. The Israelis were groaning beneath their burdens, in deep trouble because of their slavery, and weeping bitterly before the Lord. He heard their cries from heaven, 24 and remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to bring their descendants back into the land of Canaan.
25 Looking down upon them, he knew that the time had come for their rescue.
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21,21,41,2915
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13,13,15,1844
14,17,17,2038
18,18,19,2697
19,19,21,2811
20,20,23,2928
21,22,25,3038
23,24,27,3283
25,25,29,3613
ACTION EXODU 2:3
Moses' mother knew how wrong it would be to destroy her child. But there was little she could do to change Pharaoh's new law. Her only alternative was to hide the child and later place him in a tiny reed basket on the river. God used her courageous act to place her son, the Hebrew of his choice, in the house of Pharaoh. Do you sometimes feel surrounded by evil and frustrated by how little you can do about it? When faced with evil, look for ways to act against it. Then trust God to use your effort, however small it seems, in his war against evil.
Profile: Miriam ,!page "^miriam" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
EXODU003
1 One day Moses was taking care of Jethro's flock. (Jethro was the priest of Midian and also Moses' father-in-law.) When Moses led the flock to the west side of the desert, he came to Sinai, the mountain of God.
2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up.
3 So he said, "I will go closer to this strange thing. How can a bush continue burning without burning up?"
4 When the LORD saw Moses was coming to look at the bush, God called to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 Then God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.
6 I am the God of your ancestors- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain,
8 and I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land and lead them to a good land with lots of room- a fertile land. It is the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. w
9 I have heard the cries of the people of Israel, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them.
10 So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!"
11 But Moses said to God, "I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 God said, "I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, `The God of your fathers sent me to you.' What if the people say, `What is his name?' What should I tell them?"
14 Then God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, `I AM sent me to you.' "
15 God also said to Moses, "This is what you should tell the people: `The LORD is the God of your ancestors- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He sent me to you.' This will always be my name, by which people from now on will know me.
16 "Go and gather the older leaders and tell them this: `The LORD, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me. He said, I care about you, and I have seen what has happened to you in Egypt.
17 I promised I would take you out of your troubles in Egypt. I will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites- a fertile land.'
18 "The older leaders will listen to you. And then you and the older leaders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, `The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, appeared to us. Let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'
19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only a great power will force him to let you go,
20 so I will use my great power against Egypt. I will strike Egypt with all the miracles that will happen in that land. After I do that, he will let you go.
21 I will cause the Egyptians to think well of the Israelites. So when you leave, they will give gifts to your people.
22 Each woman should ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for gifts- silver, gold, and clothing. You should put those gifts on your children when you leave Egypt. In this way you will take with you the riches of the Egyptians."
1 One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God, 2 suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn't burn up, 3-4 he went over to investigate. Then God called out to him, "Moses! Moses!"
"Who is it?" Moses asked.
5 "Don't come any closer," God told him. "Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Moses covered his face with his hands, for he was afraid to look at God.)
7 Then the Lord told him, "I have seen the deep sorrows of my people in Egypt and have heard their pleas for freedom from their harsh taskmasters. 8 I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians and to take them out of Egypt into a good land, a large land, a land `flowing with milk and honey'-the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live. 9 Yes, the wail of the people of Israel has risen to me in heaven, and I have seen the heavy tasks the Egyptians have oppressed them with. 10 Now I am going to send you to Pharaoh, to demand that he let you lead my people out of Egypt."
11 "But I'm not the person for a job like that!" Moses exclaimed.
12 Then God told him, "I will certainly be with you, and this is the proof that I am the one who is sending you: When you have led the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God here upon this mountain!"
13 But Moses asked, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them that their fathers' God has sent me, they will ask, `Which God are you talking about?' What shall I tell them?"
14 " `The Sovereign God,' " was the reply. "Just say, `I Am has sent me!' 15 Yes, tell them, `Jehovah, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.' (This is my eternal name, to be used throughout all generations.)
16 "Call together all the elders of Israel," God instructed him, "and tell them about Jehovah appearing to you here in this burning bush and that he said to you, `I have visited my people and have seen what is happening to them there in Egypt. 17 I promise to rescue them from the drudgery and humiliation they are undergoing, and to take them to the land now occupied by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land "flowing with milk and honey.' " 18 The elders of the people of Israel will accept your message. They must go with you to the king of Egypt and tell him, `Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us and instructed us to go three days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to him. Give us your permission.'
19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go except under heavy pressure. 20 So I will give him all the pressure he needs! I will destroy Egypt with my miracles, and then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will see to it that the Egyptians load you down with gifts when you leave, so that you will by no means go out empty-handed! 22 Every woman will ask for jewels, silver, gold, and the finest of clothes from her Egyptian master's wife and neighbors. You will clothe your sons and daughters with the best of Egypt!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,217
3,3,5,371
4,4,7,483
5,5,9,623
6,6,11,733
7,7,13,893
8,8,15,1079
9,9,17,1330
10,10,19,1452
11,11,21,1557
12,12,23,1674
13,13,25,1844
14,14,27,2032
15,15,29,2152
16,16,31,2416
17,17,33,2638
18,18,35,2824
19,19,37,3092
20,20,39,3204
21,21,41,3365
22,22,43,3488
1,4,1,1
5,6,4,411
7,10,6,659
11,11,8,1286
12,12,10,1355
13,13,12,1562
14,15,14,1744
16,18,16,1994
19,22,17,2757
(x(x(x(
EXODU004
"b$x%
1 Then Moses answered, "What if the people of Israel do not believe me or listen to me? What if they say, `The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses answered, "It is my walking stick."
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from the snake,
4 but the LORD said to him, "Reach out and grab the snake by its tail." When Moses reached out and took hold of the snake, it again became a stick in his hand.
5 The LORD said, "This is so that the Israelites will believe that the LORD appeared to you. I am the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Put your hand inside your coat." So Moses put his hand inside his coat. When he took it out, it was white with a skin disease.
7 Then he said, "Now put your hand inside your coat again." So Moses put his hand inside his coat again. When he took it out, his hand was healthy again, like the rest of his skin.
8 Then the LORD said, "If the people do not believe you or pay attention to the first miracle, they may believe you when you show them this second miracle.
9 After these two miracles, if they still do not believe or listen to you, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water will become blood when it touches the ground."
10 But Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can't find the best words."
11 Then the LORD said to him, "Who made a person's mouth? And who makes someone deaf or not able to speak? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the LORD.
12 Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else."
14 The LORD became angry with Moses and said, "Your brother Aaron, from the family of Levi, is a skilled speaker. He is already coming to meet you, and he will be happy when he sees you.
15 You will speak to Aaron and tell him what to say. I will help both of you to speak and will teach you what to do.
16 Aaron will speak to the people for you. You will tell him what God says, and he will speak for you.
17 Take your walking stick with you, and use it to do the miracles."
18 Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, "Let me go back to my people in Egypt. I want to see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go! I wish you well."
19 While Moses was still in Midian, the LORD said to him, "Go back to Egypt, because the men who wanted to kill you are dead now."
20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and started back to Egypt. He took with him the walking stick of God.
21 The LORD said to Moses, "When you get back to Egypt, do all the miracles I have given you the power to do. Show them to the king of Egypt. But I will make the king very stubborn, and he will not let the people go.
22 Then say to the king, `This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son.
23 I told you to let my son go so he may worship me. But you refused to let Israel go, so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24 As Moses was on his way to Egypt, he stopped at a resting place for the night. The LORD met him there and tried to kill him.
25 But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. Taking the skin, she touched Moses' feet with it and said to him, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me."
26 She said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because she had to circumcise her son. So the LORD let Moses alone.
27 Meanwhile the LORD said to Aaron, "Go out into the desert to meet Moses." When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28 Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had said to him when he sent him to Egypt. He also told him about the miracles which the LORD had commanded him to do.
29 Moses and Aaron gathered all the older leaders of the Israelites,
30 and Aaron told them everything that the LORD had told Moses. Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see,
31 and the Israelites believed. When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their troubles, they bowed down and worshiped him.
1 But Moses said, "They won't believe me! They won't do what I tell them to. They'll say, `Jehovah never appeared to you!' "
2 "What do you have there in your hand?" the Lord asked him.
And he replied, "A shepherd's rod."
3 "Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So he threw it down-and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it!
4 Then the Lord told him, "Grab it by the tail!" He did, and it became a rod in his hand again!
5 "Do that and they will believe you!" the Lord told him. "Then they will realize that Jehovah, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has really appeared to you. 6 Now reach your hand inside your robe, next to your chest." And when he did, and took it out again, it was white with leprosy! 7 "Now put it in again," Jehovah said. And when he did, and took it out again, it was normal, just as before!
8 "If they don't believe the first miracle, they will the second," the Lord said, 9 "and if they don't accept you after these two signs, then take water from the Nile River and pour it upon the dry land, and it will turn to blood."
10 But Moses pleaded, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me, for I have a speech impediment."
11 "Who makes mouths?" Jehovah asked him. "Isn't it I, the Lord? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or not see, hear or not hear? 12 Now go ahead and do as I tell you, for I will help you to speak well, and I will tell you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "Lord, please! Send someone else."
14 Then the Lord became angry. "All right," he said, "your brother, Aaron, is a good speaker. And he is coming here to look for you and will be very happy when he finds you. 15 So I will tell you what to tell him, and I will help both of you to speak well, and I will tell you what to do. 16 He will be your spokesman to the people. And you will be as God to him, telling him what to say. 17 And be sure to take your rod along so that you can perform the miracles I have shown you."
18 Moses returned home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. "With your permission," Moses said, "I will go back to Egypt and visit my relatives. I don't even know whether they are still alive."
"Go with my blessing," Jethro replied.
19 Before Moses left Midian, Jehovah said to him, "Don't be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead."
20 So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt, holding tightly to the "rod of God"!
21 Jehovah told him, "When you arrive back in Egypt you are to go to Pharaoh and do the miracles I have shown you, but I will make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you are to tell him, `Jehovah says, "Israel is my eldest son, 23 and I have commanded you to let him go away and worship me, but you have refused: and now see, I will slay your eldest son." ' "
24 As Moses and his family were traveling along and had stopped for the night, Jehovah appeared to Moses and threatened to kill him. 25-26 Then Zipporah his wife took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her young son's penis, and threw it against Moses' feet, remarking disgustedly, "What a blood-smeared husband you've turned out to be!"
Then God left him alone.
27 Now Jehovah said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So Aaron traveled to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, and met Moses there, and they greeted each other warmly. 28 Moses told Aaron what God had said they must do, and what they were to say, and told him about the miracles they must do before Pharaoh.
29 So Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and summoned the elders of the people of Israel to a council meeting. 30 Aaron told them what Jehovah had said to Moses, and Moses performed the miracles as they watched. 31 Then the elders believed that God had sent them, and when they heard that Jehovah had visited them and had seen their sorrows, and had decided to rescue them, they all rejoiced and bowed their heads and worshiped.
I Wonder: Fear of Rejection ,!page "^W004" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,147
3,3,5,246
4,4,7,375
5,5,9,539
6,6,11,730
7,7,13,893
8,8,15,1078
9,9,17,1238
10,10,19,1441
11,11,21,1628
12,12,23,1800
13,13,25,1873
14,14,27,1931
15,15,29,2122
16,16,31,2243
17,17,33,2350
18,18,35,2423
19,19,37,2617
20,20,39,2752
21,21,41,2888
22,22,43,3109
23,23,45,3195
24,24,47,3324
25,25,49,3456
26,26,51,3625
27,27,53,3743
28,28,55,3901
29,29,57,4064
30,30,59,4137
31,31,61,4260
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,127
3,3,5,228
4,4,7,351
5,7,9,450
8,9,11,869
10,10,13,1104
11,12,15,1270
13,13,17,1530
14,17,19,1587
18,18,21,2074
19,19,24,2325
20,20,26,2463
21,23,28,2599
24,26,29,2985
27,28,32,3359
29,31,34,3684
UNORDINARY EXODU 4:2-4
A shepherd's staff was commonly a three- to six-foot wooden rod with a curved hook at the top. The shepherd used it for walking, guiding his sheep, killing snakes, and many other tasks. Still, it was just a stick. But God used the simple shepherd's rod Moses carried to teach him an important lesson. God sometimes takes joy in using ordinary things for extra-ordinary purposes. What are the ordinary things in your life-your voice, a pen, a hammer, a broom, a musical instrument? It is easy to assume that God can use only special skills, but he can also use your everyday contributions. Little did Moses imagine the power his simple staff would wield when it became the rod of God.
EXODU005
1 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: `Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.' "
2 But the king of Egypt said, "Who is the LORD? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go."
3 Then Aaron and Moses said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don't do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war."
4 But the king said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your jobs!
5 There are very many Hebrews, and now you want them to quit working!"
6 That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen.
7 He said, "Don't give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw.
8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they are asking me, `Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.'
9 Make these people work harder and keep them busy; then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses."
10 So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, "This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw.
11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before."
12 So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw.
13 The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, "You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw."
14 The king's slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, "Why aren't you making as many bricks as you made in the past?"
15 Then the Israelite foremen went to the king and complained, "Why are you treating us, your servants, this way?
16 You give us no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people's fault."
17 The king answered, "You are lazy! You don't want to work! That is why you ask to leave here and make sacrifices to the LORD.
18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before."
19 The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble, because the king had told them, "You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before."
20 As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.
21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, "May the LORD punish you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us."
22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have you brought this trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here?
23 I went to the king and said what you told me to say, but ever since that time he has made the people suffer. And you have done nothing to save them."
1 After this presentation to the elders, Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh. They told him, "We bring you a message from Jehovah, the God of Israel. He says, `Let my people go, for they must make a holy pilgrimage out into the wilderness, for a religious feast, to worship me there.' "
2 "Is that so?" retorted Pharaoh. "And who is Jehovah, that I should listen to him, and let Israel go? I don't know Jehovah and I will not let Israel go."
3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. "The God of the Hebrews has met with us," they declared. "We must take a three days' trip into the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God; if we don't obey him, we face death by plague or sword."
4-5 "Who do you think you are," Pharaoh shouted, "distracting the people from their work? Get back to your jobs!" 6 That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the taskmasters and officers he had set over the people of Israel: 7-8 "Don't give the people any more straw for making bricks! However, don't reduce their production quotas by a single brick, for they obviously don't have enough to do or else they wouldn't be talking about going out into the wilderness and sacrificing to their God. 9 Load them with work and make them sweat; that will teach them to listen to Moses' and Aaron's lies!"
10-11 So the taskmasters and officers informed the people: "Pharaoh has given orders to furnish you with no more straw. Go and find it wherever you can; but you must produce just as many bricks as before!" 12 So the people scattered everywhere to gather straw.
13 The taskmasters were brutal. "Fulfill your daily quota just as before," they kept demanding. 14 Then they whipped the Israeli work-crew bosses. "Why haven't you fulfilled your quotas either yesterday or today?" they roared.
15 These foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. "Don't treat us like this," they begged. 16 "We are given no straw and told to make as many bricks as before, and we are beaten for something that isn't our fault-it is the fault of your taskmasters for making such unreasonable demands."
17 But Pharaoh replied, "You don't have enough work, or else you wouldn't be saying, `Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.' 18 Get back to work. No straw will be given you, and you must deliver the regular quota of bricks."
19 Then the foremen saw that they were indeed in a bad situation. 20 When they met Moses and Aaron waiting for them outside the palace, as they came out from their meeting with Pharaoh, 21 they swore at them. "May God judge you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his people," they said, "and for giving them an excuse to kill us."
22 Then Moses went back to the Lord. "Lord," he protested, "how can you mistreat your own people like this? Why did you ever send me if you were going to do this to them? 23 Ever since I gave Pharaoh your message, he has only been more and more brutal to them, and you have not delivered them at all!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,208
3,3,5,356
4,4,7,579
5,5,9,704
6,6,11,779
7,7,13,857
8,8,15,968
9,9,17,1169
10,10,19,1287
11,11,21,1422
12,12,23,1535
13,13,25,1622
14,14,27,1772
15,15,29,1998
16,16,31,2116
17,17,33,2245
18,18,35,2377
19,19,37,2496
20,20,39,2648
21,21,41,2756
22,22,43,2914
23,23,45,3050
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,289
3,3,4,447
4,9,6,690
10,12,8,1288
13,14,10,1552
15,16,12,1782
17,18,14,2078
19,21,16,2304
22,23,18,2642
REJECTION EXODU 5:3
Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and Aaron because he did not know or respect God. People who do not know God may not listen to his word or his messengers. Like Moses and Aaron, we need to persist. When others reject you or your faith, don't be surprised or discouraged. Continue to tell them about God, trusting him to open closed minds and soften stubborn hearts.
EXODU006
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to the king of Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. Because of my power, he will force them out of his country."
2 Then God said to Moses, "I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name God Almighty, but they did not know me by my name, the LORD.
4 I also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived in that land, but it was not their own.
5 Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my agreement.
6 So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, `I am the LORD. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power, and I will punish the Egyptians terribly.
7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God, the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do.
8 I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the LORD.' "
9 So Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses,
11 "Go tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land."
12 But Moses answered, "The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely the king will not listen to me either. I am not a good speaker."
13 But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the Israelites and the king of Egypt. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
14 These are the leaders of the families of Israel: Israel's first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the family groups of Reuben.
15 Simeon's sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the family groups of Simeon.
16 Levi lived one hundred thirty-seven years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their families.
18 Kohath lived one hundred thirty-three years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the family groups of Levi, according to their family history.
20 Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years.
21 Izhar's sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.
22 Uzziel's sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the family groups of the Korahites.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas. These are the leaders of the family groups of the Levites.
26 This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Lead the people of Israel out of Egypt by their divisions."
27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
28 The LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt
29 and said, "I am the LORD. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you."
30 But Moses answered, "I am not a good speaker. The king will not listen to me."
1 "Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh," the Lord told Moses. "For he must be forced to let my people go; he will not only let them go, but will drive them out of his land! 2-3 I am Jehovah, the Almighty God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-though I did not reveal my name, Jehovah, to them. 4 And I entered into a solemn covenant with them; under its terms I promised to give them and their descendants the land of Canaan where they were living. 5 And now I have heard the groanings of the people of Israel, in slavery now to the Egyptians, and I remember my promise.
6 "Therefore tell the descendants of Israel that I will use my mighty power and perform great miracles to deliver them from slavery and make them free. 7 And I will accept them as my people and be their God. And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God who has rescued them from the Egyptians. 8-9 I will bring them into the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It shall belong to my people."
So Moses told the people what God had said, but they wouldn't listen anymore because they were too dispirited after the tragic consequence of what he had said before.
10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses again and told him, 11 "Go back again to Pharaoh and tell him that he must let the people of Israel go."
12 "But look," Moses objected, "my own people won't even listen to me anymore; how can I expect Pharaoh to? I'm no orator!"
13 Then the Lord ordered Moses and Aaron to return to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, demanding that the people be permitted to leave.
14 These are the names of the heads of the clans of the various tribes of Israel:
The sons of Reuben, Israel's oldest son: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.
15 The heads of the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, Shaul (whose mother was a Canaanite).
16 These are the names of the heads of the clans of the tribe of Levi, in the order of their ages: Gershon, Kohath, Merari. (Levi lived 137 years.)
17 The sons of Gershon were: Libni, Shime-i (and their clans).
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel. (Kohath lived 133 years.)
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Mushi.
The above are the families of the Levites, listed according to their ages.
20 And Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister; and Aaron and Moses were their sons. Amram lived to the age of 137.
21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, Zichri.
22 The sons of Uzziel: Misha-el, Elzaphan, Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. Their children were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, Abiasaph.
These are the families within the clan of Korah.
25 Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Puti-el, and Phinehas was one of his children. These are all the names of the heads of the clans of the Levites and the families within the clans.
26 Aaron and Moses, included in that list, are the same Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said, "Lead all the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt," 27 and who went to Pharaoh to ask permission to lead the people from the land, 28-29 and to whom the Lord said, "I am Jehovah. Go in and give Pharaoh the message I have given you."
30 This is that Moses who argued with the Lord, "I can't do it; I'm no speaker-why should Pharaoh listen to me?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,221
3,3,5,267
4,4,7,386
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6,6,11,635
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23,23,32,2524
24,24,34,2656
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26,29,39,2962
30,30,41,3298
EXODU007
1 The LORD said to Moses, "I have made you like God to the king of Egypt, and your brother Aaron will be like a prophet for you.
2 Tell Aaron your brother everything that I command you, and let him tell the king of Egypt to let the Israelites leave his country.
3 But I will make the king stubborn. I will do many miracles in Egypt,
4 but he will still refuse to listen. So then I will punish Egypt terribly, and I will lead my divisions, my people the Israelites, out of that land.
5 I will punish Egypt with my power, and I will bring the Israelites out of that land. Then they will know I am the LORD."
6 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them.
7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to the king.
8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9 "Moses, when the king asks you to do a miracle, tell Aaron to throw his walking stick down in front of the king, and it will become a snake."
10 So Moses and Aaron went to the king as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his walking stick down in front of the king and his officers, and it became a snake.
11 So the king called in his wise men and his magicians, and with their tricks the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same thing.
12 They threw their walking sticks on the ground, and their sticks became snakes. But Aaron's stick swallowed theirs.
13 Still the king was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The king is being stubborn and refuses to let the people go.
15 In the morning the king will go out to the Nile River. Go meet him by the edge of the river, and take with you the walking stick that became a snake.
16 Tell him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you. He said, `Let my people go worship me in the desert.' Until now you have not listened.
17 This is what the LORD says: `This is how you will know that I am the LORD. I will strike the water of the Nile River with this stick in my hand, and the water will change into blood.
18 Then the fish in the Nile will die, and the river will begin to stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink the water from the Nile.' "
19 The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: `Take the walking stick in your hand and stretch your hand over the rivers, canals, ponds, and pools in Egypt.' The water will become blood everywhere in Egypt, both in wooden buckets and in stone jars."
20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. In front of the king and his officers, Aaron raised his walking stick and struck the water in the Nile River. So all the water in the Nile changed into blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river began to stink, so the Egyptians could not drink water from it. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.
22 Using their tricks, the magicians of Egypt did the same thing. So the king was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23 The king turned and went into his palace and ignored what Moses and Aaron had done.
24 The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, so all of them dug along the bank of the river, looking for water to drink.
25 Seven days passed after the LORD changed the Nile River.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have appointed you as my ambassador to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, shall be your spokesman. 2 Tell Aaron everything I say to you, and he will announce it to Pharaoh, demanding that the people of Israel be allowed to leave Egypt. 3 But I will cause Pharaoh to stubbornly refuse, and I will multiply my miracles in the land of Egypt. 4 Yet even then Pharaoh won't listen to you; so I will crush Egypt with a final major disaster and then lead my people out. 5 The Egyptians will find out that I am indeed God when I show them my power and force them to let my people go."
6 So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three at this time of their confrontation with Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 "Pharaoh will demand that you show him a miracle to prove that God has sent you; when he does, Aaron is to throw down his rod, and it will become a serpent."
10 So Moses and Aaron went in to see Pharaoh, and performed the miracle, as Jehovah had instructed them-Aaron threw down his rod before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh called in his sorcerers-the magicians of Egypt-and they were able to do the same thing with their magical arts! 12 Their rods became serpents, too! But Aaron's serpent swallowed their serpents! 13 Pharaoh's heart was still hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen, just as the Lord had predicted. 14 The Lord pointed this out to Moses, that Pharaoh's heart had been unmoved, and that he would continue to refuse to let the people go.
15 "Nevertheless," the Lord said, "go back to Pharaoh in the morning, to be there as he goes down to the river. Stand beside the riverbank and meet him there, holding in your hand the rod that turned into a serpent. 16 Say to him, `Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me back to demand that you let his people go to worship him in the wilderness. You wouldn't listen before, 17 and now the Lord says this: "You are going to find out that I am God. For I have instructed Moses to hit the water of the Nile with his rod, and the river will turn to blood! 18 The fish will die and the river will stink, so that the Egyptians will be unwilling to drink it." ' "
19 Then the Lord instructed Moses: "Tell Aaron to point his rod toward the waters of Egypt: all its rivers, canals, marshes, and reservoirs, and even the water stored in bowls and pots in the homes will turn to blood."
20 So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron hit the surface of the Nile with the rod, and the river turned to blood. 21 The fish died and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn't drink it; and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But then the magicians of Egypt used their secret arts and they, too, turned water into blood; so Pharaoh's heart remained hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted, 23 and he returned to his palace, unimpressed. 24 Then the Egyptians dug wells along the riverbank to get drinking water, for they couldn't drink from the river.
25 A week went by.
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2,2,3,134
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4,4,7,346
5,5,9,500
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7,7,13,690
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10,10,19,967
11,11,21,1134
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6,7,3,619
8,9,5,777
10,14,7,981
15,18,9,1619
19,19,10,2284
20,24,12,2506
25,25,14,3203
AMBASSADOR EXODU 7:1
God called Moses his ambassador. An ambassador represents another country, another type of people, and often another point of view. We are each God's ambassadors-representing to the world that Christians are a different people with a different life-style. Much of the world knows nothing about God except what it sees in the lives of God's people. What kind of God would they think you represent? Taking note of how you come across to others gives you a good indication of how well you are representing God.
TRICKERY EXODU 7:11
How were these wise men and sorcerers able to duplicate Moses' miracles? Some of their feats involved trickery or illusion. But some may have used satanic power, since worshiping gods of the underworld was part of the Egyptians' religion. Ironically, whenever the sorcerers duplicated one of Moses' plagues, it only made matters worse. If the magicians had been as powerful as God, they would have reversed the plagues, not added to them.
EXODU008
1 Then the LORD told Moses, "Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, `This is what the LORD says: Let my people go to worship me.
2 If you refuse, I will punish Egypt with frogs.
3 The Nile River will be filled with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officers, and onto your people. They will come into your ovens and into your baking pans.
4 The frogs will jump all over you, your people, and your officers.' "
5 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to hold his walking stick in his hand over the rivers, canals, and ponds. Make frogs come up out of the water onto the land of Egypt."
6 So Aaron held his hand over all the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up out of the water and covered the land of Egypt.
7 The magicians used their tricks to do the same thing, so even more frogs came up onto the land of Egypt.
8 The king called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
9 Moses said to the king, "Please set the time when I should pray for you, your people, and your officers. Then the frogs will leave you and your houses and will remain only in the Nile."
10 The king answered, "Tomorrow." Moses said, "What you want will happen. By this you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
11 The frogs will leave you, your houses, your officers, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile."
12 After Moses and Aaron left the king, Moses asked the LORD about the frogs he had sent to the king.
13 And the LORD did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the yards, and in the fields.
14 The Egyptians put them in piles, and the whole country began to stink.
15 But when the king saw that they were free of the frogs, he became stubborn again. He did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to raise his walking stick and strike the dust on the ground. Then everywhere in Egypt the dust will change into gnats."
17 They did this, and when Aaron raised the walking stick that was in his hand and struck the dust on the ground, everywhere in Egypt the dust changed into gnats. The gnats got on the people and animals.
18 Using their tricks, the magicians tried to do the same thing, but they could not make the dust change into gnats. The gnats remained on the people and animals.
19 So the magicians told the king that the power of God had done this. But the king was stubborn and refused to listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
20 The LORD told Moses, "Get up early in the morning, and meet the king of Egypt as he goes out to the river. Tell him, `This is what the LORD says: Let my people go so they can worship me.
21 If you don't let them go, I will send swarms of flies into your houses. The flies will be on you, your officers, and your people. The houses of Egypt will be full of flies, and they will be all over the ground, too.
22 But I will not treat the Israelites the same as the Egyptian people. There will not be any flies in the land of Goshen, where my people live. By this you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
23 I will treat my people differently from your people. This miracle will happen tomorrow.' "
24 So the LORD did as he had said, and great swarms of flies came into the king's palace and his officers' houses. All over Egypt flies were ruining the land.
25 The king called for Moses and Aaron and told them, "Offer sacrifices to your God here in this country."
26 But Moses said, "It wouldn't be right to do that, because the Egyptians hate the sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God. If they see us offering sacrifices they hate, they will throw stones at us and kill us.
27 Let us make a three-day journey into the desert. We must offer sacrifices to the LORD our God there, as the LORD told us to do."
28 The king said, "I will let you go so that you may offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very far away. Now go and pray for me."
29 Moses said, "I will leave and pray to the LORD, and he will take the flies away from you, your officers, and your people tomorrow. But do not try to trick us again. Do not stop the people from going to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
30 So Moses left the king and prayed to the LORD,
31 and the LORD did as he asked. He removed the flies from the king, his officers, and his people so that not one fly was left.
32 But the king became stubborn again and did not let the people go.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in again to Pharaoh and tell him, `Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me. 2 If you refuse, I will send vast hordes of frogs across your land from one border to the other. 3-4 The Nile River will swarm with them, and they will come out into your houses, even into your bedrooms and right into your beds! Every home in Egypt will be filled with them. They will fill your ovens and your kneading bowls; you and your people will be immersed in them!" ' "
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Instruct Aaron to point the rod toward all the rivers, streams, and pools of Egypt, so that there will be frogs in every corner of the land." 6 Aaron did, and frogs covered the nation. 7 But the magicians did the same with their secret arts, and they, too, caused frogs to come up on the land.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, "Plead with God to take the frogs away, and I will let the people go and sacrifice to him."
9 "Be so kind as to tell me when you want them to go," Moses said, "and I will pray that the frogs will die at the time you specify, everywhere except in the river."
10 "Do it tomorrow," Pharaoh said.
"All right," Moses replied, "it shall be as you have said; then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 All the frogs will be destroyed, except those in the river."
12 So Moses and Aaron went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with the Lord concerning the frogs he had sent. 13 And the Lord did as Moses promised-dead frogs covered the countryside and filled the nation's homes. 14 They were piled into great heaps, making a terrible stench throughout the land. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were gone, he hardened his heart and refused to let the people go, just as the Lord had predicted.
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the dust with his rod, and it will become lice, throughout all the land of Egypt." 17 So Moses and Aaron did as God commanded, and suddenly lice infested the entire nation, covering the Egyptians and their animals. 18 Then the magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed.
19 "This is the finger of God," they exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.
20 Next the Lord told Moses, "Get up early in the morning and meet Pharaoh as he comes out to the river to bathe, and say to him, `Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me. 21 If you refuse I will send swarms of flies throughout Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them and the ground will be covered with them. 22 But it will be very different in the land of Goshen where the Israelis live. No flies will be there; thus you will know that I am the Lord God of all the earth, 23 for I will make a distinction between your people and my people. All this will happen tomorrow." ' "
24 And Jehovah did as he had said, so that there were terrible swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and in every home in Egypt.
25 Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "All right, go ahead and sacrifice to your God, but do it here in the land. Don't go out into the wilderness."
26 But Moses replied, "That won't do! Our sacrifices to God are hated by the Egyptians, and if we do this right here before their eyes, they will kill us. 27 We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God, as he commanded us."
28 "All right, go ahead," Pharaoh replied, "but don't go too far away. Now, hurry and plead with God for me."
29 "Yes," Moses said, "I will ask him to cause the swarms of flies to disappear. But I am warning you that you must never again lie to us by promising to let the people go and then changing your mind."
30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and asked the Lord to get rid of the flies. 31-32 And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms to disappear, so that not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not let the people go!
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26,27,22,3250
28,28,24,3522
29,29,26,3635
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STUBBORN EXODU 8:19
Some people think, If only I could see a miracle, I would believe in God. God gave Pharaoh just such an opportunity. When lice infested Egypt, even the magicians agreed that this was God's work-but still Pharaoh refused to believe. He was stubborn, and stubbornness can blind a person to the truth. When you rid yourself of stubbornness, you may be surprised to discover abundant evidence of God's hand in your life.
EXODU009
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1 Then the LORD told Moses, "Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to worship me.
2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them,
3 the LORD will punish you. He will send a terrible disease on your farm animals that are in the fields. He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, and sheep to become sick.
4 But the LORD will treat Israel's animals differently from the animals of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die.
5 The LORD has set tomorrow as the time he will do this in the land.' "
6 The next day the LORD did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the animals belonging to Israelites died.
7 The king sent people to see what had happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had died. But the king was still stubborn and did not let the people go.
8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Fill your hands with ashes from a furnace. Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of the king of Egypt.
9 The ashes will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere in the land."
10 So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a furnace and went and stood before the king. Moses threw ashes into the air, which caused boils to break out and become sores on people and animals.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses, because all the Egyptians had boils, even the magicians.
12 But the LORD made the king stubborn, so he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and go to the king of Egypt. Tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to worship me.
14 If you don't, this time I will punish you, your officers, and your people, with all my power. Then you will know there is no one in the whole land like me.
15 By now I could have used my power and caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from the earth.
16 But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so that my name will be talked about in all the earth.
17 You are still against my people and do not want to let them go.
18 So at this time tomorrow, I will send a terrible hailstorm, the worst in Egypt since it became a nation.
19 Now send for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.' "
20 Some of the king's officers respected the word of the LORD and hurried to bring their slaves and animals inside.
21 But others ignored the LORD' s message and left their slaves and animals in the fields.
22 The LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand toward the sky. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals, and on everything that grows in the fields of Egypt."
23 When Moses raised his walking stick toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt.
24 There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed- the worst hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation.
25 The hail destroyed all the people and animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also destroyed everything that grew in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields.
26 The only place it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
27 The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "This time I have sinned. The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28 Pray to the LORD. We have had enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay here any longer."
29 Moses told the king, "When I leave the city, I will raise my hands to the LORD in prayer, and the thunder and hail will stop. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD.
30 But I know that you and your officers do not yet fear the LORD God."
31 The flax was in bloom, and the barley had ripened, so these crops were destroyed.
32 But both wheat crops ripen later, so they were not destroyed.
33 Moses left the king and went outside the city. He raised his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and hail stopped. The rain also stopped falling to the ground.
34 When the king saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he sinned again, and he and his officers became stubborn.
35 So the king became stubborn and refused to let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
1 "Go back to Pharaoh," the Lord commanded Moses, "and tell him, `Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, demands that you let his people go to sacrifice to him. 2 If you refuse, 3 the power of God will send a deadly plague to destroy your cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, flocks, and herds. 4 But the plague will affect only the cattle of Egypt; none of the Israeli herds and flocks will even be touched!' "
5 The Lord announced that the plague would begin the very next day, 6 and it did. The next morning all the cattle of the Egyptians began dying, but not one of the Israeli herds was even sick. 7 Pharaoh sent to see whether it was true that none of the Israeli cattle were dead, yet when he found out that it was so, even then his mind remained unchanged and he refused to let the people go.
8 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "Take ashes from the kiln and have Moses toss them into the sky as Pharaoh watches. 9 They will spread like fine dust over all the land of Egypt and cause boils to break out upon people and animals alike, throughout the land."
10 So they took ashes from the kiln and went to Pharaoh; as he watched, Moses tossed them toward the sky, and they became boils that broke out on men and animals alike throughout all Egypt. 11 And the magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils appeared upon them too. 12 But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness, so that he refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, `Jehovah the God of the Hebrews says, "Let my people go to worship me. 14 This time I am going to send a plague that will really speak to you and to your servants and to all the Egyptian people, and prove to you there is no other God in all the earth. 15 I could have killed you all by now, 16 but I didn't, for I wanted to demonstrate my power to you and to all the earth. 17 So you still think you are so great, do you, and defy my power, and refuse to let my people go? 18 Well, tomorrow about this time I will send a hailstorm across the nation such as there has never been since Egypt was founded! 19 Quick! Bring in your cattle from the fields, for every man and animal left out in the fields will die beneath the hail!" ' "
20 Some of the Egyptians, terrified by this threat, brought their cattle and slaves in from the fields; 21 but those who had no regard for the word of Jehovah left them out in the storm.
22 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Point your hand toward heaven and cause the hail to fall throughout all Egypt, upon the people, animals, and trees."
23 So Moses held out his hand, and the Lord sent thunder and hail and lightning. 24 It was terrible beyond description. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that. 25 All Egypt lay in ruins. Everything left in the fields, men and animals alike, was killed, and the trees were shattered and the crops were destroyed. 26 The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived.
27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "I finally see my fault," he confessed. "Jehovah is right, and I and my people have been wrong all along. 28 Beg God to end this terrifying thunder and hail, and I will let you go at once."
29 "All right," Moses replied, "as soon as I have left the city I will spread out my hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth is controlled by Jehovah. 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that even yet you will not obey him." 31 All the flax and barley were knocked down and destroyed (for the barley was ripe, and the flax was in bloom), 32 but the wheat and the emmer were not destroyed, for they were not yet out of the ground.
33 So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and lifted his hands to heaven to the Lord, and the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain ceased pouring down. 34 When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet more by their stubborn refusal to do what they had promised; 35 so Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,158
3,3,5,220
4,4,7,414
5,5,9,560
6,6,11,636
7,7,13,774
8,8,15,961
9,9,17,1112
10,10,19,1292
11,11,21,1484
12,12,23,1592
13,13,25,1707
14,14,27,1897
15,15,29,2060
16,16,31,2193
17,17,33,2317
18,18,35,2388
19,19,37,2500
20,20,39,2730
21,21,41,2850
22,22,43,2945
23,23,45,3152
24,24,47,3334
25,25,49,3452
26,26,51,3647
27,27,53,3740
28,28,55,3886
29,29,57,4018
30,30,59,4206
31,31,61,4282
32,32,63,4371
33,33,65,4440
34,34,67,4606
35,35,69,4735
1,4,1,1
5,7,2,404
8,9,4,797
10,12,6,1067
13,19,8,1493
20,21,9,2325
22,22,11,2515
23,26,13,2667
27,28,15,3119
29,32,17,3354
33,35,19,3849
,$D$Z&
PERSISTENT EXODU 9:1
This was the fifth time God sent Moses back to Pharaoh with the demand to let his people go! Moses may have been tired and discouraged by this time, but he continued to obey. Is there a difficult conflict you must face again and again? Don't give up when you know what is right to do. As Moses discovered, persistence is rewarded.
EXODU010
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Go to the king of Egypt. I have made him and his officers stubborn so I could show them my powerful miracles.
2 I also did this so you could tell your children and your grandchildren how I was hard on the Egyptians. Tell them about the miracles I did among them so that all of you will know that I am the LORD."
3 So Moses and Aaron went to the king and told him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: `How long will you refuse to be sorry for what you have done? Let my people go to worship me.
4 If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.
5 They will cover the land so that no one will be able to see the ground. They will eat anything that was left from the hailstorm and the leaves from every tree growing in the field.
6 They will fill your palaces and all your officers' houses, as well as the houses of all the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than your fathers or ancestors have ever seen- more than there have been since people began living in Egypt.' "Then Moses turned and walked away from the king.
7 The king's officers asked him, "How long will this man make trouble for us? Let the Israelites go to worship the LORD their God. Don't you know that Egypt is ruined?"
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to the king. He said to them, "Go and worship the LORD your God. But tell me, just who is going?"
9 Moses answered, "We will go with our young and old people, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds, because we are going to have a feast to honor the LORD."
10 The king said to them, "The LORD will really have to be with you if ever I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something evil!
11 No! Only the men may go and worship the LORD, which is what you have been asking for." Then the king forced Moses and Aaron out of his palace.
12 The LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come. They will spread all over the land of Egypt and will eat all the plants the hail did not destroy."
13 So Moses raised his walking stick over the land of Egypt, and the LORD caused a strong wind to blow from the east. It blew across the land all that day and night, and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.
14 Swarms of locusts covered all the land of Egypt and settled everywhere. There were more locusts than ever before or after,
15 and they covered the whole land so that it was black. They ate everything that was left after the hail- every plant in the field and all the fruit on the trees. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 The king quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
17 Now forgive my sin this time. Pray to the LORD your God, and ask him to stop this punishment that kills."
18 Moses left the king and prayed to the LORD.
19 So the LORD changed the wind. He made a very strong wind blow from the west, and it blew the locusts away into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
20 But the LORD caused the king to be stubborn again, and he did not let the Israelites go.
21 Then the LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand toward the sky, and darkness will cover the land of Egypt. It will be so dark you will be able to feel it."
22 Moses raised his hand toward the sky, and total darkness was everywhere in Egypt for three days.
23 No one could see anyone else, and no one could go anywhere for three days. But the Israelites had light where they lived.
24 Again the king of Egypt called for Moses. He said, "All of you may go and worship the LORD. You may take your women and children with you, but you must leave your flocks and herds here."
25 Moses said, "You must let us have animals to use as sacrifices and burnt offerings, because we have to offer them to the LORD our God.
26 So we must take our animals with us; not a hoof will be left behind. We have to use some of the animals to worship the LORD our God. We won't know exactly what we will need to worship the LORD until we get there."
27 But the LORD made the king stubborn again, so he refused to let them go.
28 Then he told Moses, "Get out of here, and don't come again! The next time you see me, you will die."
29 Then Moses told the king, "I'll do what you say. I will not come to see you again."
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go back again and make your demand upon Pharaoh; but I have hardened him and his officials, so that I can do more miracles demonstrating my power. 2 What stories you can tell your children and grandchildren about the incredible things I am doing in Egypt! Tell them what fools I made of the Egyptians, and how I proved to you that I am Jehovah."
3 So Moses and Aaron requested another audience with Pharaoh and told him: "Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, asks, `How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so they can worship me. 4-5 If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the entire nation with a thick layer of locusts so that you won't even be able to see the ground, and they will finish destroying everything that escaped the hail. 6 They will fill your palace, and the homes of your officials, and all the houses of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt has there been a plague like this will be!' " Then Moses stalked out.
7 The court officials now came to Pharaoh and asked him, "Are you going to destroy us completely? Don't you know even yet that all Egypt lies in ruins? Let the men go and serve Jehovah their God!"
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "All right, go and serve Jehovah your God!" he said. "But just who is it you want to go?"
9 "We will go with our sons and daughters, flocks and herds," Moses replied. "We will take everything with us; for we must all join in the holy pilgrimage."
10 "In the name of God I will not let you take your little ones!" Pharaoh retorted. "I can see your plot! 11 Never! You that are men, go and serve Jehovah, for that is what you asked for." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Hold out your hand over the land of Egypt to bring locusts-they will cover the land and eat everything the hail has left."
13 So Moses lifted his rod and Jehovah caused an east wind to blow all that day and night; and when it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts covered the land of Egypt from border to border; it was the worst locust plague in all Egyptian history; and there will never again be another like it. 15 For the locusts covered the face of the earth and blotted out the sun so that the land was darkened; and they ate every bit of vegetation the hail had left; there remained not one green thing-not a tree, not a plant throughout all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh sent an urgent call for Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I confess my sin against Jehovah your God and against you. 17 Forgive my sin only this once, and beg Jehovah your God to take away this deadly plague. I solemnly promise that I will let you go as soon as the locusts are gone."
18 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord, 19 and he sent a very strong west wind that blew the locusts out into the Red Sea, so that there remained not one locust in all the land of Egypt! 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not let the people go.
21 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Lift your hands to heaven, and darkness without a ray of light will descend upon the land of Egypt." 22 So Moses did, and there was thick darkness over all the land for three days. 23 During all that time the people scarcely moved-but all the people of Israel had light as usual.
24 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, "Go and worship Jehovah-but let your flocks and herds stay here; you can even take your children with you."
25 "No," Moses said, "we must take our flocks and herds for sacrifices and burnt offerings to Jehovah our God. 26 Not a hoof shall be left behind; for we must have sacrifices for the Lord our God, and we do not know what he will choose until we get there."
27 So the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let them go.
28 "Get out of here and don't let me ever see you again," Pharaoh shouted at Moses. "The day you do, you shall die."
29 "Very well," Moses replied. "I will never see you again."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,142
3,3,5,348
4,4,7,552
5,5,9,642
6,6,11,829
7,7,13,1125
8,8,15,1298
9,9,17,1439
10,10,19,1611
11,11,21,1777
12,12,23,1927
13,13,25,2122
14,14,27,2354
15,15,29,2484
16,16,31,2715
17,17,33,2834
18,18,35,2947
19,19,37,2998
20,20,39,3172
21,21,41,3268
22,22,43,3426
23,23,45,3530
24,24,47,3659
25,25,49,3853
26,26,51,3995
27,27,53,4216
28,28,55,4296
29,29,57,4404
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,382
7,7,5,981
8,8,7,1181
9,9,9,1325
10,11,11,1485
12,12,13,1727
13,15,15,1886
16,17,17,2468
18,20,19,2773
21,23,21,3056
24,24,23,3371
25,26,25,3525
27,27,27,3785
28,28,29,3858
29,29,31,3978
EXODU011
1 Now the LORD had told Moses, "I have one more way to punish the king and the people of Egypt. After this, the king will send all of you away from Egypt. When he does, he will force you to leave completely.
2 Tell the men and women of Israel to ask their neighbors for things made of silver and gold."
3 The LORD had caused the Egyptians to respect the Israelites, and both the king's officers and the Egyptian people considered Moses to be a great man.
4 So Moses said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: `About midnight tonight I will go through all Egypt.
5 Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die- from the firstborn son of the king, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl grinding grain. Also the firstborn farm animals will die.
6 There will be loud outcries everywhere in Egypt, worse than any time before or after this.
7 But not even a dog will bark at the Israelites or their animals.' Then you will know that the LORD treats Israel differently from Egypt.
8 All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, `Leave and take all your people with you.' After that, I will leave." Then Moses very angrily left the king.
9 The LORD had told Moses, "The king will not listen to you and Aaron so that I may do many miracles in the land of Egypt."
10 Moses and Aaron did all these great miracles in front of the king. But the LORD made him stubborn, and the king would not let the Israelites leave his country.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will send just one more disaster on Pharaoh and his land, and after that he will let you go; in fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of you that he will practically throw you out of the country. 2 Tell all the men and women of Israel to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver jewelry."
3 (For God caused the Egyptians to be very favorable to the people of Israel, and Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt and was revered by Pharaoh's officials and the Egyptian people alike.)
4 Now Moses announced to Pharaoh, "Jehovah says, `About midnight I will pass through Egypt. 5 And all the oldest sons shall die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest child of Pharaoh, heir to his throne, to the oldest child of his lowliest slave; and even the firstborn of the animals. 6 The wail of death will resound throughout the entire land of Egypt; never before has there been such anguish, and it will never be again.
7 " `But not a dog shall move his tongue against any of the people of Israel, nor shall any of their animals die. Then you will know that Jehovah makes a distinction between Egyptians and Israelis.' 8 All these officials of yours will come running to me, bowing low and begging, `Please leave at once, and take all your people with you.' Only then will I go!" Then, red-faced with anger, Moses stomped from the palace.
9 The Lord had told Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen, and this will give me the opportunity of doing mighty miracles to demonstrate my power." 10 So, although Moses and Aaron did these miracles right before Pharaoh's eyes, the Lord hardened his heart so that he wouldn't let the people leave the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,213
3,3,5,312
4,4,7,468
5,5,9,583
6,6,11,793
7,7,13,890
8,8,15,1033
9,9,17,1239
10,10,19,1367
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,336
4,6,5,540
7,8,7,974
9,10,9,1396
JUDGED EXODU 11:10
Did God really harden Pharaoh's heart and force him to do wrong? Before the ten plagues began, Moses and Aaron announced what God would do if Pharaoh didn't let the people go. But their message only made Pharaoh stubborn- he was hardening his own heart. In so doing, he defied both God and his messengers. Through the first six plagues, Pharaoh's heart grew even more stubborn. After the sixth plague, God passed judgment. Sooner or later, evil people will be punished for their sins. When it became evident he wouldn't change, God confirmed Pharaoh's prideful decision and set the painful consequences of his actions in motion. God didn't force Pharaoh to reject him; rather, he gave him every opportunity to change his mind. In Ezekiel 33:11, God says, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
EXODU012
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1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 "This month will be the beginning of months, the first month of the year for you.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must get one lamb for the people in his house.
4 If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, he must share it with his closest neighbor, considering the number of people. There must be enough lamb for everyone to eat.
5 The lamb must be a one-year-old male that has nothing wrong with it. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat.
6 Take care of the animals until the fourteenth day of the month. On that day all the people of the community of Israel will kill them in the evening before dark.
7 The people must take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 On this night they must roast the lamb over a fire. They must eat it with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. Roast the whole lamb over a fire- with its head, legs, and inner organs.
10 You must not leave any of it until morning, but if any of it is left over until morning, you must burn it with fire.
11 "This is the way you must eat it: You must be fully dressed as if you were going on a trip. You must have your sandals on and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry; this is the LORD' s Passover.
12 "That night I will go through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn animals and people in the land of Egypt. I will also punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
13 But the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing terrible will hurt you when I punish the land of Egypt.
14 "You are always to remember this day and celebrate it with a feast to the LORD. Your descendants are to honor the LORD with this feast from now on.
15 For this feast you must eat bread made without yeast for seven days. On the first day, you are to remove all the yeast from your houses. No one should eat any yeast for the full seven days of the feast, or that person will be cut off from Israel.
16 You are to have holy meetings on the first and last days of the feast. You must not do any work on these days; the only work you may do is to prepare your meals.
17 You must celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your divisions of people out of Egypt. So all of your descendants must celebrate this day. This is a law that will last from now on.
18 In the first month of the year you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.
19 For seven days there must not be any yeast in your houses. Anybody who eats yeast during this time, either an Israelite or Non-israelite, must be cut off from the community of Israel.
20 During this feast you must not eat anything made with yeast. You must eat only bread made without yeast wherever you live."
21 Then Moses called all the older leaders of Israel together and told them, "Get the animals for your families and kill the lamb for the Passover.
22 Take a branch of the hyssop plant, dip it into the bowl filled with blood, and then wipe the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. No one may leave that house until morning.
23 When the LORD goes through Egypt to kill the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes, and he will pass over that house. He will not let the one who brings death come into your houses and kill you.
24 "You must keep this command as a law for you and your descendants from now on.
25 Do this when you go to the land the LORD has promised to give you.
26 When your children ask you, `Why are we doing these things?'
27 you will say, `This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the LORD. When we were in Egypt, the LORD passed over the houses of Israel, and when he killed the Egyptians, he saved our homes.' "Then the people bowed down and worshiped the LORD.
28 They did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the LORD killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt- from the firstborn of the king who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in jail. Also, all the firstborn farm animals died.
30 The king, his officers, and all the Egyptians got up during the night because someone had died in every house. So there was a loud outcry everywhere in Egypt.
31 During the night the king called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Get up and leave my people. You and your people may do as you have asked; go and worship the LORD.
32 Take all of your flocks and herds as you have asked, and go. And also bless me."
33 The Egyptians also asked the Israelites to hurry and leave, saying, "If you don't leave, we will all die!"
34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added. They wrapped the bowls for making dough in clothing and carried them on their shoulders.
35 The Israelites did what Moses told them to do and asked their Egyptian neighbors for things made of silver and gold and for clothing.
36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to think well of them, and the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. So the Israelites took rich gifts from them.
37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men walking, not including the women and children.
38 Many other people who were not Israelites went with them, as well as a large number of sheep, goats, and cattle.
39 The Israelites used the dough they had brought out of Egypt to bake loaves of bread without yeast. The dough had no yeast in it, because they had been rushed out of Egypt and had no time to get food ready for their trip.
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred thirty years;
41 on the very day the four hundred thirty years ended, the LORD' s divisions of people left Egypt.
42 That night the LORD kept watch to bring them out of Egypt, and so on this same night the Israelites are to keep watch to honor the LORD from now on.
43 The LORD told Moses and Aaron, "Here are the rules for Passover: No foreigner is to eat the Passover.
44 If someone buys a slave and circumcises him, the slave may eat the Passover.
45 But neither a person who lives for a short time in your country nor a hired worker may eat it.
46 "The meal must be eaten inside a house; take none of the meat outside the house. Don't break any of the bones.
47 The whole community of Israel must take part in this feast.
48 A foreigner who lives with you may share in the LORD's Passover if all the males in his house become circumcised. Then, since he will be like a citizen of Israel, he may share in the meal. But a man who is not circumcised may not eat the Passover meal.w'
49 The same rules apply to an Israelite born in the country or to a foreigner living there."
50 So all the Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 On that same day the LORD led the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "From now on, this month will be the first and most important of the entire year. 3-4 Annually, on the tenth day of this month (announce this to all the people of Israel) each family shall get a lamb
(or, if a family is small, let it share the lamb with another small family in the neighborhood; whether to share in this way depends on the size of the families). 5 This animal shall be a year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, without any defects.
6 "On the evening of the fourteenth day of this month, all these lambs shall be killed, 7 and their blood shall be placed on the two side-frames of the door of every home and on the panel above the door. Use the blood of the lamb eaten in that home. 8 Everyone shall eat roast lamb that night, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 The meat must not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted, including the head, legs, heart, and liver.
10 Don't eat any of it the next day; if all is not eaten that night, burn what is left.
11 "Eat it with your traveling clothes on, prepared for a long journey, wearing your walking shoes and carrying your walking sticks in your hands; eat it hurriedly. This observance shall be called the Lord's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt tonight and kill all the oldest sons and firstborn male animals in all the land of Egypt, and execute judgment upon all the gods of Egypt-for I am Jehovah. 13 The blood you have placed on the doorposts will be proof that you obey me, and when I see the blood I will pass over you and I will not destroy your firstborn children when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 "You shall celebrate this event each year (this is a permanent law) to remind you of this fatal night. 15 The celebration shall last seven days. For that entire period you are to eat only bread made without yeast. Anyone who disobeys this rule at any time during the seven days of the celebration shall be excommunicated from Israel. 16 On the first day of the celebration, and again on the seventh day, there will be special religious services for the entire congregation, and no work of any kind may be done on those days except the preparation of food.
17 "This annual `Celebration with Unleavened Bread' will cause you always to remember today as the day when I brought you out of the land of Egypt; so it is a law that you must celebrate this day annually, generation after generation. 18 Only bread without yeast may be eaten from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. 19 For these seven days there must be no trace of yeast in your homes; during that time anyone who eats anything that has yeast in it shall be excommunicated from the congregation of Israel. These same rules apply to foreigners who are living among you just as much as to those born in the land. 20 Again I repeat, during those days you must not eat anything made with yeast; serve only yeastless bread."
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and get lambs from your flocks, a lamb for one or more families depending upon the number of persons in the families, and kill the lamb so that God will pass over you and not destroy you. 22 Drain the lamb's blood into a basin, and then take a cluster of hyssop branches and dip them into the lamb's blood, and strike the hyssop against the lintel above the door and against the two side panels, so that there will be blood upon them, and none of you shall go outside all night.
23 "For Jehovah will pass through the land and kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood upon the panel at the top of the door and on the two side pieces, he will pass over that home and not permit the Destroyer to enter and kill your firstborn. 24 And remember, this is a permanent law for you and your posterity. 25 And when you come into the land that the Lord will give you, just as he promised, and when you are celebrating the Passover, 26 and your children ask, `What does all this mean? What is this ceremony about?' 27 you will reply, `It is the celebration of Jehovah's passing over us, for he passed over the homes of the people of Israel, though he killed the Egyptians; he passed over our houses and did not come in to destroy us.' " And all the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
28 So the people of Israel did as Moses and Aaron had commanded. 29 And that night, at midnight, Jehovah killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh's oldest son to the oldest son of the captive in the dungeon; also all the firstborn of the cattle. 30 Then Pharaoh and his officials and all the people of Egypt got up in the night; and there was bitter crying throughout all the land of Egypt, for there was not a house where someone had not died.
31 And Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, "Leave us; please go away, all of you; go and serve Jehovah as you said. 32 Take your flocks and herds and be gone; and oh, give me a blessing as you go."
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people of Israel, to get them out of the land as quickly as possible. For they said, "We are as good as dead."
34 The Israelis took with them their bread dough without yeast, and bound their kneading troughs into their spare clothes, and carried them on their shoulders. 35 And the people of Israel did as Moses said and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord gave the Israelis favor with the Egyptians, so that they gave them whatever they wanted. And the Egyptians were practically stripped of everything they owned!
37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth; there were six hundred thousand of them, besides all the women and children, going on foot. 38 People of various sorts went with them; and there were flocks and herds-a vast exodus of cattle. 39 When they stopped to eat, they baked bread from the yeastless dough they had brought along. It was yeastless because the people were pushed out of Egypt and didn't have time to wait for bread to rise to take with them on the trip.
40-41 The sons of Jacob and their descendants had lived in Egypt 430 years, and it was on the last day of the 430th year that all of Jehovah's people left the land. 42 This night was selected by the Lord to bring his people out from the land of Egypt; so the same night was selected as the date of the annual celebration of God's deliverance.
43 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the rules concerning the observance of the Passover. No foreigners shall eat the lamb, 44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he has been circumcised. 45 A hired servant or a visiting foreigner may not eat of it. 46 You shall, all of you who eat each lamb, eat it together in one house, and not carry it outside; and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall observe this memorial at the same time.
48 "As to foreigners, if they are living with you and want to observe the Passover with you, let all the males be circumcised, and then they may come and celebrate with you-then they shall be just as though they had been born among you; but no uncircumcised person shall ever eat the lamb. 49 The same law applies to those born in Israel and to foreigners living among you."
50 So the people of Israel followed all of Jehovah's instructions to Moses and Aaron. 51 That very day the Lord brought out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, wave after wave of them crossing the border.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,63
3,3,5,151
4,4,7,284
5,5,9,480
6,6,11,612
7,7,13,779
8,8,15,915
9,9,17,1038
10,10,19,1161
11,11,21,1285
12,12,23,1509
13,13,25,1689
14,14,27,1862
15,15,29,2017
16,16,31,2271
17,17,33,2440
18,18,35,2665
19,19,37,2826
20,20,39,3017
21,21,41,3148
22,22,43,3300
23,23,45,3490
24,24,47,3727
25,25,49,3813
26,26,51,3887
27,27,53,3955
28,28,55,4200
29,29,57,4260
30,30,59,4478
31,31,61,4644
32,32,63,4814
33,33,65,4902
34,34,67,5016
35,35,69,5171
36,36,71,5312
37,37,73,5478
38,38,75,5623
39,39,77,5743
40,40,79,5971
41,41,81,6049
42,42,83,6153
43,43,85,6309
44,44,87,6418
45,45,89,6502
46,46,91,6604
47,47,93,6722
48,48,95,6789
49,49,97,7051
50,50,99,7148
51,51,101,7229
1,5,1,1
6,9,4,499
10,10,6,937
11,13,8,1028
14,16,10,1653
17,20,12,2215
21,22,14,3007
23,27,16,3561
28,30,18,4368
31,32,20,4840
33,33,22,5065
34,36,24,5221
37,39,26,5675
40,42,28,6178
43,47,30,6524
48,49,32,7029
50,51,34,7407
SUBSTITUTE EXODU 12:23
Every firstborn child of the Egyptians died, but the Israelite children were spared because the blood of the lamb had been placed on their doorposts. So begins the story of redemption, the central theme of the Bible. Redemption means to buy back. We must recognize that if we want to be freed from the deadly consequences of our sins, a tremendous price must be paid. But we don't have to pay it. Jesus Christ, our substitute, has already redeemed us by his death on the cross. Our part is to trust him and accept his gift of eternal life. (Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:13-15,23-26).
EXODU013
1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 "Give every firstborn male to me. Every firstborn male among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal."
3 Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, the day you left Egypt. You were slaves in that land, but the LORD with his great power brought you out of it. You must not eat bread made with yeast.
4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt.
5 The LORD will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This is the land he promised your ancestors he would give you, a fertile land. There you must celebrate this feast during the first month of every year.
6 For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there will be a feast to honor the LORD.
7 So for seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast. There must be no bread made with yeast anywhere in your land.
8 On that day you should tell your son: `We are having this feast because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'
9 This feast will help you remember, like a mark on your hand or a reminder on your forehead. This feast will remind you to speak the LORD' s teachings, because the LORD used his great power to bring you out of Egypt.
10 So celebrate this feast every year at the right time.
11 "And when the LORD takes you into the land of the Canaanites, the land he promised to give you and your ancestors,
12 you must give him every firstborn male. Also every firstborn male animal must be given to the LORD.
13 Buy back every firstborn donkey by offering a lamb. But if you don't want to buy the donkey back, then break its neck. You must buy back from the LORD every firstborn of your sons.
14 "From now on when your son asks you, `What does this mean?' you will answer, `With his great power, the LORD brought us out from Egypt, the land where we were slaves.
15 The king of Egypt was stubborn and refused to let us leave. But the LORD killed every firstborn male in Egypt, both human and animal. That is why I sacrifice every firstborn male animal to the LORD, and that is why I buy back each of my firstborn sons from the LORD.'
16 This feast is like a mark on your hand and a reminder on your forehead to help you remember that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his great power."
17 When the king sent the people out of Egypt, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was the shortest way. God said, "If they have to fight, they might change their minds and go back to Egypt."
18 So God led them through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were dressed for fighting when they left the land of Egypt.
19 Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him, because before Joseph died, he had made the Israelites promise to do this. He had said, "When God saves you, remember to carry my bones with you out of Egypt."
20 The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.
21 The LORD showed them the way; during the day he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud, and during the night he was in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel during the day or night.
22 The pillar of cloud was always with them during the day, and the pillar of fire was always with them at night.
1 The Lord instructed Moses, "Dedicate to me all of the firstborn sons of Israel, and every firstborn male animal; they are mine!"
3 Then Moses said to the people, "This is a day to remember forever-the day of leaving Egypt and your slavery; for the Lord has brought you out with mighty miracles. Now remember, during the annual celebration of this event you are to use no yeast; don't even have any in your homes. 4-5 Celebrate this day of your exodus, at the end of March each year, when Jehovah brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites-the land he promised your fathers, a land `flowing with milk and honey.' 6-7 For seven days you shall eat only bread without yeast, and there must be no yeast in your homes or anywhere within the borders of your land! Then, on the seventh day, a great feast to the Lord shall be held.
8 "During those celebration days each year you must explain to your children why you are celebrating-it is a celebration of what the Lord did for you when you left Egypt. 9 This annual memorial week will brand you as his own unique people, just as though he had branded his mark of ownership upon your hands or your forehead.
10 "So celebrate the event annually in late March.
11 And remember, when the Lord brings you into the land he promised to your ancestors long ago, where the Canaanites are now living, 12 all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals belong to the Lord, and you shall give them to him. 13 A firstborn donkey may be purchased back from the Lord in exchange for a lamb or baby goat; but if you decide not to trade, the donkey shall be killed. However, you must buy back your firstborn sons.
14 "And in the future, when your children ask you, `What is this all about?' you shall tell them, `With mighty miracles Jehovah brought us out of Egypt from our slavery. 15 Pharaoh wouldn't let us go, so Jehovah killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both of men and animals; that is why we now give all the firstborn males to the Lord-except that all the eldest sons are always bought back.' 16 Again I say, this celebration shall identify you as God's people, just as much as if his brand of ownership were placed upon your foreheads. It is a reminder that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power."
17-18 So at last Pharaoh let the people go.
God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although that was the most direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land. The reason was that God felt the people might become discouraged by having to fight their way through, even though they had left Egypt armed; he thought they might return to Egypt. Instead, God led them along a route through the Red Sea wilderness.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with them, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel vow before God that they would take his bones with them when God led them out of Egypt-as he was sure God would.
20 Leaving Succoth, they camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the daytime and by a pillar of fire at night. So they could travel either by day or night. 22 The cloud and fire were never out of sight.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,36
3,3,5,159
4,4,7,362
5,5,9,420
6,6,11,677
7,7,13,801
8,8,15,931
9,9,17,1064
10,10,19,1286
11,11,21,1347
12,12,23,1469
13,13,25,1576
14,14,27,1764
15,15,29,1938
16,16,31,2213
17,17,33,2373
18,18,35,2611
19,19,37,2748
20,20,39,2959
21,21,41,3042
22,22,43,3261
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,136
8,9,5,878
10,10,7,1207
11,13,9,1261
14,16,11,1701
17,18,13,2337
19,19,16,2766
20,22,18,2966
MARKED EXODU 13:9
The memorial week marked the Hebrews as a unique people-as though they were branded on their hands and foreheads. What do you do that marks you as a follower of God? Think about the way you act at school, demonstrate love for others, show concern for the social outcast, and treat your family-what you do in these areas will leave visible marks for all to see. While certain nationalities are marked by customs and traditions, Christians are marked by loving one another (John 13:34-35).
GUIDANCE EXODU 13:17-18
God doesn't always work in the way that seems best to us. Instead of guiding the Israelites along the direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land, he took them by a longer route to avoid fighting with the Philistines. If God does not lead you along the shortest path to your goal, don't complain or resist. Follow him willingly and trust him to lead you safely around unseen obstacles. He can see the end of your journey from the beginning, and he knows the safest and best route.
EXODU014
ACTION
1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the Israelites to turn back to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the Red Sea. Camp across from Baal Zephon, on the shore of the sea.
3 The king will think, `The Israelites are lost, trapped by the desert.'
4 I will make the king stubborn again so he will chase after them, but I will defeat the king and his army. This will bring honor to me, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." The Israelites did just as they were told.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had left, he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites leave. We have lost our slaves!"
6 So the king prepared his war chariot and took his army with him.
7 He took six hundred of his best chariots, together with all the other chariots of Egypt, each with an officer in it.
8 The LORD made the king of Egypt stubborn, so he chased the Israelites, who were leaving victoriously.
9 The Egyptians- with all the king's horses, chariot drivers, and army- chased the Israelites. They caught up with them while they were camped by the Red Sea, near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon.
10 When the Israelites saw the king and his army coming after them, they were very frightened and cried to the LORD for help.
11 They said to Moses, "What have you done to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There were plenty of graves for us in Egypt.
12 We told you in Egypt, `Let us alone; we will stay and serve the Egyptians.' Now we will die in the desert."
13 But Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Stand still and you will see the LORD save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today.
14 You only need to remain calm; the LORD will fight for you."
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Command the Israelites to start moving.
16 Raise your walking stick and hold it over the sea so that the sea will split and the people can cross it on dry land.
17 I will make the Egyptians stubborn so they will chase the Israelites, but I will be honored when I defeat the king and all of his chariot drivers and chariots.
18 When I defeat the king, his chariot drivers, and chariots, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD."
19 Now the angel of God that usually traveled in front of Israel's army moved behind them. Also, the pillar of cloud moved from in front of the people and stood behind them.
20 So the cloud came between the Egyptians and the Israelites. This made it dark for the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. So the cloud kept the two armies apart all night.
21 Then Moses held his hand over the sea. All that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind, making the sea become dry ground. The water was split,
22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23 Then all the king's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers followed them into the sea.
24 When morning came, the LORD looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire at the Egyptian army and made them panic.
25 He kept the wheels of the chariots from turning, making it hard to drive the chariots. The Egyptians shouted, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them and against Egypt."
26 Then the LORD told Moses, "Hold your hand over the sea so that the water will come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and chariot drivers."
27 So Moses raised his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its place. The Egyptians tried to run from it, but the LORD swept them away into the sea.
28 The water returned, covering the chariots, chariot drivers, and all the king's army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
30 So that day the LORD saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore.
31 When the Israelites saw the great power the LORD had used against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD, and they trusted him and his servant Moses.
1 Jehovah now instructed Moses, 2 "Tell the people to turn toward Piha-hiroth between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon, and to camp there along the shore. 3 For Pharaoh will think, `Those Israelites are trapped now, between the desert and the sea!' 4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will chase after you. I have planned this to gain great honor and glory over Pharaoh and all his armies, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord."
So they camped where they were told.
5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelis were not planning to return to Egypt after three days, but to keep on going, Pharaoh and his staff became bold again. "What is this we have done, letting all these slaves get away?" they asked. 6 So Pharaoh led the chase in his chariot, 7 followed by the pick of Egypt's chariot corps-600 chariots in all-and other chariots driven by Egyptian officers. 8 He pursued the people of Israel, for they had taken much of the wealth of Egypt with them. 9 Pharaoh's entire cavalry-horses, chariots, and charioteers-was used in the chase; and the Egyptian army overtook the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Piha-hiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
10 As the Egyptian army approached, the people of Israel saw them far in the distance, speeding after them, and they were terribly frightened and cried out to the Lord to help them.
11 And they turned against Moses, whining, "Have you brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Isn't this what we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness."
13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at-you will never see them again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you won't need to lift a finger!"
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Quit praying and get the people moving! Forward, march! 16 Use your rod-hold it out over the water, and the sea will open up a path before you, and all the people of Israel shall walk through on dry ground! 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after you and you will see the honor I will get in defeating Pharaoh and all his armies, chariots, and horsemen. 18 And all Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah."
19 Then the Angel of God, who was leading the people of Israel, moved the cloud around behind them, 20 and it stood between the people of Israel and the Egyptians. And that night, as it changed to a pillar of fire, it gave darkness to the Egyptians but light to the people of Israel! So the Egyptians couldn't find the Israelis!
21 Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each side; and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea bottom. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground! 23 Then the Egyptians followed them between the walls of water along the bottom of the sea-all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen. 24 But in the early morning Jehovah looked down from the cloud of fire upon the array of the Egyptians, and began to harass them. 25 Their chariot wheels began coming off, so that their chariots scraped along the dry ground. "Let's get out of here," the Egyptians yelled. "Jehovah is fighting for them and against us."
26 When all the Israelites were on the other side, the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand again over the sea, so that the waters will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." 27 Moses did, and the sea returned to normal beneath the morning light. The Egyptians tried to flee, but the Lord drowned them in the sea. 28 The water covered the path and the chariots and horsemen. And of all the army of Pharaoh that chased after Israel through the sea, not one remained alive.
29 The people of Israel had walked through on dry land, and the waters had been walled up on either side of them. 30 Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and the people of Israel saw the Egyptians dead, washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty miracle the Lord had done for them against the Egyptians, they were afraid and revered the Lord, and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,36
3,3,5,190
4,4,7,267
5,5,9,500
6,6,11,711
7,7,13,782
8,8,15,905
9,9,17,1013
10,10,19,1210
11,11,21,1340
12,12,23,1495
13,13,25,1610
14,14,27,1763
15,15,29,1830
16,16,31,1937
17,17,33,2062
18,18,35,2229
19,19,37,2340
20,20,39,2518
21,21,41,2705
22,22,43,2874
23,23,45,2989
24,24,47,3082
25,25,49,3205
26,26,51,3409
27,27,53,3562
28,28,55,3730
29,29,57,3894
30,30,59,4004
31,31,61,4138
1,4,1,1
5,9,4,508
10,10,6,1229
11,12,8,1414
13,14,10,1758
15,18,12,2046
19,20,14,2516
21,25,16,2848
26,28,18,3575
29,31,20,4081
ACTION EXODU 14:15
God told Moses to stop praying and get moving! Prayer deserves a vital place in our lives, but there is also a place for action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to postpone doing it. If you know what you should do, then it is time to get moving.
EXODU015
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, because he is worthy of great honor. He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.
2 The LORD gives me strength and makes me sing; he has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him. He is the God of my fathers, and I will honor him.
3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
4 The chariots and soldiers of the king of Egypt he has thrown into the sea. The king's best officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters covered them, and they sank to the bottom like a rock.
6 Your right hand, LORD, is amazingly strong. LORD, your right hand broke the enemy to pieces.
7 In your great victory you destroyed those who were against you. Your anger destroyed them, like fire burning straw.
8 Just a blast of your breath, and the waters piled up. The moving water stood like a wall; the deep waters became solid in the middle of the sea.
9 "The enemy bragged, `I'll chase them and catch them. I'll take all their riches; I'll take all I want. I'll pull out my sword, and my hand will destroy them.'
10 But you blew on them with your breath and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead in the raging water.
11 "Are there any gods like you, LORD? There are no gods like you. You are wonderfully holy, amazingly powerful, a worker of miracles.
12 You reached out with your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.
13 You keep your loving promise and lead the people you have saved. With your strength you will guide them to your holy place.
14 "The other nations will hear this and tremble with fear; terror will take hold of the Philistines.
15 The leaders of the tribes of Edom will be very frightened; the powerful men of Moab will shake with fear; the people of Canaan will lose all their courage.
16 Terror and horror will fall on them. When they see your strength, they will be as still as a rock. They will be still until your people pass by, LORD. They will be still until the people you have taken as your own pass by.
17 You will lead your people and place them on your very own mountain, the place that you, LORD, made for yourself to live, the temple, Lord, that your hands have made.
18 The LORD will be king forever!"
19 The horses, chariot drivers, and chariots of the king of Egypt went into the sea, and the LORD covered them with water from the sea. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry land.
20 Then Aaron's sister Miriam, a prophetess, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing.
21 Miriam told them: "Sing to the LORD, because he is worthy of great honor; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea."
22 Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea into the Desert of Shur. They traveled for three days in the desert but found no water.
23 Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but they could not drink it because it was too bitter. (That is why the place was named Marah.)
24 The people grumbled to Moses and asked, "What will we drink?"
25 So Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When Moses threw the tree into the water, the water became good to drink. There the LORD gave the people a rule and a law to live by, and there he tested their loyalty to him.
26 He said, "You must obey the LORD your God and do what he says is right. If you obey all his commands and keep his rules, I will not bring on you any of the sicknesses I brought on the Egyptians. I am the LORD who heals you."
27 Then the people traveled to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So the people camped there near the water.
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:
I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
He has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him.
He is my father's God-I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior-
Yes, Jehovah is his name.
4 He has overthrown Pharaoh's chariots and armies,
Drowning them in the sea.
The famous Egyptian captains are dead beneath the waves.
5 The water covers them.
They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power;
It dashes the enemy to pieces.
7 In the greatness of your majesty
You overthrew all those who rose against you.
You sent forth your anger, and it consumed them as fire consumes straw.
8 At the blast of your breath
The waters divided!
They stood as solid walls to hold the seas apart.
9 The enemy said, "I will chase after them,
Catch up with them, destroy them.
I will cut them apart with my sword
And divide the captured booty."
10 But God blew with his wind, and the sea covered them.
They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who else is like the Lord among the gods?
Who is glorious in holiness like him?
Who is so awesome in splendor,
A wonder-working God?
12 You reached out your hand and the earth swallowed them.
13 You have led the people you redeemed.
But in your loving-kindness
You have guided them wonderfully
To your holy land.
14 The nations heard what happened, and they trembled.
Fear has gripped the people of Philistia.
15 The leaders of Edom are appalled,
The mighty men of Moab tremble;
All the people of Canaan melt with fear.
16 Terror and dread have overcome them.
O Lord, because of your great power they won't attack us!
Your people whom you purchased
Will pass by them in safety.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your mountain,
Your own homeland, Lord-
The sanctuary you made for them to live in.
18 Jehovah shall reign forever and forever.
19 The horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his chariots
Tried to follow through the sea;
But the Lord let down the walls of water on them
While the people of Israel walked through on dry land.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine and led the women in dances.
21 And Miriam sang this song:
Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.
The horse and rider have been drowned in the sea.
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there three days without water. 23 Arriving at Marah, they couldn't drink the water because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning "bitter").
24 Then the people turned against Moses. "Must we die of thirst?" they demanded.
25 Moses pleaded with the Lord to help them, and the Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water, and the water became sweet.
It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the following conditions, to test their commitment to him: 26 "If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you." 27 And they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; and they camped there beside the springs.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,180
3,3,5,337
4,4,7,388
5,5,9,522
6,6,11,599
7,7,13,698
8,8,15,820
9,9,17,971
10,10,19,1138
11,11,21,1255
12,12,23,1394
13,13,25,1476
14,14,27,1607
15,15,29,1713
16,16,31,1876
17,17,33,2106
18,18,35,2279
19,19,37,2318
20,20,39,2513
21,21,41,2654
22,22,43,2788
23,23,45,2930
24,24,47,3081
25,25,49,3150
26,26,51,3397
27,27,53,3629
1,1,1,1
2,2,5,183
3,3,9,325
4,4,12,384
5,5,16,529
6,6,19,607
7,7,22,695
8,8,26,859
9,9,30,970
10,10,35,1130
11,11,38,1235
12,12,43,1385
13,13,45,1449
14,14,50,1584
15,15,53,1689
16,16,57,1810
17,17,62,1982
18,18,66,2121
19,19,68,2170
20,20,73,2378
21,21,75,2480
22,23,79,2620
24,24,81,2905
25,27,83,2989
DISEASES EXODU 15:26
God promised that if the people obeyed him they would be free from the diseases that plagued the Egyptians. Little did they know that many of the moral laws he later gave them were designed to keep them free from sickness. For example, following God's law against prostitution would keep them free of venereal disease. God's laws for us are often designed to keep us from harm. Men and women are complex beings. Our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives are intertwined. Modern medicine is now acknowledging what these laws assumed. If we want God to care for us, we need to submit to his directions for living.
EXODU016
1 The whole Israelite community left Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which was between Elim and Sinai; they arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt.
2 Then the whole Israelite community grumbled to Moses and Aaron in the desert.
3 They said to them, "It would have been better if the LORD had killed us in the land of Egypt. There we had meat to eat and all the food we wanted. But you have brought us into this desert to starve us to death."
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall like rain from the sky for all of you. Every day the people must go out and gather what they need for that day. I want to see if the people will do what I teach them.
5 On the sixth day of each week, they are to gather twice as much as they gather on other days. Then they are to prepare it."
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: "This evening you will know that the LORD is the one who brought you out of Egypt.
7 Tomorrow morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard you grumble against him. We are nothing, so you are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD."
8 And Moses said, "Each evening the LORD will give you meat to eat, and every morning he will give you all the bread you want, because he has heard you grumble against him. You are not grumbling against Aaron and me, because we are nothing; you are grumbling against the LORD."
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Speak to the whole community of the Israelites, and say to them, `Meet together in the presence of the LORD, because he has heard your grumblings.' "
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole community of the Israelites, they looked toward the desert. There the glory of the LORD appeared in a cloud.
11 The LORD said to Moses,
12 "I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel. So tell them, `At twilight you will eat meat, and every morning you will eat all the bread you want. Then you will know I am the LORD your God.' "
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.
14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost were on the desert ground.
15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, "This is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
16 The LORD has commanded, `Each one of you must gather what he needs, about two quarts for every person in your family.' "
17 So the people of Israel did this; some people gathered much, and some gathered little.
18 Then they measured it. The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little. Each person gathered just as much as he needed.
19 Moses said to them, "Don't keep any of it to eat the next day."
20 But some of the people did not listen to Moses and kept part of it to eat the next morning. It became full of worms and began to stink, so Moses was angry with those people.
21 Every morning each person gathered as much food as he needed, but when the sun became hot, it melted away.
22 On the sixth day the people gathered twice as much food- four quarts for every person. When all the leaders of the community came and told this to Moses,
23 he said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded, because tomorrow is the Sabbath, the LORD' s holy day of rest. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil today. Save the rest of the food until tomorrow morning."
24 So the people saved it until the next morning, as Moses had commanded, and none of it began to stink or have worms in it.
25 Moses told the people, "Eat the food you gathered yesterday. Today is a Sabbath, the LORD' s day of rest; you will not find any out in the field today.
26 You should gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day. On that day there will not be any food on the ground."
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather food, but they couldn't find any.
28 Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you people refuse to obey my commands and teachings?
29 Look, the LORD has made the Sabbath a day of rest for you. So on the sixth day he will give you enough food for two days, but on the seventh day each of you must stay where you are. Do not go anywhere."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The people of Israel called the food manna. It was like small white seeds and tasted like wafers made with honey.
32 Then Moses said, "The LORD said, `Save two quarts of this food for your descendants. Then they can see the food I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.' "
33 Moses told Aaron, "Take a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then place it before the LORD, and save it for your descendants."
34 So Aaron did what the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the jar of manna in front of the Agreement to keep it safe.
35 The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to the land where they settled- the edge of the land of Canaan.
36 The measure they used for the manna was two quarts, or one-tenth of an ephah.
1 Now they left Elim and journeyed on into the Sihn Desert, between Elim and Mount Sinai, arriving there on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving Egypt. 2 There, too, the people spoke bitterly against Moses and Aaron.
3 "Oh, that we were back in Egypt," they moaned, "and that the Lord had killed us there! For there we had plenty to eat. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to kill us with starvation."
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for them. Everyone can go out each day and gather as much food as he needs. And I will test them in this, to see whether they will follow my instructions or not. 5 Tell them to gather twice as much as usual on the sixth day of each week."
6 Then Moses and Aaron called a meeting of all the people of Israel and told them, "This evening you will realize that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7-9 In the morning you will see more of his glory; for he has heard your complaints against him (for you aren't really complaining against us-who are we? ). The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning. Come now before Jehovah and hear his reply to your complaints."
10 So Aaron called them together and suddenly, out toward the wilderness, from within the guiding cloud, there appeared the awesome glory of Jehovah.
11-12 And Jehovah said to Moses, "I have heard their complaints. Tell them, `In the evening you will have meat and in the morning you will be stuffed with bread, and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God.' "
13 That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp, and in the morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew; 14 and when the dew disappeared later in the morning it left thin white flakes that covered the ground like frost. 15 When the people of Israel saw it they asked each other, "What is it?"
And Moses told them, "It is the food Jehovah has given you. 16 Jehovah has said for everyone to gather as much as is needed for his household-about two quarts for each person."
17 So the people of Israel went out and gathered it-some getting more and some less before it melted on the ground, 18 and there was just enough for everyone. Those who gathered more had nothing left over and those who gathered little had no lack! Each home had just enough.
19 And Moses told them, "Don't leave it overnight."
20 But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them. 21 So they gathered the food morning by morning, each home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the ground, the food melted and disappeared. 22 On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on the ground-four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened.
23 And he told them, "Because the Lord has appointed tomorrow as a day of seriousness and rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord when we must refrain from doing our daily tasks. So cook as much as you want to today, and keep what is left for tomorrow."
24 And the next morning the food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, "This is your food for today, for today is the Sabbath to Jehovah and there will be no food on the ground today. 26 Gather the food for six days, but the seventh is a Sabbath, and there will be none there for you on that day."
27 But some of the people went out anyway to gather food, even though it was the Sabbath, but there wasn't any.
28-29 "How long will these people refuse to obey?" the Lord asked Moses. "Don't they realize that I am giving them twice as much on the sixth day, so that there will be enough for two days? For the Lord has given you the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest; stay in your tents and don't go out to pick up food from the ground that day." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the food became known as "manna" (meaning "What is it?"); it was white, like coriander seed, and flat, and tasted like honey bread.
32 Then Moses gave them this further instruction from the Lord: they were to take two quarts of it to be kept as a museum specimen forever, so that later generations could see the bread the Lord had fed them in the wilderness, when he brought them from Egypt. 33 Moses told Aaron to get a container and put two quarts of manna in it and to keep it in a sacred place from generation to generation. 34 Aaron did this, just as the Lord had instructed Moses, and eventually it was kept in the Ark in the Tabernacle.
35 So the people of Israel ate the manna forty years until they arrived in the land of Canaan, where there were crops to eat. 36 The omer-the container used to measure the manna-held about two quarts; it is approximately a tenth of a bushel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,199
3,3,5,283
4,4,7,501
5,5,9,730
6,6,11,860
7,7,13,996
8,8,15,1177
9,9,17,1459
10,10,19,1642
11,11,21,1796
12,12,23,1827
13,13,25,2035
14,14,27,2132
15,15,29,2212
16,16,31,2393
17,17,33,2521
18,18,35,2615
19,19,37,2799
20,20,39,2870
21,21,41,3051
22,22,43,3165
23,23,45,3326
24,24,47,3564
25,25,49,3693
26,26,51,3852
27,27,53,3993
28,28,55,4091
29,29,57,4195
30,30,59,4405
31,31,61,4453
32,32,63,4574
33,33,65,4761
34,34,67,4902
35,35,69,5024
36,36,71,5153
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,236
4,5,5,438
6,9,7,758
10,10,9,1236
11,12,11,1389
13,16,12,1602
17,18,15,2108
19,19,17,2386
20,22,19,2441
23,23,21,2949
24,26,23,3199
27,27,25,3526
28,30,27,3641
31,31,29,4026
32,34,31,4168
35,36,33,4683
STRESS EXODU 16:2
It happened again. As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God provided for their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response. The Israelites didn't really want to be back in Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier. In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case, lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way of escape. When pressure comes your way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, focus on God's power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause of your stress.
SCHEDULING EXODU 16:23
The Israelites were not supposed to work on the Sabbath-not even to cook food. Why? God knew that the busy routine of daily living could distract people from worshiping him. It is so easy to let school, friends, and other activities crowd our schedules so tightly that we don't spend regular time with God.
EXODU017
Y Y 1 The whole Israelite community left the Desert of Sin and traveled from place to place, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.
2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why are you testing the LORD?"
3 But the people were very thirsty for water, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?"
4 So Moses cried to the LORD, "What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me to death."
5 The LORD said to Moses, "Go ahead of the people, and take some of the older leaders of Israel with you. Carry with you the walking stick that you used to strike the Nile River. Now go!
6 I will stand in front of you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Hit that rock with the stick, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink." Moses did these things as the older leaders of Israel watched.
7 He named that place Massah, because the Israelites tested the LORD when they asked, "Is the LORD with us or not?" He also named it Meribah, because they quarreled.
8 At Rephidim the Amalekites came and fought the Israelites.
9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men and go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the walking stick of God in my hands."
10 Joshua obeyed Moses and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites would win the fight, but when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites would win.
12 Later, when Moses' arms became tired, the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands- Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down.
13 So Joshua defeated the Amalekites in this battle.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write about this battle in a book so people will remember. And be sure to tell Joshua, because I will completely destroy the Amalekites from the earth."
15 Then Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is my Banner.
16 Moses said, "I lifted my hands toward the LORD' s throne. The LORD will fight against the Amalekites forever."
t t 1 Now, at God's command, the people of Israel left the Sihn Desert, going by easy stages to Rephidim. But upon arrival, there was no water!
2 So once more the people growled and complained to Moses. "Give us water!" they wailed.
"Quiet!" Moses commanded. "Are you trying to test God's patience with you?"
3 But, tormented by thirst, they cried out, "Why did you ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here to die, with our children and cattle too?"
4 Then Moses pleaded with Jehovah. "What shall I do? For they are almost ready to stone me."
5-6 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Take the elders of Israel with you and lead the people out to Mount Horeb. I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your rod
-the same one you struck the Nile with-and water will come pouring out, enough for everyone!" Moses did as he was told, and the water gushed out! 7 Moses named the place Massah (meaning "tempting Jehovah to slay us"), and sometimes they referred to it as Meribah (meaning "argument" and "strife!")-for it was there that the people of Israel argued against God and tempted him to slay them by saying, "Is Jehovah going to take care of us or not?"
8 But now the warriors of Amalek came to fight against the people of Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses instructed Joshua to issue a call to arms to the Israelites, to fight the army of Amalek.
"Tomorrow," Moses told him, "I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand!"
10 So Joshua and his men went out to fight the army of Amalek. Meanwhile Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 And as long as Moses held up the rod in his hands, Israel was winning; but whenever he rested his arms at his sides, the soldiers of Amalek were winning. 12 Moses' arms finally became too tired to hold up the rod any longer; so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua and his troops crushed the army of Amalek, putting them to the sword.
14 Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Write this into a permanent record, to be remembered forever, and announce to Joshua that I will utterly blot out every trace of Amalek." 15-16 Moses built an altar there and called it "Jehovah-nissi" (meaning "Jehovah is my flag").
"Raise the banner of the Lord!" Moses said. "For the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,196
3,3,5,347
4,4,7,544
5,5,9,657
6,6,11,848
7,7,13,1063
8,8,15,1233
9,9,17,1298
10,10,19,1472
11,11,21,1590
12,12,23,1730
13,13,25,1962
14,14,27,2019
15,15,29,2209
16,16,31,2278
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,144
3,3,6,313
4,4,8,469
5,7,10,565
8,9,13,1182
10,13,16,1472
14,16,18,2035
EXODU018
1 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, was the priest of Midian. He heard about everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites, and how the LORD had led the Israelites out of Egypt.
2 Now Moses had sent his wife Zipporah to Jethro, his father-in-law,
3 along with his two sons. The first son was named Gershom, because when he was born, Moses said, "I am a stranger in a foreign country."
4 The other son was named Eliezer, because when he was born, Moses said, "The God of my father is my help. He saved me from the king of Egypt."
5 So Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife and his two sons and went to Moses. He was camped in the desert near the mountain of God.
6 Jethro had sent a message ahead to Moses that said, "I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other's health, they went into Moses' tent.
8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the LORD had done to the king and the Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the problems they had faced along the way and how the LORD had saved them.
9 Jethro was very happy to hear all the good things the LORD had done for Israel when he had saved them from the Egyptians.
10 He said, "Praise the LORD. He has saved you from the Egyptians and their king, and he has saved the people from the power of the Egyptians.
11 Now I know the LORD is greater than all gods, because he did this to those who looked down on Israel."
12 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering and other sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the older leaders of Israel came to Moses' father-in-law to eat the holy meal together before God.
13 The next day Moses solved disagreements among the people, and the people stood around him from morning until night.
14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, "What is all this you are doing for the people? Why are you the only one to solve disagreements? All the people are standing around you from morning until night!"w
15 Then Moses said to his father-in-law, "It is because the people come to me for God's help in solving their disagreements.
16 When people have a disagreement, they come to me, and I decide who is right. I tell them God's laws and teachings."
17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "You are not doing this right.
18 You and the people who come to you will get too tired. This is too much work for you; you can't do it by yourself.
19 Now listen to me, and I will give you some advice. I want God to be with you. You must speak to God for the people and tell him about their disagreements.
20 Warn them about the laws and teachings, and teach them the right way to live and what they should do.
21 But choose some capable men from among the people- men who respect God, who can be trusted, and who will not change their decisions for money. Make these men officers over the people, to rule over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
22 Let these officers solve the disagreements among the people all the time. They can bring the hard cases to you, but they can decide the simple cases themselves. That will make it easier for you, because they will share the work with you.
23 If you do this as God commands you, then you will be able to do your job, and all the people will go home with their disagreements solved."
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
25 He chose capable men from all the Israelites and made them leaders over the people; they were officers over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
26 These officers solved disagreements among the people all the time. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but they decided the simple cases themselves.
27 So Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro went back to his own home.
1 Word soon reached Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, about all the wonderful things God had done for his people and for Moses, and how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt.
2 Then Jethro took Moses' wife, Zipporah, to him (for he had sent her home), 3 along with Moses' two sons, Gershom (meaning "foreigner," for Moses said when he was born, "I have been wandering in a foreign land") 4 and Eliezer (meaning "God is my help," for Moses said at his birth, "The God of my fathers was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"). 5-6 They arrived while Moses and the people were camped at Mount Sinai. "Jethro, your father-in-law, has come to visit you," Moses was told, "and he has brought your wife and your two sons."
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and greeted him warmly; they asked about each other's health and then went into Moses' tent to talk further. 8 Moses related to his father-in-law all that had been happening and what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in order to deliver Israel, and all the problems there had been along the way, and how the Lord had delivered his people from all of them. 9 Jethro was very happy about everything the Lord had done for Israel, and about his bringing them out of Egypt.
10 "Bless the Lord," Jethro said, "for he has saved you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and has rescued Israel. 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than any other god because he delivered his people from the proud and cruel Egyptians."
12 Jethro offered sacrifices to God, and afterwards Aaron and the leaders of Israel came to meet Jethro, and they all ate the sacrificial meal together before the Lord.
13 The next day Moses sat as usual to hear the people's complaints against each other, from morning to evening.
14 When Moses' father-in-law saw how much time this was taking, he said, "Why are you trying to do all this alone, with people standing here all day long to get your help?"
15-16 "Well, because the people come to me with their disputes, to ask for God's decisions," Moses told him. "I am their judge, deciding who is right and who is wrong, and instructing them in God's ways. I apply the laws of God to their particular disputes."
17 "It's not right!" his father-in-law exclaimed. 18 "You're going to wear yourself out-and if you do, what will happen to the people? Moses, this job is too heavy a burden for you to try to handle all by yourself. 19-20 Now listen, and let me give you a word of advice, and God will bless you: Be these people's lawyer-their representative before God-bringing him their questions to decide; you will tell them his decisions, teaching them God's laws, and showing them the principles of godly living.
21 "Find some capable, godly, honest men who hate bribes, and appoint them as judges, one judge for each 1000 people; he in turn will have ten judges under him, each in charge of a hundred; and under each of them will be two judges, each responsible for the affairs of fifty people; and each of these will have five judges beneath him, each counseling ten persons. 22 Let these men be responsible to serve the people with justice at all times. Anything that is too important or complicated can be brought to you. But the smaller matters they can take care of themselves. That way it will be easier for you because you will share the burden with them. 23 If you follow this advice, and if the Lord agrees, you will be able to endure the pressures, and there will be peace and harmony in the camp."
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law's advice and followed this suggestion. 25 He chose able men from all over Israel and made them judges over the people-thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 They were constantly available to administer justice. They brought the hard cases to Moses but judged the smaller matters themselves.
27 Soon afterwards Moses let his father-in-law return to his own land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,203
3,3,5,276
4,4,7,418
5,5,9,566
6,6,11,712
7,7,13,853
8,8,15,1013
9,9,17,1216
10,10,19,1344
11,11,21,1491
12,12,23,1601
13,13,25,1813
14,14,27,1936
15,15,29,2188
16,16,31,2317
17,17,33,2440
18,18,35,2512
19,19,37,2634
20,20,39,2796
21,21,41,2905
22,22,43,3159
23,23,45,3404
24,24,47,3551
25,25,49,3625
26,26,51,3790
27,27,53,3948
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,198
7,9,5,759
10,11,7,1287
12,12,9,1534
13,13,11,1707
14,14,13,1822
15,16,15,1998
17,20,17,2260
21,23,19,2764
24,26,21,3564
27,27,23,3901
RELATIVES EXODU 18:8-11
Moses told his father-in-law all that God had done, convincing him that the Lord was greater than any other god. Our relatives are often the hardest people to tell about God. Yet we should look for opportunities to tell them what God is doing in our lives, because we can have an important influence on them.
EXODU019
1 Exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt, they reached the Desert of Sinai.
2 When they left Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai and camped in the desert in front of the mountain.
3 Then Moses went up on the mountain to God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "Say this to the family of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
4 `Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt, as if on eagle's wings. And I brought you here to me.
5 So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine,
6 you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' You must tell the Israelites these words."
7 So Moses went down and called the older leaders of the people together. He told them all the words the LORD had commanded him to say.
8 All the people answered together, "We will do everything he has said." Then Moses took their answer back to the LORD.
9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will come to you in a thick cloud and speak to you. The people will hear me speaking with you and will always trust you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.
10 The LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and have them spend today and tomorrow preparing themselves. They must wash their clothes
11 and be ready by the day after tomorrow. On that day I, the LORD, will come down on Mount Sinai, and all the people will see me.
12 But you must set a limit around the mountain that the people are not to cross. Tell them not to go up on the mountain and not to touch the foot of it. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death
13 with stones or shot with arrows. No one is allowed to touch him. Whether it is a person or an animal, he will not live. But the trumpet will make a long blast, and only then may the people go up on the mountain."
14 After Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he made them prepare themselves for service to God, and they washed their clothes.
15 Then Moses said to the people, "Be ready in three days. Do not have sexual relations during this time."
16 On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud on the mountain. There was a very loud blast from a trumpet, and all the people in the camp trembled.
17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD came down on it in fire. The smoke rose from the mountain like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook wildly.
19 The sound from the trumpet became louder. Then Moses spoke, and the voice of God answered him.
20 When the LORD came down on top of Mount Sinai, he called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 The LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people that they must not force their way through to see me. If they do, many of them will die.
22 Even the priests, who may come near me, must first prepare themselves. If they don't, I, the LORD, will punish them."
23 Moses told the LORD, "The people cannot come up on Mount Sinai, because you yourself told us, `Set a limit around the mountain, and set it apart as holy.' "
24 The LORD said to him, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but don't allow the priests or the people to force their way through. They must not come up to the LORD, or I will punish them."
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them these things.
1 The Israelis arrived in the Sinai peninsula three months after the night of their departure from Egypt. 2-3 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base of Mount Sinai and set up camp there. Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God, and from somewhere in the mountain God called to him and said, "Give these instructions to the people of Israel. Tell them, 4 `You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I brought you to myself as though on eagles' wings. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep your part of my contract with you, you shall be my own little flock from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth is mine. 6 And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation.' "
7 Moses returned from the mountain and called together the leaders of the people and told them what the Lord had said.
8 They all responded in unison, "We will certainly do everything he asks of us." Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
9 Then he said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in the form of a dark cloud, so that the people themselves can hear me when I talk with you, and then they will always believe you. 10 Go down now and see that the people are ready for my visit. Sanctify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothes. 11 Then, the day after tomorrow, I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch. 12 Set boundary lines the people may not pass, and tell them, `Beware! Do not go up into the mountain or even touch its boundaries; whoever does shall die-13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot to death with arrows, whether man or animal.' Stay away from the mountain entirely until you hear a ram's horn sounding one long blast; then gather at the foot of the mountain!"
14 So Moses went down to the people and sanctified them and they washed their clothing.
15 He told them, "Get ready for God's appearance two days from now, and do not have sexual intercourse with your wives."
16 On the morning of the third day there was a terrific thunder and lightning storm, and a huge cloud came down upon the mountain, and there was a long, loud blast as from a ram's horn; and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in the form of fire; the smoke billowed into the sky as from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. 19 As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God thundered his reply. 20 So the Lord came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses ascended to God.
21 But the Lord told Moses, "Go back down and warn the people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to try to see God, for if they do, many of them will die. 22 Even the priests on duty must sanctify themselves, or else I will destroy them."
23 "But the people won't come up into the mountain!" Moses protested. "You told them not to! You told me to set boundaries around the mountain and to declare it off limits because it is reserved for God."
24 But Jehovah said, "Go down and bring Aaron back with you, and don't let the priests and the people break across the boundaries to try to come up here, or I will punish them."
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them what God had said.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,214
4,4,7,379
5,5,9,541
6,6,11,685
7,7,13,788
8,8,15,928
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18,18,35,2522
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22,22,43,3083
23,23,45,3208
24,24,47,3372
25,25,49,3568
1,6,1,1
7,7,2,724
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9,13,6,982
14,14,8,1784
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23,23,16,2995
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Profile: Moses ,!page "^moses" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
EXODU020
1 Then God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.
3 "You must not have any other gods except me.
4 "You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land.
5 You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
6 But I show kindness to thousands who love me and obey my commands.
7 "You must not use the name of the LORD your God thoughtlessly; the LORD will punish anyone who misuses his name.
8 "Remember to keep the Sabbath holy.
9 Work and get everything done during six days each week,
10 but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the LORD your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the foreigners living in your cities.
11 The reason is that in six days the LORD made everything- the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother so that you will live a long time in the land that the LORD your God is going to give you.
13 "You must not murder anyone.
14 "You must not be guilty of adultery.
15 "You must not steal.
16 "You must not tell lies about your neighbor. wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." 18 When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet, and when they saw the lightning and the smoke rising from the mountain, they shook with fear and stood far away from the mountain. 19 Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die." 20 Then Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, because God has come to test you. He wants you to respect him so you will not sin." 21 The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. 22 Then the LORD told Moses to say these things to the Israelites: "You yourselves have seen that I talked with you from heaven. 23 You must not use gold or silver to make idols for yourselves; do not worship these gods in addition to me. 24 "Make an altar of dirt for me, and sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Worship me in every place that I choose, and I will come and bless you. 25 If you use stones to make an altar for me, don't use stones that you have shaped with tools. When you use any tools on them, you make them unsuitable for use in worship. 26 And you must not go up to my altar on steps, or people will be able to see under your clothes."
1 Then God issued this edict:
2 "I am Jehovah your God who liberated you from your slavery in Egypt.
3 "You may worship no other god than me.
4 "You shall not make yourselves any idols: no images of animals, birds, or fish. 5 You must never bow or worship it in any way; for I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god!
"And when I punish people for their sins, the punishment continues upon the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate me; 6 but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.
7 "You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently, nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape punishment if you do.
8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day. 9 Six days a week are for your daily duties and your regular work, 10 but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God. On that day you are to do no work of any kind, nor shall your son, daughter, or slaves-whether men or women-or your cattle or your house guests. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heaven, earth, and sea, and everything in them, and rested the seventh day; so he blessed the Sabbath day and set it aside for rest.
12 "Honor your father and mother, that you may have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
13 "You must not murder.
14 "You must not commit adultery.
15 "You must not steal.
16 "You must not lie.
17 "You must not be envious of your neighbor's house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has."
18 All the people saw the lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, and heard the thunder and the long, frightening trumpet blast; and they stood at a distance, shaking with fear.
19 They said to Moses, "You tell us what God says and we will obey, but don't let God speak directly to us, or it will kill us."
20 "Don't be afraid," Moses told them, "for God has come in this way to show you his awesome power, so that from now on you will be afraid to sin against him!"
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord told Moses to be his spokesman to the people of Israel. "You are witnesses to the fact that I have made known my will to you from heaven. 23 Remember, you must not make or worship idols made of silver or gold or of anything else!
24 "The altars you make for me must be simple altars of earth. Offer upon them your sacrifices to me-your burnt offerings and peace offerings of sheep and oxen. Build altars only where I tell you to, and I will come and bless you there. 25 You may also build altars from stone, but if you do, then use only uncut stones and boulders. Don't chip or shape the stones with a tool, for that would make them unfit for my altar. 26 And don't make steps for the altar, or someone might look up beneath the skirts of your clothing and see your nakedness.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,39
3,3,5,134
4,4,7,185
5,5,9,329
6,6,11,521
7,7,13,594
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1,1,1,1
2,2,2,32
3,3,4,106
4,6,6,150
7,7,9,613
8,11,11,759
12,12,13,1268
13,13,15,1386
14,14,17,1414
15,15,19,1451
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19,19,27,1854
20,20,29,1986
21,21,31,2149
22,23,33,2244
24,26,35,2493
GOD'S NAME EXODU 20:7
God's name is special because it carries his personal identity. Using it frivolously or in a curse is so common today that we may fail to realize how serious it is. The way we use God's name conveys how we really feel about him. We should respect his name and use it appropriately, speaking it in praise or worship rather than in curse or jest.
HONOR EXODU 20:12
This is the first commandment with a promise attached. To live in peace for generations in the Promised Land, the Israelites would need to respect authority and build strong families. But what does it mean to honor parents? Partly, it means speaking well of them and politely to them. It also means acting in a way that shows them courtesy and respect (but not to obey them if this means disobedience to God). It means following their teaching and their example of putting God first. Parents have a special place in God's sight. Even those who find it difficult to get along with their parents are still commanded to honor them.
EXODU021
1 Then God said to Moses, "These are the laws for living that you will give to the Israelites:
2 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, and he will have to pay nothing.
3 If he is not married when he becomes your slave, he must leave without a wife. But if he is married when he becomes your slave, he may take his wife with him.
4 If the slave's master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. When the slave is set free, only he may leave.
5 "But if the slave says, `I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don't want to go free,'
6 then the slave's master must take him to God. The master is to take him to a door or doorframe and punch a hole through the slave's ear using a sharp tool. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.
7 "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, the rules for setting her free are different from the rules for setting the male slaves free.
8 If the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with her, he must let one of her close relatives buy her back. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.
9 If the man who bought her promises to let the woman marry his son, he must treat her as a daughter.
10 If the man who bought her marries another woman, he must not keep his first wife from having food or clothing or sexual relations.
11 If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, and she owes him no money.
12 "Anyone who hits a person and kills him must be put to death.
13 But if a person kills someone accidentally, God allowed that to happen, so the person must go to a place I will choose.
14 But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.
15 "Anyone who hits his father or his mother must be put to death.
16 "Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.
17 "Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.
18 "If two men argue, and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist, the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed.
19 Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his walking stick, the one who hit him is not to be punished. But he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely healed.
20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a stick, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished.
21 But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished since the slave belongs to him.
22 "Suppose two men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing the baby to come out. If there is no further injury, the man who caused the accident must pay money- whatever amount the woman's husband says and the court allows.
23 But if there is further injury, then the punishment that must be paid is life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
26 "If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye, and the eye is blinded, the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye.
27 If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.
28 "If a man's bull kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by throwing stones at it, and you should not eat the bull. But the owner of the bull is not guilty.
29 However, suppose the bull has hurt people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not keep it in a pen. Then if it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death.
30 But if the family of the dead person accepts money, the one who owned the bull may buy back his life, but he must pay whatever is demanded.
31 Use this same law if the bull kills a person's son or daughter.
32 If the bull kills a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces of silver, and the bull must also be stoned to death.
33 "If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man's ox or donkey comes and falls into it,
34 the owner of the pit must pay the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.
35 "If a man's bull kills another man's bull, they must sell the bull that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed.
36 But if a person's bull has hurt other animals in the past and the owner did not keep it in a pen, that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.
1 "Here are other laws you must obey:
2 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve only six years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain his freedom.
3 "If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with him at the same time. 4 But if his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free.
5 "But if the man shall plainly declare, `I prefer my master, my wife, and my children, and I would rather not go free,' 6 then his master shall bring him before the judges and shall publicly bore his ear with an awl, and after that he will be a slave forever.
7 "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. 8 If she does not please the man who bought her, then he shall let her be bought back again; but he has no power to sell her to foreigners, since he has wronged her by no longer wanting her after marrying her. 9 And if he arranges an engagement between a Hebrew slave girl and his son, then he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but must treat her as a daughter. 10 If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing, or fail to sleep with her as his wife. 11 If he fails in any of these three things, then she may leave freely without any payment.
12 "Anyone who hits a man so hard that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 But if it is accidental-an act of God-and not intentional, then I will appoint a place where he can run and get protection. 14 However, if a man deliberately attacks another, intending to kill him, drag him even from my altar, and kill him.
15 "Anyone who strikes his father or mother shall surely be put to death.
16 "A kidnapper must be killed, whether he is caught in possession of his victim or has already sold him as a slave.
17 "Anyone who reviles or curses his mother or father shall surely be put to death.
18 "If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined to bed, but doesn't die, 19 if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp, the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed, and pay any medical expenses.
20 "If a man beats his slave to death-whether the slave is male or female-that man shall surely be punished. 21 However, if the slave does not die for a couple of days, then the man shall not be punished-for the slave is his property.
22 "If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman's husband shall demand, and as the judges approve. 23 But if any harm comes to the woman and she dies, he shall be executed.
24 "If her eye is injured, injure his; if her tooth is knocked out, knock out his; and so on-hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, lash for lash.
26 "If a man hits his slave in the eye, whether man or woman, and the eye is blinded, then the slave shall go free because of his eye. 27 And if a master knocks out his slave's tooth, he shall let him go free to pay for the tooth.
28 "If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner shall not be held-29 unless the ox was known to gore people in the past, and the owner had been notified and still the ox was not kept under control; in that case, if it kills someone, the ox shall be stoned and the owner also shall be killed. 30 But the dead man's relatives may accept a fine instead, if they wish. The judges will determine the amount.
31 "The same law holds if the ox gores a boy or a girl. 32 But if the ox gores a slave, whether male or female, the slave's master shall be given thirty pieces of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 "If a man digs a well and doesn't cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the well shall pay full damages to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall belong to him.
35 "If a man's ox injures another, and it dies, then the two owners shall sell the live ox and divide the price between them-and each shall also own half of the dead ox. 36 But if the ox was known from past experience to gore, and its owner has not kept it under control, then there will not be a division of the income; but the owner of the living ox shall pay in full for the dead ox, and the dead one shall be his.
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21,21,41,2734
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26,26,51,3310
27,27,53,3442
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35,35,69,4611
36,36,71,4774
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,40
3,4,4,182
5,6,6,580
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12,14,10,1551
15,15,12,1875
16,16,14,1952
17,17,16,2072
18,19,18,2159
20,21,20,2517
22,23,22,2755
24,25,24,3069
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31,32,30,3943
33,34,32,4145
35,36,34,4349
Scrapbook: "Kristy: A balanced life" ,!page "kristy1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
EXODU022
1 "If a man steals a bull or a sheep and kills or sells it, he must pay back five bulls for the one bull he stole and four sheep for the one sheep he stole.
2 "If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if this happens during the day, he is guilty of murder.
3 "The robber who is caught must pay back what he stole. If he owns nothing, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole.
4 "If the stolen animal is found alive with the robber, he must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole, whether it was a bull, donkey, or sheep.
5 "If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man's field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must pay back the loss from the best of his crop.
6 "Suppose a man starts a fire that spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor's field. If the fire burns his neighbor's growing grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay for what was burned.
7 "Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things to keep for him and those things are stolen from the neighbor's house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole.
8 But if the thief is never found, the owner of the house must make a promise before God that he has not stolen his neighbor's things.
9 "Suppose two men disagree about who owns something- whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says 'This is mine,' each man must bring his case to God. God's judges will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.
10 "Suppose a man asks his neighbor to keep his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets hurt, or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened.
11 That neighbor must promise before the LORD that he did not harm or kill the other man's animal, and the owner of the animal must accept his promise made before God. The neighbor does not have to pay the owner for the animal.
12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must pay the owner for it.
13 If wild animals killed it, the neighbor must bring the body as proof, and he will not have to pay for the animal that was killed.
14 "If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets hurt or dies while the owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay the owner for the animal.
15 But if the owner is with the animal, the one who borrowed it does not have to pay. If the animal was rented, the rental price covers the loss.
16 "Suppose a man finds a woman who is not pledged to be married and has never had sexual relations with a man. If he tricks her into having sexual relations with him, he must give her family the payment to marry her, and she will become his wife.
17 But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations.
18 "Put to death any woman who does evil magic.
19 "Put to death anyone who has sexual relations with an animal.
20 "Destroy completely any person who makes a sacrifice to any god except the LORD.
21 "Do not cheat or hurt a foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 "Do not cheat a widow or an orphan.
23 If you do, and they cry out to me for help, I certainly will hear their cry.
24 And I will be very angry and kill you in war. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.
25 "If you lend money to one of my people who is poor, do not treat him as a moneylender would. Charge him nothing for using your money.
26 If your neighbor gives you his coat as a promise for the money he owes you, you must give it back to him by sunset,
27 because it is the only cover to keep his body warm. He has nothing else to sleep in. If he cries out to me for help, I will listen, because I am merciful.
28 "You must not speak against God or curse a leader of your people.
29 "Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make. Also, you must give me your firstborn sons.
30 You must do the same with your bulls and your sheep. Let the firstborn males stay with their mothers for seven days, and on the eighth day you must give them to me.
31 "You are to be my holy people. You must not eat the meat of any animal that has been killed by wild animals. Instead, give it to the dogs.
1 "If a man steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, he shall pay a fine of five to one-five oxen shall be returned for each stolen ox. For sheep, the fine shall be four to one-four sheep returned for each sheep stolen.
2 "If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty. 3 But if it happens in the daylight, it must be presumed to be murder and the man who kills him is guilty.
"If a thief is captured, he must make full restitution; if he can't, then he must be sold as a slave for his debt.
4 "If he is caught in the act of stealing a live ox or donkey or sheep or whatever it is, he shall pay double value as his fine.
5 "If someone deliberately lets his animal loose and it gets into another man's vineyard; or if he turns it into another man's field to graze, he must pay for all damages by giving the owner of the field or vineyard an equal amount of the best of his own crop.
6 "If the field is being burned off and the fire gets out of control and goes into another field so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, are destroyed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 "If someone gives money or goods to anyone to keep for him, and it is stolen, the thief shall pay double if he is found. 8 But if no thief is found, then the man to whom the valuables were entrusted shall be brought before God to determine whether or not he himself has stolen his neighbor's property.
9 "In every case in which an ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or anything else is lost, and the owner believes he has found it in the possession of someone else who denies it, both parties to the dispute shall come before God for a decision, and the one whom God declares guilty shall pay double to the other.
10 "If a man asks his neighbor to keep a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for him, and it dies, or is hurt, or gets away, and there is no eyewitness to report just what happened to it, 11 then the neighbor must take an oath that he has not stolen it, and the owner must accept his word, and no restitution shall be made for it. 12 But if the animal or property has been stolen, the neighbor caring for it must repay the owner. 13 If it was attacked by some wild animal, he shall bring the torn carcass to confirm the fact, and shall not be required to make restitution.
14 "If a man borrows an animal (or anything else) from a neighbor, and it is injured or killed, and the owner is not there at the time, then the man who borrowed it must pay for it. 15 But if the owner is there, he need not pay; and if it was rented, then he need not pay, because this possibility was included in the original rental fee.
16 "If a man seduces a girl who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the usual dowry and accept her as his wife. 17 But if her father utterly refuses to let her marry him, then he shall pay the money anyway.
18 "A sorceress shall be put to death.
19 "Anyone having sexual relations with an animal shall certainly be executed.
20 "Anyone sacrificing to any other god than Jehovah shall be executed.
21 "You must not oppress a stranger in any way; remember, you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 "You must not exploit widows or orphans; 23 if you do so in any way, and they cry to me for my help, I will surely give it. 24 And my anger shall flame out against you, and I will kill you with enemy armies, so that your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
25 "If you lend money to a needy fellow Hebrew, you are not to handle the transaction in an ordinary way, with interest. 26 If you take his clothing as a pledge of his repayment, you must let him have it back at night. 27 For it is probably his only warmth; how can he sleep without it? If you don't return it, and he cries to me for help, I will hear and be very gracious to him at your expense, for I am very compassionate.
28 "You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse government officials-your judges and your rulers.
29 "You must be prompt in giving me the tithe of your crops and your wine, and the redemption payment for your oldest son.
30 "As to the firstborn of the oxen and the sheep, give it to me on the eighth day, after leaving it with its mother for seven days.
31 "And since you yourselves are holy-my special people-do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Leave its carcass for the dogs to eat.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,162
3,3,5,336
4,4,7,470
5,5,9,633
6,6,11,829
7,7,13,1099
8,8,15,1300
9,9,17,1439
10,10,19,1750
11,11,21,1939
12,12,23,2171
13,13,25,2256
14,14,27,2393
15,15,29,2561
16,16,31,2711
17,17,33,2963
18,18,35,3122
19,19,37,3174
20,20,39,3243
21,21,41,3331
22,22,43,3423
23,23,45,3466
24,24,47,3550
25,25,49,3678
26,26,51,3819
27,27,53,3942
28,28,55,4104
29,29,57,4177
30,30,59,4325
31,31,61,4497
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,233
4,4,6,572
5,5,8,704
6,6,10,968
7,8,12,1193
9,9,14,1500
10,13,16,1809
14,15,18,2388
16,17,20,2730
18,18,22,2963
19,19,24,3005
20,20,26,3087
21,21,28,3162
22,24,30,3276
25,27,32,3554
28,28,34,3984
29,29,36,4080
30,30,38,4206
31,31,40,4342
RESTITUTION EXODU 22:3
Throughout chapter 22 we find examples of the principle of restitution- making wrongs right. For example, if a man stole an animal, he had to repay double the beast's market value. If you have done someone wrong, perhaps you should go beyond what is expected to make things right. This will (1) help ease any pain you've caused, (2) help the other person to be more forgiving, and (3) make you more likely to think before you do it again.
STRANGERS EXODU 22:21
God warned the Israelites not to treat strangers unfairly, because they themselves were once strangers in Egypt. It is not easy coming to a new environment where you feel alone and out of place. Are there strangers in your corner of the world? New arrivals at school? Immigrants from another country? Be sensitive to their struggles, and express God's love by your kindness and generosity.
EXODU023
1 "You must not tell lies. If you are a witness in court, don't help a wicked person by telling lies.
2 "You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it. If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is.
3 If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor.
4 "If you see your enemy's ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.
5 If you see that your enemy's donkey has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet.
6 "You must not be unfair to a poor person when he is in court.
7 You must not lie when you accuse someone in court. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not treat guilty people as if they were innocent.
8 "You must not accept money from a person who wants you to lie in court, because such money will not let you see what is right. Such money makes good people tell lies.
9 "You must not mistreat a foreigner. You know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
10 "For six years you are to plant and harvest crops on your land.
11 Then during the seventh year, do not plow or plant your land. If any food grows there, allow the poor people to have it, and let the wild animals eat what is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and your orchards of olive trees.!
12 "You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must rest. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the foreigner be refreshed.
13 "Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not even say the names of other gods; those names must not come out of your mouth.
14 "Three times each year you must hold a feast to honor me.
15 You must celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the way I commanded you. For seven days you must eat bread that is made without yeast at the set time during the month of Abib, the month when you came out of Egypt. No one is to come to worship me without bringing an offering.
16 "You must celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Offer to God the first things you harvest from the crops you planted in your fields. "You must celebrate the Feast of Shelters in the fall, when you gather all the crops from your fields.
17 "So three times during every year all your males must come to worship the LORD God.
18 "You must not offer animal blood along with anything that has yeast in it. "You must not save any of the fat from the sacrifice for the next day.
19 "You must bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the Holy Tent of the LORD your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
20 "I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will protect you as you travel. He will lead you to the place I have prepared.
21 Pay attention to the angel and obey him. Do not turn against him; he will not forgive such turning against him because my power is in him.
22 If you listen carefully to all he says and do everything that I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight all who fight against you.
23 My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will destroy them.
24 "You must not bow down to their gods or worship them. You must not live the way those people live. You must destroy their idols, breaking into pieces the stone pillars they use in worship.
25 If you worship the LORD your God, I will bless your bread and your water. I will take away sickness from you.
26 None of your women will have her baby die before it is born, and all women will have children. I will allow you to live long lives.
27 "I will make your enemies afraid of me. I will confuse any people you fight against, and I will make all your enemies run away from you.
28 I will send terror ahead of you that will force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way.
29 But I will not force all those people out in only one year. If I did, the land would become a desert and the wild animals would become too many for you.
30 Instead, I will force those people out slowly, until there are enough of you to take over the land.
31 "I will give you the land from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give you power over the people who now live in the land, and you will force them out ahead of you.
32 You must not make an agreement with those people or with their gods.
33 You must not let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, you will be caught in a trap."
1 "Do not pass along untrue reports. Do not cooperate with an evil man by affirming on the witness stand something you know is false.
2-3 "Don't join mobs intent on evil. When on the witness stand, don't be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority present, and do not slant your testimony in favor of a man just because he is poor.
4 "If you come upon an enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, you must take it back to its owner. 5 If you see your enemy trying to get his donkey onto its feet beneath a heavy load, you must not go on by but must help him.
6 "A man's poverty is no excuse for twisting justice against him.
7 "Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil; never let an innocent person be put to death. I will not stand for this.
8 "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you unaware of what you clearly see! A bribe hurts the cause of the person who is right.
9 "Do not oppress foreigners; you know what it's like to be a foreigner; remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.
10 "Sow and reap your crops for six years, 11 but let the land rest and lie fallow during the seventh year, and let the poor among the people harvest any volunteer crop that may come up; leave the rest for the animals to enjoy. The same rule applies to your vineyards and your olive groves.
12 "Work six days only, and rest the seventh; this is to give your oxen and donkeys a rest, as well as the people of your household-your slaves and visitors.
13 "Be sure to obey all of these instructions; and remember-never mention the name of any other god.
14 "There are three annual religious pilgrimages you must make.
15 "The first is the Pilgrimage of Unleavened Bread, when for seven days you are not to eat bread with yeast, just as I commanded you before. This celebration is to be an annual event at the regular time in March, the month you left Egypt; everyone must bring me a sacrifice at that time. 16 Then there is the Harvest Pilgrimage, when you must bring to me the first of your crops. And, finally, the Pilgrimage of Ingathering at the end of the harvest season. 17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord God.
18 "No sacrificial blood shall be offered with leavened bread; no sacrificial fat shall be left unoffered until the next morning.
19 "As you reap each of your crops, bring me the choicest sample of the first day's harvest; it shall be offered to the Lord your God. "Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
20 "See, I am sending an Angel before you to lead you safely to the land I have prepared for you. 21 Reverence him and obey all of his instructions; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; he is my representative-he bears my name.
22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies. 23 For my Angel shall go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to live there. And I will destroy those people before you.
24 "You must not worship the gods of these other nations, nor sacrifice to them in any way, and you must not follow the evil example of these heathen people; you must utterly conquer them and break down their shameful idols.
25 "You shall serve the Lord your God only; then I will bless you with food and with water, and I will take away sickness from among you. 26 There will be no miscarriages nor barrenness throughout your land, and you will live out the full quota of the days of your life.
27 "The terror of the Lord shall fall upon all the people whose land you invade, and they will flee before you; 28 and I will send hornets to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from before you. 29 I will not do it all in one year, for the land would become a wilderness, and the wild animals would become too many to control. 30 But I will drive them out a little at a time, until your population has increased enough to fill the land. 31 And I will set your enlarged boundaries from the Red Sea to the Philistine coast, and from the southern deserts as far as the Euphrates River; and I will cause you to defeat the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32 "You must make no covenant with them, nor have anything to do with their gods. 33 Don't let them live among you! For I know that they will infect you with their sin of worshiping false gods, and that would be an utter disaster to you."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,107
3,3,5,293
4,4,7,381
5,5,9,468
6,6,11,633
7,7,13,701
8,8,15,898
9,9,17,1071
10,10,19,1192
11,11,21,1263
12,12,23,1512
13,13,25,1709
14,14,27,1852
15,15,29,1917
16,16,31,2204
17,17,33,2439
18,18,35,2530
19,19,37,2683
20,20,39,2840
21,21,41,2967
22,22,43,3113
23,23,45,3270
24,24,47,3434
25,25,49,3630
26,26,51,3747
27,27,53,3886
28,28,55,4030
29,29,57,4140
30,30,59,4300
31,31,61,4407
32,32,63,4633
33,33,65,4709
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,138
4,5,5,351
6,6,7,583
7,7,9,652
8,8,11,785
9,9,13,914
10,11,15,1041
12,12,17,1335
13,13,19,1496
14,14,21,1600
15,17,23,1667
18,18,25,2218
19,19,27,2351
20,21,29,2538
22,23,31,2801
24,24,33,3114
25,26,35,3342
27,31,37,3616
32,33,39,4322
GOSSIP EXODU 23:1
Making up or passing along untrue reports was strictly forbidden by God. Gossip, slander, and false witnessing undermined families, strained neighborhood cooperation, and made chaos of the justice system. Destructive gossip still causes problems. Even if you do not initiate a lie, you become responsible if you pass it along. Don't circulate rumors; squelch them.
Moral Dilemmas: Peer Pressure ,!page "^M0046" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
EXODU024
1 The LORD told Moses, "You, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the older leaders of Israel must come up to me and worship me from a distance.
2 Then Moses alone must come near me; the others must not come near. The rest of the people must not come up the mountain with Moses."
3 Moses told the people all the LORD' s words and laws for living. Then all of the people answered out loud together, "We will do all the things the LORD has said."
4 So Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. And he got up early the next morning and built an altar near the bottom of the mountain. He set up twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 Then Moses sent young Israelite men to offer whole burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD.
6 Moses put half of the blood of these animals in bowls, and he sprinkled the other half of the blood on the altar.
7 Then he took the Book of the Agreement and read it so the people could hear him. And they said, "We will do everything that the LORD has said; we will obey."
8 Then Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood that begins the Agreement, the Agreement which the LORD has made with you about all these words."
9 Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the older leaders of Israel went up the mountain
10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a surface that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the sky!
11 These leaders of the Israelites saw God, but God did not destroy them. Then they ate and drank together.
12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up the mountain to me. Wait there, and I will give you two stone tablets. On these are the teachings and the commands I have written to instruct the people."
13 So Moses and his helper Joshua set out, and Moses went up to Sinai, the mountain of God.
14 Moses said to the older leaders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone who has a disagreement with others can take it to them."
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it.
16 The glory of the LORD came down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud.
17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain.
18 Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
1 The Lord now instructed Moses, "Come up here with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. All of you except Moses are to worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord; and remember, none of the ordinary people are permitted to come up into the mountain at all."
3 Then Moses announced to the people all the laws and regulations God had given him; and the people answered in unison, "We will obey them all."
4 Moses wrote down the laws; and early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars around the altar because there were twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice the burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood of these animals and drew it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar.
7 And he read to the people the Book he had written-the Book of the Covenant-containing God's directions and laws. And the people said again, "We solemnly promise to obey every one of these rules."
8 Then Moses threw the blood from the basins toward the people and said, "This blood confirms and seals the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws."
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up into the mountain. 10 And they saw the God of Israel; under his feet there seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire stones, as clear as the heavens.
11 Yet, even though the elders saw God, he did not destroy them; and they had a meal together before the Lord.
12 And the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me into the mountain, and remain until I give you the laws and commandments I have written on tablets of stone, so that you can teach the people from them." 13 So Moses and Joshua, his assistant, went up into the mountain of God.
14 He told the elders, "Stay here and wait for us until we come back; if there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur."
15 Then Moses went up the mountain and disappeared into the cloud at the top. 16 And the glory of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud. 17 Those at the bottom of the mountain saw the awesome sight: the glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a raging fire. 18 And Moses disappeared into the cloud-covered mountaintop, and was there for forty days and forty nights.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,149
3,3,5,288
4,4,7,457
5,5,9,675
6,6,11,814
7,7,13,934
8,8,15,1098
9,9,17,1302
10,10,19,1400
11,11,21,1554
12,12,23,1666
13,13,25,1861
14,14,27,1957
15,15,29,2138
16,16,31,2203
17,17,33,2364
18,18,35,2462
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,305
4,6,5,453
7,7,7,866
8,8,9,1067
9,10,11,1241
11,11,13,1477
12,13,15,1591
14,14,17,1867
15,18,19,2012
Ult. Issues: The Ark ,!page "^ark" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
EXODU025
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the Israelites to bring me gifts. Receive for me the gifts each person wants to give.
3 These are the gifts that you should receive from them: gold, silver, bronze;
4 blue, purple, and red thread; fine linen, goat hair,
5 sheepskins that are dyed red; fine leather; acacia wood;
6 olive oil to burn in the lamps; spices for sweet-smelling incense, and the special olive oil poured on a person's head to make him a priest;
7 onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and the chest covering.
8 "The people must build a holy place for me so that I can live among them.
9 Build this Holy Tent and everything in it by the plan I will show you.
10 "Use acacia wood and build an Ark forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
11 Cover the Ark inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around it.
12 Make four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side.
13 Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
14 Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark, and use these poles to carry it.
15 These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark. Do not take them out.
16 Then put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you.
17 "Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark; this is the mercy seat. Make it forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.
18 Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings, and put one on each end of the lid.
19 Attach one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the lid at the ends.
20 The creatures' wings should be spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures are to face each other across the lid.
21 Put this lid on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you.
22 I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two winged creatures on the Ark of the Agreement. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.
23 "Make a table out of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
24 Cover it with pure gold, and put a gold strip around it.
25 Make a frame three inches high that stands up all around the edge, and put a gold strip around it.
26 Then make four gold rings. Attach them to the four corners of the table where the four legs are.
27 Put the rings close to the frame around the top of the table, because they will hold the poles for carrying it.
28 Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them with gold, and carry the table with these poles.
29 Make the plates and bowls for the table, as well as the jars and cups, out of pure gold. They will be used for pouring out the drink offerings.
30 On this table put the bread that shows you are in my presence so that it is always there in front of me.
31 "Hammer pure gold to make a lampstand. Its base, stand, flower-like cups, buds, and petals must all be joined together in one piece.
32 The lampstand must have six branches going out from its sides- three on one side and three on the other.
33 Each branch must have three cups shaped like almond flowers on it. Each cup must have a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same.
34 And there must be four more cups made like almond flowers on the lampstand itself. These cups must also have buds and petals.
35 Put a bud under each pair of branches that goes out from the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same.
36 The branches, buds, and lampstand must be made of one piece, hammered out of pure gold.
37 "Then make seven small oil lamps and put them on the lampstand so that they give light to the area in front of it.
38 The wick trimmers and trays must be made of pure gold.
39 Use seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and everything with it.
40 Be very careful to make them by the plan I showed you on the mountain.
1 Jehovah said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that everyone who wants to may bring me an offering from this list: gold, silver, bronze, blue cloth, purple cloth, scarlet cloth, fine twined linen, goats' hair, red-dyed rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
8 "For I want the people of Israel to make me a sacred Temple where I can live among them.
9 "This home of mine shall be a tent pavilion-a Tabernacle. I will give you a drawing of the construction plan and the details of each furnishing.
10 "Using acacia wood, make an Ark 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high. 11 Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, with a molding of gold all around it. 12 Cast four rings of gold for it and attach them to the four lower corners, two rings on each side. 13-14 Make poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold, and fit the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15 These carrying poles shall never be taken from the rings, but are to be left there permanently. 16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the tablets of stone I will give you, with the Ten Commandments engraved on them.
17 "And make a lid of pure gold, 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. This is the place of mercy for your sins.
18 Then make two statues of Guardian Angels using beaten gold, and place them at the two ends of the lid of the Ark. 19 They shall be one piece with the mercy place, one at each end. 20 The Guardian Angels shall be facing each other, looking down upon the place of mercy, and shall have wings spread out above the gold lid. 21 Install the lid upon the Ark, and place within the Ark the tablets of stone I shall give you. 22 And I will meet with you there and talk with you from above the place of mercy between the Guardian Angels; and the Ark will contain the laws of my covenant. There I will tell you my commandments for the people of Israel.
23 "Then make a table of acacia wood 3 feet long, 1 feet wide, and 2 feet high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold, and run a rib of gold around it. 25 Put a molding four inches wide around the edge of the top, and a gold ridge along the molding, all around. 26-27 Make four gold rings and put the rings at the outside corner of the four legs, close to the top; these are rings for the poles that will be used to carry the table. 28 Make the poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold. 29 And make gold dishes, spoons, pitchers, and flagons; 30 and always keep the special Bread of the Presence on the table before me.
31 "Make a lampstand of pure, beaten gold. The entire lampstand and its decorations shall be one piece-the base, shaft, lamps, and blossoms. 32-33 It will have three branches going out from each side of the center shaft, each branch decorated with three almond flowers. 34-35 The central shaft itself will be decorated with four almond flowers-one placed between each set of branches; also, there will be one flower above the top set of branches and one below the bottom set. 36 These decorations and branches and the shaft are all to be one piece of pure, beaten gold. 37 Then make seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so that they reflect their light forward. 38 The snuffers and trays are to be made of pure gold. 39 You will need about 107 pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
40 "Be sure that everything you make follows the pattern I am showing you here on the mountain.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,129
4,4,7,212
5,5,9,271
6,6,11,334
7,7,13,481
8,8,15,568
9,9,17,648
10,10,19,725
11,11,21,846
12,12,23,934
13,13,25,1032
14,14,27,1098
15,15,29,1195
16,16,31,1278
17,17,33,1347
18,18,35,1482
19,19,37,1576
20,20,39,1718
21,21,41,1846
22,22,43,1946
23,23,45,2115
24,24,47,2232
25,25,49,2296
26,26,51,2402
27,27,53,2506
28,28,55,2625
29,29,57,2727
30,30,59,2878
31,31,61,2990
32,32,63,3130
33,33,65,3242
34,34,67,3426
35,35,69,3559
36,36,71,3710
37,37,73,3805
38,38,75,3927
39,39,77,3989
40,40,79,4079
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,416
9,9,5,510
10,16,7,660
17,17,9,1279
18,22,11,1386
23,30,13,2036
31,39,15,2651
40,40,17,3464
EXODU026
1 "Make for the Holy Tent ten curtains of fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread. Have a skilled craftsman sew designs of creatures with wings on the pieces of cloth.
2 Make each curtain the same size- forty-two feet long and six feet wide.
3 Sew five curtains together for one set, and sew the other curtains together for the second set.
4 Make loops of blue cloth on the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set. Make fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set. These loops must be opposite each other. 6 And make fifty gold hooks to join the two sets of curtains so that the Holy Tent is one piece. 7 "Then make another tent that will cover the Holy Tent, using eleven curtains made from goat hair. 8 All these curtains must be the same size- forty-five feet long and six feet wide. 9 Sew five of the curtains together into one set. Then sew the other six curtains together into the second set. Fold the sixth curtain double over the front of the Tent. 10 Make fifty loops down the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set. 11 Then make fifty bronze hooks and put them in the loops to join the tent together so that the covering is one piece. 12 Let the extra half piece of cloth hang over the back of the Holy Tent. 13 There will be eighteen inches hanging over the sides of the Holy Tent, to protect it. 14 Make a covering for the Holy Tent from sheepskins colored red, and over that make a covering from fine leather. 1
5 "Use acacia wood to make upright frames for the Holy Tent. 1
6 Each frame must be fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide, 1
7 with two pegs side by side. Every frame must be made the same way. 1
8 Make twenty frames for the south side of the Holy Tent. 1
9 Each frame must have two silver bases to go under it, a peg fitting into each base. You must make forty silver bases for the frames. 20 Make twenty more frames for the north side of the Holy Tent 21 and forty silver bases for them- two bases for each frame. 22 You must make six frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent 23 and two frames for each corner at the rear. 24 The two frames are to be doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. Both corner frames must be made this way. 25 So there will be a total of eight frames at the rear of the Tent, and there will be sixteen silver bases- two bases under each frame. 26 "Make crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Make five crossbars to hold the frames together on one side 27 and five to hold the frames together on the other side. Also make five crossbars to hold the frames together on the west end, at the rear. 28 The middle crossbar is to be set halfway up the frames, and it is to run along the entire length of each side and rear. 29 Make gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and cover the frames and the crossbars with gold. 30 Set up the Holy Tent by the plan shown to you on the mountain. 31 "Make a curtain of fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread, and have a skilled craftsman sew designs of creatures with wings on it. 32 Hang the curtain by gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood that are covered with gold, and set them in four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the hooks in the roof, and put the Ark of the Agreement containing the two stone tablets behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 34 Put the lid on the Ark of the Agreement in the Most Holy Place. 35 "Outside the curtain, put the table on the north side of the Holy Tent. Put the lampstand on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table. 36 "Then, for the entrance of the Tent, make a curtain with fine linen and blue, purple, and red thread. Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it. 37 Make five posts of acacia wood covered with gold. Make gold hooks for them on which to hang the curtain, and make five bronze bases for them.
1 "Make the tabernacle-tent from ten colored sheets of fine linen, 42 feet long and 6 feet wide, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, with figures of Guardian Angels embroidered on them. 3 Join five sheets end to end for each side of the tent, forming two long pieces, one for each side. 4-5 Use loops at the edges to join these two long pieces together side by side. There are to be fifty loops on each side, opposite each other. 6 Then make fifty gold clasps to fasten the loops together, so that the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, becomes a single unit.
7-8 "The roof of the Tabernacle is made of goats' hair tarpaulins. There are to be eleven of these tarpaulins, each 45 feet across and 6 feet wide. 9 Connect five of these tarpaulins into one wide section; and use the other six for another wide section. (The sixth tarpaulin will hang down to form a curtain across the front of the sacred tent.) 10-11 Use fifty loops along the edges of each of these two wide pieces, to join them together with fifty bronze clasps. Thus the two widths become one. 12 There will be a 1-foot length of this roof covering hanging down from the back of the tent, 13 and a 1-foot length at the front. 14 On top of these blankets is placed a layer of rams' skins, dyed red, and over them a top layer of goatskins. This completes the roof covering.
15-16 "The framework of the sacred tent shall be made from acacia wood, each frame piece being 15 feet high and 2 feet wide, standing upright, 17 with grooves on each side to mortise into the next upright piece. 18-19 Twenty of these frames will form the south side of the sacred tent, with forty silver bases for the frames to fit into-two bases under each piece of the frame. 20 On the north side there will also be twenty of these frames, 21 with their forty silver bases, two bases for each frame, one under each edge. 22 On the west side there will be six frames, 23 and two frames at each corner. 24 These corner frames will be connected at the bottom and top with clasps. 25 So, in all, there will be eight frames on that end of the building with sixteen silver bases for the frames-two bases under each frame.
26-27 "Make bars of acacia wood to run across the frames, five bars on each side of the Tabernacle. Also five bars for the rear of the building, facing westward. 28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, runs all the way from end to end of the Tabernacle. 29 Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the bars; and also overlay the bars with gold. 30 Set up this Tabernacle-tent in the manner I showed you on the mountain.
31 "Inside the Tabernacle, make a curtain from fine linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels embroidered into the cloth. 32 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into four pillars made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The pillars are to be set in silver bases. 33 Behind this curtain place the Ark containing the stone tablets engraved with God's laws. The curtain will separate the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
34 "Now install the mercy place-the golden lid of the Ark-in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table and lampstand across the room from each other on the outer side of the veil, the lampstand on the south and the table on the north.
36 "As a screen for the door of the sacred tent, make another curtain from fine linen, skillfully embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet. 37 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into posts made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The posts are to rest on bronze bases.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,177
3,3,5,255
4,4,7,357
5,5,9,1550
6,6,11,1616
7,7,13,1690
8,8,15,1764
9,9,17,1827
1,6,1,1
7,14,3,564
15,25,5,1343
26,30,7,2164
31,33,9,2606
34,35,11,3043
36,37,13,3279
CURTAIN EXODU 26:31
The curtain separated the two sacred rooms in the Tabernacle-the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The priest entered the Holy Place each day to commune with God and tend to the altar of incense, the lampstand, and the table of the Bread of the Presence. The Most Holy Place was where God himself dwelt, his presence resting on the mercy place, which covered the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. Even he could do so only once a year (on the Day of Atonement) to make atonement for the sins of the nation as a whole. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the curtain in the Temple (which had replaced the Tabernacle) tore from top to bottom (Mark 15:38), symbolizing our free access to God because of Jesus' death. No longer do people have to approach God through priests and sacrifices.
EXODU027
1 "Make an altar of acacia wood, four and one-half feet high. It should be square- seven and one-half feet long and seven and one-half feet wide.
2 Make each of the four corners of the altar stick out like a horn, in such a way that the corners with their horns are all one piece. Then cover the whole altar with bronze.
3 "Use bronze to make all the tools and dishes that will be used on the altar: the pots to remove the ashes, the shovels, the bowls for sprinkling blood, the meat forks, and the pans for carrying the burning wood.
4 "Make a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood, and put a bronze ring at each of the four corners of it.
5 Put the screen inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom.
6 "Make poles of acacia wood for the altar, and cover them with bronze.
7 Put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar to carry it.
8 Make the altar out of boards and leave the inside hollow. Make it as you were shown on the mountain.
9 "Make a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. The south side should have a wall of fine linen curtains one hundred fifty feet long.
10 Hang the curtain with silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases.
11 The north side must also be one hundred fifty feet long. Hang its curtains on silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases.
12 "The west end of the courtyard must have a wall of curtains seventy-five feet long, with ten posts and ten bases on that wall.
13 The east end of the courtyard must also be seventy-five feet long.
14 On one side of the entry, there is to be a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts on three bases.
15 On the other side of the entry, there is also to be a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts on three bases.
16 "The entry to the courtyard is to be a curtain thirty feet wide, made of fine linen with blue, purple, and red thread. Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it. It is to be held up by four posts on four bases.
17 All the posts around the courtyard must have silver bands and hooks and bronze bases.
18 The courtyard must be one hundred fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide, with a wall of curtains around it seven and one-half feet high, made of fine linen. The bases in which the posts are set must be bronze.
19 All the things used in the Holy Tent and all the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and the wall around the courtyard must be made of bronze.
20 "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil, made from pressed olives, to keep the lamps on the lampstand burning.
21 Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This will be in the Meeting Tent, outside the curtain which is in front of the Ark. The Israelites and their descendants must obey this rule from now on.
1 "Using acacia wood, make a square altar 7 feet wide, and 4 feet high. 2 Make horns for the four corners of the altar, attach them firmly, and overlay everything with bronze. 3 The ash buckets, shovels, basins, carcass hooks, and fire pans are all to be made of bronze. 4 Make a bronze grating, with a metal ring at each corner, 5 and fit the grating halfway down into the firebox, resting it upon the ledge built there. 6 For moving the altar, make poles from acacia wood overlaid with bronze. 7 To carry it, put the poles into the rings at each side of the altar. 8 The altar is to be hollow, made from planks, just as was shown you on the mountain.
9-10 "Then make a courtyard for the Tabernacle, enclosed with curtains made from fine-twined linen. On the south side the curtains will stretch for 150 feet, and be held up by twenty posts, fitting into twenty bronze post holders. The curtains will be held up with silver hooks attached to silver rods, attached to the posts. 11 It will be the same on the north side of the court-150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts fitted into bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rods. 12 The west side of the court will be 75 feet wide, with ten posts and ten sockets. 13 The east side will also be 75 feet. 14-15 On each side of the entrance there will be 22 feet of curtain, held up by three posts imbedded in three sockets.
16 "The entrance to the court will be a 30-foot-wide curtain, made of beautifully embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen, and attached to four posts imbedded in their four sockets. 17 All the posts around the court are to be connected by silver rods, using silver hooks, the posts being imbedded in solid bronze bases. 18 So the entire court will be 150 feet long and 75 feet wide, with curtain walls 7 feet high, made from fine-twined linen.
19 "All utensils used in the work of the Tabernacle, including all the pins and pegs for hanging the utensils on the walls, will be made of bronze.
20 "Instruct the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil to use in the lamps of the Tabernacle, to burn there continually. 21 Aaron and his sons shall place this eternal flame in the outer holy room, tending it day and night before the Lord, so that it never goes out. This is a permanent rule for the people of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,151
3,3,5,330
4,4,7,548
5,5,9,665
6,6,11,747
7,7,13,823
8,8,15,901
9,9,17,1008
10,10,19,1167
11,11,21,1268
12,12,23,1425
13,13,25,1559
14,14,27,1633
15,15,29,1774
16,16,31,1926
17,17,33,2151
18,18,35,2244
19,19,37,2466
20,20,39,2608
21,21,41,2744
1,8,1,1
9,15,3,657
16,18,5,1383
19,19,7,1846
20,21,9,1997
p/p/p/
EXODU028
1 "Tell your brother Aaron to come to you, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Separate them from the other Israelites to serve me as priests.
2 Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him honor and beauty.
3 Tell all the skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom to make special clothes for Aaron- clothes to show that he belongs to me so that he may serve me as a priest.
4 These are the clothes they must make: a chest covering, a holy vest, an outer robe, a woven inner robe, a turban, and a cloth belt. The craftsmen must make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests.
5 The craftsmen must use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
6 "Use gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen to make the holy vest; skilled craftsmen are to make it.
7 At each top corner of this holy vest there will be a pair of shoulder straps tied together over each shoulder.
8 "The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt on the holy vest that is made with the same materials- gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
9 "Take two onyx stones and write the names of the twelve sons of Israel on them,
10 six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, from the oldest son to the youngest.
11 Carve the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person carves words and designs on a seal. Put gold around the stones to hold them on the holy vest.
12 Then put the two stones on the two straps of the holy vest as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to wear their names on his shoulders in the presence of the LORD as reminders of the sons of Israel.
13 Make two gold pieces to hold the stones
14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the two gold pieces that hold the stones.
15 "Make a chest covering to help in making decisions. The craftsmen should make it as they made the holy vest, using gold and blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
16 The chest covering must be square- nine inches long and nine inches wide- and folded double to make a pocket.
17 Put four rows of beautiful gems on the chest covering: The first row must have a ruby, topaz, and yellow quartz;
18 the second must have turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
19 the third must have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 the fourth must have a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Put gold around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering.
21 There must be twelve jewels on the chest covering- one jewel for each of the names of the sons of Israel. Carve the name of one of the twelve tribes on each of the stones as you would carve a seal.
22 "Make chains of pure gold, twisted together like rope, for the chest covering.
23 Make two gold rings and put them on the two upper corners of the chest covering.
24 Attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the upper corners of the chest covering.
25 Attach the other ends of the two chains to the two gold pieces on the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest.
26 "Make two gold rings and put them at the two lower corners of the chest covering, on the inside edge next to the holy vest.
27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest. Put them close to the seam above the woven belt of the holy vest.
28 Join the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest with blue ribbon, connecting it to the woven belt so the chest covering will not swing out from the holy vest.
29 "When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart, on the chest covering that helps in making decisions. This will be a continual reminder before the LORD.
30 And put the Urim and Thummim inside the chest covering so that they will be on Aaron's heart when he goes before the LORD. They will help in making decisions for the Israelites. So Aaron will always carry them with him when he is before the LORD.RD.
31 "Make the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest, using only blue cloth.
32 Make a hole in the center for Aaron's head, with a woven collar around the hole so it will not tear.
33 Make balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and hang them around the bottom of the outer robe with gold bells between them.
34 All around the bottom of the outer robe there should be a gold bell and a pomegranate ball, a gold bell and a pomegranate ball.
35 Aaron must wear this robe when he serves as priest. The ringing of the bells will be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the LORD so that Aaron will not die.
36 "Make a strip of pure gold and carve these words on it as you would carve a seal: `Holy to the LORD.'
37 Use blue ribbon to tie it to the turban; put it on the front of the turban.
38 Aaron must wear this on his forehead. In this way, he will be blamed if anything is wrong with the gifts of the Israelites. Aaron must always wear this on his head so the LORD will accept the gifts of the people.
39 "Make the woven inner robe of fine linen, and make the turban of fine linen also. Make the cloth belt with designs sewn on it.
40 Also make woven inner robes, cloth belts, and headbands for Aaron's sons, to give them honor and beauty.
41 Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, and pour olive oil on their heads to appoint them as priests. Make them belong to me so they may serve me as priests.
42 "Make for them linen underclothes to cover them from the waist to the upper parts of the legs.
43 Aaron and his sons must wear these underclothes when they enter the Meeting Tent and anytime they come near the altar to serve as priests in the Holy Place. If they do not wear these clothes, they will be guilty of wrong, and they will die. This will be a law that will last from now on for Aaron and all his descendants.
1 "Consecrate Aaron your brother, and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to be priests, to minister to me. 2 Make special clothes for Aaron, to indicate his separation to God-beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his work. 3 Instruct those to whom I have given special skill as tailors to make the garments that will set him apart from others, so that he may minister to me in the priest's office. 4 This is the wardrobe they shall make: a chestpiece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They shall also make special garments for Aaron's sons.
5-6 "The ephod shall be made by the most skilled of the workmen, using gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine linen. 7 It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders. 8 And the sash shall be made of the same material-threads of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel. 10 Six names shall be on each stone, so that all the tribes are named in the order of their births. 11 When engraving these names, use the same technique as in making a seal; and mount the stones in gold settings. 12 Fasten the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, as memorial stones for the people of Israel: Aaron will carry their names before the Lord as a constant reminder. 13-14 Two chains of pure, twisted gold shall be made and attached to gold clasps on the shoulder of the ephod.
15 "Then, using the most careful workmanship, make a chestpiece to be used as God's oracle; use the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine-twined linen as you did in the ephod. 16 This chestpiece is to be of two folds of cloth, forming a pouch nine inches square. 17 Attach to it four rows of stones: A ruby, a topaz, and an emerald shall be in the first row. 18 The second row will be carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 The third row will be an amber, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 The fourth row will be an onyx, a beryl, and a jasper-all set in gold settings. 21 Each stone will represent one of the tribes of Israel and the name of that tribe will be engraved upon it like a seal.
22-24 "Attach the top of the chestpiece to the ephod by means of two twisted cords of pure gold. One end of each cord is attached to gold rings placed at the outer top edge of the chestpiece. 25 The other ends of the two cords are attached to the front edges of the two settings of the onyx stones on the shoulder of the ephod. 26 Then make two more gold rings and place them on the two lower, inside edges of the chestpiece; 27 also make two other gold rings for the bottom front edge of the ephod at the sash. 28 Now attach the bottom of the chestpiece to the bottom rings of the ephod by means of blue ribbons; this will prevent the chestpiece from coming loose from the ephod. 29 In this way Aaron shall carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the chestpiece over his heart (it is God's oracle) when he goes into the Holy Place; thus Jehovah will be reminded of them continually. 30-31 Insert into the pocket of the chestpiece the Urim and Thummim, to be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Jehovah. Thus Aaron shall always be carrying the oracle over his heart when he goes in before the Lord."The ephod shall be made of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for Aaron's head. It shall have a woven band around this opening, just as on the neck of a coat of mail, so that it will not fray. 33-34 The bottom edge of the ephod shall be embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates, alternated with gold bells. 35 Aaron shall wear the ephod whenever he goes in to minister to the Lord; the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the presence of the Lord in the Holy Place, so that he will not die.
36 "Next, make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, just as you would upon a seal, `Consecrated to Jehovah.' 37-38 This plate is to be attached by means of a blue ribbon to the front of Aaron's turban. In this way Aaron will be wearing it upon his forehead, and thus bear the guilt connected with any errors regarding the offerings of the people of Israel. It shall always be worn when he goes into the presence of the Lord, so that the people will be accepted and forgiven.
39 "Weave Aaron's embroidered shirt from fine-twined linen, using a checkerboard pattern; make the turban, too, of this linen; and make him an embroidered sash.
40 "Then, for Aaron's sons, make robes, sashes, and turbans to give them honor and respect. 41 Clothe Aaron and his sons with these garments, and then dedicate these men to their ministry by anointing their heads with olive oil, thus sanctifying them as the priests, my ministers. 42 Also make linen undershorts for them, to be worn beneath their robes next to their bodies, reaching from hips to knees. 43 These are to be worn whenever Aaron and his sons go into the Tabernacle or to the altar in the Holy Place, lest they be guilty and die. This is a permanent ordinance for Aaron and his sons.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,168
3,3,5,245
4,4,7,420
5,5,9,673
6,6,11,756
7,7,13,877
8,8,15,994
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10,10,19,1243
11,11,21,1352
12,12,23,1532
13,13,25,1751
14,14,27,1798
15,15,29,1927
16,16,31,2103
17,17,33,2220
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19,19,37,2407
20,20,39,2472
21,21,41,2604
22,22,43,2809
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24,24,47,2983
25,25,49,3078
26,26,51,3202
27,27,53,3333
28,28,55,3515
29,29,57,3700
30,30,59,3908
31,31,61,4165
32,32,63,4248
33,33,65,4356
34,34,67,4505
35,35,69,4640
36,36,71,4823
37,37,73,4932
38,38,75,5015
39,39,77,5235
40,40,79,5369
41,41,81,5481
42,42,83,5660
43,43,85,5762
1,4,1,1
5,14,3,591
15,21,5,1481
22,35,7,2189
36,38,9,3817
39,39,11,4298
40,43,13,4462
,4,4,4
EXODU029
1 "This is what you must do to appoint Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two male sheep that have nothing wrong with them.
2 Use fine wheat flour without yeast to make bread, cakes mixed with olive oil, and wafers brushed with olive oil.
3 Put these in one basket, and bring them along with the bull and two male sheep.
4 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and wash them with water.
5 Take the clothes and dress Aaron in the inner robe and the outer robe of the holy vest. Then put on him the holy vest and the chest covering, and tie the holy vest on him with its skillfully woven belt.
6 Put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban.
7 Take the special olive oil and pour it on his head to make him a priest.
8 "Then bring his sons and put the inner robes on them.
9 Put the headbands on their heads, and tie cloth belts around their waists. Aaron and his descendants will be priests in Israel, according to a rule that will continue from now on. This is how you will appoint Aaron and his sons as priests.:
10 "Bring the bull to the front of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron and his sons must put their hands on the bull's head.
11 Then kill the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
12 Use your finger to put some of the bull's blood on the corners of the altar, and then pour the blood that is left at the bottom of the altar.
13 Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, as well as the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and burn them on the altar.
14 Take the bull's meat, skin, and intestines, and burn them outside the camp. This is an offering to take away sin.
15 "Take one of the male sheep, and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.
16 Kill it, and take its blood and sprinkle it on all four sides of the altar.
17 Then cut it into pieces and wash its inner organs and its legs, putting them with its head and its other pieces.
18 Burn the whole sheep on the altar; it is a burnt offering made by fire to the LORD. Its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
19 "Take the other male sheep, and have Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.
20 Kill it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the bottom of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar.
21 Take some of the blood from the altar, and mix it with the special oil used in appointing priests. Sprinkle this on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. This will show that Aaron and his sons and their clothes are given to my service.
22 "Then take the fat from the male sheep, the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs. In addition, take the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right thigh. (This is the male sheep to be used in appointing priests.)
23 "Then take the basket of bread that you made without yeast, which you put before the LORD. From it take a loaf of bread, a cake made with olive oil, and a wafer.
24 Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and tell them to present them as an offering to the LORD.
25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar with the whole burnt offering. This is an offering made by fire to the LORD; its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
26 Then take the breast of the male sheep used to appoint Aaron as priest, and present it before the LORD as an offering. This part of the animal will be your share.
27 Set aside the breast and the thigh of the sheep that were used to appoint Aaron and his sons as priests. These parts belong to them.
28 They are to be the regular share which the Israelites will always give to Aaron and his sons. It is the gift the Israelites must give to the LORD from their fellowship offerings.
29 "The holy clothes made for Aaron will belong to his descendants so that they can wear these clothes when they are appointed as priests.
30 Aaron's son, who will become high priest after Aaron, will come to the Meeting Tent to serve in the Holy Place. He is to wear these clothes for seven days.
31 "Take the male sheep used to appoint priests and boil its meat in a place that is holy.
32 Then at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, Aaron and his sons must eat the meat of the sheep and the bread that is in the basket.
33 They should eat these offerings that were used to remove their sins and to make them holy when they were made priests. But no one else is to eat them, because they are holy things.
34 If any of the meat from that sheep or any of the bread is left the next morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 "Do all these things that I commanded you to do to Aaron and his sons, and spend seven days appointing them.
36 Each day you are to offer a bull to remove the sins of Aaron and his sons so they will be given for service to the LORD. Make the altar ready for service to the LORD, and pour oil on it to make it holy.
37 Spend seven days making the altar ready for service to God and making it holy. Then the altar will become very holy, and anything that touches it must be holy.
38 "Every day from now on, offer on the altar two lambs that are one year old.
39 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening before dark.
40 In the morning, when you offer the first lamb, offer also two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. Pour out a quart of wine as a drink offering.
41 Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering as you did in the morning. This is an offering made by fire to the LORD, and its smell is pleasing to him.
42 "You must burn these things as an offering to the LORD every day, from now on, at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the LORD. When you make the offering, I, the LORD, will meet you there and speak to you.
43 I will meet with the people of Israel there, and that place will be holy because of my glory.
44 "So I will make the Meeting Tent and the altar holy; I will also make Aaron and his sons holy so they may serve me as priests.
45 I will live with the people of Israel and be their God.
46 And they will know that I am the LORD their God who led them out of Egypt so that I could live with them. I am the LORD their God.
1 "This is the ceremony for the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests: get a young bull and two rams with no defects, 2 and bread made without yeast, and thin sheets of sweetened bread mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil poured over them. (The various kinds of bread shall be made with finely ground wheat flour.) 3-4 Place the bread in a basket and bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.
"Bathe Aaron and his sons there at the entrance. 5 Then put Aaron's robe on him, and the embroidered shirt, ephod, chestpiece, and sash, 6 and place on his head the turban with the gold plate. 7 Then take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head. 8 Next, dress his sons in their robes, 9 with their woven sashes, and place caps on their heads. They will then be priests forever; thus you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10 "Then bring the young bull to the Tabernacle, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head; 11 and you shall kill it before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 12 Place its blood upon the horns of the altar, smearing it on with your finger, and pour the rest at the base of the altar. 13 Then take all the fat that covers the inner parts, also the gall bladder and two kidneys, and the fat on them, and burn them upon the altar. 14 Then take the body, including the skin and the dung, outside the camp and burn it as a sin offering.
15-16 "Next, Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of one of the rams as it is killed. Its blood shall also be collected and sprinkled upon the altar. 17 Cut up the ram and wash off the entrails and the legs; place them with the head and the other pieces of the body, 18 and burn it all upon the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord, and very pleasant to him.
19-20 "Now take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head as it is killed. Collect the blood and place some of it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and his sons, and upon their right thumbs and the big toes of their right feet; sprinkle the rest of the blood over the altar. 21 Then scrape off some of the blood from the altar and mix it with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and his sons and upon their clothes; and they and their clothing shall be sanctified to the Lord.
22 "Then take the fat of the ram, including the fat tail and the fat that covers the insides, also the gall bladder and the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh-for this is the ram for ordination of Aaron and his sons-23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of shortening bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that was placed before the Lord: 24 Place these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, to wave them in a gesture of offering to the Lord. 25 Afterwards, take them from their hands and burn them on the altar as a fragrant burnt offering to him. 26 Then take the breast of Aaron's ordination ram and wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering; afterwards, keep it for yourself.
27 "Give the breast and thigh of the consecration ram 28 to Aaron and his sons. The people of Israel must always contribute this portion of their sacrifices-whether peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings-as their contribution to the Lord.
29 "These sacred garments of Aaron shall be preserved for the consecration of his son who succeeds him, from generation to generation, for his anointing ceremony. 30 Whoever is the next High Priest after Aaron shall wear these clothes for seven days before beginning to minister in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.
31 "Take the ram of consecration-the ram used in the ordination ceremony-and boil its meat in a sacred area. 32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat, also the bread in the basket, at the door of the Tabernacle. 33 They alone shall eat those items used in their atonement (that is, in their consecration ceremony). The ordinary people shall not eat them, for these things are set apart and holy. 34 If any of the meat or bread remains until the morning, burn it; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
35 "This, then, is the way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices. This ordination shall go on for seven days. 36 Every day you shall sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering for atonement; afterwards, purge the altar by making atonement for it; pour olive oil upon it to sanctify it. 37 Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it to God every day for seven days. After this the altar shall be exceedingly holy, so that whatever touches it shall be set apart for God.
38 "Each day offer two yearling lambs upon the altar, 39 one in the morning and the other in the evening. 40 With one of them offer 3 quarts of finely ground flour mixed with 2 pints of oil, pressed from olives; also 2 pints of wine, as an offering.
41 Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the flour and the wine as in the morning, for a fragrant offering to the Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire.
42 "This shall be a perpetual daily offering at the door of the Tabernacle before the Lord, where I will meet with you and speak with you. 43 And I will meet with the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 Yes, I will sanctify the Tabernacle and the altar and Aaron and his sons who are my ministers, the priests. 45 And I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God.
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31,31,61,4332
32,32,63,4427
33,33,65,4563
34,34,67,4751
35,35,69,4900
36,36,71,5016
37,37,73,5226
38,38,75,5393
39,39,77,5476
40,40,79,5555
41,41,81,5740
42,42,83,5939
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44,44,87,6258
45,45,89,6392
46,46,91,6455
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10,14,4,890
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27,28,12,3102
29,30,14,3347
31,34,16,3667
35,37,18,4172
38,40,20,4661
41,41,22,4914
42,46,24,5085
EXODU030
1 "Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense.
2 Make it square- eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide- and make it thirty-six inches high. The corners that stick out like horns must be one piece with the altar.
3 Cover its top, its sides, and its corners with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around the altar.
4 Make two gold rings beneath the gold strip on opposite sides of the altar, and slide poles through them to carry the altar.
5 Make the poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold.
6 Put the altar of incense in front of the curtain that is near the Ark of the Agreement, in front of the lid that covers that Ark. There I will meet with you.
7 "Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning when he comes to take care of the oil lamps.
8 He must burn incense again in the evening when he lights the lamps, so incense will burn before the LORD every day from now on.
9 Do not use this altar for offering any other incense, or burnt offering, or any kind of grain offering, or drink offering.
10 Once a year Aaron must make the altar ready for service to God by putting blood on its corners- the blood of the animal offered to remove sins. He is to do this once a year from now on. This altar belongs completely to the LORD's service."
11 The LORD said to Moses,
12 "When you count the people of Israel, every person must buy back his life from the LORD so that no terrible things will happen to the people when you number them.
13 Every person who is counted must pay one-fifth of an ounce of silver. (This is set by using one-half of the Holy Place measure, which weighs two-fifths of an ounce.) This amount is a gift to the LORD.
14 Every person who is counted and is twenty years old or older must give this amount to the LORD.
15 A rich person must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce, and a poor person must not give less. You are paying this to the LORD to buy back your lives.
16 Gather from the people of Israel this money paid to buy back their lives, and spend it on things for the service in the Meeting Tent. This payment will remind the LORD that the Israelites' lives have been bought back."
17 The LORD said to Moses,
18 "Make a bronze bowl, on a bronze stand, for washing. Put the bowl and stand between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in the bowl.
19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with the water from this bowl.
20 Each time they enter the Meeting Tent they must wash with water so they will not die. Whenever they approach the altar to serve as priests and offer a sacrifice to the LORD by fire,
21 they must wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is a rule which Aaron and his descendants are to keep from now on."
22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 "Take the finest spices: twelve pounds of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, six pounds) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six pounds of sweet-smelling cane,
24 and twelve pounds of cassia. Weigh all these by the Holy Place measure. Also take four quarts of olive oil,
25 and mix all these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God.
26 Put this oil on the Meeting Tent and the Ark of the Agreement,
27 on the table and all its dishes, on the lampstand and all its tools, and on the incense altar.
28 Also, put the oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools, as well as on the bowl and the stand under the bowl.
29 You will prepare all these things for service to God, and they will be very holy. Anything that touches these things must be holy.
30 "Put the oil on Aaron and his sons to give them for service to me, that they may serve me as priests.
31 Tell the Israelites, `This is to be my holy olive oil from now on. It is to be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God.
32 Do not pour it on the bodies of ordinary people, and do not make perfume the same way you make this oil. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.
33 If anyone makes perfume like it or puts it on someone who is not a priest, that person must be cut off from his people.' "
34 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of each.
35 Make incense as a person who makes perfume would do. Add salt to it to keep it pure and holy.
36 Beat some of the incense into a fine powder, and put it in front of the Ark of the Agreement in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose.
37 Do not make incense for yourselves the same way you make this incense. Treat it as holy to the LORD.
38 Whoever makes incense like this to use as perfume must be cut off from his people."
1 "Then make a small altar for burning incense. It shall be made from acacia wood. 2 It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high, with horns carved from the wood of the altar-they are not to be merely separate parts that are attached. 3 Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. 4 Beneath the molding, on each of two sides, construct two gold rings to hold the carrying poles. 5 The poles are to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. 6 Place the altar just outside the veil, near the place of mercy that is above the Ark containing the Ten Commandments. I will meet with you there.
7 "Every morning when Aaron trims the lamps, he shall burn sweet spices on the altar, 8 and each evening when he lights the lamps he shall burn the incense before the Lord, and this shall go on from generation to generation. 9 Offer no unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, meal offerings, or wine offerings.
10 "Once a year Aaron must sanctify the altar, placing upon its horns the blood of the sin offering for atonement. This shall be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord's supremely holy altar."
11-12 And Jehovah said to Moses, "Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, so that there will be no plague among the people when you number them. 13 His payment shall be half a dollar.
14 All who have reached their twentieth birthday shall give this offering. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, for it is an offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. 16 Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle; it is to bring you, the people of Israel, to the Lord's attention, and to make atonement for you."
17-18 And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin with a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water. 19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet there, 20 when they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord, or when they approach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord. They must always wash before doing so, or they will die. 21 These are instructions to Aaron and his sons from generation to generation."
22-23 Then the Lord told Moses to collect the choicest of spices-eighteen pounds of pure myrrh; half as much of cinnamon and of sweet cane; 24 the same amount of cassia as of myrrh; and 1 gallons of olive oil. 25 The Lord instructed skilled perfume makers to compound all this into a holy anointing oil.
26-27 "Use this," he said, "to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark, the table and all its instruments, the lampstand and all its utensils, the incense altar, 28 the burnt offering altar with all its instruments, and the washbasin and its pedestal. 29 Sanctify them, to make them holy; whatever touches them shall become holy.
30 Use it to anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them so that they can minister to me as priests. 31 And say to the people of Israel, `This shall always be my holy anointing oil. 32 It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it shall be treated by you as holy. 33 Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.' "
34 These were the Lord's directions to Moses concerning the incense: "Use sweet spices-stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, weighing out the same amounts of each, 35 using the usual techniques of the incense maker, and seasoning it with salt; it shall be a pure and holy incense. 36 Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front of the Ark where I meet with you in the Tabernacle; this incense is most holy. 37 Never make it for yourselves, for it is reserved for the Lord and you must treat it as holy. 38 Anyone making it for himself shall be excommunicated."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,239
4,4,7,346
5,5,9,476
6,6,11,540
7,7,13,704
8,8,15,822
9,9,17,956
10,10,19,1085
11,11,21,1332
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26,26,51,3312
27,27,53,3382
28,28,55,3484
29,29,57,3617
30,30,59,3756
31,31,61,3865
32,32,63,4015
33,33,65,4170
34,34,67,4300
35,35,69,4464
36,36,71,4565
37,37,73,4782
38,38,75,4890
1,6,1,1
7,9,3,671
10,10,5,984
11,13,7,1217
14,16,9,1487
17,21,11,1848
22,25,13,2323
26,29,15,2630
30,33,17,2954
34,38,18,3415
EXODU031
O O 1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.)
3 I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and have given him the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work.
4 He is able to design pieces to be made from gold, silver, and bronze,
5 to cut jewels and put them in metal, to carve wood, and to do all kinds of work.
6 I have also chosen Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan to work with Bezalel. I have given skills to all the craftsmen, and they will be able to make all these things I have commanded you:
7 the Meeting Tent, the Ark of the Agreement, the lid that covers the Ark, and everything in the Tent.
8 This includes the table and everything on it, the pure gold lampstand and everything with it, the altar of incense,
9 the altar for burnt offerings and everything used with it, and the bowl and the stand under it.
10 They will make the woven clothes and the holy clothes for Aaron and the clothes for his sons to wear when they serve as priests.
11 They will also make the special olive oil used in appointing people and things to the service of the LORD, and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place. "These workers will make all these things just as I have commanded you."
12 Then the LORD said to Moses,
13 "Tell the Israelites, `You must keep the rules about my Sabbaths, because they will be a sign between you and me from now on. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, make you holy.
14 "`Make the Sabbath a holy day. If anyone treats the Sabbath like any other day, that person must be put to death; anyone who works on the Sabbath day must be cut off from his people.
15 There are six days for working, but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day holy for the LORD. Anyone who works during the Sabbath day must be put to death.
16 The Israelites must remember the Sabbath day as an agreement between them and me that will continue from now on.
17 The Sabbath day will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, because in six days I, the LORD, made the sky and the earth. On the seventh day I did not work; I rested.' "
18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets with the Agreement written on them, written by the finger of God.
1 The Lord also said to Moses, "See, I have appointed Bezalel (son of Uri, and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah), 3 and have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and skill in constructing the Tabernacle and everything it contains. 4 He is highly capable as an artistic designer of objects made of gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled, too, as a jeweler and in carving wood.
6 "And I have appointed Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan) to be his assistant; moreover, I have given special skill to all who are known as experts, so that they can make all the things I have instructed you to make: 7 the Tabernacle; the Ark with the place of mercy upon it; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; 8 the table and its instruments; the pure gold lampstand with its instruments; the altar of incense; 9 the burnt offering altar with its instruments; the laver and its pedestal; 10 the beautifully made, holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons, so that they can minister as priests; 11 the anointing oil; and the sweet-spice incense for the Holy Place. They are to follow exactly the directions I gave you."
12-13 The Lord then gave these further instructions to Moses: "Tell the people of Israel to rest on my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a reminder of the covenant between me and you forever; it helps you to remember that I am Jehovah who makes you holy. 14-15 Yes, rest on the Sabbath, for it is holy. Anyone who does not obey this command must die; anyone who does any work on that day shall be killed. 16-17 Work six days only, for the seventh day is a special day to remind you of my covenant-a weekly reminder forever of my promises to the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and rested on the seventh day, and was refreshed."
18 Then, as God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,36
3,3,5,132
4,4,7,261
5,5,9,337
6,6,11,424
7,7,13,629
8,8,15,736
9,9,17,858
10,10,19,960
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16,16,31,1916
17,17,33,2036
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1,5,1,1
6,11,3,421
12,17,5,1185
18,18,7,1848
EXODU032
1 The people saw that a long time had passed and Moses had not come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron and said, "Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us."
2 Aaron said to the people, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing, and bring them to me."
3 So all the people took their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
4 He took the gold from the people and formed it with a tool and made a statue of a calf. Then the people said, "Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"
5 When Aaron saw all this, he built an altar before the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a special feast to honor the LORD."
6 The people got up early the next morning and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and sinned sexually.
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ruined themselves.
8 They have quickly turned away from the things I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf covered with gold, and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, 'Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.' "
9 The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen these people, and I know that they are very stubborn.
10 So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants a great nation."
11 But Moses begged the LORD his God and said, "LORD, don't let your anger destroy your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and strength.
12 Don't let the people of Egypt say, `The LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt for an evil purpose. He planned to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.' So stop being angry, and don't destroy your people.
13 Remember the men who served you- Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You promised with an oath to them and said, `I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky. I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised them, and it will be theirs forever.' "
14 So the LORD changed his mind and did not destroy the people as he had said he might.
15 Then Moses went down the mountain, and in his hands he had the two stone tablets with the Agreement on them. The commands were written on both sides of each stone, front and back.
16 God himself had made the tablets, and God himself had written the commands on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "It sounds like war down in the camp."
18 Moses answered: "It is not a shout of victory; it is not a cry of defeat. It is the sound of singing that I hear."
19 When Moses came close to the camp, he saw the gold calf and the dancing, and he became very angry. He threw down the stone tablets that he was carrying and broke them at the bottom of the mountain.
20 Then he took the calf that the people had made and melted it in the fire. He ground it into powder. Then he threw the powder into the water and forced the Israelites to drink it.
21 Moses said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you? Why did you cause them to do such a terrible sin?"
22 Aaron answered, "Don't be angry, master. You know that these people are always ready to do wrong.
23 The people said to me, `Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us.'
24 So I told the people, `Take off your gold jewelry.' When they gave me the gold, I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!"
25 Moses saw that the people were acting wildly. Aaron had let them get out of control and become fools in front of their enemies.
26 So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Let anyone who wants to follow the LORD come to me." And all the people from the family of Levi gathered around Moses.
27 Then Moses said to them, "The LORD, the God of Israel, says this: `Every man must put on his sword and go through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.'"
28 The people from the family of Levi obeyed Moses, and that day about three thousand of the Israelites died.
29 Then Moses said, "Today you have been given for service to the LORD. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this."
30 The next day Moses told the people, "You have done a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the LORD. Maybe I can do something so your sins will be removed."
31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves gods from gold.
32 Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people."
33 But the LORD told Moses, "I will erase from my book the names of the people who sin against me.
34 So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my angel will lead you. When the time comes to punish, I will punish them for their sin."
35 So the LORD caused terrible things to happen to the people because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
1 When Moses didn't come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us a god to lead us, for this fellow Moses who brought us here from Egypt has disappeared; something must have happened to him."
2-3 "Give me your gold earrings," Aaron replied.
So they all did-men and women, boys and girls. 4 Aaron melted the gold, then molded and tooled it into the form of a calf. The people exclaimed, "O Israel, this is the god that brought you out of Egypt!"
5 When Aaron saw how happy the people were about it, he built an altar before the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a feast to Jehovah!"
6 So they were up early the next morning and began offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the calf idol; afterwards they sat down to feast and drink at a wild party, followed by sexual immorality.
7 Then the Lord told Moses, "Quick! Go on down, for your people that you brought from Egypt have defiled themselves, 8 and have quickly abandoned all my laws. They have molded themselves a calf, and worshiped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, `This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.' "
9 Then the Lord said, "I have seen what a stubborn, rebellious lot these people are. 10 Now leave me alone and my anger shall blaze out against them and destroy them all; and I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them."
11 But Moses begged God not to do it. "Lord," he pleaded, "why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty miracles? 12 Do you want the Egyptians to say, `God tricked them into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying them from off the face of the earth'? Turn back from your fierce wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your people! 13 Remember your promise to your servants-to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, `I will multiply your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' "
14 So the Lord changed his mind and spared them.
15 Then Moses went down the mountain, holding in his hands the Ten Commandments written on both sides of two stone tablets. 16 (God himself had written the commandments on the tablets.)
17 When Joshua heard the noise below them, of all the people shouting, he exclaimed to Moses, "It sounds as if they are preparing for war!"
18 But Moses replied, "No, it's not a cry of victory or defeat, but singing."
19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and in terrible anger he threw the tablets to the ground, and they lay broken at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf and melted it in the fire, and when the metal cooled, he ground it into powder and spread it upon the water and made the people drink it.
21 Then he turned to Aaron. "What in the world did the people do to you," he demanded, "to make you bring such a terrible sin upon them?"
22 "Don't get so upset," Aaron replied. "You know these people and what a wicked bunch they are. 23 They said to me, `Make us a god to lead us, for something has happened to this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt.' 24 Well, I told them, `Bring me your gold earrings.' So they brought them to me and I threw them into the fire, and . . . well . . . this calf came out!"
25 When Moses saw that the people had been committing adultery-at Aaron's encouragement, and much to the amusement of their enemies-26 he stood at the camp entrance and shouted, "All of you who are on the Lord's side, come over here and join me." And all the Levites came.
27 He told them, "Jehovah the God of Israel says, `Get your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other and kill even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.' " 28 So they did, and about three thousand men died that day.
29 Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers; now he will give you a great blessing."
30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin, but I will return to the Lord on the mountain-perhaps I will be able to obtain his forgiveness for you."
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Oh, these people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold. 32 Yet now if you will only forgive their sin-and if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."
33 And the Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book. 34 And now go, lead the people to the place I told you about, and I assure you that my Angel shall travel on ahead of you; however, when I come to visit these people, I will punish them for their sins."
35 And the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped Aaron's calf.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,241
3,3,5,374
4,4,7,450
5,5,9,638
6,6,11,778
7,7,13,959
8,8,15,1117
9,9,17,1384
10,10,19,1481
11,11,21,1627
12,12,23,1793
13,13,25,2029
14,14,27,2308
15,15,29,2400
16,16,31,2587
17,17,33,2685
18,18,35,2801
19,19,37,2923
20,20,39,3128
21,21,41,3314
22,22,43,3427
23,23,45,3532
24,24,47,3666
25,25,49,3803
26,26,51,3938
27,27,53,4118
28,28,55,4341
29,29,57,4455
30,30,59,4619
31,31,61,4783
32,32,63,4917
33,33,65,5065
34,34,67,5168
35,35,69,5320
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,244
5,5,6,501
6,6,8,651
7,8,10,860
9,10,11,1169
11,13,13,1409
14,14,14,2142
15,16,16,2194
17,17,18,2383
18,18,20,2526
19,20,22,2607
21,21,24,2944
22,24,26,3085
25,26,28,3460
27,28,30,3736
29,29,32,3982
30,30,34,4198
31,32,36,4378
33,34,38,4611
35,35,40,4914
IDOLS EXODU 32:1-10
Idols again! Even though Israel had seen the invisible God in action, they still wanted the familiar gods they could see and shape into whatever image they desired. How like them we are! Our great temptation is still to shape God to our liking, to make him convenient to obey or ignore. God responds in great anger when his mercy is trampled on. The gods we create blind us to the love God wants to shower on us. God cannot work in us when we elevate anyone or anything above him. What idols do you have in your life?
PRAYER EXODU 32:9-14
God was ready to destroy the whole nation because of the people's sin. But Moses pleaded for mercy, and God spared them. This is one of the countless examples in Scripture of how prayer can make a difference. Don't neglect prayer because the situation seems irreversible. Make a daily prayer list and spend time praying for others. Prayer can change things.
EXODU033
FRIENDS
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land that I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, `I will give that land to your descendants.'
2 I will send an angel to lead you, and I will force these people out of the land: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
3 Go up to a fertile land. But I will not go with you, because I might destroy you on the way, since you are such a stubborn people."
4 When the people heard this bad news, they became very sad, and none of them put on jewelry.
5 This was because the LORD had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, `You are a stubborn people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would destroy you. So take off all your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.' "
6 So the people of Israel took off their jewelry at Mount Sinai.
7 Moses used to take a tent and set it up a long way outside the camp; he called it the "Meeting Tent." Anyone who wanted to ask the LORD about something would go to the Meeting Tent outside the camp.
8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances of their tents, watching him until he entered the Meeting Tent.
9 When Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud would always come down and stay at the entrance of the Tent while the LORD spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the Tent, they stood and worshiped, each person at the entrance of his own tent.
11 The LORD spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Moses' young helper, Joshua son of Nun, did not leave the Tent.
12 Moses said to the LORD, "You have told me to lead these people, but you did not say whom you would send with me. You have said to me, `I know you very well, and I am pleased with you.'
13 If I have truly pleased you, show me your plans so that I may know you and continue to please you. Remember that this nation is your people."
14 The LORD answered, "I myself will go with you, and I will give you victory."
15 Then Moses said to him, "If you yourself don't go with us, then don't send us away from this place.
16 If you don't go with us, no one will know that you are pleased with me and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth."
17 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will do what you ask, because I know you very well, and I am pleased with you."
18 Then Moses said, "Now, please show me your glory."
19 The LORD answered, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the LORD, so you can hear it. I will show kindness to anyone to whom I want to show kindness, and I will show mercy to anyone to whom I want to show mercy.
20 But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.
21 "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large crack in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen."
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Lead these people you brought from Egypt to the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I said, `I will give this land to your descendants.' 2 I will send an Angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 It is a land `flowing with milk and honey'; but I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn, unruly people, and I would be tempted to destroy you along the way."
4 When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stripped themselves of their jewelry and ornaments.
5 For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, "You are an unruly, stubborn people. If I were there among you for even a moment, I would exterminate you. Remove your jewelry and ornaments until I decide what to do with you." 6 So, after that, they wore no jewelry.
7 Moses always erected the sacred tent (the "Tent for Meeting with God," he called it) far outside the camp, and everyone who wanted to consult with Jehovah went out there.
8 Whenever Moses went to the Tabernacle, all the people, when they saw it, stood and would rise and stand in their tent doors. 9 As he entered, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the door while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Then all the people worshiped from their tent doors, bowing low to the pillar of cloud. 11 Inside the tent the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterwards Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua (son of Nun), stayed behind in the Tabernacle.
12 Moses talked there with the Lord and said to him, "You have been telling me, `Take these people to the Promised Land,' but you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You say you are my friend, and that I have found favor before you; 13 please, if this is really so, guide me clearly along the way you want me to travel so that I will understand you and walk acceptably before you. For don't forget that this nation is your people."
14 And the Lord replied, "I myself will go with you and give you success."
15 For Moses had said, "If you aren't going with us, don't let us move a step from this place. 16 If you don't go with us, who will ever know that I and my people have found favor with you, and that we are different from any other people upon the face of the earth?"
17 And the Lord had replied to Moses, "Yes, I will do what you have asked, for you have certainly found favor with me, and you are my friend."
18 Then Moses asked to see God's glory.
19 The Lord replied, "I will make my goodness pass before you, and I will announce to you the meaning of my name Jehovah, the Lord. I show kindness and mercy to anyone I want to. 20 But you may not see the glory of my face, for man may not see me and live. 21 However, stand here on this rock beside me. 22 And when my glory goes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed. 23 Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back but not my face."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,243
3,3,5,402
4,4,7,540
5,5,9,638
6,6,11,876
7,7,13,945
8,8,15,1150
9,9,17,1310
10,10,19,1460
11,11,21,1611
12,12,23,1793
13,13,25,1985
14,14,27,2134
15,15,29,2218
16,16,31,2325
17,17,33,2498
18,18,35,2617
19,19,37,2675
20,20,39,2941
21,21,41,3012
22,22,43,3076
23,23,45,3211
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,470
5,6,5,596
7,7,7,861
8,11,9,1037
12,13,11,1587
14,14,13,2031
15,16,15,2109
17,17,17,2379
18,18,19,2525
19,23,21,2568
FRIENDS EXODU 33:11
God told Moses, You are my friend. Why did Moses find such favor with God? It certainly was not because he was perfect, gifted, or powerful. Moses was God's friend because friends trust each other, talk to each other, and have common interests. No one can drive wedges between them. Moses never knew where he was going with God, and it didn't matter. He knew with whom he was going, and that was all that mattered.
EXODU034
LOYALTY
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Cut two more stone tablets like the first two, and I will write the same words on them that were on the first two stones which you broke.
2 Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain.
3 No one may come with you or even be seen any place on the mountain. Not even the flocks or herds may eat grass near that mountain."
4 So Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. Then early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded him, carrying the two stone tablets with him.
5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses, and the LORD called out his name: the LORD.
6 The LORD passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the LORD. The LORD is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness
7 and is kind to thousands of people. The LORD forgives people for evil, for sin, and for turning against him, but he does not forget to punish guilty people. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren."
8 Then Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped.
9 He said, "Lord, if you are pleased with me, please go with us. I know that these are stubborn people, but forgive our evil and our sin. Take us as your own people."
10 Then the LORD said, "I am making this agreement with you. I will do miracles in front of all your people- things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth- and the people with you will see my work. I, the LORD, will do wonderful things for you.
11 Obey the things I command you today, and I will force out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you.
12 Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in the land where you are going, because it will bring you trouble.
13 Destroy their altars, break their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah idols.
14 Don't worship any other god, because I, the LORD, the Jealous One, am a jealous God.
15 "Be careful that you don't make an agreement with the people who live in that land. When they worship their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices.
16 If you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters worship gods, they will lead your sons to do the same thing.
17 "Do not make gods of melted metal.
18 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast as I commanded you. Do this during the month I have chosen, the month of Abib, because in that month you came out of Egypt.
19 "The firstborn of every mother belongs to me, including every firstborn male animal that is born in your flocks and herds.
20 You may buy back a donkey by paying for it with a lamb, but if you don't want to buy back a donkey, you must break its neck. You must buy back all your firstborn sons. "No one is to come before me without a gift.
21 "You must work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest- even during the planting season and the harvest season.
22 "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks when you gather the first grain of the wheat harvest. And celebrate the Feast of Shelters in the fall.
23 "Three times each year all of your males must come before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
24 I will force out nations ahead of you and expand the borders of your land. You will go before the LORD your God three times each year, and at that time no one will try to take your land from you.
25 "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with anything containing yeast, and do not leave any of the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover until the next morning.
26 "Bring the best first crops that you harvest from your ground to the Tent of the LORD your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."
27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, because with these words I have made an agreement with you and Israel."
28 Moses stayed there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the Agreement- the Ten Commandments- on the stone tablets.
29 Then Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets of the Agreement in his hands. But he did not know that his face was shining because he had talked with the LORD.
30 When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw that Moses' face was shining, they were afraid to go near him.
31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the people returned to Moses, and he talked with them.
32 After that, all the people of Israel came near him, and he gave them all the commands that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to the people, he put a covering over his face.
34 Anytime Moses went before the LORD to speak with him, Moses took off the covering until he came out. Then Moses would come out and tell the Israelites what the LORD had commanded.
35 They would see that Moses' face was shining. So he would cover his face again until the next time he went in to speak with the LORD.
1 The Lord told Moses, "Prepare two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write upon them the same commands that were on the tablets you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning to come up into Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come with you and no one must be anywhere on the mountain. Do not let the flocks or herds feed close to the mountain."
4 So Moses took two tablets of stone like the first ones, and was up early and climbed Mount Sinai, as the Lord had told him to, taking the two stone tablets in his hands.
5-6 Then the Lord descended in the form of a pillar of cloud and stood there with him, and passed in front of him and announced the meaning of his name. "I am Jehovah, the merciful and gracious God," he said, "slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth. 7 I, Jehovah, show this steadfast love to many thousands by forgiving their sins; or else I refuse to clear the guilty, and require that a father's sins be punished in the sons and grandsons, and even later generations."
8 Moses fell down before the Lord and worshiped. 9 And he said, "If it is true that I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, then please go with us to the Promised Land; yes, it is an unruly, stubborn people, but pardon our iniquity and our sins, and accept us as your own."
10 The Lord replied, "All right, this is the contract I am going to make with you. I will do miracles such as have never been done before anywhere in all the earth, and all the people of Israel shall see the power of the Lord-the terrible power I will display through you. 11 Your part of the agreement is to obey all of my commandments; then I will drive out from before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
12 "Be very, very careful never to compromise with the people there in the land where you are going, for if you do, you will soon be following their evil ways. 13 Instead, you must break down their heathen altars, smash the obelisks they worship, and cut down their shameful idols.
14 For you must worship no other gods, but only Jehovah, for he is a God who claims absolute loyalty and exclusive devotion.
15 "No, do not make a peace treaty of any kind with the people living in the land, for they are spiritual prostitutes, committing adultery against me by sacrificing to their gods. If you become friendly with them and one of them invites you to go with him and worship his idol, you are apt to do it. 16 And you would accept their daughters, who worship other gods, as wives for your sons-and then your sons would commit adultery against me by worshiping their wives' gods. 17 You must have nothing to do with idols.
18 "Be sure to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, just as I instructed you, at the dates appointed each year in March; that was the month you left Egypt.
19 "Every firstborn male is mine-cattle, sheep, and goats. 20 The firstborn colt of a donkey may be redeemed by giving a lamb in its place. If you decide not to redeem it, then its neck must be broken. But your sons must all be redeemed. And no one shall appear before me without a gift.
21 "Even during plowing and harvest times, work only six days, and rest on the seventh.
22 "And you must remember to celebrate these three annual religious festivals: the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of the First Wheat, and the Harvest Festival. 23 On each of these three occasions all the men and boys of Israel shall appear before the Lord. 24 No one will attack and conquer your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God those three times each year. For I will drive out the nations from before you and enlarge your boundaries.
25 "You must not use leavened bread with your sacrifices to me, and none of the meat of the Passover lamb may be kept over until the following morning. 26 And you must bring the best of the first of each year's crop to the Tabernacle of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."
27 And the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these that I have given you, for they represent the terms of my covenant with you and with Israel."
28 Moses was up on the mountain with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, and in all that time he neither ate nor drank. At that time God wrote out the Covenant-the Ten Commandments-on the stone tablets.
29 Moses didn't realize as he came back down the mountain with the tablets that his face glowed from being in the presence of God. 30 Because of this radiance upon his face, Aaron and the people of Israel were afraid to come near him.
31 But Moses called them over to him, and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation came and talked with him. 32 Afterwards, all the people came to him, and he gave them the commandments the Lord had given him upon the mountain. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face;
34 but whenever he went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil until he came out again; then he would pass on to the people whatever instructions God had given him, 35 and the people would see his face aglow. Afterwards he would put the veil on again until he returned to speak with God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,170
3,3,5,286
4,4,7,424
5,5,9,611
6,6,11,726
7,7,13,910
8,8,15,1227
9,9,17,1287
10,10,19,1458
11,11,21,1731
12,12,23,1881
13,13,25,2025
14,14,27,2115
15,15,29,2207
16,16,31,2399
17,17,33,2548
18,18,35,2590
19,19,37,2816
20,20,39,2946
21,21,41,3166
22,22,43,3296
23,23,45,3437
24,24,47,3535
25,25,49,3738
26,26,51,3909
27,27,53,4067
28,28,55,4200
29,29,57,4414
30,30,59,4605
31,31,61,4719
32,32,63,4839
33,33,65,4976
34,34,67,5060
35,35,69,5247
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,399
5,7,5,574
8,9,7,1061
10,11,9,1340
12,13,11,1791
14,14,13,2076
15,17,15,2204
18,18,17,2724
19,20,19,2902
21,21,21,3194
22,24,23,3285
25,26,25,3747
27,27,27,4060
28,28,29,4206
29,30,31,4418
31,33,33,4656
34,35,34,4962
LOYALTY EXODU 34:12-14
God told the Israelites not to compromise with the sinful people around them, but to give their absolute loyalty and exclusive devotion to him. When we compromise, our sensitivity to sin becomes dulled. Are you beginning to accept lower standards regarding the things you do or think about? This could lead to a downhill slide you won't be able to stop. The way you act shows where your true allegiance is.
EXODU035
0 H ^"
1 Moses gathered all the Israelite community together and said to them, "These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do.
2 You are to work for six days, but the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death.
3 On the Sabbath day you must not light a fire in any of your houses."
4 Moses said to all the Israelites, "This is what the LORD has commanded:
5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Let everyone who is willing bring this offering to the LORD: gold, silver, bronze,
6 blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen, goat hair
7 and male sheepskins that are colored red. They may also bring fine leather, acacia wood,
8 olive oil for the lamps, spices for the special olive oil used for appointing priests and for the sweet-smelling incense,
9 onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and chest covering of the priests.
10 "Let all the skilled workers come and make everything the LORD commanded:
11 the Holy Tent, its outer tent and its covering, the hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;
12 the Ark of the Agreement, its poles, lid, and the curtain in front of it;
13 the table, and its poles, all the things that go with the table, and the bread that shows we are in God's presence;
14 the lampstand for the light and all the things that go with it, the lamps, and olive oil for the light;
15 the altar of incense and its poles, the special oil and the sweet-smelling incense, the curtain for the entrance of the Meeting Tent;
16 the altar of burnt offering and its bronze screen, its poles and all its tools, the bronze bowl and its base;
17 the curtains around the courtyard, their posts and bases, and the curtain at the entry to the courtyard;
18 the pegs of the Holy Tent and of the courtyard and their ropes;
19 the special clothes that the priest will wear in the Holy Place. These are the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests."
20 Then all the people of Israel went away from Moses.
21 Everyone who wanted to give came and brought a gift to the LORD for making the Meeting Tent, all the things in the Tent, and the special clothes.
22 All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds- pins, earrings, rings, and bracelets. They all presented their gold to the LORD.
23 Everyone who had blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, and anyone who had goat hair or male sheepskins colored red or fine leather brought them to the LORD.
24 Everyone who could give silver or bronze brought that as a gift to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood to be used in the work brought it.
25 Every skilled woman used her hands to make the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, and they brought what they had made.
26 All the women who were skilled and wanted to help made thread of the goat hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels to put on the holy vest and chest covering for the priest.
28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the sweet-smelling incense, the special oil, and the oil to burn in the lamps.
29 All the men and women of Israel who wanted to help brought gifts to the LORD for all the work the LORD had commanded Moses and the people to do.
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, "Look, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.
31 The LORD has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and has given him the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work.
32 He is able to design pieces to be made of gold, silver, and bronze,
33 to cut stones and jewels and put them in metal, to carve wood, and to do all kinds of work.
34 Also, the LORD has given Bezalel and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.
35 The LORD has given them the skill to do all kinds of work. They are able to cut designs in metal and stone. They can plan and sew designs in the fine linen with the blue, purple, and red thread. And they are also able to weave things.
1 Now Moses called a meeting of all the people and told them, "These are the laws of Jehovah you must obey.
2 "Work six days only; the seventh day is a day of solemn rest, a holy day to be used to worship Jehovah; anyone working on that day must die. 3 Don't even light the fires in your homes that day."
4 Then Moses said to all the people, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 5-9 All of you who wish to, all those with generous hearts, may bring these offerings to Jehovah:
Gold, silver, and bronze;
Blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, made of fine-twined linen or of goats' hair;
Tanned rams' skins and specially treated goatskins;
Acacia wood;
Olive oil for the lamps;
Spices for the anointing oil and for the incense;
Onyx stones and stones to be used for the ephod and chestpiece.
10-19 "Come, all of you who are skilled craftsmen having special talents, and construct what God has commanded us:
The Tabernacle-tent, and its coverings, clasps, frames, bars, pillars, and bases;
The Ark and its poles;
The place of mercy;
The curtain to enclose the Holy Place;
The table, its carrying poles, and all of its utensils;
The Bread of the Presence;
Lamp holders, with lamps and oil;
The incense altar and its carrying poles;
The anointing oil and sweet incense;
The curtain for the door of the Tabernacle;
The altar for the burnt offerings;
The bronze grating of the altar, and its carrying poles and utensils;
The basin with its pedestal;
The drapes for the walls of the court;
The pillars and their bases;
Drapes for the entrance to the court;
The posts of the Tabernacle court, and their cords;
The beautiful clothing for the priests, to be used when ministering in the Holy Place;
The holy garments for Aaron the priest, and for his sons."
20 So all the people went to their tents to prepare their gifts. 21 Those whose hearts were stirred by God's Spirit returned with their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle, its equipment, and for the holy garments. 22 Both men and women came, all who had willing hearts. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, jewelry-earrings, rings from their fingers, necklaces-and gold objects of every kind. 23 Others brought blue, purple, and scarlet cloth made from the fine-twined linen or goats' hair; and rams' skins dyed red, and specially treated goatskins. 24 Others brought silver and bronze as their offering to the Lord; and some brought the acacia wood needed in the construction.
25 The women skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread and cloth, and fine-twined linen, and brought them in. 26 Some other women gladly used their special skill to spin the goats' hair into cloth. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones to be used for the ephod and the chestpiece; 28 and spices, and oil-for the light, and for compounding the anointing oil and the sweet incense. 29 So the people of Israel-every man and woman who wanted to assist in the work given to them by the Lord's command to Moses-brought their freewill offerings to him.
30-31 And Moses told them, "Jehovah has specifically appointed Bezalel (the son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the tribe of Judah) as general superintendent of the project. 32 He will be able to create beautiful workmanship from gold, silver, and bronze; 33 he can cut and set stones like a jeweler and can do beautiful carving; in fact, he has every needed skill. 34 And God has made him and Oholiab gifted teachers of their skills to others. (Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.) 35 God has filled them both with unusual skills as jewelers, carpenters, embroidery designers in blue, purple, and scarlet on linen backgrounds, and as weavers-they excel in all the crafts we will be needing in the work.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,133
3,3,5,297
4,4,7,372
5,5,9,450
6,6,11,590
7,7,13,651
8,8,15,746
9,9,17,874
10,10,19,972
11,11,21,1053
12,12,23,1156
13,13,25,1237
14,14,27,1360
15,15,29,1471
16,16,31,1612
17,17,33,1729
18,18,35,1841
19,19,37,1912
20,20,39,2082
21,21,41,2141
22,22,43,2294
23,23,45,2458
24,24,47,2630
25,25,49,2782
26,26,51,2919
27,27,53,3006
28,28,55,3121
29,29,57,3250
30,30,59,3402
31,31,61,3531
32,32,63,3666
33,33,65,3741
34,34,67,3840
35,35,69,3966
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,112
4,9,5,312
10,19,14,817
20,24,35,1834
25,29,37,2535
30,35,39,3112
GENEROUS EXODU 35:21
Those whose hearts were stirred by God gave cheerfully to the Tabernacle. They gave with great enthusiasm because they knew how important their giving was to the completion of God's house. Airline pilots and computer operators can push test buttons to see if their equipment is functioning properly. God has a quick test button he can push to see the level of our commitment: our pocketbooks. Generous people aren't necessarily faithful to God. But faithful people are always generous.
EXODU036
, D z"
1 So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person will do the work the LORD has commanded, because he gave them the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy Tent."
2 Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled people to whom the LORD had given skills, and they came because they wanted to help with the work.
3 They received from Moses everything the people of Israel had brought as gifts to build the Holy Tent. The people continued to bring gifts each morning because they wanted to.
4 So all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the Holy Tent,
5 and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than we need to do the work the LORD commanded."
6 Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: "No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the Holy Tent." So the people were kept from giving more,
7 because what they had was already more than enough to do all the work.
8 Then the skilled workers made the Holy Tent. They made the ten curtains of blue, purple, and red cloth, and they sewed designs of creatures with wings on the curtains.
9 Each curtain was the same size- forty-two feet long and six feet wide.
10 Five of the curtains were fastened together to make one set, and the other five were fastened together to make another set.
11 Then they made loops of blue cloth along the edge of the end curtain on the first set of five, and they did the same thing with the other set of five.
12 There were fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the other curtain, with the loops opposite each other.
13 They made fifty gold hooks to join the two curtains together so that the Holy Tent was joined together as one piece.
14 Then the workers made another tent of eleven curtains made of goat hair, to put over the Holy Tent.
15 All eleven curtains were the same size- forty-five feet long and six feet wide.
16 The workers sewed five curtains together into one set and six together into another set.
17 They made fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of one set and fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of the other set.
18 Then they made fifty bronze rings to join the two sets of cloth together and make the tent one piece.
19 They made two more coverings for the outer tent- one made of male sheepskins colored red and the other made of fine leather.
20 Then they made upright frames of acacia wood for the Holy Tent.
21 Each frame was fifteen feet tall and twenty-seven inches wide,
22 and there were two pegs side by side on each one. Every frame of the Holy Tent was made this same way.
23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the Tent,
24 and they made forty silver bases that went under the twenty frames. There were two bases for every frame- one for each peg of each frame.
25 They also made twenty frames for the north side of the Holy Tent
26 and forty silver bases- two to go under each frame.
27 They made six frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent
28 and two frames for the corners at the rear of the Holy Tent.
29 These two frames were doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. They did this for each of these corners.
30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases- two bases under each frame.
31 Then they made crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Five crossbars held the frames together on one side of the Tent,
32 and five held the frames together on the other side. Also, five crossbars held the frames together on the west end, at the rear of the Tent.
33 They made the middle crossbar run along the entire length of each side and rear of the Tent. It was set halfway up the frames.
34 They made gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and they covered the frames and the crossbars with gold.
35 Then they made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A skilled craftsman sewed designs of creatures with wings on it.
36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and covered them with gold. Then they made gold hooks for the posts, as well as four silver bases in which to set the posts.
37 For the entrance to the Tent, they made a curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A person who sewed well sewed designs on it.
38 Then they made five posts and hooks for it. They covered the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and they made five bronze bases for the posts.
1 "All the other craftsmen with God-given abilities are to assist Bezalel and Oholiab in constructing and furnishing the Tabernacle." So Moses told Bezalel and Oholiab and all others who felt called to the work to begin. 3 Moses gave them the materials donated by the people and additional gifts were received each morning.
4-7 But finally the workmen all left their task to meet with Moses and told him, "We have more than enough materials on hand now to complete the job!" So Moses sent a message throughout the camp announcing that no more donations were needed. Then at last the people were restrained from bringing more!
8-9 The skilled weavers first made ten sheets from fine linen, then embroidered into them blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels. Each sheet was 42 feet long and 6 feet wide. 10 Five of these sheets were attached end to end, then five others similarly attached, forming two long roofsheets. 11-12 Fifty blue ribbons were looped along the edges of these two long sheets, each loop being opposite its mate on the other long sheet. 13 Then fifty clasps of gold were made to connect the loops, thus tying the two long sheets together to form the ceiling of the Tabernacle.
14-15 Above the ceiling was a second layer formed by eleven draperies made of goats' hair (uniformly 45 feet long and 6 feet wide). 16 Bezalel coupled five of these draperies together to make one long piece, and six others to make another long piece. 17 Then he made fifty loops along the end of each 18 and fifty small bronze clasps to couple the loops so that the draperies were firmly attached to each other.
19 The top layer of the roof was made of rams' skins, dyed red, and tanned goatskins.
20 For the sides of the Tabernacle he used frames of acacia wood standing on end. 21 The height of each frame was 15 feet and the width 2 feet. 22 Each frame had two clasps joining it to the next. 23 There were twenty frames on the south side, 24 with the bottoms fitting into forty silver bases. Each frame was connected to its base by two clasps. 25-26 There were also twenty frames on the north side of the Tabernacle, with forty silver bases, two for each frame. 27 The west side of the Tabernacle, which was its rear, was made from six frames, 28 plus another at each corner. 29 These frames, including those at the corners, were linked to each other at both top and bottom by rings. 30 So, on the west side, there were a total of eight frames with sixteen silver bases beneath them, two for each frame.
31-32 Then he made five sets of bars from acacia wood to tie the frames together along the sides, five for each side of the Tabernacle. 33 The middle bar of the five was halfway up the frames, along each side, running from one end to the other. 34 The frames and bars were all overlaid with gold, and the rings were pure gold.
35 The blue, purple, and scarlet inner curtain was made from woven linen, with Guardian Angels skillfully embroidered into it. 36 The curtain was then attached to four gold hooks set into four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and set into four silver bases.
37 Then he made a drapery for the entrance to the Tabernacle; it was woven from finespun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet. 38 This drapery was connected by five hooks to five posts. The posts and their capitals and rods were overlaid with gold; their five bases were molded from bronze.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,203
3,3,5,370
4,4,7,551
5,5,9,632
6,6,11,741
7,7,13,912
8,8,15,989
9,9,17,1163
10,10,19,1240
11,11,21,1371
12,12,23,1529
13,13,25,1648
14,14,27,1773
15,15,29,1880
16,16,31,1967
17,17,33,2063
18,18,35,2213
19,19,37,2322
20,20,39,2454
21,21,41,2525
22,22,43,2595
23,23,45,2705
24,24,47,2768
25,25,49,2913
26,26,51,2985
27,27,53,3044
28,28,55,3114
29,29,57,3182
30,30,59,3315
31,31,61,3403
32,32,63,3563
33,33,65,3711
34,34,67,3845
35,35,69,3980
36,36,71,4128
37,37,73,4303
38,38,75,4454
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,328
8,13,5,633
14,18,7,1208
19,19,9,1623
20,30,11,1712
31,34,13,2524
35,36,15,2854
37,38,17,3123
EXODU037
1 Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood; it was forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
2 He covered it, both inside and out, with pure gold, and he put a gold strip around it.
3 He made four gold rings for it and attached them to its four feet, with two rings on each side.
4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.
5 He put the poles through the rings on each side of the Ark to carry it.
6 Then he made a lid of pure gold that was forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.
7 Then Bezalel hammered gold to make two creatures with wings and attached them to each end of the lid.
8 He made one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. He attached them to the lid so that it would be one piece.
9 The creatures' wings were spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures faced each other across the lid.
10 Then he made the table of acacia wood; it was thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.
11 He covered it with pure gold and put a gold strip around it.
12 He made a frame three inches high that stood up all around the edge, and he put a gold strip around it.
13 Then he made four gold rings for the table and attached them to the four corners of the table where the four legs were.
14 The rings were put close to the frame around the top of the table, because they held the poles for carrying it.
15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were covered with gold.
16 He made of pure gold all the things that were used on the table: the plates, bowls, cups, and jars used for pouring the drink offerings.
17 Then he made the lampstand of pure gold, hammering out its base and stand. Its flower-like cups, buds, and petals were joined together in one piece with the base and stand.
18 Six branches went out from the sides of the lampstand- three on one side and three on the other.
19 Each branch had three cups shaped like almond flowers, and each cup had a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same.
20 There were four more cups shaped like almond flowers on the lampstand itself, each with its buds and petals.
21 Three pairs of branches went out from the lampstand. A bud was under the place where each pair was attached to the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand was the same.
22 The buds, branches, and lampstand were all one piece of pure, hammered gold.
23 He made seven pure gold lamps for this lampstand, and he made pure gold wick trimmers and trays.
24 He used about seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all the things that go with it.
25 Then he made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square- eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide- and it was thirty-six inches high. Each corner that stuck out like a horn was joined into one piece with the altar.
26 He covered the top and all the sides and the corners with pure gold, and he put gold trim around the altar.
27 He made two gold rings and put them below the trim on opposite sides of the altar; these rings held the poles for carrying it.
28 He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold.
29 Then he made the holy olive oil for appointing the priests and the pure, sweet-smelling incense. He made them like a person who mixes perfumes.
1 Next Bezalel made the Ark. This was constructed of acacia wood and was 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high. 2 It was plated with pure gold inside and out, and had a molding of gold all the way around the sides. 3 There were four gold rings fastened into its four feet, two rings at each end. 4 Then he made poles from acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, 5 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark, to carry it.
6 Then, from pure gold, he made a lid called "the place of mercy"; it was 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. 7 He made two statues of Guardian Angels of beaten gold and placed them at the two ends of the gold lid. 8 They were molded so that they were actually a part of the gold lid-it was all one piece. 9 The Guardian Angels faced each other, with outstretched wings that overshadowed the place of mercy, looking down upon it.
10 Then he made a table, using acacia wood, 3 feet long, 1 feet wide, and 2 feet high. 11 It was overlaid with pure gold, with a gold molding all around the edge. 12 A rim 4 inches high was constructed around the edges of the table, with a gold molding along the rim. 13 Then he cast four rings of gold and placed them into the four table legs, 14 close to the molding, to hold the carrying poles in place. 15 He made the carrying poles of acacia wood covered with gold. 16 Next, using pure gold, he made the bowls, flagons, dishes, and spoons to be placed upon this table.
17 Then he made the lampstand, again using pure, beaten gold. Its base, shaft, lamp-holders, and decorations of almond flowers were all of one piece. 18 The lampstand had six branches, three from each side. 19 Each of the branches was decorated with identical carvings of blossoms. 20-21 The main stem of the lampstand was similarly decorated with almond blossoms, a flower on the stem beneath each pair of branches; also a flower below the bottom pair and above the top pair, four in all. 22 The decorations and branches were all one piece of pure, beaten gold. 23-24 Then he made the seven lamps at the ends of the branches, the snuffers, and the ashtrays, all of pure gold. The entire lampstand weighed 107 pounds, all pure gold.
25 The incense altar was made of acacia wood. It was 18 inches square and 3 feet high, with its corner-horns made as part of the altar so that it was all one piece. 26 He overlaid it all with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge. 27 Two gold rings were placed on each side, beneath this molding, to hold the carrying poles. 28 The carrying poles were gold-plated acacia wood.
29 Then, from sweet spices, he made the sacred oil for anointing the priests, and the pure incense, using the techniques of the most skilled perfumers.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,131
3,3,5,224
4,4,7,326
5,5,9,394
6,6,11,472
7,7,13,572
8,8,15,680
9,9,17,829
10,10,19,945
11,11,21,1074
12,12,23,1142
13,13,25,1253
14,14,27,1380
15,15,29,1499
16,16,31,1592
17,17,33,1736
18,18,35,1916
19,19,37,2020
20,20,39,2186
21,21,41,2302
22,22,43,2503
23,23,45,2587
24,24,47,2691
25,25,49,2803
26,26,51,3042
27,27,53,3157
28,28,55,3291
29,29,57,3359
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,445
10,16,5,871
17,24,7,1448
25,28,9,2184
29,29,11,2575
EXODU038
J!b!8#
1 Then he built the altar for burnt offerings out of acacia wood. The altar was square- seven and one-half feet long and seven and one-half feet wide- and it was four and one-half feet high.
2 He made each corner stick out like a horn so that the horns and the altar were joined together in one piece. Then he covered the altar with bronze.
3 He made all the tools of bronze to use on the altar: the pots, shovels, bowls for sprinkling blood, meat forks, and pans for carrying the fire.
4 He made a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood for the altar and put it inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom.
5 He made bronze rings to hold the poles for carrying the altar, and he put them at the four corners of the screen.
6 Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze.
7 He put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar, to carry it. He made the altar of boards and left the inside hollow.
8 He made the bronze bowl for washing, and he built it on a bronze stand. He used the bronze from mirrors that belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
9 Then he made a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. On the south side the curtains were one hundred fifty feet long and were made of fine linen.
10 The curtains hung on silver hooks and bands, placed on twenty bronze posts with twenty bronze bases.
11 On the north side the wall of curtains was also one hundred fifty feet long, and it hung on silver hooks and bands on twenty posts with twenty bronze bases.
12 On the west side of the courtyard, the wall of curtains was seventy-five feet long. It was held up by silver hooks and bands on ten posts with ten bases.
13 The east side was also seventy-five feet long.
14 On one side of the entry there was a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts and three bases.
15 On the other side of the entry there was also a wall of curtains twenty-two and one-half feet long, held up by three posts and three bases.
16 All the curtains around the courtyard were made of fine linen.
17 The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and the bands on the posts were made of silver, and the tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the courtyard had silver bands.
18 The curtain for the entry of the courtyard was made of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, sewn by a person who could sew well. The curtain was thirty feet long and seven and one-half feet high, the same height as the curtains around the courtyard.
19 It was held up by four posts and four bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts were made of silver, and the tops on the posts were covered with silver.
20 All the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and for the curtains around the courtyard were made of bronze.
21 This is a list of the materials used to make the Holy Tent, where the Agreement is kept. Moses ordered the Levites to make this list, and Ithamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping it.
22 Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, made everything the LORD commanded Moses.
23 Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan helped him. He could cut designs into metal and stone; he was a designer and also skilled at sewing the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.
24 The total amount of gold used to build the Holy Tent was presented to the LORD. It weighed over 2,000 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure.
25 The silver was given by the members of the community who were counted. It weighed 7,550 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure.
26 All the men twenty years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each man had to pay one-fifth of an ounce of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure.
27 Of this silver, 7,500 pounds were used to make the one hundred bases for the Holy Tent and for the curtain- 75 pounds of silver in each base.
28 They used 50 pounds of silver to make the hooks for the posts and to cover the tops of the posts and to make the bands on them.
29 The bronze which was presented to the LORD weighed about 5,000 pounds.
30 They used the bronze to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to make the altar and the bronze screen, and to make all the tools for the altar.
31 This bronze was also used to make bases for the wall of curtains around the courtyard and bases for curtains at the entry to the courtyard, as well as to make the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and the curtains that surrounded the courtyard.
1 The burnt-offering altar was also constructed of acacia wood; it was 7 feet square at the top, and 4 feet high. 2 There were four horns at the four corners, all of one piece with the rest. This altar was overlaid with bronze. 3 Then he made bronze utensils to be used with the altar-the pots, shovels, basins, meat hooks, and fire pans. 4 Next he made a bronze grating that rested upon a ledge about halfway up in the firebox.
5 Four rings were cast for each side of the grating, to insert the carrying poles. 6 The carrying poles themselves were made of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze. 7 The carrying poles were inserted into the rings at the side of the altar. The altar was hollow, with plank siding.
8 The bronze washbasin and its bronze pedestal were cast from the solid bronze mirrors donated by the women who assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle.
9 Then he constructed the courtyard. The south wall was 150 feet long; it consisted of drapes woven from fine-twined linen thread. 10 There were twenty posts to hold drapes, with bases of bronze and with silver hooks and rods. 11 The north wall was also 150 feet long, with twenty bronze posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods. 12 The west side was 75 feet wide; the walls were made from drapes supported by ten posts and bases, and with silver hooks and rods. 13 The east side was also 75 feet wide.
14-15 The drapes at either side of the entrance were 22 feet wide, each with three posts and three bases. 16 All the drapes making up the walls of the court were woven of fine-twined linen. 17 Each post had a bronze base, and all the hooks and rods were silver; the tops of the posts were overlaid with silver, and the rods to hold up the drapes were solid silver.
18 The drapery covering the entrance to the court was made of fine-twined linen, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
It was 30 feet long and 7 feet wide, just the same as the drapes composing the walls of the court. 19 It was supported by four posts, with four bronze bases and with silver hooks and rods; the tops of the posts were also silver.
20 All the nails used in constructing the Tabernacle and court were bronze.
21 This summarizes the various steps in building the Tabernacle to house the Ark, so that the Levites could carry on their ministry. All was done in the order designated by Moses and was supervised by Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel (son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah) was the master craftsman, 23 assisted by Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan); he too was a skilled craftsman and also an expert at engraving, weaving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and scarlet threads into fine linen cloth.
24 The people brought gifts of 3,140 pounds of gold, all of which was used throughout the Tabernacle.
25-26 The amount of silver used was 9,575 pounds, which came from the fifty-cent head tax collected from all those registered in the census who were twenty years old or older, a total of 603,550 men. 27 The bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the veil required 9,500 pounds of silver, 95 pounds for each socket. 28 The silver left over was used for the posts and to overlay their tops, and for the rods and hooks.
29-31 The people brought 7,540 pounds of bronze, which was used for casting the bases for the posts at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar, the bronze grating, the altar utensils, the bases for the posts supporting the drapes enclosing the court, and for all the nails used in the construction of the Tabernacle and the court.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,196
3,3,5,350
4,4,7,500
5,5,9,647
6,6,11,767
7,7,13,837
8,8,15,975
9,9,17,1160
10,10,19,1333
11,11,21,1441
12,12,23,1605
13,13,25,1766
14,14,27,1820
15,15,29,1956
16,16,31,2103
17,17,33,2173
18,18,35,2389
19,19,37,2655
20,20,39,2820
21,21,41,2926
22,22,43,3121
23,23,45,3228
24,24,47,3430
25,25,49,3581
26,26,51,3718
27,27,53,3892
28,28,55,4041
29,29,57,4176
30,30,59,4254
31,31,61,4419
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,433
8,8,5,716
9,13,7,876
14,17,9,1388
18,19,11,1756
20,20,14,2133
21,23,16,2212
24,24,18,2756
25,28,20,2861
29,40,22,3316
EXODU039
1 They used blue, purple, and red thread to make woven clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Place. They made the holy clothes for Aaron as the LORD had commanded Moses.
2 They made the holy vest of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.
3 They hammered the gold into sheets and then cut it into long, thin strips. They worked the gold into the blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. This was done by skilled craftsmen.
4 They made the shoulder straps for the holy vest, which were attached to the top corners of the vest and tied together over each shoulder.
5 The skillfully woven belt was made in the same way; it was joined to the holy vest as one piece. It was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen, the way the LORD commanded Moses.
6 They put gold around the onyx stones and then wrote the names of the sons of Israel on these gems, as a person carves words and designs on a seal.
7 Then they attached the gems on the shoulder straps of the holy vest, as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. This was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
8 The skilled craftsmen made the chest covering like the holy vest; it was made of gold, and blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen.
9 The chest covering was square- nine inches long and nine inches wide- and it was folded double to make a pocket.
10 Then they put four rows of beautiful jewels on it: In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz, and a yellow quartz;
11 in the second there was a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
12 in the third there was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13 in the fourth there was a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. Gold was put around these jewels to attach them to the chest covering,
14 and the names of the sons of Israel were carved on these twelve jewels as a person carves a seal. Each jewel had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
15 They made chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope, for the chest covering.
16 The workers made two gold pieces and two gold rings. They put the two gold rings on the two upper corners of the chest covering.
17 Then they put two gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the chest covering,
18 and they fastened the other two ends of the chains to the two gold pieces. They attached these gold pieces to the two shoulder straps in the front of the holy vest.
19 They made two gold rings and put them at the lower corners of the chest covering on the inside edge next to the holy vest.
20 They made two more gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder straps in front of the holy vest, near the seam, just above the woven belt of the holy vest.
21 They used a blue ribbon and tied the rings of the chest covering to the rings of the holy vest, connecting it to the woven belt. In this way the chest covering would not swing out from the holy vest. They did all these things the way the LORD commanded.wyard.
22 Then they made the outer robe to be worn under the holy vest. It was woven only of blue cloth.
23 They made a hole in the center of the outer robe, with a woven collar sewn around it so it would not tear.
24 Then they made balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen and hung them around the bottom of the outer robe.
25 They also made bells of pure gold and hung these around the bottom of the outer robe between the balls.
26 So around the bottom of the outer robe there was a bell and a pomegranate ball, a bell and a pomegranate ball. The priest wore this outer robe when he served as priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
27 They wove inner robes of fine linen for Aaron and his sons,
28 and they made turbans, headbands, and underclothes of fine linen.
29 Then they made the cloth belt of fine linen, and blue, purple, and red thread, and designs were sewn onto it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30 They made a strip of pure gold, which is the holy crown, and carved these words in the gold, as one might carve on a seal: "Holy to the LORD."
31 Then they tied this flat piece to the turban with a blue ribbon, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
32 So all the work on the Meeting Tent was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
33 Then they brought the Holy Tent to Moses: the Tent and all its furniture, hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;
34 the covering made of male sheepskins colored red, the covering made of fine leather, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place;
35 the Ark of the Agreement, its poles and lid;
36 the table, all its containers, and the bread that showed they were in God's presence;
37 the pure gold lampstand with its lamps in a row, all its tools, and the olive oil for the light;
38 the gold altar, the special olive oil used for appointing priests, the sweet-smelling incense, and the curtain that covered the entrance to the Tent;
39 the bronze altar and its screen, its poles and all its tools, the bowl and its stand;
40 the curtains for the courtyard with their posts and bases, the curtain that covered the entry to the courtyard, the cords, pegs, and all the things in the Meeting Tent.
41 They brought the clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the Holy Tent- the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons, which they wore when they served as priests.
42 The Israelites had done all this work just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
1 Then, for the priests, the people made beautiful garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth-garments to be used while ministering in the Holy Place. This same cloth was used for Aaron's sacred garments, in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses. 2 The ephod was made from this cloth too, woven from fine-twined linen thread. 3 Bezalel beat gold into thin plates and cut it into wire threads, to work into the blue, purple, and scarlet linen; it was a skillful and beautiful piece of workmanship when finished.
4-5 The ephod was held together by shoulder straps at the top and was tied down by an elaborate one-piece woven sash made of the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet cloth cut from fine-twined linen thread, just as God had directed Moses. 6-7 The two onyx stones, attached to the two shoulder straps of the ephod, were set in gold, and the stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as initials are engraved upon a ring. These stones were reminders to Jehovah concerning the people of Israel; all this was done in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses.
8 The chestpiece was a beautiful piece of work, just like the ephod, made from the finest gold, blue, purple, and scarlet linen. 9 It was a piece nine inches square, doubled over to form a pouch; 10 there were four rows of stones across it. In the first row were a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle; 11 in the second row were an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12 In the third row were a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 In the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper-all set in gold filigree. 14 The stones were engraved like a seal, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
15-18 To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, a gold ring was placed at the top of each shoulder strap of the ephod, and from these gold rings, two strands of twined gold attached to gold clasps on the top corners of the chestpiece. 19 Two gold rings were also set at the lower edge of the chestpiece, on the under side, next to the ephod. 20 Two other gold rings were placed low on the shoulder straps of the ephod, close to where the ephod joined its beautifully woven sash. 21 The chestpiece was held securely above the beautifully woven sash of the ephod by tying the rings of the chestpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue ribbon.
All this was commanded to Moses by the Lord.
22 The main part of the ephod was woven, all of blue, 23 and there was a hole at the center, just as in a coat of mail, for the head to go through, reinforced around the edge so that it would not tear. 24 Pomegranates were attached to the bottom edge of the robe; these were made of linen cloth, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet. 25-26 Bells of pure gold were placed between the pomegranates along the bottom edge of the skirt, with bells and pomegranates alternating all around the edge. This robe was worn when Aaron ministered to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 Robes were now made for Aaron and his sons from fine-twined linen thread. 28-29 The chestpiece, the beautiful turbans, and the caps and the underclothes were all made of this linen, and the linen belt was beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet threads, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 30 Finally, they made the holy plate of pure gold to wear on the front of the turban, engraved with the words, "Consecrated to Jehovah." 31 It was tied to the turban with a blue cord, just as the Lord had instructed.
32 And so at last the Tabernacle was finished, following all of the Lord's instructions to Moses.
33-40 Then they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses:
Furniture; clasps; frames; bars;
Posts; bases; layers of covering for the roof and sides-the rams' skins dyed red, the specially tanned goatskins, and the entrance drape; the Ark with the Ten Commandments in it;
The carrying poles;
The place of mercy;
The table and all its utensils;
The Bread of the Presence;
The pure gold lampstand with its lamps, utensils, and oil;
The gold altar;
The anointing oil;
The sweet incense;
The curtain-door of the Tabernacle;
The bronze altar;
The bronze grating;
The poles and the utensils;
The washbasin and its base;
The drapes for the walls of the court and the posts holding them up;
The bases and the drapes at the gate of the court;
The cords and nails;
All the utensils used there in the work of the Tabernacle.
41 They also brought for his inspection the beautifully tailored garments to be worn while ministering in the Holy Place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and those for his sons, to be worn when on duty.
42 So the people of Israel followed all the Lord's instructions to Moses. 43 And Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it was all as the Lord had instructed him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,198
3,3,5,287
4,4,7,480
5,5,9,624
6,6,11,832
7,7,13,985
8,8,15,1155
9,9,17,1298
10,10,19,1417
11,11,21,1540
12,12,23,1612
13,13,25,1680
14,14,27,1819
15,15,29,1987
16,16,31,2079
17,17,33,2215
18,18,35,2304
19,19,37,2476
20,20,39,2606
21,21,41,2766
22,22,43,3033
23,23,45,3135
24,24,47,3249
25,25,49,3394
26,26,51,3505
27,27,53,3719
28,28,55,3786
29,29,57,3859
30,30,59,4014
31,31,61,4164
32,32,63,4269
33,33,65,4394
34,34,67,4519
35,35,69,4677
36,36,71,4729
37,37,73,4822
38,38,75,4926
39,39,77,5083
40,40,79,5176
41,41,81,5352
42,42,83,5556
43,43,85,5639
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,527
8,14,5,1118
15,21,7,1716
22,26,10,2406
27,31,12,3001
32,32,14,3530
33,40,16,3631
41,41,37,4502
42,43,39,4719
DETAILS EXODU 39:32
The Tabernacle was finally complete to the last detail. God was keenly interested in every minute part. The Creator of the universe is concerned about even the little things. Matthew 10:30 says that God knows the number of hairs on our heads. This shows that God is greatly interested in you. Don't be afraid to talk with him about any of your concerns-no matter how small or unimportant they might seem.
FOLLOW UP EXODU 39:43
Moses inspected the finished work, saw that it was done the way God wanted, and then blessed the people. A good leader follows up on assigned tasks and gives rewards for good work. In whatever responsible position you find yourself, follow up to make sure tasks are completed as intended, and show your appreciation to the people who have helped.
EXODU040
1 Then the LORD said to Moses:
2 "On the first day of the first month, set up the Holy Tent, which is the Meeting Tent.
3 Put the Ark of the Agreement in it and hang the curtain in front of the Ark.
4 Bring in the table and arrange everything on the table that should be there. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.
5 Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Ark of the Agreement, and put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
6 "Put the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent.
7 Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it.
8 Set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent, and put the curtain at the entry to the courtyard.
9 "Use the special olive oil and pour it on the Holy Tent and everything in it, in order to give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the LORD. They will be holy.
10 Pour the special oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools. Give the altar for service to God, and it will be very holy.
11 Then pour the special olive oil on the bowl and the base under it so that they will be given for service to God.
12 "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water.
13 Then put the holy clothes on Aaron. Pour the special oil on him, and give him for service to God so that he may serve me as a priest.
14 Bring Aaron's sons and put the inner robes on them.
15 Pour the special oil on them in the same way that you appointed their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. Pouring oil on them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants from now on."
16 Moses did everything that the LORD commanded him.
17 So the Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month during the second year after they left Egypt.
18 When Moses set up the Holy Tent, he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put the crossbars through the rings of the frames and set up the posts.
19 After that, Moses spread the cloth over the Holy Tent and put the covering over it, just as the LORD commanded.
20 Moses put the stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them into the Ark. He put the poles through the rings of the Ark and put the lid on it.
21 Next he brought the Ark into the Tent and hung the curtain to cover the Ark, just as the LORD commanded him.
22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the Holy Tent in front of the curtain.
23 Then he put the bread on the table before the LORD, just as the LORD commanded him.
24 Moses put the lampstand in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table.
25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the LORD, just as the LORD commanded him.
26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain.
27 Then he burned sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the LORD commanded him.
28 Then he hung the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
29 He put the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance to the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and grain offerings on it, just as the LORD commanded him.
30 Moses put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing.
31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons used this water to wash their hands and feet.
32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, and he put up the curtain at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent, and the glory of the LORD filled the Holy Tent.
35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Holy Tent.
36 When the cloud rose from the Holy Tent, the Israelites would begin to travel,
37 but as long as the cloud stayed on the Holy Tent, they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose.
1 The Lord now said to Moses, 2 "Put together the Tabernacle on the first day of the first month. 3 In it place the Ark containing the Ten Commandments; and install the veil to enclose the Ark within the Holy of Holies. 4 Then bring in the table and place the utensils on it, and bring in the lampstand and light the lamps.
5 "Place the gold altar for the incense in front of the Ark. Set up the drapes at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 6 and place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance. 7 Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle-tent and the altar, and fill it with water. 8 Then make the courtyard around the outside of the tent, and hang the curtain-door at the entrance to the courtyard.
9 "Take the anointing oil and sprinkle it here and there upon the Tabernacle and everything in it, upon all of its utensils and parts, and all the furniture, to hallow it; and it shall become holy. 10 Sprinkle the anointing oil upon the altar of burnt offering and its utensils, sanctifying it; for the altar shall then become most holy. 11 Then anoint the washbasin and its pedestal, sanctifying it.
12 "Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tabernacle and wash them with water; 13 and clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him, sanctifying him to minister to me as a priest. 14 Then bring his sons and put their robes upon them, 15 and anoint them as you did their father, that they may minister to me as priests; their anointing shall be permanent from generation to generation: all their children and children's children shall forever be my priests."
16 So Moses proceeded to do all as the Lord had commanded him. 17 On the first day of the first month, in the second year, the Tabernacle was put together. 18 Moses erected it by setting its frames into their bases and attaching the bars. 19 Then he spread the coverings over the framework and put on the top layers, just as the Lord had commanded him.
20 Inside the Ark he placed the stones with the Ten Commandments engraved on them, and attached the carrying poles to the Ark and installed the gold lid, the place of mercy. 21 Then he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle and set up the curtain to screen it, just as the Lord had commanded.
22 Next he placed the table at the north side of the room outside the curtain 23 and set the Bread of the Presence upon the table before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded.
24 And he placed the lampstand next to the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle. 25 Then he lighted the lamps before the Lord, following all the instructions, 26 and placed the gold altar in the Tabernacle next to the curtain, 27 and burned upon it the incense made from sweet spices, just as the Lord had commanded.
28 He attached the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 29 and placed the outside altar for the burnt offerings near the entrance, and offered upon it a burnt offering and a meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.
30 Next he placed the washbasin between the tent and the altar and filled it with water so that the priests could use it for washing. 31 Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons washed their hands and feet there. 32 Whenever they walked past the altar to enter the Tabernacle, they stopped and washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
33 Then he erected the enclosure surrounding the tent and the altar, and set up the curtain-door at the entrance of the enclosure. So at last Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it. 35 Moses was not able to enter because the cloud was standing there, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud lifted and moved, the people of Israel journeyed onward, following it. 37 But if the cloud stayed, they stayed until it moved. 38 The cloud rested upon the Tabernacle during the daytime, and at night there was fire in the cloud so that all the people of Israel could see it.
This continued throughout all their journeys.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,36
3,3,5,129
4,4,7,212
5,5,9,345
6,6,11,482
7,7,13,583
8,8,15,663
9,9,17,763
10,10,19,939
11,11,21,1083
12,12,23,1203
13,13,25,1299
14,14,27,1440
15,15,29,1499
16,16,31,1733
17,17,33,1790
18,18,35,1907
19,19,37,2090
20,20,39,2209
21,21,41,2366
22,22,43,2482
23,23,45,2589
24,24,47,2680
25,25,49,2789
26,26,51,2884
27,27,53,2981
28,28,55,3065
29,29,57,3131
30,30,59,3321
31,31,61,3443
32,32,63,3527
33,33,65,3693
34,34,67,3853
35,35,69,3949
36,36,71,4081
37,37,73,4166
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,328
9,11,5,718
12,15,7,1122
16,19,9,1602
20,21,11,1958
22,23,13,2251
24,27,15,2433
28,29,17,2759
30,32,19,2993
33,33,21,3328
34,38,23,3498
TASKS EXODU 40:17-33
The physical care of the Tabernacle required a long list of tasks, and each was important to the work of God's house. This principle is important to remember today, when God's house is the church. There are many seemingly unimportant tasks that must be done to keep your church building maintained. Washing dishes, painting walls, or shoveling snow may not seem very spiritual, but they are vital to the ministry of the church and have an important role in our worship of God.
VLEVIT
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PURPOSE:
A handbook for the Levites outlining their priestly duties in worship, and a guidebook of holy living for the Hebrews
AUTHOR:
Moses
DATE OF EVENTS:
1445-1444 B.C.
SETTING:
At the foot of Mount Sinai. God teaches the Israelites how to live as holy people.
KEY PEOPLE:
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazor, Ithamar
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Holiness is mentioned more often (152 times) than in any other book of the Bible
Jason was the coach's kid. At practice he tried hard to pay attention, but one day he knew he was doomed. Patti, the cutest girl on the cheerleading squad, stopped by. Soon she sat next to Jason on the grass, and they began to whisper together-until Jason's dad looked their way. Jason paid attention for a few minutes, but soon they were whispering again. The rest of the world faded away. It was just the two of them . . . until Jason's father intruded. "Jason!" he demanded. "You are the coach's son, and I expect you to pay attention!" Jason understood. He remained attentive for the rest of the practice. The coach expected Jason to listen during practice. Not because he was different than the other players, but because Jason was his son. He felt Jason's actions were a reflection on his father, so Jason should pay attention-even if no one else did. The Israelites were in a similar situation. God demanded they "pay attention" because they were his chosen people, his children. God told them, "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (19:2) Holy means "set apart, good, and different." That's why God gave them the book of Leviticus. It contains laws of holiness, things they needed to do to remain holy. God also gave them the Day of Atonement so they could be forgiven. The book of Leviticus is important to us, too. Our day of atonement is the day Jesus died. Because of him we can be "holy" before God even though we disobey him. Jesus' death covers everything we do wrong. As you read Leviticus, consider your relationship with God. And, where it's needed, ask Christ for forgiveness.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
LEVIT001
1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent, saying,
2 "Tell the people of Israel: `When you bring an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from the herd or flock.
3 "`If the offering is a whole burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male that has nothing wrong with it. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent so that the LORD will accept the offering.
4 He must put his hand on the animal's head, and the LORD will accept it to remove the person's sin so he will belong to God.
5 He must kill the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons, the priests, must bring its blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
6 After that he will skin the animal and cut it into pieces.
7 The priests, when they have put wood and fire on the altar,
8 are to lay the head, the fat, and other pieces on the wood that is on the fire of the altar.
9 The animal's inner organs and legs must be washed with water. Then the priest must burn all the animal's parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
10 "`If the burnt offering is a sheep or a goat from the flock, it must be a male that has nothing wrong with it.
11 The person must kill the animal on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons, the priests, must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
12 The person must cut the animal into pieces, and the priest must lay them, with the head and fat, on the wood that is on the fire of the altar.
13 The person must wash the animal's inner organs and legs with water, and then the priest must burn all its parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
14 "`If the whole burnt offering for the LORD is a bird, it must be a dove or a young pigeon.
15 The priest will bring it to the altar and pull off its head, which he will burn on the altar; the bird's blood must be drained out on the side of the altar.
16 The priest must remove the bird's crop and its contents and throw them on the east side of the altar, where the ashes are.
17 Then he must tear the bird open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. He must burn the bird on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
( ( 1 The Lord now spoke to Moses from the Tabernacle, 2-3 and commanded him to give the following instructions to the people of Israel: "When you sacrifice to the Lord, use animals from your herds and flocks.
"If your sacrifice is to be an ox given as a burnt offering, use only a bull with no physical defects. Bring the animal to the entrance of the Tabernacle where the priests will accept your gift for the Lord. 4 The person bringing it is to lay his hand upon its head, and it then becomes his substitute: the death of the animal will be accepted by God instead of the death of the man who brings it, as the penalty for his sins.
5 The man shall then kill the animal there before the Lord, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood before the Lord, sprinkling it upon all sides of the altar at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 6-7 Then the priests will the animal and quarter it, and build a wood fire upon the altar, 8 and put the sections of the animal and its head and fat upon the wood. 9 The internal organs and the legs are to be washed, then the priests will burn them upon the altar, and they will be an acceptable burnt offering with which the Lord is pleased.
10 "If the animal used as a burnt offering is a sheep or a goat, it too must be a male, and without any blemishes. 11 The man who brings it will kill it before the Lord on the north side of the altar, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood back and forth upon the altar. 12 Then the man will quarter it, and the priests will lay the pieces, with the head and the fat, on top of the wood on the altar. 13 But the internal organs and the legs shall first be washed with water. Then the priests shall burn it all upon the altar as an offering to the Lord; for burnt offerings give much pleasure to the Lord.
14 "If anyone wishes to use a bird as his burnt offering, he may choose either turtledoves or young pigeons. 15-17 A priest will take the bird to the altar and wring off its head, and the blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. Then the priest will remove the crop and the feathers and throw them on the east side of the altar with the ashes. Then, grasping it by the wings, he shall tear it apart, but not completely. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, and the Lord will have pleasure in this sacrifice.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,212
4,4,7,438
5,5,9,568
6,6,11,750
7,7,13,815
8,8,15,881
9,9,17,980
10,10,19,1206
11,11,21,1324
12,12,23,1493
13,13,25,1643
14,14,27,1871
15,15,29,1969
16,16,31,2133
17,17,33,2263
1,4,1,1
5,9,4,638
10,13,6,1192
14,17,8,1816
LEVIT002
1 "`When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, it must be made from fine flour. The person must pour oil on it, put incense on it,
2 and then take it to Aaron's sons, the priests. The priest must take a handful of the fine flour and oil and all the incense, and burn it on the altar as a memorial portion. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.w
3 The rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and the priests; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD.
4 "`If you bring a grain offering that was baked in the oven, it must be made from fine flour. It may be loaves made without yeast and mixed with oil, or it may be wafers made without yeast that have oil poured over them.
5 If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made, without yeast, of fine flour mixed with oil.
6 Crumble it and pour oil over it; it is a grain offering.
7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made from fine flour and oil.
8 Bring the grain offering made of these things to the LORD. Give it to the priest, and he will take it to the altar.
9 He will take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar, as an offering made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
10 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and the priests. It is a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.
11 "`Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, because you must not burn any yeast or honey in an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12 You may bring yeast and honey to the LORD as an offering from the first harvest, but they must not be burned on the altar as a pleasing smell.
13 You must also put salt on all your grain offerings. Salt stands for your agreement with God that will last forever; do not leave it out of your grain offering. You must add salt to all your offerings.
14 "`If you bring a grain offering from the first harvest to the LORD, bring crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire.
15 Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering.
16 The priest will burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and oil, with the incense on it. It is an offering by fire to the LORD.
1 "Anyone who wishes to sacrifice a grain offering to the Lord is to bring fine flour and is to pour olive oil and incense upon it. 2 Then he is to take a handful, representing the entire amount, to one of the priests to burn, and the Lord will be fully pleased. 3 The remainder of the flour is to be given to Aaron and his sons as their food; but all of it is counted as a holy burnt offering to the Lord.
4 "If bread baked in the oven is brought as an offering to the Lord, it must be made from finely ground flour, baked with olive oil but without yeast. Wafers made without yeast and spread with olive oil may also be used as an offering. 5 If the offering is something from the griddle, it shall be made of finely ground flour without yeast, and mingled with olive oil. 6 Break it into pieces and pour oil upon it-it is a form of grain offering. 7 If your offering is cooked in a pan, it too shall be made of fine flour mixed with olive oil.
8 "However it is prepared-whether baked, fried, or grilled-you are to bring this grain offering to the priest and he shall take it to the altar to present it to the Lord.
9 "The priests are to burn only a representative portion of the offering, but all of it will be fully appreciated by the Lord. 10 The remainder belongs to the priests for their own use, but it is all counted as a holy burnt offering to the Lord.
11 "Use no yeast with your offerings of flour; for no yeast or honey is permitted in burnt offerings to the Lord. 12 You may offer yeast bread and honey as thanksgiving offerings at harvest time, but not as burnt offerings.
13 "Every offering must be seasoned with salt, because the salt is a reminder of God's covenant.
14 "If you are offering from the first of your harvest, remove the kernels from a fresh ear, crush and roast them, then offer them to the Lord. 15 Put olive oil and incense on the offering, for it is a grain offering. 16 Then the priests shall burn part of the bruised grain mixed with oil and all of the incense as a representative portion before the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,142
3,3,5,393
4,4,7,534
5,5,9,760
6,6,11,875
7,7,13,938
8,8,15,1028
9,9,17,1150
10,10,19,1308
11,11,21,1446
12,12,23,1612
13,13,25,1762
14,14,27,1970
15,15,29,2099
16,16,31,2157
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,411
8,8,5,954
9,10,7,1128
11,12,9,1377
13,13,11,1604
14,16,13,1704
LEVIT003
1 "`If a person's fellowship offering to the LORD is from the herd, it may be a male or female, but it must have nothing wrong with it.
2 The person must put his hand on the animal's head and kill it at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then Aaron's sons, the priests, must sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar.
3 From the fellowship offering he must make a sacrifice by fire to the LORD. He must offer the fat of the animal's inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them),
4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.
5 Then the priests will burn these parts on the altar, on the whole burnt offering that is on the wood of the fire. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
6 "`If a person's fellowship offering to the LORD is a lamb or a goat, it may be a male or female, but it must have nothing wrong with it.
7 If he offers a lamb, he must bring it before the LORD
8 and put his hand on its head. Then he must kill the animal in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
9 From the fellowship offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the LORD. He must bring the fat, the whole fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat of the inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them),
10 both kidneys with the fat that is on them, near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.
11 Then the priest will burn these parts on the altar as food; it will be an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12 "`If a person's offering is a goat, he must offer it before the LORD
13 and put his hand on the its head. Then he must kill it in front of the Meeting Tent, and the priests must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
14 From this offering the person must make a sacrifice by fire to the LORD. He must offer all the fat of the goat's inner organs (both the fat that is in them and that covers them),
15 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.
16 The priest will burn these parts on the altar as food. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD. All the fat belongs to the LORD.
17 "`This law will continue for people from now on, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or blood.' "
1 "When anyone wants to give an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord, he may use either a bull or a cow, but the animal must be entirely without defect if it is to be offered to the Lord! 2 The man who brings the animal shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the door of the Tabernacle. Then Aaron's sons shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar 3-5 and shall burn before the Lord the fat that covers the inward parts, the two kidneys and the loin fat on them, and the gall bladder. And it will give the Lord much pleasure.
6 "If a goat or sheep is used as a thank offering to the Lord, it must have no defect and may be either a male or female.
7-8 "If it is a lamb, the man who brings it shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the entrance of the Tabernacle; the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar, 9-11 and shall offer upon the altar the fat, the tail removed close to the backbone, the fat covering the internal organs, the two kidneys with the loin fat on them, and the gall bladder, as a burnt offering to the Lord.
12 "If anyone brings a goat as his offering to the Lord, 13 he shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar, 14 and shall offer upon the altar, as a burnt offering to the Lord, the fat that covers the insides, 15-16 the two kidneys and the loin fat on them, and the gall bladder. This burnt offering is very pleasing to the Lord. All the fat is Jehovah's. 17 This is a permanent law throughout your land, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,141
3,3,5,329
4,4,7,514
5,5,9,661
6,6,11,852
7,7,13,995
8,8,15,1055
9,9,17,1217
10,10,19,1460
11,11,21,1609
12,12,23,1725
13,13,25,1801
14,14,27,1960
15,15,29,2146
16,16,31,2295
17,17,33,2462
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,549
7,11,5,674
12,17,7,1088
Z,\,\,
LEVIT004
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the people of Israel this: `When a person sins by accident and does some things the LORD has commanded not to be done, that person must do these things:
3 "`If the appointed priest sins so that he brings guilt on the people, then he must offer a young bull to the LORD, one that has nothing wrong with it, as a sin offering for the sin he has done.
4 He will bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent in front of the LORD, put his hand on its head, and kill it before the LORD.
5 Then the appointed priest must bring some of the bull's blood into the Meeting Tent.
6 The priest is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the curtain of the Most Holy Place.
7 The priest must also put some of the blood on the corners of the altar of incense that stands before the LORD in the Meeting Tent. The rest of the blood he must pour out at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.r you"
8 He must remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering- the fat on and around the inner organs,
9 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver which he will remove with the kidneys.
10 (He must do this in the same way the fat is removed from the bull of the fellowship offering.) Then the priest must burn the animal parts on the altar of burnt offering.
11 But the priest must carry off the skin of the bull and all its meat, along with the rest of the bull- its head, legs, intestines, and other inner organs.
12 He must take it outside the camp to the special clean place where the ashes are poured out. He must burn it on a wood fire on the pile of ashes.
13 "`If the whole nation of Israel sins accidentally without knowing it and does something the LORD has commanded not to be done, they are guilty.
14 When they learn about the sin they have done, they must offer a young bull as a sin offering and bring it before the Meeting Tent.
15 The older leaders of the group of people must put their hands on the bull's head before the LORD, and it must be killed before the LORD.
16 Then the appointed priest must bring some of the bull's blood into the Meeting Tent.
17 Dipping his finger in the blood, he must sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the curtain.
18 Then he must put some of the blood on the corners of the altar that is before the LORD in the Meeting Tent. The priest must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
19 He must remove all the fat from the animal and burn it on the altar;
20 he will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the first bull of the sin offering. In this way the priest removes the sins of the people so they will belong to the LORD and be forgiven.
21 Then the priest must carry the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he did with the first bull. This is the sin offering for the whole community.
22 "`If a ruler sins by accident and does something the LORD his God has commanded must not be done, he is guilty.
23 When he learns about his sin, he must bring a male goat that has nothing wrong with it as his offering.
24 The ruler must put his hand on the goat's head and kill it in the place where they kill the whole burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering.
25 The priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
26 He must burn all the goat's fat on the altar in the same way he burns the fat of the fellowship offerings. In this way the priest removes the ruler's sin so he belongs to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him.
27 "`If any person in the community sins by accident and does something which the LORD has commanded must not be done, he is guilty.
28 When the person learns about his sin, he must bring a female goat that has nothing wrong with it as an offering for his sin.
29 He must put his hand on the animal's head and kill it at the place of the whole burnt offering.
30 Then the priest must take some of the goat's blood on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the goat's blood at the bottom of the altar.
31 Then the priest must remove all the goat's fat in the same way the fat is removed from the fellowship offerings. He must burn it on the altar as a smell pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will remove that person's sin so he will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him.
32 "`If this person brings a lamb as his offering for sin, he must bring a female that has nothing wrong with it.
33 He must put his hand on the animal's head and kill it as a sin offering in the place where the whole burnt offering is killed.
34 The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering on his finger and put it on the corners of the altar of burnt offering. He must pour out the rest of the lamb's blood at the bottom of the altar.
35 Then the priest must remove all the lamb's fat in the same way that the lamb's fat is removed from the fellowship offerings. He must burn the pieces on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire for the LORD. In this way the priest will remove that person's sins so he will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him.
1 Then the Lord gave these further instructions to Moses:
2 "Tell the people of Israel that these are the laws concerning anyone who unintentionally breaks any of my commandments. 3 If a priest sins unintentionally and so brings guilt upon the people, he must offer a young bull without defect as a sin offering to the Lord. 4 He shall bring it to the door of the Tabernacle, and shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it there before Jehovah. 5 Then the priest shall take the animal's blood into the Tabernacle, 6 and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil that bars the way to the Holy of Holies. 7 Then the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the incense altar before the Lord in the Tabernacle; the remainder of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, at the entrance to the Tabernacle. 8 Then he shall take all the fat on the entrails, 9 the two kidneys and the loin fat on them, and the gall bladder, 10 and shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering, just as in the case of a bull or cow sacrificed as a thank offering. 11-12 But the remainder of the young bull-the skin, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and intestines-shall be carried to a ceremonially clean place outside the camp-a place where the ashes are brought from the altar-and burned there on a wood fire.
13 "If the entire nation of Israel sins without realizing it and does something that Jehovah has said not to do, all the people are guilty. 14 When they realize it, they shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, bringing it to the Tabernacle 15 where the leaders of the nation shall lay their hands upon the animal's head and kill it before the Lord. 16 Then the priest shall bring its blood into the Tabernacle, 17 and shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. 18 Then he shall put blood upon the horns of the altar there in the Tabernacle before the Lord, and all the remainder of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the burnt offering altar, at the entrance to the Tabernacle. 19 All the fat shall be removed and burned upon the altar. 20 He shall follow the same procedure as for a sin offering; in this way the priest shall make atonement for the nation, and everyone will be forgiven. 21 The priest shall then cart the young bull outside the camp and burn it there, just as though it were a sin offering for an individual, only this time it is a sin offering for the entire nation.
22 "If one of the leaders sins without realizing it and is guilty of disobeying one of God's laws, 23 as soon as it is called to his attention he must bring as his sacrifice a male goat without any physical defect. 24 He shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it at the place where the burnt offerings are killed, and present it to the Lord. This is his sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of this sin offering and place it with his finger upon the horns of the altar of burnt offerings, and the rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar. 26 All the fat shall be burned upon the altar, just as if it were the fat of the sacrifice of a thank offering; thus the priest shall make atonement for the leader concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
27 "If any one of the common people sins and doesn't realize it, he is guilty. 28 But as soon as he does realize it, he is to bring as his sacrifice a female goat without defect to atone for his sin. 29 He shall bring it to the place where the animals for burnt offerings are killed, and there lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering and kill it. 30 And the priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar. Then the priest shall pour out the remainder of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 All the fat shall be taken off, just as in the procedure for the thank offering sacrifice, and the priest shall burn it upon the altar; and the Lord will appreciate it. Thus the priest shall make atonement for that man, and he shall be forgiven.
32 "However, if he chooses to bring a lamb as his sin offering, it must be a female without physical defect. 33 He shall bring it to the place where the burnt offerings are killed, and lay his hand upon its head and kill it there as a sin offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and smear it upon the horns of the burnt offering altar, and all the rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar. 35 The fat shall be used just as in the case of a thank offering lamb-the priest shall burn the fat on the altar as in any other sacrifice made to Jehovah by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for the man, and his sin shall be forgiven.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,196
4,4,7,396
5,5,9,538
6,6,11,629
7,7,13,774
8,8,15,1048
9,9,17,1156
10,10,19,1302
11,11,21,1479
12,12,23,1640
13,13,25,1792
14,14,27,1943
15,15,29,2081
16,16,31,2225
17,17,33,2317
18,18,35,2430
19,19,37,2684
20,20,39,2760
21,21,41,2964
22,22,43,3123
23,23,45,3242
24,24,47,3353
25,25,49,3512
26,26,51,3735
27,27,53,3954
28,28,55,4091
29,29,57,4223
30,30,59,4326
31,31,61,4530
32,32,63,4827
33,33,65,4945
34,34,67,5079
35,35,69,5293
1,1,1,1
2,12,2,60
13,21,4,1402
22,26,6,2564
27,31,8,3366
32,35,10,4176
LEVIT005
1 "`If a person is ordered to tell in court what he has seen or what he knows and he does not tell the court, he is guilty of sin.
2 "`Or someone might touch something unclean, such as the dead body of an unclean wild animal or an unclean farm animal or an unclean crawling animal. Even if he does not know that he touched it, he will still be unclean and guilty of sin.
3 "`Someone might touch human uncleanness- anything that makes someone unclean- and not know it. But when he learns about it, he will be guilty.
4 "`Or someone might make a promise before the LORD without thinking. It might be a promise to do something bad or something good; it might be about anything. Even if he forgets about it, when he remembers, he will be guilty.
5 "`When anyone is guilty of any of these things, he must tell how he sinned.
6 He must bring an offering to the LORD as a penalty for sin; it must be a female lamb or goat from the flock. The priest will perform the acts to remove that person's sin so he will belong to the LORD.
7 "`But if the person cannot afford a lamb, he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the LORD as the penalty for his sin. One bird must be for a sin offering, and the other must be for a whole burnt offering.
8 He must bring them to the priest, who will first offer the one for the sin offering. He will pull the bird's head from its neck, but he will not pull it completely off.
9 He must sprinkle the blood from the sin offering on the side of the altar, and then he must pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar; it is a sin offering.
10 Then the priest must offer the second bird as a whole burnt offering, as the law says. In this way the priest will remove the person's sin so he will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him.
11 "`If the person cannot afford two doves or two pigeons, he must bring about two quarts of fine flour as an offering for sin. He must not put oil or incense on the flour, because it is a sin offering.
12 He must bring the flour to the priest. The priest will take a handful of the flour as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering.
13 In this way the priest will remove the person's sins so he will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him. What is left of the sin offering belongs to the priest, like the grain offering.' "
14 The LORD said to Moses,
15 "If a person accidentally sins and does something against the holy things of the LORD, he must bring from the flock a male sheep that has nothing wrong with it. This will be his penalty offering to the LORD. Its value in silver must be correct as set by the Holy Place measure. It is a penalty offering.
16 That person must pay for the sin he did against the holy thing, adding one-fifth to its value. Then he must give it all to the priest. In this way the priest will remove the person's sin so he will belong to the LORD, by using the male sheep as the penalty offering. And the LORD will forgive the person.
17 "If a person sins and does something the LORD has commanded not to be done, even if he does not know it, he is still guilty. He is responsible for his sin.
18 He must bring the priest a male sheep from the flock, one that has nothing wrong with it and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a penalty offering. Though the person sinned without knowing it, with this offering the priest will remove the sin so the person will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him.N
19 The person is guilty of doing wrong, so he must give the penalty offering to the LORD."
1 "Anyone refusing to give testimony concerning what he knows about a crime is guilty.
2 "Anyone touching anything ceremonially unclean-such as the dead body of an animal forbidden for food, wild or domesticated, or the dead body of some forbidden insect-is guilty, even though he wasn't aware of touching it. 3 Or if he touches human discharge of any kind, he becomes guilty as soon as he realizes that he has touched it.
4 "If anyone makes a rash vow, whether the vow is good or bad, when he realizes what a foolish vow he has taken, he is guilty.
5 "In any of these cases, he shall confess his sin 6 and bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a female lamb or goat, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be freed from his sin, and need not fulfill the vow.
7 "If he is too poor to bring a lamb to the Lord, then he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering; one of the birds shall be his sin offering and the other his burnt offering. 8 The priest shall offer as the sin sacrifice whichever bird is handed to him first, breaking its neck, but not severing its head from its body. 9 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood at the side of the altar and the rest shall be drained out at the base of the altar; this is the sin offering. 10 He shall offer the second bird as a burnt offering, following the customary procedures that have been set forth; so the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
11 "If he is too poor to bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his sin offering, then he shall bring a tenth of a bushel of fine flour. He must not mix it with olive oil or put any incense on it because it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take out a handful as a representative portion and burn it on the altar just as any other offering to Jehovah made by fire; this shall be his sin offering. 13 In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for any sin of this kind, and he shall be forgiven. The rest of the flour shall belong to the priest, just as was the case with the grain offering."
14 And the Lord said to Moses, 15 "If anyone sins by unintentionally defiling what is holy, then he shall bring a ram without defect, worth whatever fine you charge against him, as his guilt offering to the Lord. 16 And he shall make restitution for the holy thing he has defiled, or the tithe omitted, by paying for the loss, plus a 20 percent penalty; he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
17-18 "Anyone who disobeys some law of God without realizing it is guilty anyway, and must bring his sacrifice of a value determined by Moses. This sacrifice shall be a ram without blemish taken to the priest as a guilt offering; with it the priest shall make atonement for him, so that he will be forgiven for whatever it is he has done without realizing it. 19 It must be offered as a guilt offering, for he is certainly guilty before the Lord."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,136
3,3,5,380
4,4,7,529
5,5,9,759
6,6,11,841
7,7,13,1048
8,8,15,1268
9,9,17,1443
10,10,19,1618
11,11,21,1826
12,12,23,2033
13,13,25,2243
14,14,27,2449
15,15,29,2480
16,16,31,2791
17,17,33,3103
18,18,35,3266
19,19,37,3597
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,91
4,4,5,430
5,6,7,560
7,10,9,792
11,13,11,1506
14,16,13,2151
17,19,15,2647
LEVIT006
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "A person might sin against the LORD by doing one of these sins: He might lie about what happened to something he was taking care of for someone else, or he might lie about a promise he made. He might steal something or cheat someone.
3 He might find something that had been lost and then lie about it. He might make a promise before the LORD about something and not mean it, or he might do some other sin.
4 If he does any of these things, he is guilty of sin. He must bring back whatever he stole or whatever he took by cheating. He must bring back the thing he took care of for someone else. He must bring back what he found and lied about
5 or what he made a false promise about. He must pay the full price plus an extra one-fifth of the value of what he took. He must give the money to the true owner on the day he brings his penalty offering.
6 He must bring his penalty to the priest- a male sheep from the flock, one that does not have anything wrong with it and that is worth the correct amount. It will be a penalty offering to the LORD.
7 Then the priest will perform the acts to remove that person's sin so he will belong to the LORD, and the LORD will forgive him for the sins that made him guilty."
8 The LORD said to Moses,
9 "Give this command to Aaron and the priests: `These are the teachings about the whole burnt offering: The burnt offering must stay on the altar all night until morning, and the altar's fire must be kept burning.
10 The priest must put on his linen robe and linen underclothes next to his body. Then he will remove the ashes from the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.
11 Then he must take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a special clean place.
12 But the fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be allowed to go out. The priest must put more firewood on the altar every morning, place the whole burnt offering on the fire, and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings.
13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar all the time; it must not go out.
14 "`These are the teachings about the grain offering: The priests must bring it to the LORD in front of the altar.
15 The priest must take a handful of fine flour, with the oil and all of the incense on it, and burn the grain offering on the altar as a memorial offering to the LORD. Its smell is pleasing to him.
16 Aaron and the priests may eat what is left, but it must be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They must eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent.
17 It must not be cooked with yeast. I have given it as their share of the offerings made to me by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the penalty offering.
18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it as his share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire, and this will continue from now on. Whatever touches these offerings shall become holy.' "
19 The LORD said to Moses,
20 "This is the offering Aaron and the priests must bring to the LORD on the day they appoint Aaron as high priest: They must bring two quarts of fine flour for a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
21 The fine flour must be mixed with oil and cooked on a griddle. Bring it when it is well mixed. Present the grain offering that is broken into pieces, and it will be a smell that is pleasing to the LORD.
22 One of the priests appointed to take Aaron's place as high priest must make the grain offering. It is a rule forever that the grain offering must be completely burned to the LORD.
23 Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely burned; it must not be eaten."
24 The LORD said to Moses,
25 "Tell Aaron and the priests: `These are the teachings about the sin offering: The sin offering must be killed in front of the LORD in the same place the whole burnt offering is killed; it is most holy.
26 The priest who offers the sin offering must eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent.
27 Whatever touches the meat of the sin offering must be holy, and if the blood is sprinkled on any clothes, you must wash them in a holy place.
28 The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken, or if a bronze pot is used, it must be scrubbed and rinsed with water.
29 Any male in a priest's family may eat the offering; it is most holy.
30 But if the blood of the sin offering is taken into the Meeting Tent and used to remove sin in the Holy Place, that sin offering must be burned with fire. It must not be eaten.
1 And the Lord said to Moses, 2 "If anyone sins against me by refusing to return a deposit on something borrowed or rented, or by refusing to return something entrusted to him, or by robbery, or by oppressing his neighbor, 3 or by finding a lost article and lying about it, swearing that he doesn't have it-4-5 on the day he is found guilty of any such sin, he shall restore what he took, adding a 20 percent fine, and give it to the one he has harmed; and on the same day he shall bring his guilt offering to the Tabernacle. 6 His guilt offering shall be a ram without defect, and must be worth whatever value you demand. He shall bring it to the priest, 7 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven."
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, 9 "Give Aaron and his sons these regulations concerning the burnt offering:
"The burnt offering shall be left upon the hearth of the altar all night, with the altar fire kept burning. 10 The next morning the priest shall put on his linen undergarments and his linen outer garments, and clean out the ashes of the burnt offering, and put them beside the altar. 11 Then he shall change his clothes and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning-it must not go out. The priest shall put on fresh wood each morning, and lay the daily burnt offering on it, and burn the fat of the daily peace offering. 13 The fire must be kept burning upon the altar continually. It must never go out.
14 "These are the regulations concerning the grain offering:
"Aaron's sons shall stand in front of the altar to offer it before the Lord. 15 The priest shall then take out a handful of the finely ground flour, with the olive oil and the incense mixed into it, and burn it upon the altar as a representative portion for the Lord; and it will be received with pleasure by the Lord. 16 After taking out this handful, the remainder of the flour will belong to Aaron and his sons for their food; it shall be eaten without yeast in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. 17 (Stress this instruction, that if it is baked, it must be without yeast.) I have given to the priests this part of the burnt offerings made to me. However, all of it is most holy, just as is the entire sin offering and the entire guilt offering. 18 It may be eaten by any male descendant of Aaron, any priest, generation after generation. But only the priests may eat these offerings made by fire to the Lord."
19-20 And Jehovah said to Moses, "On the day Aaron and his sons are anointed and inducted into the priesthood, they shall bring to the Lord a regular grain offering-a tenth of a bushel of fine flour, half to be offered in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It shall be cooked on a griddle, using olive oil, and should be well cooked, then brought to the Lord as an offering that pleases him very much. 22-23 As the sons of the priests replace their fathers, they shall be inducted into office by offering this same sacrifice on the day of their anointing. This is a perpetual law. These offerings shall be entirely burned up before the Lord; none of it shall be eaten."
24 Then the Lord said to Moses, 25 "Tell Aaron and his sons that these are the instructions concerning the sin offering:
"This sacrifice is most holy, and shall be killed before the Lord at the place where the burnt offerings are killed. 26 The priest who performs the ceremony shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. 27 Only those who are sanctified-the priests-may touch this meat; if any blood sprinkles onto their clothing, it must be washed in a holy place. 28 Then the clay pot in which the clothing is boiled shall be broken; or if a bronze kettle is used, it must be scoured and rinsed out thoroughly. 29 Every male among the priests may eat this offering, but only they, for it is most holy. 30 No sin offering may be eaten by the priests if any of its blood is taken into the Tabernacle to make atonement in the Holy Place. That carcass must be entirely burned with fire before the Lord.
1,7,1,1
8,13,3,750
14,18,6,1552
19,23,9,2529
24,30,11,3207
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,272
4,4,7,448
5,5,9,688
6,6,11,898
7,7,13,1101
8,8,15,1270
9,9,17,1300
10,10,19,1518
11,11,21,1702
12,12,23,1826
13,13,25,2067
14,14,27,2151
15,15,29,2271
16,16,31,2474
17,17,33,2632
18,18,35,2806
19,19,37,3000
20,20,39,3031
21,21,41,3275
22,22,43,3485
23,23,45,3672
24,24,47,3767
25,25,49,3798
26,26,51,4007
27,27,53,4120
28,28,55,4269
29,29,57,4398
30,30,59,4474
b,b,b,
LEVIT007
1 "`These are the teachings about the penalty offering, which is most holy:
2 The penalty offering must be killed where the whole burnt offering is killed. Then the priest must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
3 He must offer all the fat from the penalty offering- the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs,
4 both kidneys with the fat that is on them near the lower back muscle, and the best part of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.
5 The priest must burn all these things on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a penalty offering.
6 Any male in a priest's family may eat it. It is most holy, so it must be eaten in a holy place.
7 "`The penalty offering is like the sin offering in that the teachings are the same for both. The priest who offers the sacrifice to remove sins will get the meat for food.
8 The priest who offers the burnt offering may also have the skin from it.
9 Every grain offering that is baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or baked in a dish belongs to the priest who offers it.
10 Every grain offering, either dry or mixed with oil, belongs to the priests, and all priests will share alike.
11 "`These are the teachings about the fellowship offering a person may offer to the LORD:
12 If he brings the fellowship offering to show his thanks, he should also bring loaves of bread made without yeast that are mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast that have oil poured over them, and loaves of fine flour that are mixed with oil.^D
13 He must also offer loaves of bread made with yeast along with his fellowship offering, which he gives to show thanks.
14 One of each kind of offering will be for the LORD; it will be given to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offering.
15 When the fellowship offering is given to thank the LORD, the meat from it must be eaten the same day it is offered; none of it must be left until morning.
16 "`If a person brings a fellowship offering just to give a gift to God or because of a special promise to him, the sacrifice should be eaten the same day he offers it. If there is any left, it may be eaten the next day.
17 If any meat from this sacrifice is left on the third day, it must be burned up.
18 Any meat of the fellowship offering eaten on the third day will not be accepted, nor will the sacrifice count for the person who offered it. It will become unclean, and anyone who eats the meat will be guilty of sin.
19 "`People must not eat meat that touches anything unclean; they must burn this meat with fire. Anyone who is clean may eat other meat.
20 But if anyone is unclean and eats the meat from the fellowship offering that belongs to the LORD, he must be cut off from his people.
21 "`If anyone touches something unclean- uncleanness that comes from people, from an animal, or from some hated thing- touching it will make him unclean. If he then eats meat from the fellowship offering that belongs to the LORD, he must be cut off from his people.' "
22 The LORD said to Moses,
23 "Tell the people of Israel: `You must not eat any of the fat from cattle, sheep, or goats.
24 If an animal is found dead or torn by wild animals, you may use its fat for other things, but you must not eat it.
25 If someone eats fat from an animal offering made by fire to the LORD, he must be cut off from his people.
26 No matter where you live, you must not eat blood from any bird or animal.
27 Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from his people.' "
28 The LORD said to Moses,
29 "Tell the people of Israel: `If someone brings a fellowship offering to the LORD, he must give part of it as his sacrifice to the LORD.
30 He must carry that part of the gift in his own hands as an offering made by fire to the LORD. He must bring the fat and the breast of the animal to the priest, to be presented to the LORD as the priests' share.
31 Then the priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast of the animal will belong to Aaron and the priests.
32 You must also give the right thigh from the fellowship offering to the priest as a gift;
33 it will belong to the priest who offers the blood and fat of the fellowship offering.
34 I have taken the breast and the thigh from the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, and I have given these parts to Aaron and the priests as their share for all time from the Israelites.' "
35 This is the portion that belongs to Aaron and his sons from the offerings made by fire to the LORD. They were given this share on the day they were presented to the LORD as priests.
36 On the day the LORD appointed the priests, he commanded Israel to give this share to them, and it is to be given to the priests as their share from now on.
37 These are the teachings about the whole burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the penalty offering, the offering for the appointment of priests, and the fellowship offering.
38 The LORD gave these teachings to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the LORD in the Sinai Desert.
1 "Here are the instructions concerning the most holy offering for guilt:
2 "The sacrificial animal shall be killed at the place where the burnt offering sacrifices are slain, and its blood shall be sprinkled back and forth upon the altar. 3 The priest will offer upon the altar all its fat, including the tail, the fat that covers the insides, 4 the two kidneys and the loin fat, and the gall bladder-all shall be set aside for sacrificing. 5 The priests will burn them upon the altar as a guilt offering to the Lord. 6 Only males among the priests may then eat the carcass, and it must be eaten in a holy place, for this is a most holy sacrifice.
7 "The same instructions apply to both the sin offering and the guilt offering-the carcass shall be given to the priest who is in charge of the atonement ceremony, for his food. 8 (When the offering is a burnt sacrifice, the priest who is in charge shall also be given the animal's hide.) 9 The priests who present the people's grain offerings to the Lord shall be given whatever remains of the sacrifice after the ceremony is completed. This rule applies whether the sacrifice is baked, fried, or grilled. 10 All other grain offerings, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, are the common property of all sons of Aaron.
11 "Here are the instructions concerning the sacrifices given to the Lord as special peace offerings:
12 "If it is an offering of thanksgiving, unleavened short bread shall be included with the sacrifice, along with unleavened wafers spread with olive oil and loaves from a batter of flour mixed with olive oil. 13 This thanksgiving peace offering shall be accompanied with loaves of leavened bread. 14 Part of this sacrifice shall be presented to the Lord by a gesture of waving it before the altar, then it shall be given to the assisting priest, the one who sprinkles the blood of the animal presented for the sacrifice. 15 After the animal has been sacrificed and presented to the Lord as a peace offering to show special appreciation and thanksgiving to him, its meat is to be eaten that same day, and none left to be eaten the next day.
16 "However, if someone brings a sacrifice that is not for thanksgiving, but is because of a vow or is simply a voluntary offering to the Lord, any portion of the sacrifice that is not eaten the day it is sacrificed may be eaten the next day. 17-18 But anything left over until the third day shall be burned. For if any of it is eaten on the third day, the Lord will not accept it; it will have no value as a sacrifice, and there will be no credit to the one who brought it to be offered; and the priest who eats it shall be guilty, for it is detestable to the Lord, and the person who eats it must answer for his sin.
19 "Any meat that comes into contact with anything that is ceremonially unclean shall not be eaten, but burned; and as for the meat that may be eaten, it may be eaten only by a person who is ceremonially clean. 20 Any priest who is ceremonially unclean but eats the thanksgiving offering anyway, shall be cut off from his people, for he has defiled what is sacred.
21 Anyone who touches anything that is ceremonially unclean, whether it is uncleanness from man or beast, and then eats the peace offering, shall be cut off from his people, for he has defiled what is holy."
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 "Tell the people of Israel never to eat fat, whether from oxen, sheep, or goats. 24 The fat of an animal that dies of disease, or is attacked and killed by wild animals, may be used for other purposes, but never eaten. 25 Anyone who eats fat from an offering sacrificed by fire to the Lord shall be outlawed from his people.
26-27 "Never eat blood, whether of birds or animals. Anyone who does shall be excommunicated from his people."
28 And the Lord said to Moses, 29 "Tell the people of Israel that anyone bringing a thanksgiving offering to the Lord must bring it personally with his own hands. 30 He shall bring the offering of the fat and breast, which is to be presented to the Lord by waving it before the altar. 31 Then the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons, 32-33 while the right thigh shall be given to the officiating priest. 34 For I have designated the breast and thigh as donations from the people of Israel to the sons of Aaron. Aaron and his sons must always be given this portion of the sacrifice. 35 This is their pay! It is to be set apart from the burnt offerings, and given to all who have been appointed to minister to the Lord as priests-to Aaron and to his sons. 36 For on the day the Lord anointed them, he commanded that the people of Israel give these portions to them; it is their right forever throughout all their generations."
37 These were the instructions concerning the burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, and guilt offering, and concerning the consecration offering and the peace offering; 38 these instructions were given to Moses by the Lord on Mount Sinai, to be passed on to the people of Israel so that they would know how to offer their sacrifices to God in the Sinai Desert.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,81
3,3,5,232
4,4,7,343
5,5,9,492
6,6,11,616
7,7,13,718
8,8,15,896
9,9,17,975
10,10,19,1105
11,11,21,1222
12,12,23,1317
13,13,25,1572
14,14,27,1697
15,15,29,1838
16,16,31,2000
17,17,33,2226
18,18,35,2313
19,19,37,2537
20,20,39,2678
21,21,41,2819
22,22,43,3093
23,23,45,3124
24,24,47,3222
25,25,49,3344
26,26,51,3457
27,27,53,3538
28,28,55,3603
29,29,57,3634
30,30,59,3777
31,31,61,3995
32,32,63,4117
33,33,65,4213
34,34,67,4306
35,35,69,4506
36,36,71,4695
37,37,73,4858
38,38,75,5055
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,76
7,10,4,654
11,11,6,1277
12,15,7,1380
16,18,9,2124
19,20,11,2746
21,21,13,3114
22,25,15,3326
26,27,17,3689
28,36,19,3803
37,38,21,4787
LEVIT008
)0)F+
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Bring Aaron and his sons and their clothes, the special olive oil used in appointing people and things to the service of the LORD, the bull of the sin offering and the two male sheep, and the basket of bread made without yeast.
3 Then gather the people together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent."
4 Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the people met together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
5 Then Moses spoke to the people and said, "This is what the LORD has commanded to be done."
6 Bringing Aaron and his sons forward, Moses washed them with water.
7 He put the inner robe on Aaron and tied the cloth belt around him. Then Moses put the outer robe on him and placed the holy vest on him. He tied the skillfully woven belt around him so that the holy vest was tied to Aaron.
8 Then Moses put the chest covering on him and put the Urim and the Thummim in the chest covering.
9 He also put the turban on Aaron's head. He put the strip of gold, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as the LORD commanded him to do.
10 Then Moses put the special oil on the Holy Tent and everything in it, making them holy for the LORD.
11 He sprinkled some oil on the altar seven times, sprinkling the altar and all its tools and the large bowl and its base. In this way he made them holy for the LORD.
12 He poured some of the special oil on Aaron's head to make Aaron holy for the LORD.
13 Then Moses brought Aaron's sons forward. He put the inner robes on them, tied cloth belts around them, and put headbands on them, as the LORD had commanded him.
14 Then Moses brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.
15 Moses killed the bull, took the blood, and with his finger put some of it on all the corners of the altar, to make it pure. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. In this way he made it holy and ready for service to God.
16 Moses took all the fat from the inner organs of the bull, the best part of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat that is on them, and he burned them on the altar.
17 But he took the bull's skin, its meat, and its intestines and burned them in a fire outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded him.
18 Next Moses brought the male sheep of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.
19 Then Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar.
20 He cut the male sheep into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat.
21 He washed the inner organs and legs with water and burned the whole sheep on the altar as a burnt offering made by fire to the LORD; its smell was pleasing to the LORD. Moses did these things as the LORD had commanded him.
22 Then Moses brought the other male sheep, the one used in appointing Aaron and his sons as priests, and Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.
23 Then Moses killed the sheep and put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron's right ear, some on the thumb of Aaron's right hand, and some on the big toe of his right foot.
24 Then Moses brought Aaron's sons close to the altar. He put some of the blood on the bottom of their right ears, some on the thumbs of their right hands, and some on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood on all sides of the altar.D
25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inner organs, the best part of the liver, both kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh.
26 From the basket of bread made without yeast that is put before the LORD each day, Moses took a loaf of bread, a loaf made with oil, and a wafer. He put these pieces of bread on the fat and right thigh of the male sheep.
27 All these things he put in the hands of Aaron and his sons and presented them as an offering before the LORD.
28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. So this was the offering for appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD, and its smell was pleasing to him.D
29 Moses also took the breast and presented it as an offering before the LORD. It was Moses' share of the male sheep used in appointing the priests, as the LORD had commanded him.
30 Moses took some of the special oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and Aaron's clothes and on Aaron's sons and their clothes. In this way Moses made Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes holy for the LORD.
31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "I gave you a command, saying, `Aaron and his sons will eat these things.' So take the meat and basket of bread from the offering for appointing priests. Boil the meat at the door of the Meeting Tent, and eat it there with the bread.
32 If any of the meat or bread is left, burn it.
33 The time of appointing will last seven days; you must not go outside the entrance of the Meeting Tent until that time is up. Stay there until the time of your appointing is finished.
34 The LORD commanded the things that were done today to remove your sins so you will belong to him.
35 You must stay at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days. If you don't obey the LORD' s commands, you will die. The LORD has given me these commands."
36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tabernacle, together with their garments, the anointing oil, the young bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast; and summon all Israel to a meeting there."
4 So all the people assembled, 5 and Moses said to them, "What I am now going to do has been commanded by Jehovah."
6 Then he took Aaron and his sons and washed them with water, 7 and he clothed Aaron with the special coat, sash, robe, and the ephod-jacket with its beautifully woven belt. 8 Then he put on him the chestpiece and deposited the Urim and the Thummim inside its pouch; 9 and placed on Aaron's head the turban with the sacred gold plate at its front-the holy crown-as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and sprinkled it upon the Tabernacle itself and on each item in it, sanctifying them. 11 When he came to the altar he sprinkled it seven times, and also sprinkled the utensils of the altar and the washbasin and its pedestal, to sanctify them. 12 Then he poured the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, thus setting him apart for his work. 13 Next Moses placed the robes on Aaron's sons, with the belts and caps, as the Lord had commanded him.
14 Then he took the young bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head 15-16 as Moses killed it. He smeared some of the blood with his finger upon the four horns of the altar and upon the altar itself, to sanctify it, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar; thus he sanctified the altar, making atonement for it. He took all the fat covering the entrails, the fatty mass above the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and burned them all on the altar. 17 The carcass of the young bull, with its hide and dung, was burned outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
18 Then he presented to the Lord the ram for the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head, 19 and Moses killed it and sprinkled the blood back and forth upon the altar. 20 Next he quartered the ram and burned the pieces, the head and the fat. 21 He then washed the insides and the legs with water, and burned them upon the altar, so that the entire ram was consumed before the Lord; it was a burnt offering that pleased the Lord very much, for Jehovah's directions to Moses were followed in every detail.
22 Then Moses presented the other ram, the ram of consecration; Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon its head. 23 Moses killed it and took some of its blood and smeared it upon the lobe of Aaron's right ear and the thumb of his right hand and upon the big toe of his right foot. 24 Next he smeared some of the blood upon Aaron's sons-upon the lobes of their right ears, upon their right thumbs, and upon the big toes of their right feet. The rest of the blood he sprinkled back and forth upon the altar.
25 Then he took the fat, the tail, the fat upon the inner organs, the gall bladder, the two kidneys with their fat, and the right shoulder, 26 and placed on top of these one unleavened wafer, one wafer spread with olive oil, and a slice of bread, all taken from the basket that had been placed there before the Lord. 27 All this was placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons to present to the Lord by a gesture of waving them before the altar. 28 Moses then took it all back from them and burned it upon the altar, along with the burnt offering to the Lord; and Jehovah was pleased by the offering. 29 Now Moses took the breast and presented it to the Lord by waving it before the altar; this was Moses' portion of the ram of consecration, just as the Lord had instructed him.
30 Next he took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that had been sprinkled upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron and upon his clothes and upon his sons and upon their clothes, thus consecrating to the Lord's use Aaron and his sons and their clothes.
31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and eat it along with the bread that is in the basket of consecration, just as I instructed you to do. 32 Anything left of the meat and bread must be burned."
33 Next he told them not to leave the Tabernacle entrance for seven days, after which time their consecration would be completed-for it takes seven days. 34 Then Moses stated again that all he had done that day had been commanded by the Lord in order to make atonement for them. 35 And again he warned Aaron and his sons to stay at the entrance of the Tabernacle day and night for seven days. "If you leave," he told them, "you will die-this is what the Lord has said."
36 So Aaron and his sons did all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,266
4,4,7,342
5,5,9,450
6,6,11,547
7,7,13,620
8,8,15,849
9,9,17,952
10,10,19,1101
11,11,21,1209
12,12,23,1380
13,13,25,1470
14,14,27,1638
15,15,29,1747
16,16,31,2005
17,17,33,2178
18,18,35,2318
19,19,37,2434
20,20,39,2513
21,21,41,2600
22,22,43,2830
23,23,45,2988
24,24,47,3169
25,25,49,3427
26,26,51,3576
27,27,53,3803
28,28,55,3920
29,29,57,4176
30,30,59,4360
31,31,61,4628
32,32,63,4908
33,33,65,4961
34,34,67,5151
35,35,69,5256
36,36,71,5436
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,282
6,9,5,401
10,13,7,799
14,17,9,1278
18,21,11,1917
22,24,13,2450
25,29,15,2961
30,30,17,3741
31,32,19,4013
33,35,21,4267
36,36,23,4740
LEVIT009
1 On the eighth day after the time of appointing, Moses called for Aaron and his sons and for the older leaders of Israel.
2 He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf and a male sheep that have nothing wrong with them, and offer them to the LORD. The calf will be a sin offering, and the male sheep will be a whole burnt offering.
3 Tell the people of Israel, `Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb for a whole burnt offering; each must be one year old, and it must have nothing wrong with it.
4 Also take a bull and a male sheep for fellowship offerings, along with a grain offering mixed with oil. Offer all these things to the LORD, because the LORD will appear to you today.' "
5 So all the people came to the front of the Meeting Tent, bringing the things Moses had commanded them to bring, and they stood before the LORD.
6 Moses said, "You have done what the LORD commanded, so you will see the LORD' s glory."
7 Then Moses told Aaron, "Go to the altar and offer sin offerings and whole burnt offerings. Do this to remove your sins and the people's sins so you will belong to God. Offer the sacrifices for the people and perform the acts to remove their sins for them so they will belong to the LORD, as the LORD has commanded."
8 So Aaron went to the altar and killed the bull calf as a sin offering for himself.
9 Then his sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the corners of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.
10 Aaron took the fat, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver from the sin offering and burned them on the altar, in the way the LORD had commanded Moses.
11 The meat and skin he burned outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron killed the animal for the whole burnt offering. His sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
13 As they gave him the pieces and head of the burnt offering, Aaron burned them on the altar.
14 He also washed the inner organs and the legs of the burnt offering and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Then Aaron brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat of the people's sin offering and killed it and offered it for the sin offering, just as he had done the first sin offering.
16 Then Aaron brought the whole burnt offering and offered it in the way that the LORD had commanded.
17 He also brought the grain offering to the altar. He took a handful of the grain and burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning's burnt offering.
18 Aaron also killed the bull and the male sheep as the fellowship offerings for the people. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
19 Aaron's sons also brought to Aaron the fat of the bull and the male sheep- the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver.
20 Aaron's sons put them on the breasts of the bull and the sheep. Then Aaron burned these fat parts on the altar.
21 He presented the breasts and the right thigh before the LORD as the priests' share of the offering, as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. When he had finished offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering, he stepped down from the altar.
23 Moses and Aaron went into the Meeting Tent. Then they came out and blessed the people, and the LORD' s glory came to all the people.
24 Fire came out from the LORD and burned up the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and bowed facedown on the ground.
1 On the eighth day of the consecration ceremonies, Moses summoned Aaron and Aaron's sons and the elders of Israel, 2 and told Aaron to take a bull calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram without bodily defect for a burnt offering, and to offer them before the Lord.
3 "And tell the people of Israel," Moses instructed, "to select a male goat for their sin offering, also a yearling calf and a yearling lamb, all without bodily defect, for their burnt offering. 4 In addition, the people are to bring to the Lord a peace offering sacrifice-an ox and a ram, and a grain offering-flour mingled with olive oil. For today," Moses said, "Jehovah will appear to them."
5 So they brought all these things to the entrance of the Tabernacle, as Moses had commanded, and the people came and stood there before the Lord.
6 Moses told them, "When you have followed the Lord's instructions, his glory will appear to you."
7 Moses then told Aaron to proceed to the altar and to offer the sin offering and the burnt offering, making atonement for himself first, and then for the people, as the Lord had commanded. 8 So Aaron went up to the altar and killed the calf as a sacrifice for his own sin; 9 his sons caught the blood for him, and he dipped his finger in it and smeared it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest at the base of the altar. 10 Then he burned upon the altar the fat, kidneys, and gall bladder from this sin offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses, 11 but he burned the meat and hide outside the camp.
12 Next he killed the burnt offering animal, and his sons caught the blood, and he sprinkled it back and forth upon the altar; 13 they brought the animal to him piece by piece, including the head, and he burned each part upon the altar. 14 Then he washed the insides and the legs, and offered these also upon the altar as a burnt offering.
15 Next he sacrificed the people's offering; he killed the goat and offered it in just the same way as he had the sin offering for himself.
16 Thus he sacrificed their burnt offering to the Lord, in accordance with the instructions God had given.
17 Then he presented the grain offering, taking a handful and burning it upon the altar in addition to the regular morning offering.
18 Next he killed the ox and ram-the people's peace offering sacrifice; and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it back and forth upon the altar. 19 Then he collected the fat of the ox and the ram-the fat from their tails and the fat covering the inner organs-and the kidneys and gall bladders. 20 The fat was placed upon the breasts of these animals, and Aaron burned it upon the altar; 21 but he waved the breasts and right shoulders slowly before the Lord as a gesture of offering it to him, just as Moses had commanded.
22 Then, with hands spread out toward the people, Aaron blessed them and came down from the altar. 23 Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came out again they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole assembly. 24 Then fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and fat on the altar; and when the people saw it, they all shouted and fell flat upon the ground before the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,128
3,3,5,334
4,4,7,521
5,5,9,713
6,6,11,863
7,7,13,957
8,8,15,1279
9,9,17,1368
10,10,19,1556
11,11,21,1720
12,12,23,1773
13,13,25,1921
14,14,27,2020
15,15,29,2153
16,16,31,2358
17,17,33,2464
18,18,35,2624
19,19,37,2800
20,20,39,2976
21,21,41,3095
22,22,43,3226
23,23,45,3426
24,24,47,3566
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,280
5,5,5,679
6,6,7,829
7,11,9,931
12,14,11,1548
15,15,13,1891
16,16,15,2034
17,17,17,2144
18,21,19,2280
22,24,21,2827
LEVIT010
1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their pans for burning incense, put fire in them, and added incense; but they did not use the special fire Moses had commanded them to use in the presence of the LORD.
2 So fire came down from the LORD and destroyed Nadab and Abihu, and they died in front of the LORD.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD was speaking about when he said, `I must be respected as holy by those who come near me; before all the people I must be given honor.' "So Aaron did not say anything about the death of his sons. RD.
4 Aaron's uncle Uzziel had two sons named Mishael and Elzaphan. Moses said to them, "Come here and pick up your cousins' bodies. Carry them outside the camp away from the front of the Holy Place."
5 So Mishael and Elzaphan obeyed Moses and carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu, still clothed in the special priest's inner robes, outside the camp.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Don't show sadness by tearing your clothes or leaving your hair uncombed. If you do, you will die, and the LORD will be angry with all the people. All the people of Israel, your relatives, may cry loudly about the LORD burning Nadab and Abihu,
7 but you must not even leave the Meeting Tent. If you go out of the entrance, you will die, because the LORD has appointed you to his service." So Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar obeyed Moses.
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron,
9 "You and your sons must not drink wine or beer when you go into the Meeting Tent. If you do, you will die. This law will continue from now on.
10 You must keep what is holy separate from what is not holy; you must keep what is clean separate from what is unclean.
11 You must teach the people all the laws that the LORD gave to them through Moses."
12 Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Eat the part of the grain offering that is left from the sacrifices offered by fire to the LORD, but do not add yeast to it. Eat it near the altar because it is most holy.
13 You must eat it in a holy place, because this part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD belongs to you and your sons. I have been commanded to tell you this.
14 "Also, you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast and thigh of the fellowship offering that was presented to the LORD. You must eat them in a clean place; they are your share of the fellowship offerings given by the Israelites.
15 The people must bring the fat from their animals that was part of the offering made by fire, and they must present it to the LORD along with the thigh and the breast of the fellowship offering. They will be the regular share of the offerings for you and your children, as the LORD has commanded."
16 Moses looked for the goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. So he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons. He said,
17 "Why didn't you eat that goat in a holy place? It is most holy, and the LORD gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people, to remove their sins so they will belong to the LORD.
18 You didn't bring the goat's blood inside the Holy Place. You were supposed to eat the goat in a holy place, as I commanded!"
19 But Aaron said to Moses, "Today they brought their sin offering and burnt offering before the LORD, but these terrible things have still happened to me! Do you think the LORD would be any happier if I ate the sin offering today?"
20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
1 But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, placed unholy fire in their censers, laid incense on the fire, and offered the incense before the Lord -contrary to what the Lord had just commanded them! 2 So fire blazed forth from the presence of the Lord and destroyed them.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when he said, `I will show myself holy among those who approach me, and I will be glorified before all the people.' " And Aaron was speechless.
4 Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphon, Aaron's cousins, the sons of Uzziel, and told them, "Go and get the charred bodies from before the Tabernacle, and carry them outside the camp."
5 So they went over and got them, and carried them out in their coats as Moses had told them to.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not mourn-do not let your hair hang loose as a sign of your mourning, and do not tear your clothes. If you do, God will strike you dead too, and his wrath will come upon all the people of Israel. But the rest of the people of Israel may lament the death of Nadab and Abihu, and mourn because of the terrible fire the Lord has sent. 7 But you are not to leave the Tabernacle under penalty of death, for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you." And they did as Moses commanded.
8-9 Now the Lord instructed Aaron, "Never drink wine or strong drink when you go into the Tabernacle, lest you die; and this rule applies to your sons and to all your descendants from generation to generation. 10 Your duties will be to arbitrate for the people, to teach them the difference between what is holy and what is ordinary, what is pure and what is impure; 11 and to teach them all the laws Jehovah has given through Moses."
12 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons who were left, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering-the food that remains after the handful has been offered to the Lord by burning it on the altar-make sure there is no leaven in it, and eat it beside the altar. The offering is most holy; 13 therefore, you must eat it in the sanctuary, in a holy place. It belongs to you and to your sons, from the offerings to Jehovah made by fire; for so I am commanded. 14 But the breast and the thigh, which have been offered to the Lord by the gesture of waving it before him, may be eaten in any holy place. It belongs to you and to your sons and daughters for your food. It is your portion of the peace offering sacrifices of the people of Israel.
15 "The people are to bring the thigh that was set aside, along with the breast that was offered when the fat was burned, and they shall be presented before the Lord by the gesture of waving them. And afterwards they shall belong to you and your family, for the Lord has commanded this."
16 Then Moses searched everywhere for the goat of the sin offering and discovered that it had been burned! He was very angry about this with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron.
17 "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the sanctuary, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to take away the iniquity and guilt of the people, to make atonement for them before the Lord?" he demanded. 18 "Since its blood was not taken inside the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it there, as I ordered you."
19 But Aaron interceded with Moses. "They offered their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord," he said, "but if I had eaten the sin offering on such a day as this, would it have pleased the Lord?" 20 And when Moses heard that, he was satisfied.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,209
3,3,5,314
4,4,7,568
5,5,9,769
6,6,11,924
7,7,13,1241
8,8,15,1435
9,9,17,1470
10,10,19,1619
11,11,21,1744
12,12,23,1833
13,13,25,2078
14,14,27,2248
15,15,29,2491
16,16,31,2795
17,17,33,2967
18,18,35,3158
19,19,37,3290
20,20,39,3527
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,274
4,4,5,478
5,5,7,672
6,7,9,772
8,11,11,1318
12,14,13,1756
15,15,15,2502
16,16,17,2793
17,18,19,2987
19,20,21,3328
+B+D+D+
LEVIT011
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "Tell the Israelites this: `These are the land animals you may eat:
3 You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 "`Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
5 The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
6 The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
7 Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8 You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.
9 "`Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it.
10 But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales- including the things that fill the water and all other things that live in it- you should hate.
11 You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because you should hate them.
12 You must hate any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.
13 "`Also, these are the birds you are to hate. They are hateful and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures,
14 kites, any kind of falcon,
15 any kind of raven,
16 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk,
17 little owls, cormorants, great owls,
18 white owls, desert owls, ospreys,
19 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats.
20 "`Don't eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are to be hated.
21 "`But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can jump.
22 These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers.
23 But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet you are to hate.
24 Those insects will make you unclean, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening.
25 Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
26 "`Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean.
27 Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening.
28 Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.
29 "`These crawling animals are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards,
30 geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons.
31 These crawling animals are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.
32 "`If an unclean animal dies and falls on something, that item will also become unclean. This includes anything made from wood, cloth, leather, or rough cloth, regardless of its use. Whatever the animal falls on must be washed with water and be unclean until evening; then it will become clean again.
33 If the dead, unclean animal falls into a clay bowl, anything in the bowl will become unclean, and you must break the bowl.
34 If water from the unclean clay bowl gets on any food, that food will become unclean.
35 If any dead, unclean animal falls on something, it becomes unclean. If it is a clay oven or a clay baking pan, it must be broken into pieces. These things will be unclean; they are unclean for you.
36 "`A spring or well that collects water will stay clean, but anyone who touches the dead body of any unclean animal will become unclean.
37 If a dead, unclean animal falls on a seed to be planted, that seed is still clean.
38 But if you put water on some seeds and a dead, unclean animal falls on them, they are unclean for you.
39 "`Also, if an animal which you use for food dies, anyone who touches its body will be unclean until evening.
40 Anyone who eats meat from this animal's dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the animal's dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 "`Every animal that crawls on the ground is to be hated; it must not be eaten.
42 You must not eat any of the animals that crawl on the ground, including those that crawl on their stomachs, that walk on all four feet, or on many feet. They are to be hated.
43 Do not make yourself unclean by these animals; you must not become unclean by them.
44 I am the LORD your God. Keep yourselves holy for me because I am holy. Don't make yourselves unclean with any of these crawling animals.
45 I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; you must be holy because I am holy.
46 "`These are the teachings about all of the cattle, birds, and other animals on earth, as well as the animals in the sea and those that crawl on the ground.
47 These teachings help people know the difference between unclean animals and clean animals; they help people know which animals may be eaten and which ones must not be eaten.' "
1 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
2-3 "Tell the people of Israel that the animals which may be used for food include any animal with cloven hooves which chews its cud. 4-7 This means that the following may not be eaten:
The camel (it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves);
The coney, or rock badger (because although it chews the cud, it does not have cloven hooves);
The hare (because although it chews the cud, it does not have cloven hooves);
The swine (because although it has cloven hooves, it does not chew the cud).
8 You may not eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies; they are forbidden foods for you.
9 "As to fish, you may eat whatever has fins and scales, whether taken from rivers or from the sea; 10 but all other water creatures are strictly forbidden to you. 11 You mustn't eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. 12 I'll repeat it again-any water creature that does not have fins or scales is forbidden to you.
13-19 "Among the birds, these are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the metire, the osprey, the falcon (all kinds), the kite, the raven (all kinds), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, the hawk (all kinds), the owl, the cormorant, the ibis, the marsh hen, the pelican, the vulture, the stork, the heron (all kinds), the hoopoe, the bat.
20 "No insects may be eaten, 21-22 with the exception of those that jump; locusts of all varieties-ordinary locusts, bald locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers-may be eaten. 23 All insects that fly and walk or crawl are forbidden to you.
24 "Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled until the evening 25 and must wash his clothes immediately. He must also quarantine himself until nightfall, as being ceremonially defiled.
26 "You are also defiled by touching any animal with only semiparted hoofs, or any animal that does not chew the cud. 27 Any animal that walks on paws is forbidden to you as food. Anyone touching the dead body of such an animal shall be defiled until evening. 28 Anyone carrying away the carcass shall wash his clothes and be ceremonially defiled until evening; for it is forbidden to you.
29-30 "These are the forbidden small animals which scurry about your feet or crawl upon the ground: the mole, the rat, the great lizard, the gecko, the mouse, the lizard, the snail, the chameleon. 31 Anyone touching their dead bodies shall be defiled until evening, 32 and anything upon which the carcass falls shall be defiled-any article of wood, or of clothing, a rug, or a sack; anything it touches must be put into water and is defiled until evening. After that it may be used again. 33 If it falls into a pottery bowl, anything in the bowl is defiled, and you shall smash the bowl. 34 If the water used to cleanse the defiled article touches any food, all of it is defiled. Any drink which is in the defiled bowl is also contaminated.
35 "If the dead body of such an animal touches any clay oven, it is defiled and must be smashed. 36 If the body falls into a spring or cistern where there is water, that water is not defiled; yet anyone who pulls out the carcass is defiled. 37 And if the carcass touches grain to be sown in the field, it is not contaminated; 38 but if the seeds are wet and the carcass falls upon it, the seed is defiled.
39 "If an animal which you are permitted to eat dies of disease, anyone touching the carcass shall be defiled until evening. 40 Also, anyone eating its meat or carrying away its carcass shall wash his clothes and be defiled until evening.
41-42 "Animals that crawl shall not be eaten. This includes all reptiles that slither along upon their bellies as well as those that have legs. No crawling thing with many feet may be eaten, for it is defiled. 43 Do not defile yourselves by touching it.
44 "I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves pure concerning these things, and be holy, for I am holy; therefore do not defile yourselves by touching any of these things that crawl upon the earth. 45 For I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy." 46 These are the laws concerning animals, birds, and whatever swims in the water or crawls upon the ground. 47 These are the distinctions between what is ceremonially clean and may be eaten, and what is ceremonially defiled and may not be eaten, among all animal life upon the earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,41
3,3,5,115
4,4,7,208
5,5,9,379
6,6,11,470
7,7,13,556
8,8,15,672
9,9,17,782
10,10,19,892
11,11,21,1074
12,12,23,1180
13,13,25,1261
14,14,27,1406
15,15,29,1440
16,16,31,1466
17,17,33,1529
18,18,35,1573
19,19,37,1614
20,20,39,1666
21,21,41,1763
22,22,43,1923
23,23,45,2031
24,24,47,2115
25,25,49,2255
26,26,51,2360
27,27,53,2578
28,28,55,2777
29,29,57,2909
30,30,59,3003
31,31,61,3070
32,32,63,3189
33,33,65,3496
34,34,67,3626
35,35,69,3718
36,36,71,3923
37,37,73,4066
38,38,75,4156
39,39,77,4266
40,40,79,4382
41,41,81,4586
42,42,83,4672
43,43,85,4854
44,44,87,4945
45,45,89,5089
46,46,91,5191
47,47,93,5354
1,1,1,1
2,7,2,43
8,8,8,556
9,12,10,655
13,19,12,983
20,23,14,1331
24,25,16,1570
26,28,18,1768
29,34,20,2161
35,38,22,2905
39,40,24,3314
41,43,26,3556
44,47,28,3813
LEVIT012
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the people of Israel this: `If a woman gives birth to a son, she will become unclean for seven days, as she is unclean during her monthly period.
3 On the eighth day the boy must be circumcised.
4 Then it will be thirty-three days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood. She must not touch anything that is holy or enter the Holy Tent until her time of cleansing is finished.
5 But if she gives birth to a daughter, the mother will be unclean for two weeks, as she is unclean during her monthly period. It will be sixty-six days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood.
6 "`After she has a son or daughter and her days of cleansing are over, the new mother must bring certain sacrifices to the Meeting Tent. She must give the priest at the entrance a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a dove or young pigeon for a sin offering.
7 He will offer them before the LORD to make her clean so she will belong to the LORD again; then she will be clean from her loss of blood. These are the teachings for a woman who gives birth to a boy or girl.
8 "`If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she will belong to the LORD again, and she will be clean.' "blood.
1 The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the people of Israel:
2 "When a baby boy is born, the mother shall be ceremonially defiled for seven days, and under the same restrictions as during her monthly menstrual periods. 3 On the eighth day, her son must be circumcised. 4 Then, for the next thirty-three days, while she is recovering from her ceremonial impurity, she must not touch anything sacred nor enter the Tabernacle.
5 "When a baby girl is born, the mother's ceremonial impurity shall last two weeks, during which time she will be under the same restrictions as during menstruation. Then for a further sixty-six days she shall continue her recovery.
6 "When these days of purification are ended (the following instructions are applicable whether her baby is a boy or girl), she must bring a yearling lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.
She must take them to the door of the Tabernacle to the priest; 7 and the priest will offer them before the Lord and make atonement for her; then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth.
"These, then, are the procedures after childbirth. 8 But if she is too poor to bring a lamb, then she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest will make atonement for her with these, so that she will be ceremonially pure again."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,189
4,4,7,242
5,5,9,436
6,6,11,642
7,7,13,909
8,8,15,1123
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,76
5,5,4,442
6,6,6,678
KZFXFXF
LEVIT013
B$B$1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "Someone might have on his skin a swelling or a rash or a bright spot. If the sore looks like a harmful skin disease, the person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of Aaron's sons, the priests.
3 The priest must look at the sore on the person's skin. If the hair in the sore has become white, and the sore seems deeper than the person's skin, it is a harmful skin disease. When he has finished looking at the person, the priest must announce that the person is unclean.
4 "If there is a white spot on a person's skin, but the spot does not seem deeper than the skin, and if the hair from the spot has not turned white, the priest must separate that person from other people for seven days.
5 On the seventh day the priest must look at the person again. If he sees that the sore has not changed and it has not spread on the skin, the priest must keep the person separated for seven more days.
6 On the seventh day the priest must look at the person again. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. The sore is only a rash. The person must wash his clothes, and he will become clean again.
7 "But if the rash spreads again after the priest has announced him clean, the person must come again to the priest.
8 The priest must look at him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a harmful skin disease.
9 "If a person has a harmful skin disease, he must be brought to the priest,
10 and the priest must look at him. If there is a white swelling in the skin, and the hair has become white, and the skin looks raw in the swelling,
11 it is a harmful skin disease. It is one he has had for a long time. The priest must announce that the person is unclean. He will not need to separate that person from other people, because everyone already knows that the person is unclean.
12 "If the skin disease spreads all over a person's body, covering his skin from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, the priest must look at the person's whole body.
13 If the priest sees that the disease covers the whole body and has turned all of the person's skin white, he must announce that the person is clean.
14 "But when the person has an open sore, he is unclean.
15 When the priest sees the open sore, he must announce that the person is unclean. The open sore is not clean; it is a harmful skin disease.
16 If the open sore becomes white again, the person must come to the priest.
17 The priest must look at him, and if the sores have become white, the priest must announce that the person with the sores is clean. Then he will be clean.
18 "Someone may have a boil on his skin that is healed.
19 If in the place where the boil was, there is a white swelling or a bright red spot, this place on the skin must be shown to the priest.
20 And the priest must look at it. If the spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair on it has become white, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. The spot is a harmful skin disease that has broken out from inside the boil.
21 But if the priest looks at the spot and there are no white hairs in it and the spot is not deeper than the skin and it has faded, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days.
22 If the spot spreads on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean; it is a disease that will spread.
23 But if the bright spot does not spread or change, it is only the scar from the old boil. Then the priest must announce that the person is clean.
24 "When a person gets a burn on his skin, if the open sore becomes white or red,
25 the priest must look at it. If the white spot seems deeper than the skin and the hair at that spot has become white, it is a harmful skin disease. The disease has broken out in the burn, and the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a harmful skin disease.
26 But if the priest looks at the spot and there is no white hair in the bright spot, and the spot is no deeper than the skin and has faded, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days.
27 On the seventh day the priest must look at him again. If the spot has spread on the skin, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is a harmful skin disease.
28 But if the bright spot has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest must announce that the person is clean, because the spot is only a scar from the burn.
29 "When a man or a woman gets a sore on the scalp or on the chin,
30 a priest must look at the sore. If it seems deeper than the skin and the hair around it is thin and yellow, the priest must announce that the person is unclean. It is an itch, a harmful skin disease of the head or chin.
31 But if the priest looks at it and it does not seem deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must separate the person from other people for seven days.
32 On the seventh day the priest must look at the sore. If it has not spread, and there are no yellow hairs growing in it, and the sore does not seem deeper than the skin,
33 the person must shave himself, but he must not shave the sore place. The priest must separate that person from other people for seven more days.
34 On the seventh day the priest must look at the sore. If it has not spread on the skin and it does not seem deeper than the skin, the priest must announce that the person is clean. So the person must wash his clothes and become clean.
35 But if the sore spreads on the skin after the person has become clean,
36 the priest must look at him again. If the sore has spread on the skin, the priest doesn't need to look for the yellowish hair; the person is unclean.
37 But if the priest thinks the sore has stopped spreading, and black hair is growing in it, the sore has healed. The person is clean, and the priest must announce that he is clean.
38 "When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin,
39 a priest must look at them. If the spots on the skin are dull white, the disease is only a harmless rash. That person is clean.
40 "When anyone loses hair from his head and is bald, he is clean.
41 If he loses hair from the front of his head and has a bald forehead, he is clean.
42 But if there is a red-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a skin disease breaking out in those places.
43 A priest must look at that person. If the swelling of the sore on his bald head or forehead is red-white, like a skin disease that spreads,
44 that person has a skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must announce that the person is unclean because of the sore on his head.
45 "If a person has a skin disease that spreads, he must warn other people by shouting, `Unclean, unclean!' His clothes must be torn at the seams, he must let his hair stay uncombed, and he must cover his mouth.
46 That person will be unclean the whole time he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone outside the camp.
47 "Clothing might have mildew on it. It might be clothing made of linen or wool
48 (either woven or knitted), or of leather, or something made from leather.
49 If the mildew in the clothing, leather, or woven or knitted material is green or red, it is a spreading mildew. It must be shown to the priest.
50 The priest must look at the mildew, and he must put that piece of clothing in a separate place for seven days.
51 On the seventh day he must look at the mildew again. If the mildew has spread on the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather, no matter what the leather was used for, it is a mildew that destroys; it is unclean.
52 The priest must burn the clothing. It does not matter if it is woven or knitted, wool or linen, or made of leather, because the mildew is spreading. It must be burned.
53 "If the priest sees that the mildew has not spread in the cloth (either knitted or woven) or leather,
54 he must order the people to wash that piece of leather or cloth. Then he must separate the clothing for seven more days.
55 After the piece with the mildew has been washed, the priest must look at it again. If the mildew still looks the same, the piece is unclean, even if the mildew has not spread. You must burn it in fire; it does not matter if the mildew is on one side or the other.
56 "But when the priest looks at that piece of leather or cloth, the mildew might have faded after the piece has been washed. Then the priest must tear the mildew out of the piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted).
57 But if the mildew comes back to that piece of leather or cloth (either woven or knitted), the mildew is spreading. And whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire.
58 When the cloth (either woven or knitted) or the leather is washed and the mildew is gone, it must be washed again; then it will be clean.
59 "These are the teachings about mildew on pieces of cloth (either woven or knitted) or leather, to decide if they are clean or unclean."
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "If anyone notices a swelling in his skin, or a scab or boil or pimple with transparent skin, leprosy is to be suspected. He must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons 3 for the spot to be examined. If the hair in this spot turns white, and if the spot looks to be more than skin-deep, it is leprosy, and the priest must declare him a leper.
4 "But if the white spot in the skin does not seem to be deeper than the skin and the hair in the spot has not turned white, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. 5 At the end of that time, on the seventh day, the priest will examine him again, and if the spot has not changed and has not spread in the skin, then the priest must quarantine him seven days more. 6 Again on the seventh day the priest will examine him, and if the marks of the disease have become fainter and have not spread, then the priest shall pronounce him cured; it was only a scab, and the man need only wash his clothes and everything will be normal again. 7 But if the spot spreads in the skin after he has come to the priest to be examined, he must come back to the priest again, 8 and the priest shall look again, and if the spot has spread, then the priest must pronounce him a leper.
9-10 "When anyone suspected of having leprosy is brought to the priest, the priest is to look to see if there is a white swelling in the skin with white hairs in the spot, and an ulcer developing. 11 If he finds these symptoms, it is an established case of leprosy, and the priest must pronounce him defiled. The man is not to be quarantined for further observation, for he is definitely diseased. 12 But if the priest sees that the leprosy has erupted and spread all over his body from head to foot wherever he looks, 13 then the priest shall pronounce him cured of leprosy, for it has all turned white; he is cured. 14-15 But if there is raw flesh anywhere, the man shall be declared a leper. It is proved by the raw flesh. 16-17 But if the raw flesh later changes to white, the leper will return to the priest to be examined again. If the spot has indeed turned completely white, then the priest will pronounce him cured.
18 "In the case of a man who has a boil in his skin which heals, 19 but which leaves a white swelling or a bright spot, sort of reddish white, the man must go to the priest for examination. 20 If the priest sees that the trouble seems to be down under the skin, and if the hair at the spot has turned white, then the priest shall declare him defiled, for leprosy has broken out from the boil. 21 But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs in this spot, and the spot does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and if the color is gray, then the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. 22 If during that time the spot spreads, the priest must declare him a leper. 23 But if the bright spot grows no larger and does not spread, it is merely the scar from the boil, and the priest shall declare that all is well.
24 "If a man is burned in some way, and the burned place becomes bright reddish white or white, 25 then the priest must examine the spot. If the hair in the bright spot turns white and the problem seems to be more than skin-deep, it is leprosy that has broken out from the burn, and the priest must pronounce him a leper.
26 But if the priest sees that there are no white hairs in the bright spot and the brightness appears to be no deeper than the skin and is fading, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days 27 and examine him again the seventh day. If the spot spreads in the skin, the priest must pronounce him a leper. 28 But if the bright spot does not move or spread in the skin, and is fading, it is simply a scar from the burn, and the priest shall declare that he does not have leprosy.
29-30 "If a man or woman has a sore on the head or chin, the priest must examine him; if the infection seems to be below the skin and yellow hair is found in the sore, the priest must pronounce him a leper. 31 But if the priest's examination reveals that the spot seems to be only in the skin but there is healthy hair in it, then he shall be quarantined for seven days, 32 and examined again on the seventh day. If the spot has not spread and no yellow hair has appeared, and if the infection does not seem to be deeper than the skin, 33 he shall shave off all the hair around the spot (but not on the spot itself) and the priest shall quarantine him for another seven days. 34 He shall be examined again on the seventh day, and if the spot has not spread, and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him well, and after washing his clothes, he is free.
35 But if, later on, this spot begins to spread, 36 then the priest must examine him again and, without waiting to see if any yellow hair develops, declare him a leper. 37 But if it appears that the spreading has stopped and black hairs are found in the spot, then he is healed and is not a leper, and the priest shall declare him healed.
38 "If a man or a woman has white, transparent areas in the skin, 39 but these spots are growing dimmer, this is not leprosy, but an ordinary infection that has broken out in the skin.
40 "If a man's hair is gone, this does not make him a leper even though he is bald! 41 If the hair is gone from the front part of his head, he simply has a bald forehead, but this is not leprosy. 42 However, if in the baldness there is a reddish white spot, it may be leprosy breaking out. 43 In that case the priest shall examine him, and if there is a reddish white lump that looks like leprosy, 44 then he is a leper, and the priest must pronounce him such.
45 "Anyone who is discovered to have leprosy must tear his clothes and let his hair grow in wild disarray, and cover his upper lip and call out as he goes, "I am a leper, I am a leper."
46 As long as the disease lasts, he is defiled and must live outside the camp.
47-48 "If leprosy is suspected in a woolen or linen garment or fabric, or in a piece of leather or leatherwork, 49 and there is a greenish or a reddish spot in it, it is probably leprosy, and must be taken to the priest to be examined. 50 The priest will put it away for seven days 51 and look at it again on the seventh day. If the spot has spread, it is a contagious leprosy, 52 and he must burn the clothing, fabric, linen or woolen covering, or leather article, for it is contagious and must be destroyed by fire.
53 "But if when he examines it again on the seventh day the spot has not spread, 54 the priest shall order the suspected article to be washed, then isolated for seven more days. 55 If after that time the spot has not changed its color, even though it has not spread, it is leprosy and shall be burned, for the article is infected through and through.
56 But if the priest sees that the spot has faded after the washing, then he shall cut it out from the garment or leather goods or whatever it is in. 57 However, if it then reappears, it is leprosy and he must burn it. 58 But if after washing it there is no further trouble, it can be put back into service after another washing."
59 These are the regulations concerning leprosy in a garment or anything made of skin or leather, indicating whether to pronounce it leprous or not.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,41
3,3,5,252
4,4,7,532
5,5,9,756
6,6,11,962
7,7,13,1225
8,8,15,1346
9,9,17,1504
10,10,19,1585
11,11,21,1738
12,12,23,1985
13,13,25,2172
14,14,27,2327
15,15,29,2388
16,16,31,2534
17,17,33,2615
18,18,35,2776
19,19,37,2836
20,20,39,2979
21,21,41,3224
22,22,43,3431
23,23,45,3558
24,24,47,3710
25,25,49,3796
26,26,51,4077
27,27,53,4292
28,28,55,4472
29,29,57,4676
30,30,59,4747
31,31,61,4974
32,32,63,5157
33,33,65,5333
34,34,67,5485
35,35,69,5726
36,36,71,5804
37,37,73,5961
38,38,75,6147
39,39,77,6206
40,40,79,6341
41,41,81,6412
42,42,83,6501
43,43,85,6622
44,44,87,6769
45,45,89,6908
46,46,91,7124
47,47,93,7246
48,48,95,7331
49,49,97,7412
50,50,99,7563
51,51,101,7681
52,52,103,7907
53,53,105,8082
54,54,107,8191
55,55,109,8319
56,56,111,8590
57,57,113,8821
58,58,115,8997
59,59,117,9142
1,3,1,1
4,8,3,397
9,17,5,1272
18,23,7,2200
24,25,9,3027
26,28,11,3352
29,34,13,3836
35,37,15,4723
38,39,17,5065
40,44,19,5253
45,45,21,5717
46,46,23,5906
47,52,25,5988
53,55,27,6509
56,58,29,6863
59,59,31,7197
LEVIT014
"1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "These are the teachings for the time at which people who had a harmful skin disease are made clean. "The person shall be brought to the priest,
3 and the priest must go outside the camp and look at the one who had the skin disease. If the skin disease is healed,
4 the priest will command that two living, clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant be brought for cleansing the person with the skin disease.
5 "The priest must order one bird to be killed in a clay bowl containing fresh water.
6 Then he will take the living bird, the piece of cedar wood, the red string, and the hyssop; all these he will dip into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
7 The priest will sprinkle the blood announce that the person is clean and then go to an open field and let the living bird go free.
8 "The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water. Then he will be clean and may go into the camp, though he must stay outside his tent for the first seven days.
9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair- the hair from his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will be clean.
10 "On the eighth day the person who had the skin disease must take two male lambs that have nothing wrong with them and a year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it. He must also take six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering and two-thirds of a pint of olive oil.
11 The priest who is to announce that the person is clean must bring him and his sacrifices before the LORD at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it with the olive oil as a penalty offering; he will present them before the LORD as an offering.
13 Then he will kill the male lamb in the holy place, where the sin offering and the whole burnt offering are killed. The penalty offering is like the sin offering- it belongs to the priest and it is most holy.
14 "The priest will take some of the blood of the penalty offering and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person's right hand and on the big toe of the person's right foot.w
15 Then the priest will take some of the oil and pour it into his own left hand.
16 He will dip a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand, and with his finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the LORD.
17 The priest will put some oil from his hand on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean, some on the thumb of the person's right hand, and some on the big toe of the person's right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood for the penalty offering.
18 He will put the rest of the oil that is in his left hand on the head of the person to be made clean. In this way the priest will make that person clean so he can belong to the LORD again.
19 "Next the priest will offer the sin offering to make that person clean so he can belong to the LORD again. After this the priest will kill the animal for the whole burnt offering,
20 and he will offer the burnt offering and grain offering on the altar. In this way he will make that person clean so he can belong to the LORD again.
21 "But if the person is poor and unable to afford these offerings, he must take one male lamb for a penalty offering. It will be presented to the LORD to make him clean so he can belong to the LORD again. The person must also take two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. He must also take two-thirds of a pint of olive oilh6
22 and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford. One bird is for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering.
23 On the eighth day the person will bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, before the LORD.
24 The priest will take the lamb for the penalty offering and the oil, and he will present them as an offering before the LORD.
25 Then he will kill the lamb of the penalty offering, take some of its blood, and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. The priest will put some of this blood on the thumb of the person's right hand and some on the big toe of the person's right foot.
26 He will also pour some of the oil into his own left hand.
27 Then with a finger of his right hand, he will sprinkle some of the oil from his left hand seven times before the LORD.
28 The priest will take some of the oil from his hand and put it on the bottom of the right ear of the person to be made clean. He will also put some of it on the thumb of the person's right hand and some on the big toe of the person's right foot. The oil will go on these places on top of the blood from the penalty offering.oot.
29 The priest must put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the person to be made clean, to make him clean so he can belong to the LORD again.
30 Then the priest will offer one of the doves or young pigeons, which the person can afford.
31 He must offer one of the birds for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering, along with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make the person clean so he can belong to the LORD again; he will become clean.
32 "These are the teachings for making a person clean after he has had a skin disease, if he cannot afford the regular sacrifices for becoming clean."
33 The LORD also said to Moses and Aaron,
34 "I am giving the land of Canaan to your people. When they enter that land, if I cause mildew to grow in someone's house in that land,
35 the owner of that house must come and tell the priest. He should say, `I have seen something like mildew in my house.'
36 Then the priest must order the people to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mildew. This is so he will not have to say that everything in the house is unclean. After this, the priest will go in to look at it.
37 He will look at the mildew, and if the mildew on the walls of the house is green or red and goes into the wall's surface,
38 he must go out and close up the house for seven days.
39 On the seventh day the priest must come back and check the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls of the house,
40 the priest must order the people to tear out the stones with the mildew on them. They should throw them away, at a certain unclean place outside the city.
41 Then the priest must have all the inside of the house scraped. The people must throw away the plaster they scraped off the walls, at a certain unclean place outside the city.
42 Then the owner must put new stones in the walls, and he must cover the walls with new clay plaster.
43 "Suppose a person has taken away the old stones and plaster and put in new stones and plaster. If mildew again appears in his house,
44 the priest must come back and check the house again. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a mildew that destroys things; the house is unclean.
45 Then the owner must tear down the house, remove all its stones, plaster, and wood, and take them to the unclean place outside the city.
46 Anyone who goes into that house while it is closed up will be unclean until evening.
47 Anyone who eats in that house or lies down there must wash his clothes.
48 "Suppose after new stones and plaster have been put in a house, the priest checks it again and the mildew has not spread. Then the priest will announce that the house is clean, because the mildew is gone.
49 "Then, to make the house clean, the priest must take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant.
50 He will kill one bird in a clay bowl containing fresh water.
51 Then he will take the bird that is still alive, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string, and he will dip them into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. The priest will sprinkle the blood on the house seven times.
52 He will use the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string to make the house clean.
53 He will then go to an open field outside the city and let the living bird go free. This is how the priest makes the house clean and ready for service to the LORD."
54 These are the teachings about any kind of skin disease,
55 mildew on pieces of cloth or in a house,
56 swellings, rashes, or bright spots on the skin;
57 they help people decide when things are unclean and when they are clean. These are the teachings about all these kinds of diseases.
1 And the Lord gave Moses these regulations concerning a person whose leprosy disappears:
3 "The priest shall go out of the camp to examine him. If the priest sees that the leprosy is gone, 4 he shall require two living birds of a kind permitted for food, and shall take some cedar wood, a scarlet string, and some hyssop branches, to be used for the purification ceremony of the one who is healed. 5 The priest shall then order one of the birds killed in an earthenware pot held above running water. 6 The other bird, still living, shall be dipped in the blood, along with the cedar wood, the scarlet thread, and the hyssop branch. 7 Then the priest shall sprinkle the blood seven times upon the man cured of his leprosy, and the priest shall pronounce him cured, and shall let the living bird fly into the open field.
8 "Then the man who is cured shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself, and return to live inside the camp; however, he must stay outside his tent for seven days. 9 The seventh day he shall again shave all the hair from his head, beard, and eyebrows, and wash his clothes and bathe, and shall then be declared fully cured of his leprosy.
10 "The next day, the eighth day, he shall take two male lambs without physical defect, one yearling ewe-lamb without physical defect, ten quarts of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, and a pint of olive oil; 11 then the priest who examines him shall place the man and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 12 The priest shall take one of the lambs and the pint of olive oil and offer them to the Lord as a guilt offering by the gesture of waving them before the altar. 13 Then he shall kill the lamb at the place where sin offerings and burnt offerings are killed, there at the Tabernacle; this guilt offering shall then be given to the priest for food, as in the case of a sin offering. It is a most holy offering. 14 The priest shall take the blood from this guilt offering and smear some of it upon the tip of the right ear of the man being cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot.
15 "Then the priest shall take the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his left hand, 16 and dip his right finger into it, and sprinkle it with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 Some of the oil remaining in his left hand shall then be placed by the priest upon the tip of the man's right ear and the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot-just as he did with the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The remainder of the oil in his hand shall be used to anoint the man's head. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.
19 "Then the priest must offer the sin offering and again perform the rite of atonement for the person being cleansed from his leprosy; and afterwards the priest shall kill the burnt offering, 20 and offer it along with the grain offering upon the altar, making atonement for the man, who shall then be pronounced finally cleansed.
21 "If he is so poor that he cannot afford two lambs, then he shall bring only one, a male lamb for the guilt offering, to be presented to the Lord in the rite of atonement by waving it before the altar; and only three quarts of fine white flour, mixed with olive oil, for a grain offering, and a pint of olive oil.
22 "He shall also bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons-whichever he is able to afford-and use one of the pair for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 23 He shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle on the eighth day, for his ceremony of cleansing before the Lord. 24 The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, and the pint of oil, and wave them before the altar as a gesture of offering to the Lord. 25 Then he shall kill the lamb for the guilt offering and smear some of its blood upon the tip of the man's right ear-the man on whose behalf the ceremony is being performed-and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the big toe of his right foot.
26 "The priest shall then pour the olive oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and with his right finger he is to sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord. 28 Then he must put some of the olive oil from his hand upon the tip of the man's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot, just as he did with the blood of the guilt offering. 29 The remaining oil in his hand shall be placed upon the head of the man being cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord.
30 "Then he must offer the two turtledoves or two young pigeons (whichever pair he is able to afford). 31 One of the pair is for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to be sacrificed along with the grain offering; and the priest shall make atonement for the man before the Lord."
32 These, then, are the laws concerning those who are cleansed of leprosy but are not able to bring the sacrifices normally required for the ceremony of cleansing.
33-34 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "When you arrive in the land of Canaan which I have given you, and I place leprosy in some house there, 35 then the owner of the house shall come and report to the priest, `It seems to me that there may be leprosy in my house!'
36 "The priest shall order the house to be emptied before he examines it, so that everything in the house will not be declared contaminated if he decides that there is leprosy there. 37 If he finds greenish or reddish streaks in the walls of the house which seem to be beneath the surface of the wall, 38 he shall close up the house for seven days, 39 and return the seventh day to look at it again. If the spots have spread in the wall, 40 then the priest shall order the removal of the spotted section of wall, and the material must be thrown into a defiled place outside the city. 41 Then he shall order the inside walls of the house scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in a defiled place outside the city. 42 Other stones shall be brought to replace those that have been removed, new mortar used, and the house replastered.
43 "But if the spots appear again, 44 the priest shall come again and look, and if he sees that the spots have spread, it is leprosy, and the house is defiled. 45 Then he shall order the destruction of the house-all its stones, timbers, and mortar shall be carried out of the city to a defiled place. 46 Anyone entering the house while it is closed shall be defiled until evening. 47 Anyone who lies down or eats in the house shall wash his clothing.
48 "But if, when the priest comes again to look, the spots have not reappeared after the fresh plastering, then he will pronounce the house cleansed and declare the leprosy gone. 49 He shall also perform the ceremony of cleansing, using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop branches. 50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in an earthenware bowl, 51-52 and dip the cedar wood, hyssop branch, and scarlet thread, as well as the living bird, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water, and shall sprinkle the house seven times. In this way the house shall be cleansed. 53 Then he shall let the live bird fly away into an open field outside the city. This is the method for making atonement for the house and cleansing it."
54 These, then, are the laws concerning the various places where leprosy may appear: 55 in a garment or in a house, 56 or in any swelling in one's skin, or a scab from a burn, or a bright spot. 57 In this way you will know whether or not it is actually leprosy. That is why these laws are given.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,182
4,4,7,305
5,5,9,489
6,6,11,579
7,7,13,764
8,8,15,901
9,9,17,1112
10,10,19,1320
11,11,21,1618
12,12,23,1767
13,13,25,1925
14,14,27,2140
15,15,29,2401
16,16,31,2486
17,17,33,2653
18,18,35,2942
19,19,37,3137
20,20,39,3324
21,21,41,3480
22,22,43,3832
23,23,45,3969
24,24,47,4107
25,25,49,4239
26,26,51,4527
27,27,53,4592
28,28,55,4718
29,29,57,5053
30,30,59,5218
31,31,61,5316
32,32,63,5554
33,33,65,5709
34,34,67,5755
35,35,69,5896
36,36,71,6022
37,37,73,6252
38,38,75,6381
39,39,77,6442
40,40,79,6567
41,41,81,6729
42,42,83,6911
43,43,85,7018
44,44,87,7158
45,45,89,7316
46,46,91,7459
47,47,93,7551
48,48,95,7630
49,49,97,7842
50,50,99,7979
51,51,101,8047
52,52,103,8297
53,53,105,8438
54,54,107,8609
55,55,109,8672
56,56,111,8720
57,57,113,8775
1,2,1,1
3,7,2,92
8,9,4,825
10,14,6,1190
15,18,8,2160
19,20,10,2728
21,21,12,3063
22,25,14,3382
26,29,16,4092
30,31,18,4620
32,32,20,4917
33,35,22,5084
36,42,23,5358
43,47,25,6197
48,53,27,6651
54,57,29,7421
LEVIT015
,#D#:%
1 The LORD also said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "Say to the people of Israel: `When a fluid comes from a person's body, the fluid is unclean.
3 It doesn't matter if the fluid flows freely or if it is blocked from flowing; the fluid will make him unclean. This is the way the fluid makes him unclean:
4 "`If the person who discharges the body fluid lies on a bed, that bed becomes unclean, and everything he sits on becomes unclean.
5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and the person will be unclean until evening.
6 Whoever sits on something that the person who discharges the fluid sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
7 Anyone who touches the person who discharges the body fluid must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
8 "`If the person who discharges the body fluid spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
9 Everything on which the person who is unclean sits when riding will become unclean.
10 Anyone who touches something that was under him will be unclean until evening. And anyone who carries these things must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
11 "'If the person who discharges a body fluid has not washed his hands in water and touches another person, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
12 "`If a person who discharges a body fluid touches a clay bowl, that bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.
13 "`When a person who discharges a body fluid is made clean, he must count seven days for himself for his cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and he will be clean.
14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons before the LORD at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest.
15 The priest will offer the birds, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest will make that person clean so he can belong to the LORD again.
16 "`If semen goes out from a man, he must bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
17 If the fluid gets on any clothing or leather, it must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening.
18 "`If a man has sexual relations with a woman and semen comes out, both people must bathe in water; they will be unclean until evening.
19 "`When a woman has her monthly period, she is unclean for seven days; anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.
20 Anything she lies on during this time will be unclean, and everything she sits on during this time will be unclean.
21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening.
22 Anyone who touches something she has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening.
23 It does not matter if the person touched the woman's bed or something she sat on; he will be unclean until evening.
24 "`If a man has sexual relations with a woman and her monthly period touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; every bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 "`If a woman has a loss of blood for many days and it is not during her regular monthly period, or if she continues to have a loss of blood after her regular period, she will be unclean, as she is during her monthly period. She will be unclean for as long as she continues to bleed.
26 Any bed she lies on during all the time of her bleeding will be like her bed during her regular monthly period. Everything she sits on will be unclean, as during her regular monthly period.
27 "`Whoever touches those things will be unclean and must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
28 When the woman becomes clean from her bleeding, she must wait seven days, and after this she will be clean.
29 Then on the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
30 The priest must offer one bird for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she can belong to the LORD again.
31 "`So you must warn the people of Israel to stay separated from things that make them unclean. If you don't warn the people, they might make my Holy Tent unclean, and then they would have to die!' "
32 These are the teachings for the person who discharges a body fluid and for the man who becomes unclean from semen coming out of his body.
33 These are the teachings for the woman who becomes unclean from her monthly period, for a man or woman who has a discharge, and for a man who becomes unclean by having sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.
1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions:
"Any man who has a genital discharge is ceremonially defiled. 3 This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. 4 Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated: 5 so anyone touching the man's bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 6 Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 7 The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. 8 Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 9 Any saddle he rides on is defiled. 10 Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 11 If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. 12 Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.
13 "When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. 14 On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.
16 "Whenever a man's semen goes out from him, he shall take a complete bath and be ceremonially impure until the evening. 17 Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening. 18 After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next evening.
19 "Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening. 20 Anything she lies on or sits on during that time shall be defiled. 21-23 Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled until evening. 24 A man having sexual intercourse with her during this time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies upon shall be defiled.
25 "If the menstrual flow continues after the normal time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply as indicated above, 26 so that anything she lies upon during that time is defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement. 27 Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until evening. 28 Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no longer ceremonially defiled.
29 "On the eighth day, she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 30 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for her before the Lord for her menstrual defilement. 31 In this way you shall cleanse the people of Israel from their defilement, lest they die because of defiling my Tabernacle that is among them."
32 This, then, is the law for the man who is defiled by a genital or by a seminal emission; 33 and for a woman's menstrual period; and for anyone who has sexual intercourse with her while she is in her period of defilement afterwards.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,46
3,3,5,146
4,4,7,308
5,5,9,444
6,6,11,565
7,7,13,721
8,8,15,863
9,9,17,1034
10,10,19,1124
11,11,21,1323
12,12,23,1524
13,13,25,1684
14,14,27,1888
15,15,29,2052
16,16,31,2230
17,17,33,2327
18,18,35,2444
19,19,37,2586
20,20,39,2717
21,21,41,2840
22,22,43,2959
23,23,45,3095
24,24,47,3218
25,25,49,3379
26,26,51,3669
27,27,53,3866
28,28,55,4000
29,29,57,4115
30,30,59,4256
31,31,61,4435
32,32,63,4640
33,33,65,4785
1,12,1,1
13,15,4,1183
16,18,6,1668
19,24,8,2030
25,28,10,2572
29,31,12,3121
32,33,14,3571
LEVIT016
`-x-n/
1 Now two of Aaron's sons had died while offering incense to the LORD, and after that time the LORD spoke to Moses.
2 The LORD said to him, "Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the lid on the Ark, he will die.
3 "This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a sin offering and a male sheep for a whole burnt offering.
4 He must put on the holy linen inner robe, with the linen underclothes next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt, and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.
5 "Aaron must take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one male sheep for a burnt offering.
6 Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering for himself to remove sins from him and his family so they will belong to the LORD.
7 "Next Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the LORD at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
8 He will throw lots for the two goats- one will be for the LORD and the other for the goat that removes sin.
9 Then Aaron will take the goat that was chosen for the LORD by throwing the lot, and he will offer it as a sin offering.
10 The other goat, which was chosen by lot to remove the sin, must be brought alive before the LORD. The priest will use it to perform the acts that remove Israel's sin so they will belong to the LORD. Then this goat will be sent out into the desert as a goat that removes sin.
11 "Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, to remove the sins from him and his family so they will belong to the LORD; he will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself.
12 Then he must take a pan full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder. He must bring it into the room behind the curtain.
13 He must put the incense on the fire before the LORD so that the cloud of incense will cover the lid on the Ark. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die.
14 Also, he must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the lid; with his finger he will sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the lid.
15 "Then Aaron must kill the goat of the sin offering for the people and bring its blood into the room behind the curtain. He must do with the goat's blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the lid and in front of the lid.
16 Because the people of Israel have been unclean, Aaron will perform the acts to make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the LORD. Then it will be clean from the sins and crimes of the Israelites. He must also do this for the Meeting Tent, because it stays in the middle of unclean people.
17 When Aaron makes the Most Holy Place ready for service to the LORD, no one is allowed in the Meeting Tent until he comes out. So Aaron will perform the acts to remove sins from himself, his family, and all the people of Israel, so they will belong to the LORD.
18 Afterward he will go out to the altar that is before the LORD and will make it ready for service to the LORD. Aaron will take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the corners of the altar on all sides.
19 Then, with his finger, he will sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times to make the altar holy for the LORD and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.
20 "When Aaron has finished making the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the LORD, he will offer the living goat.
21 He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat, and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people's sins on the goat's head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert, and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away.
22 So the goat will carry on itself all the people's sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.
23 "Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there.
24 He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering for himself and for the people, to remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the LORD.w
25 Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 "The person who led the goat, the goat to remove sins, into the desert must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
27 "The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make it ready for service to the LORD, must be taken outside the camp; the animals' skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire.
28 Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
29 "This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must not eat and you must not do any work. The travelers or foreigners living with you must not work either.
30 It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so you will belong to the LORD again. All your sins will be removed.
31 This is a very important day of rest for you, and you must not eat. This law will continue forever.
32 "The priest appointed to take his father's place, on whom the oil was poured, will perform the acts for making things ready for service to the LORD. He must put on the holy linen clothes
33 and make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the LORD. He must also remove the sins of the priests and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the LORD.
34 That law for removing the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to the LORD will continue forever. You will do these things once a year." So they did the things the LORD had commanded Moses.
1 After Aaron's two sons died before the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, "Warn your brother Aaron not to enter into the Holy Place behind the veil, where the Ark and the place of mercy are, just whenever he chooses. The penalty for intrusion is death. For I myself am present in the cloud above the place of mercy.
3 "Here are the conditions for his entering there: He must bring a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He must bathe himself and put on the sacred linen coat, shorts, belt, and turban. 5 The people of Israel shall then bring him two male goats for their sin offering, and a ram for their burnt offering. 6 First he shall present to the Lord the young bull as a sin offering for himself, making atonement for himself and his family. 7 Then he shall bring the two goats before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 8 and cast lots to determine which is the Lord's and which is to be sent away.
9 The goat allotted to the Lord shall then be sacrificed by Aaron as a sin offering. 10 The other goat shall be kept alive and placed before the Lord. The rite of atonement shall be performed over it, and it shall then be sent out into the desert as a scapegoat.
11 "After Aaron has sacrificed the young bull as a sin offering for himself and his family, 12 he shall take a censer full of live coals from the altar of the Lord, and fill his hands with sweet incense beaten into fine powder, and bring it inside the veil. 13 There before the Lord he shall put the incense upon the coals, so that a cloud of incense will cover the mercy place above the Ark (containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments); thus he will not die. 14 And he shall bring some of the blood of the young bull and sprinkle it with his finger upon the east side of the mercy place, and then seven times in front of it.
15 "Then he must go out and sacrifice the people's sin offering goat, and bring its blood within the veil, and sprinkle it upon the place of mercy and in front of it, just as he did with the blood of the young bull. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because it is defiled by the sins of the people of Israel, and for the Tabernacle, located right among them and surrounded by their defilement. 17 Not another soul shall be inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters to make atonement in the Holy Place-not until after he comes out again and has made atonement for himself and his household and for all the people of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar before the Lord and make atonement for it. He must smear the blood of the young bull and the goat on the horns of the altar, 19 and sprinkle blood upon the altar seven times with his finger, thus cleansing it from the sinfulness of Israel and making it holy.
20 "When he has completed the rite of atonement for the Holy Place, the entire Tabernacle, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat and, 21 laying both hands upon its head, confess over it all the sins of the people of Israel. He shall lay all their sins upon the head of the goat and send it into the desert, led by a man appointed for the task. 22 So the goat shall carry all the sins of the people into a land where no one lives, and the man shall let it loose in the wilderness.
23 "Then Aaron shall go into the Tabernacle again and take off the linen garments he wore when he went behind the veil, and leave them there in the Tabernacle. 24 Then he shall bathe in a sacred place, put on his clothes again, and go out and sacrifice his own burnt offering for the people, making atonement for himself and for them. 25 He shall also burn upon the altar the fat for the sin offering.
26 "The man who took the goat out into the desert shall afterwards wash his clothes and bathe himself and then come back into the camp. 27 And the young bull and the goat used for the sin offering (their blood was taken into the Holy Place by Aaron, to make atonement) shall be carried outside the camp and burned, including the hides and internal organs. 28 Afterwards, the person doing the burning shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and then return to camp.
29-30 "This is a permanent law: You must do no work on the twenty-fifth day of September, but must spend the day in self-examination and humility. This applies whether you are born in the land or are a foreigner living among the people of Israel; for this is the day commemorating the atonement, cleansing you in the Lord's eyes from all of your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall spend the day in quiet humility; this is a permanent law. 32 This ceremony, in later generations, shall be performed by the anointed High Priest, consecrated in place of his ancestor Aaron; he shall be the one to put on the holy linen garments, 33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the people. 34 This shall be an everlasting law for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel once each year, because of their sins."
And Aaron followed all these instructions that the Lord gave to Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,352
4,4,7,511
5,5,9,756
6,6,11,880
7,7,13,1019
8,8,15,1129
9,9,17,1243
10,10,19,1369
11,11,21,1651
12,12,23,1853
13,13,25,2056
14,14,27,2218
15,15,29,2409
16,16,31,2652
17,17,33,2953
18,18,35,3221
19,19,37,3461
20,20,39,3634
21,21,41,3788
22,22,43,4089
23,23,45,4237
24,24,47,4405
25,25,49,4658
26,26,51,4725
27,27,53,4898
28,28,55,5145
29,29,57,5275
30,30,59,5474
31,31,61,5605
32,32,63,5712
33,33,65,5906
34,34,67,6112
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,317
9,10,5,947
11,14,7,1213
15,19,9,1852
20,22,11,2789
23,25,13,3278
26,28,15,3683
29,34,17,4152
LEVIT017
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel. Tell them: `This is what the LORD has commanded.
3 If an Israelite kills an ox, a lamb, or a goat either inside the camp or outside it,
4 when he should have brought the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent as a gift to the LORD in front of the LORD' s Holy Tent, he is guilty of killing. He has killed, and he must be cut off from the people.
5 This rule is so people will bring their sacrifices, which they have been sacrificing in the open fields, to the LORD. They must bring those animals to the LORD at the entrance of the Meeting Tent; they must bring them to the priest and offer them as fellowship offerings.
6 Then the priest will sprinkle the blood from those animals on the LORD' s altar near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And he will burn the fat from those animals on the altar, as a smell pleasing to the LORD.
7 They must not offer any more sacrifices to their goat idols, which they have chased like prostitutes. These rules will continue for people from now on.'
8 "Tell the people this: `If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9 that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the LORD. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people.
10 "`I will be against any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you who eats blood. I will cut off that person from the people.
11 This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the LORD. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life.
12 So I tell the people of Israel this: "None of you may eat blood, and no foreigner living among you may eat blood."
13 "`If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living among you catches a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt.
14 If blood is still in the meat, the animal's life is still in it. So I give this command to the people of Israel: "Don't eat meat that still has blood in it, because the animal's life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off."
15 "`If a person, either a citizen or a foreigner, eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.
16 If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will be guilty of sin.' "
1 The Lord gave to Moses these additional instructions for Aaron and the priests and for all the people of Israel:
3-4 "Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, lamb, or goat anywhere except at the Tabernacle is guilty of murder and shall be excommunicated from his nation. 5 The purpose of this law is to stop the people of Israel from sacrificing in the open fields, and to cause them to bring their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate and enjoy-6 for in this way the priest will be able to sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate and enjoy-7 instead of the people's sacrificing to evil out in the fields. This shall be a permanent law for you, from generation to generation. 8-9 I repeat: Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice anywhere other than at the entrance of the Tabernacle, where it will be sacrificed to the Lord, shall be excommunicated.
10 "And I will turn my face against anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who eats blood in any form. I will excommunicate him from his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given you the blood to sprinkle upon the altar as an atonement for your souls; it is the blood that makes atonement because it is the life.
12 That is the reasoning behind my decree to the people of Israel, that neither they, nor any foreigner living among them, may eat blood. 13 Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who goes hunting and kills an animal or bird of a kind permitted for food, must pour out the blood and cover it with dust, 14 for the blood is the life. That is why I told the people of Israel never to eat it, for the life of every bird and animal is its blood. Therefore, anyone who eats blood must be excommunicated.
15 "And anyone-native born or foreigner-who eats the dead body of an animal that dies a natural death, or is killed by wild animals, must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening; after that he shall be declared cleansed. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe, he shall suffer the consequence."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,143
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,452
6,6,11,730
7,7,13,946
8,8,15,1105
9,9,17,1227
10,10,19,1390
11,11,21,1528
12,12,23,1763
13,13,25,1885
14,14,27,2068
15,15,29,2315
16,16,31,2540
1,2,1,1
3,9,2,117
10,11,4,1095
12,14,6,1463
15,16,8,1989
LEVIT018
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the people of Israel: `I am the LORD your God.
3 In the past you lived in Egypt, but you must not do what was done in that country. And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their customs.
4 You must obey my rules and follow them. I am the LORD your God.
5 Obey my laws and rules; a person who obeys them will live because of them. I am the LORD.
6 "`You must never have sexual relations with your close relatives. I am the LORD.
7 "`You must not shame your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have sexual relations with her.
8 You must not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would shame your father.
9 "`You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either the daughter of your father or your mother. It doesn't matter if she was born in your house or somewhere else.
10 "`You must not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would bring shame on you.
11 "`If your father and his wife have a daughter, she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her.
12 "`You must not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.
13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother's sister; she is your mother's close relative.
14 You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother, because this would shame him. She is your aunt.
15 "`You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.
16 "`You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife. That would shame your brother.
17 "`You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. And do not have sexual relations with this woman's granddaughter, either the daughter of her son or her daughter; they are her close relatives. It is evil to do this.
18 "`While your wife is still living, you must not take her sister as another wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.
19 "`You must not go near a woman to have sexual relations with her during her monthly period, when she is unclean.
20 "`You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and make yourself unclean with her.
21 "`You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, because this would show that you do not respect your God. I am the LORD.
22 "`You must not have sexual relations with a man as you would a woman. That is a hateful sin.
23 "`You must not have sexual relations with an animal and make yourself unclean with it. Also a woman must not have sexual relations with an animal; it is not natural.
24 "`Don't make yourself unclean by any of these wrong things. I am forcing nations out of their countries because they did these sins, and I am giving their land to you.
25 The land has become unclean, and I punished it for its sins, so the land is throwing out those people who live there.
26 "'You must obey my laws and rules, and you must not do any of these hateful sins. These rules are for the citizens of Israel and for the people who live with you.
27 The people who lived in the land before you did all these hateful things and made the land unclean.
28 If you do these things, you will also make the land unclean, and it will throw you out as it threw out the nations before you.
29 Anyone who does these hateful sins must be cut off from the people.
30 Keep my command not to do these hateful sins that were done by the people who lived in the land before you. Don't make yourself unclean by doing them. I am the LORD your God.' "
1 The Lord then told Moses to tell the people of Israel,
"I am Jehovah your God, 3 so don't act like the heathen-like the people of Egypt where you lived so long, or the people of Canaan where I am going to take you. 4-5 You must obey only my laws, and you must carry them out in detail, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey them, you shall live. I am the Lord.
6 "None of you shall marry a near relative, for I am the Lord. 7 Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother, 8 nor any other of your father's wives. 9 Do not have intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether the daughter of your father or your mother, whether brought up in the same household or elsewhere.
10 "You shall not have intercourse with your granddaughter-the daughter of either your son or your daughter-for she is a close relative.
11 You may not have intercourse with a half sister-your father's wife's daughter; 12 nor your aunt-your father's sister-because she is so closely related to your father; 13 nor your aunt-your mother's sister-because she is a close relative of your mother; 14 nor your aunt-the wife of your father's brother.
15 "You may not marry your daughter-in-law-your son's wife; 16 nor your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.
17 You may not marry both a woman and her daughter or granddaughter, for they are near relatives, and to do so is horrible wickedness. 18 You shall not marry two sisters, for they will be rivals. However, if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.
19 "There must be no sexual relationship with a woman who is menstruating; 20 nor with anyone else's wife, to defile yourself with her.
21 "You shall not give any of your children to Molech, burning them upon his altar; never profane the name of your God, for I am Jehovah.
22 "Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin. 23 A man shall have no sexual intercourse with any female animal, thus defiling himself; and a woman must never give herself to a male animal, to mate with it; this is a terrible perversion.
24 "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for these are the things the heathen do; and because they do them, I am going to cast them out from the land into which you are going. 25 That entire country is defiled with this kind of activity; that is why I am punishing the people living there, and will throw them out of the land.
26 You must strictly obey all of my laws and ordinances, and you must not do any of these abominable things; these laws apply both to you who are born in the nation of Israel and to foreigners living among you.
27 "Yes, all these abominations have been done continually by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the land is defiled. 28 Do not do these things or I will throw you out of the land, just as I will throw the nations that live there now. 29-30 Whoever does any of these terrible deeds shall be excommunicated from this nation. So be very sure to obey my laws, and do not practice any of these horrible customs. Do not defile yourselves with the evil deeds of those living in the land where you are going. For I am Jehovah your God."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,90
4,4,7,287
5,5,9,357
6,6,11,453
7,7,13,540
8,8,15,683
9,9,17,779
10,10,19,958
11,11,21,1087
12,12,23,1206
13,13,25,1314
14,14,27,1420
15,15,29,1550
16,16,31,1684
17,17,33,1785
18,18,35,2032
19,19,37,2159
20,20,39,2279
21,21,41,2385
22,22,43,2534
23,23,45,2634
24,24,47,2807
25,25,49,2982
26,26,51,3108
27,27,53,3278
28,28,55,3385
29,29,57,3519
30,30,59,3594
1,5,1,1
6,9,4,372
10,10,6,714
11,14,8,854
15,16,10,1165
17,18,12,1283
19,20,14,1552
21,21,16,1691
22,23,18,1832
24,25,20,2096
26,26,22,2436
27,30,24,2650
Ult. Issues: The Law ,!page "^law" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
LEVIT019
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell all the people of Israel: `I am the LORD your God. You must be holy because I am holy.
3 "`You must respect your mother and father, and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4 "`Do not worship idols or make statues or gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
5 "`When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, offer it in such a way that will be accepted.
6 You may eat it the same day you offer it or on the next day. But if any is left on the third day, you must burn it up.
7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is unclean, and it will not be accepted.
8 Anyone who eats it then will be guilty of sin, because he did not respect the holy things that belong to the LORD. He must be cut off from the people.
9 "`When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your fields. If grain falls onto the ground, don't gather it up.
10 Don't pick all the grapes in your vineyards, and don't pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for poor people and for people traveling through your country. I am the LORD your God.
11 "`You must not steal. You must not cheat people, and you must not lie to each other.
12 You must not make a false promise by my name, or you will show that you don't respect your God. I am the LORD.
13 "`You must not cheat your neighbor or rob him. You must not keep a hired worker's salary all night until morning.
14 You must not curse a deaf person or put something in front of a blind person to make him fall. But you must respect your God. I am the LORD.
15 "`Be fair in your judging. You must not show special favor to poor people or great people, but be fair when you judge your neighbor.
16 You must not spread false stories against other people, and you must not do anything that would put your neighbor's life in danger. I am the LORD.
17 "`You must not hate your fellow citizen in your heart. If your neighbor does something wrong, tell him about it, or you will be partly to blame.
18 Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the LORD.
19 "`Obey my laws. You must not mate two different kinds of cattle or sow your field with two different kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two different kinds of material mixed together.
20 "`If a man has sexual relations with a slave girl of another man, but this slave girl has not been bought or given her freedom, there must be punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because the woman was not free.
21 The man must bring a male sheep as his penalty offering to the LORD at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
22 The priest will offer the sheep as a penalty offering before the LORD for the man's sin, to remove the sins of the man so he will belong to the LORD. Then he will be forgiven for his sin.
23 "`In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit.
24 In the fourth year the fruit from the tree will be the LORD' s, a holy offering of praise to him.
25 Then in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit from the tree. The tree will then produce more fruit for you. I am the LORD your God.
26 "`You must not eat anything with the blood in it. "`You must not try to tell the future by signs or black magic.
27 "`You must not cut the hair on the sides of your heads or cut the edges of your beard.
28 You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 "`Do not dishonor your daughter by making her become a prostitute. If you do this, the country will be filled with all kinds of sin.
30 "`Obey the laws about Sabbaths, and respect my Most Holy Place. I am the LORD.
31 "`Do not go to mediums or fortune-tellers for advice, or you will become unclean. I am the LORD your God.
32 "`Show respect to old people; stand up in their presence. Show respect also to your God. I am the LORD.
33 "`Do not mistreat foreigners living in your country,
34 but treat them just as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 "`Do not cheat when you measure the length or weight or amount of something.
36 Your weights and balances should weigh correctly, with your weighing baskets the right size and your jars holding the right amount of liquid. I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 "`Remember all my laws and rules, and obey them. I am the LORD.' "
1 The Lord also told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. You must respect your mothers and fathers, and obey my Sabbath law, for I am the Lord your God. 3-4 Do not make or worship idols, for I am Jehovah your God.
5 "When you sacrifice a peace offering to the Lord, offer it correctly so that it will be accepted: 6 Eat it the same day you offer it, or the next day at the latest; any remaining until the third day must be burned. 7 For any of it eaten on the third day is repulsive to me and will not be accepted. 8 If you eat it on the third day, you are guilty, for you profane the holiness of Jehovah, and you shall be excommunicated from Jehovah's people.
9 "When you harvest your crops, don't reap the corners of your fields, and don't pick up stray grains of wheat from the ground. 10 It is the same with your grape crop-don't strip every last piece of fruit from the vines, and don't pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and for those traveling through, for I am Jehovah your God.
11 "You must not steal nor lie nor defraud. 12 You must not swear to a falsehood, thus bringing reproach upon the name of your God, for I am Jehovah.
13 "You shall not rob nor oppress anyone, and you shall pay your hired workers promptly. If something is due them, don't even keep it overnight.
14 "You must not curse the deaf nor trip up a blind man as he walks. Fear your God; I am Jehovah!
15 "Judges must always be just in their sentences, not noticing whether a person is poor or rich; they must always be perfectly fair.
16 "Don't gossip. Don't falsely accuse your neighbor of some crime for I am Jehovah.
17 "Don't hate your brother. Rebuke anyone who sins; don't let him get away with it, or you will be equally guilty. 18 Don't seek vengeance. Don't bear a grudge; but love your neighbor as yourself, for I am Jehovah.
19 "Obey my laws: Do not mate your cattle with a different kind; don't sow your field with two kinds of seed; don't wear clothes made of half wool and half linen.
20 "If a man seduces a slave girl who is engaged to be married, they shall be tried in a court but not put to death, because she is not free. 21 The man involved shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle; the offering shall be a ram. 22 The priest shall make atonement with the ram for the sin the man has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
23 "When you enter the land and have planted all kinds of fruit trees, do not eat the first three crops, for they are considered ceremonially defiled.
24 And the fourth year the entire crop shall be devoted to the Lord, and shall be given to the Lord in praise to him. 25 Finally, in the fifth year, the crop is yours.
26 "I am Jehovah your God! You must not eat meat with undrained blood nor use fortune-telling or witchcraft.
27 "You must not trim off your hair on your temples or clip the edges of your beard, as the heathen do.
28 You shall not cut yourselves nor put tattoo marks upon yourselves in connection with funeral rites; I am the Lord.
29 "Do not violate your daughter's sanctity by making her a prostitute, lest the land become full of enormous wickedness.
30 "Keep my Sabbath laws and reverence my Tabernacle, for I am the Lord.
31 "Do not defile yourselves by consulting mediums and wizards, for I am Jehovah your God.
32 "You shall give due honor and respect to the elderly, in the fear of God. I am Jehovah.
33 "Do not take advantage of foreigners in your land; do not wrong them. 34 They must be treated like any other citizen; love them as yourself, for remember that you too were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
35-36 "You must be impartial in judgment. Use accurate measurements-lengths, weights, and volumes-and give full measure, for I am Jehovah your God who brought you from the land of Egypt. 37 You must heed all of my commandments and ordinances, carefully obeying them, for I am Jehovah."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,130
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,327
6,6,11,435
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10,10,19,967
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12,12,23,1280
13,13,25,1398
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21,21,41,2690
22,22,43,2802
23,23,45,2997
24,24,47,3159
25,25,49,3264
26,26,51,3403
27,27,53,3523
28,28,55,3617
29,29,57,3738
30,30,59,3878
31,31,61,3964
32,32,63,4077
33,33,65,4188
34,34,67,4248
35,35,69,4418
36,36,71,4502
37,37,73,4715
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,275
9,10,5,725
11,12,7,1087
13,13,9,1240
14,14,11,1388
15,15,13,1489
16,16,15,1626
17,18,17,1714
19,19,19,1933
20,22,21,2099
23,23,23,2485
24,25,25,2639
26,26,27,2810
27,27,29,2922
28,28,31,3029
29,29,33,3150
30,30,35,3275
31,31,37,3351
32,32,39,3445
33,34,41,3539
35,37,43,3773
Moral Dilemmas: Stealing ,!page "^M0064" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
LEVIT020
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "You must also tell the people of Israel these things: `If a person in your country gives one of his children to Molech, that person must be killed. It doesn't matter if he is a citizen or a foreigner living in Israel; you must throw stones at him and kill him.
3 I will be against him and cut him off from his people, because he gave his children to Molech. He showed that he did not respect my holy name, and he made my Holy Place unclean.
4 The people of the community might ignore that person and not kill the one who gave his children to Molech.
5 But I will be against him and his family, and I will cut him off from his people. I will do this to anyone who follows him in being unfaithful to me by worshiping Molech.
6 "`I will be against anyone who goes to mediums and fortune-tellers for advice, because that person is being unfaithful to me. So I will cut him off from his people.
7 "`Be my holy people. Be holy because I am the LORD your God.
8 Remember and obey my laws. I am the LORD, and I have made you holy.
9 "`Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so he has brought his own death on himself.
10 "`If a man has sexual relations with his neighbor's wife, both the man and the woman are guilty of adultery and must be put to death.
11 If a man has sexual relations with his father's wife, he has shamed his father, and both the man and his father's wife must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.
12 "`If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is not natural. They have brought their own deaths on themselves.
13 "`If a man has sexual relations with another man as a man does with a woman, these two men have done a hateful sin. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.
14 "`If a man has sexual relations with both a woman and her mother, this is evil. The people must burn that man and the two women in fire so that your people will not be evil.
15 "`If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death. You must also kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.
17 "'It is shameful for a brother to marry his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and to have sexual relations with her. In front of everyone they must both be cut off from their people. The man has shamed his sister, and he is guilty of sin.
18 "`If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, both the woman and the man must be cut off from their people. They sinned because they showed the source of her blood.
19 "`Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister or your father's sister, because that would shame a close relative. Both of you are guilty of this sin.
20 "`If a man has sexual relations with his uncle's wife, he has shamed his uncle. That man and his uncle's wife will die without children; they are guilty of sin.
21 "`It is unclean for a man to marry his brother's wife. That man has shamed his brother, and they will have no children.
22 "`Remember all my laws and rules, and obey them. I am leading you to your own land, and if you obey my laws and rules, that land will not throw you out.
23 I am forcing out ahead of you the people who live there. Because they did all these sins, I have hated them. Do not live the way those people lived.
24 "`I have told you that you will get their land, which I will give to you as your very own; it is a fertile land. I am the LORD your God, and I have set you apart from other people and made you my own.
25 So you must treat clean animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you.
26 So you must be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from other people to be my own.
27 "`A man or woman who is a medium or a fortune-teller must be put to death. You must stone them to death; they have brought it on themselves.' "
1 The Lord gave Moses these further instructions for the people of Israel:
"Anyone-whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you-who sacrifices his child as a burnt offering to Molech shall without fail be stoned by his peers. 3 And I myself will turn against that man and cut him off from all his people, because he has given his child to Molech, thus making my Tabernacle unfit for me to live in, and insulting my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land pretend they do not know what the man has done and refuse to put him to death, 5 then I myself will set my face against that man and his family and cut him off, along with all others who turn to other gods than me.
6 "I will set my face against anyone who consults mediums and wizards instead of me and I will cut that person off from his people. 7 So sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 You must obey all of my commandments, for I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
9 "Anyone who curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death-for he has cursed his own flesh and blood.
10 "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and woman shall be put to death. 11 If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has defiled what is his father's; both the man and the woman must die, for it is their own fault. 12 And if a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both shall be executed: they have brought it upon themselves by defiling each other. 13 The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have brought it upon themselves. 14 If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and with her mother, it is a great evil. All three shall be burned alive to wipe out wickedness from among you.
15 "If a man has sexual intercourse with an animal, he shall be executed and the animal killed. 16 If a woman has sexual intercourse with an animal, kill the woman and the animal, for they deserve their punishment.
17 "If a man has sexual intercourse with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, it is a shameful thing, and they shall publicly be cut off from the people of Israel. He shall bear his guilt. 18 If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman during her period of menstruation, both shall be excommunicated, for he has uncovered the source of her flow, and she has permitted it.
19 "Sexual intercourse is outlawed between a man and his maiden aunt-whether the sister of his mother or of his father-for they are near of kin; they shall bear their guilt. 20 If a man has intercourse with his uncle's wife, he has taken what belongs to his uncle; their punishment is that they shall bear their sin and die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother's wife, this is impurity; for he has taken what belongs to his brother, and they shall be childless.
22 "You must obey all of my laws and ordinances so that I will not throw you out of your new land. 23 You must not follow the customs of the nations I cast out before you, for they do all these things I have warned you against; that is the reason I abhor them. 24 I have promised you their land; I will give it to you to possess it. It is a land `flowing with milk and honey.' I am the Lord your God who has made a distinction between you and the people of other nations.
25 "You shall therefore make a distinction between the birds and animals I have given you permission to eat and those you may not eat. You shall not contaminate yourselves and make yourselves hateful to me by eating any animal or bird which I have forbidden, though the land teem with them. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have set you apart from all other peoples to be mine.
27 "A medium or a wizard-whether man or woman-shall surely be stoned to death. They have caused their own doom."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,299
4,4,7,483
5,5,9,596
6,6,11,773
7,7,13,944
8,8,15,1011
9,9,17,1085
10,10,19,1234
11,11,21,1375
12,12,23,1559
13,13,25,1745
14,14,27,1931
15,15,29,2112
16,16,31,2223
17,17,33,2400
18,18,35,2669
19,19,37,2867
20,20,39,3035
21,21,41,3203
22,22,43,3330
23,23,45,3490
24,24,47,3646
25,25,49,3854
26,26,51,4090
27,27,53,4210
1,5,1,1
6,8,4,686
9,9,6,965
10,14,8,1082
15,16,10,1739
17,18,12,1957
19,21,14,2361
22,24,16,2832
25,26,18,3307
27,27,20,3713
LEVIT021
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Tell these things to Aaron's sons, the priests: `A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person.
2 But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he may touch him. The priest may make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, son or daughter, brother or
3 unmarried sister who is close to him because she has no husband. The priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.
4 But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only related to him by marriage.
5 "`Priests must not shave their heads, or shave off the edges of their beards, or cut their bodies.
6 They must be holy to their God and show respect for God's name, because they present the offerings made by fire to the LORD, which is the food of their God. So they must be holy.
7 "`A priest must not marry an unclean prostitute or a divorced woman, because he is holy to his God.
8 Treat him as holy, because he offers up the food of your God. Think of him as holy; I am the LORD who makes you holy, and I am holy.
9 "`If a priest's daughter makes herself unclean by becoming a prostitute, she shames her father. She must be burned with fire.
10 "`The high priest, who was chosen from among his brothers, had the special olive oil poured on his head. He was also appointed to wear the priestly clothes. So he must not show his sadness by letting his hair go uncombed or tearing his clothes.
11 He must not go into a house where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even if it is for his own father or mother.
12 The high priest must not go out of the Holy Place, because if he does and becomes unclean, he will make God's Holy Place unclean. The special oil used in appointing priests was poured on his head to separate him from the rest of the people. I am the LORD.
13 "`The high priest must marry a woman who is a virgin.
14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a prostitute. He must marry a virgin from his own people
15 so the people will respect his children as his own. I am the LORD. I have set the high priest apart for his special job.' "
16 The LORD said to Moses,
17 "Tell Aaron: `If any of your descendants have something wrong with them, they must never come near to offer the special food of their God.
18 Anyone who has something wrong with him must not come near: blind men, crippled men, men with damaged faces, deformed men,
19 men with a crippled foot or hand,
20 hunchbacks, dwarfs, men who have something wrong with their eyes, men who have an itching disease or a skin disease, or men who have damaged sex glands.
21 "`If one of Aaron's descendants has something wrong with him, he cannot come near to make the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has something wrong with him; he cannot offer the food of his God.
22 He may eat the most holy food and also the holy food.
23 But he may not go through the curtain into the Most Holy Place, and he may not go near the altar, because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my Holy Place unfit. I am the LORD who makes these places holy.' "
24 So Moses told these things to Aaron, Aaron's sons, and all the people of Israel.
1 The Lord said to Moses: "Tell the priests never to defile themselves by touching a dead person, 2-3 unless it is a near relative-a mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister for whom he has special responsibility since she has no husband. 4 For the priest is a leader among his people, and he may not ceremonially defile himself as an ordinary person can.
5 "The priests shall not clip bald spots in their hair or beards, nor cut their flesh. 6 They shall be holy unto their God and shall not dishonor and profane his name; otherwise they will be unfit to make food offerings by fire to the Lord their God. 7 A priest shall not marry a prostitute, nor a woman of another tribe, and he shall not marry a divorced woman, for he is a holy man of God. 8 The priest is set apart to offer the sacrifices of your God; he is holy, for I, the Lord who sanctifies you, am holy. 9 The daughter of any priest who becomes a prostitute, thus violating her father's holiness as well as her own, shall be burned alive.
10 "The High Priest-anointed with the special anointing oil and wearing the special garments-must not let his hair hang loose in mourning, nor tear his clothing, 11 nor be in the presence of any dead person-not even his father or mother.
12 He shall not leave the sanctuary when on duty, nor treat my Tabernacle like an ordinary house, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him; I am Jehovah. 13 He must marry a virgin. 14-15 He may not marry a widow, nor a woman who is divorced, nor a prostitute. She must be a virgin from his own tribe, for he must not be the father of children of mixed blood-half priestly and half ordinary."
16-17 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron that any of his descendants from generation to generation who have any bodily defect may not offer the sacrifices to God. 18 For instance, if a man is blind or lame, or has a broken nose or any extra fingers or toes, 19 or has a broken foot or hand, 20 or has a humped back, or is a dwarf, or has a defect in his eye, or has pimples or scabby skin, or has imperfect testicles-21 although he is a descendant of Aaron-he is not permitted to offer the fire sacrifices to the Lord because of his physical defect. 22 However, he shall be fed with the food of the priests from the offerings sacrificed to God, both from the holy and most holy offerings. 23 But he shall not go in behind the veil, nor come near the altar, because of the physical defect; this would defile my sanctuary, for it is Jehovah who sanctifies it."
24 So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel.
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2,2,3,147
3,3,5,334
4,4,7,462
5,5,9,567
6,6,11,672
7,7,13,857
8,8,15,963
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10,10,19,1234
11,11,21,1486
12,12,23,1627
13,13,25,1890
14,14,27,1951
15,15,29,2063
16,16,31,2194
17,17,33,2225
18,18,35,2371
19,19,37,2501
20,20,39,2542
21,21,41,2702
22,22,43,2909
23,23,45,2970
24,24,47,3200
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,379
10,11,5,1029
12,15,7,1270
16,23,9,1689
24,24,11,2556
L(N(N(
LEVIT022
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell Aaron and his sons: `The people of Israel will give offerings to me. These offerings are holy, and they are mine, so you must respect them to show that you respect my holy name. I am the LORD.
3 Say to them: If any one of your descendants from now on is unclean and comes near the offerings that the Israelites made holy for me, that person must be cut off from appearing before me. I am the LORD.
4 "`If one of Aaron's descendants has a harmful skin disease, or if he discharges a body fluid, he cannot eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. He could also become unclean from touching a dead body, from his own semen,
5 from touching any unclean crawling animal, or from touching an unclean person (no matter what made the person unclean).
6 Anyone who touches those things will become unclean until evening. That person must not eat the holy offerings unless he washes with water.
7 He will be clean only after the sun goes down. Then he may eat the holy offerings; the offerings are his food.
8 "`If a priest finds an animal that died by itself or that was killed by some other animal, he must not eat it. If he does, he will become unclean. I am the LORD.
9 "`If the priests keep all the rules I have given, they will not become guilty; if they are careful, they will not die. I am the LORD who has made them holy.
10 Only people in a priest's family may eat the holy offering. A visitor staying with the priest or a hired worker must not eat it.
11 But if the priest buys a slave with his own money, that slave may eat the holy offerings; slaves who were born in his house may also eat his food.
12 If a priest's daughter marries a person who is not a priest, she must not eat any of the holy offerings.
13 But if the priest's daughter becomes widowed or divorced, with no children to support her, and if she goes back to her father's house where she lived as a child, she may eat some of her father's food. But only people from a priest's family may eat this food.
14 "`If someone eats some of the holy offering by mistake, that person must pay back the priest for that holy food, adding another one-fifth of the price of that food.
15 "`When the Israelites give their holy offerings to the LORD, the priest must not treat these holy things as though they were not holy.
16 The priests must not allow those who are not priests to eat the holy offerings. If they do, they cause the ones who eat the holy offerings to become guilty, and they will have to pay for it. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.' "
17 The LORD said to Moses,
18 "Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel: `A citizen of Israel or a foreigner living in Israel might want to bring a whole burnt offering, either for some special promise he has made or for a special gift he wants to give to the LORD."
19 If he does, he must bring a male animal that has nothing wrong with it- a bull, a sheep, or a goat- so it might be accepted for him.
20 He must not bring an animal that has something wrong with it, or it will not be accepted for him.
21 "`If someone brings a fellowship offering to the LORD, either as payment for a special promise the person has made or as a special gift the person wants to give the LORD, it might be from the herd or from the flock. But it must be healthy, with nothing wrong with it, so that it will be accepted.
22 You must not offer to the LORD any animal that is blind, that has broken bones or is crippled, that has running sores or any sort of skin disease. You must not offer any animals like these on the altar as an offering by fire to the LORD.
23 "`If an ox or lamb is smaller than normal or is not perfectly formed, you may give it as a special gift to the LORD; it will be accepted. But it will not be accepted as payment for a special promise you have made.
24 "`If an animal has bruised, crushed, torn, or cut sex glands, you must not offer it to the LORD. You must not do this in your own land,
25 and you must not take such animals from foreigners as sacrifices to the LORD. Because the animals have been hurt in some way and have something wrong with them, they will not be accepted for you.' "
26 The LORD said to Moses,
27 "When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must stay seven days with its mother. But from the eighth day on, this animal will be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to the LORD.
28 But you must not kill the animal and its mother on the same day, either an ox or a sheep.
29 "If you want to offer some special offering of thanks to the LORD, you must do it in a way that pleases him.
30 You must eat the whole animal that same day and not leave any of the meat for the next morning. I am the LORD.
31 "Remember my commands and obey them; I am the LORD.
32 Show respect for my holy name. You Israelites must remember that I am holy; I am the LORD, who has made you holy.
33 I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD."
1 The Lord told Moses, "Instruct Aaron and his sons to be very careful not to defile my holy name by desecrating the people's sacred gifts; for I am Jehovah. 3 From now on and forever, if a priest who is ceremonially defiled sacrifices the animals brought by the people or handles the gifts dedicated to Jehovah, he shall be discharged from the priesthood. For I am Jehovah!
4 "No priest who is a leper or who has a running sore may eat the holy sacrifices until healed. And any priest who touches a dead person, or who is defiled by a seminal emission, 5 or who touches any reptile or other forbidden thing, or who touches anyone who is ceremonially defiled for any reason-6 that priest shall be defiled until evening and shall not eat of the holy sacrifices until after he has bathed that evening. 7 When the sun is down, then he shall be purified again and may eat the holy food, for it is his source of life. 8 He may not eat any animal that dies of itself or is torn by wild animals, for this will defile him. I am Jehovah. 9 Warn the priests to follow these instructions carefully, lest they be declared guilty and die for violating these rules. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
10 "No one may eat of the holy sacrifices unless he is a priest; no one visiting the priest, for instance, nor a hired servant, may eat this food. 11 However, there is one exception-if the priest buys a slave with his own money, that slave may eat it, and any slave children born in his household may eat it. 12 If a priest's daughter is married outside the tribe, she may not eat the sacred offerings.
13 But if she is a widow or divorced and has no son to support her, and has returned home to her father's household, she may eat of her father's food again. But otherwise, no one who is not in the priestly families may eat this food.
14 "If someone should eat of the holy sacrifices without realizing it, he shall return to the priest the amount he has used, with 20 percent added; 15 for the holy sacrifices brought by the people of Israel must not be defiled by being eaten by unauthorized persons, for these sacrifices have been offered to the Lord. 16 Anyone who violates this law is guilty and is in great danger because he has eaten the sacred offerings; for I am Jehovah who sanctifies the offerings."
17-18 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel that if an Israelite or other person living among you offers a burnt offering sacrifice to the Lord-whether it is to fulfill a promise or is a spontaneous freewill offering-19 it will only be acceptable to the Lord if it is a male animal without defect; it must be a young bull or a sheep or a goat. 20 Anything that has a defect must not be offered, for it will not be accepted.
21 "Anyone sacrificing a peace offering to the Lord from the herd or flock, whether to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, must sacrifice an animal that has no defect, or it will not be accepted: 22 An animal that is blind or disabled or mutilated, or which has sores or itch or any other skin disease, must not be offered to the Lord; it is not a fit burnt offering for the altar of the Lord. 23 If the young bull or lamb presented to the Lord has anything superfluous or lacking in its body parts, it may be offered as a freewill offering, but not for a vow. 24 An animal that has injured genitals-crushed or castrated-shall not be offered to the Lord at any time. 25 This restriction applies to the sacrifices made by foreigners among you as well as those made by yourselves, for no defective animal is acceptable for this sacrifice."
26-27 And the Lord said to Moses, "When a bullock, sheep, or goat is born, it shall be left with its mother for seven days, but from the eighth day onward it is acceptable as a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. 28 You shall not slaughter a mother animal and her offspring the same day, whether she is a cow or ewe. 29-30 When you offer the Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving, you must do it in the right way, eating the sacrificial animal the same day it is slain. Leave none of it for the following day. I am the Lord.
31 "You must keep all of my commandments, for I am the Lord. 32-33 You must not treat me as common and ordinary. Revere me and hallow me, for I, the Lord, made you holy to myself and rescued you from Egypt to be my own people! I am Jehovah!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,236
4,4,7,445
5,5,9,678
6,6,11,804
7,7,13,950
8,8,15,1067
9,9,17,1235
10,10,19,1398
11,11,21,1534
12,12,23,1688
13,13,25,1800
14,14,27,2066
15,15,29,2238
16,16,31,2380
17,17,33,2617
18,18,35,2648
19,19,37,2904
20,20,39,3044
21,21,41,3149
22,22,43,3453
23,23,45,3698
24,24,47,3919
25,25,49,4062
26,26,51,4268
27,27,53,4299
28,28,55,4481
29,29,57,4578
30,30,59,4694
31,31,61,4812
32,32,63,4871
33,33,65,4992
1,3,1,1
4,9,3,379
10,12,5,1194
13,13,7,1600
14,16,9,1837
17,20,11,2315
21,25,13,2786
26,30,15,3633
31,33,17,4151
(5(5(5
LEVIT023
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the people of Israel: `You will announce the LORD' s appointed feasts as holy meetings. These are my special feasts.
3 "`There are six days for you to work, but the seventh day will be a special day of rest. It is a day for a holy meeting; you must not do any work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your homes.
4 "`These are the LORD' s appointed feasts, the holy meetings, which you will announce at the times set for them.
5 The LORD' s Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month, beginning at twilight.
6 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of the same month. You will eat bread made without yeast for seven days.
7 On the first day of this feast you will have a holy meeting, and you must not do any work.
8 For seven days you will bring an offering made by fire to the LORD. There will be a holy meeting on the seventh day, and on that day you must not do any regular work.' "
9 The LORD said to Moses,
10 "Tell the people of Israel: `You will enter the land I will give you and gather its harvest. At that time you must bring the first bundle of grain from your harvest to the priest.
11 The priest will present the bundle before the LORD, and it will be accepted for you; he will present the bundle on the day after the Sabbath.
12 "`On the day when you present the bundle of grain, offer a male lamb, one year old, that has nothing wrong with it, as a burnt offering to the LORD.
13 You must also offer a grain offering- four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the LORD; its smell will be pleasing to him. You must also offer a quart of wine as a drink offering.
14 Until the day you bring your offering to your God, do not eat any new grain, roasted grain, or bread made from new grain. This law will always continue for people from now on, wherever you live.
15 "`Count seven full weeks from the morning after the Sabbath. (This is the Sabbath that you bring the bundle of grain to present as an offering.)
16 On the fiftieth day, the first day after the seventh week, you will bring a new grain offering to the LORD.
17 On that day bring two loaves of bread from your homes to be presented as an offering. Use yeast and four quarts of flour to make those loaves of bread; they will be your gift to the LORD from the first wheat of your harvest.
18 "`Offer with the bread one young bull, two male sheep, and seven male lambs that are one year old and have nothing wrong with them. Offer them with their grain offerings and drink offerings, as a burnt offering to the LORD. They will be an offering made by fire, and the smell will be pleasing to the LORD.
19 You must also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male, one-year-old lambs as a fellowship offering.
20 "`The priest will present the two lambs as an offering before the LORD, along with the bread from the first wheat of the harvest. They are holy to the LORD, and they will belong to the priest.
21 On that same day you will call a holy meeting; you must not do any work that day. This law will continue for you from now on, wherever you live.
22 "`When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your field. If grain falls onto the ground, don't gather it up. Leave it for poor people and foreigners in your country. I am the LORD your God.' "
23 Again the LORD said to Moses,
24 "Tell the people of Israel: `On the first day of the seventh month you must have a special day of rest, a holy meeting, when you blow the trumpet for a special time of remembering.
25 Do not do any work, and bring an offering made by fire to the LORD.' "
26 The LORD said to Moses,
27 "The Day of Cleansing will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. There will be a holy meeting, and you will give up eating and bring an offering made by fire to the LORD.
28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Cleansing. On that day the priests will go before the LORD and perform the acts to make you clean so you will belong to the LORD.
29 "Anyone who refuses to give up food on this day must be cut off from the people.
30 If anyone works on this day, I will destroy that person from among the people.
31 You must not do any work at all; this law will continue for people from now on wherever you live.
32 It will be a special day of rest for you, and you must not eat. You will start this special day of rest on the evening after the ninth day of the month, and it will continue from that evening until the next evening."
33 Again the LORD said to Moses,
34 "Tell the people of Israel: `On the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Feast of Shelters. This feast to the LORD will continue for seven days.
35 There will be a holy meeting on the first day; do not do any work.
36 You will bring an offering made by fire to the LORD each day for seven days. On the eighth day you will have another holy meeting, and you will bring an offering made by fire to the LORD. This will be a holy meeting; do not do any work.
37 ("`These are the LORD' s special feasts, when there will be holy meetings and when you bring offerings made by fire to the LORD. You will bring whole burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings- each at the right time.&
38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD' s Sabbath days, in addition to offerings you give as payment for special promises, and in addition to special offerings you want to give to the LORD.)
39 "`So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered in the crops of the land, celebrate the LORD' s festival for seven days. You must rest on the first day and the eighth day.
40 On the first day you will take good fruit from the fruit trees, as well as branches from palm trees, poplars, and other leafy trees. You will celebrate before the LORD your God for seven days.
41 Celebrate this festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This law will continue from now on; you will celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Live in shelters for seven days. All the people born in Israel must live in shelters
43 so that all your descendants will know I made Israel live in shelters during the time I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.' "
44 So Moses told the people of Israel about all of the LORD' s appointed feast days.
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Announce to the people of Israel that they are to celebrate several annual festivals of the Lord-times when all Israel will assemble and worship me. 3 (These are in addition to your Sabbaths -the seventh day of every week-which are always days of rest in every home, times for assembling to worship, and for resting from the normal business of the week.) 4 These are the holy festivals which are to be observed each year:
5 "The Passover of the Lord: This is to be celebrated on the first day of April, beginning at sundown.
6 "The Festival of Unleavened Bread: This is to be celebrated beginning the day following the Passover, and for seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast. 7 On the first day of this festival, you shall gather the people for worship, and all ordinary work shall cease.
8 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the festival. On each of the intervening days you shall make an offering by fire to the Lord.
9-11 "The Festival of First Fruits: When you arrive in the land I will give you and you reap your first harvest, bring the first sheaf of the harvest to the priest on the day after the Sabbath. He shall wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering, and it will be accepted by the Lord as your gift. 12 That same day you shall sacrifice to the Lord a male yearling lamb without defect as a burnt offering. 13 A grain offering shall accompany it, consisting of a fifth of a bushel of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, to be offered by fire to the Lord; this will be very pleasant to him. Also offer a drink offering consisting of three pints of wine. 14 Until this is done you must not eat any of the harvest for yourselves-neither fresh kernels nor bread nor parched grain. This is a permanent law throughout your nation.
15-16 "The Harvest Festival (Festival of Pentecost): Fifty days later you shall bring to the Lord an offering of a sample of the new grain of your later crops. 17 This shall consist of two loaves of bread from your homes to be waved before the Lord in a gesture of offering. Bake this bread from a fifth of a bushel of fine flour containing yeast. It is an offering to the Lord of the first sampling of your later crops.
18 Along with the bread and the wine, you shall sacrifice as burnt offerings to the Lord seven yearling lambs without defects, one young bull, and two rams. All are fire offerings, very acceptable to Jehovah.
19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male yearling lambs for a peace offering.
20 "The priests shall wave these offerings before the Lord along with the loaves representing the first sampling of your later crops. They are holy to the Lord and will be given to the priests as food. 21 That day shall be announced as a time of sacred convocation of all the people; don't do any work that day. This is a law to be honored from generation to generation. 22 (When you reap your harvests, you must not thoroughly reap all the corners of the fields, nor pick up the fallen grain; leave it for the poor and for foreigners living among you who have no land of their own; I am Jehovah your God!)
23-24 "The Festival of Trumpets: Mid-September is a time for all the people to meet together for worship; it is a time of remembrance, and is to be announced by loud blowing of trumpets. 25 Don't do any hard work on that day, but offer a sacrifice by fire to the Lord.
26-27 "The Day of Atonement follows nine days later: All the people are to come together before the Lord, saddened by their sin; and they shall offer sacrifices by fire to the Lord. 28 Don't do any work that day, for it is a special day for making atonement before the Lord your God. 29 Anyone who does not spend the day in repentance and sorrow for sin shall be excommunicated from his people. 30-31 And I will put to death anyone who does any kind of work that day. This is a law of Israel from generation to generation. 32 For this is a Sabbath of rest, and in it you shall go without food and be filled with sorrow; this time for atonement begins in the evening and continues through the next day.
33-34 "The Festival of Shelters: Five days later, on the last day of September, is the Festival of Shelters to be celebrated before the Lord for seven days. 35 On the first day there will be a sacred assembly of all the people; don't do any hard work that day. 36 On each of the seven days of the festival you are to sacrifice an offering by fire to the Lord. The eighth day requires another sacred convocation of all the people, at which time there will again be an offering by fire to the Lord. It is the closing assembly, and no regular work is permitted.
37 "(These, then, are the regular annual festivals-sacred convocations of all people-when offerings to the Lord are to be made by fire. 38 These annual festivals are in addition to your regular Sabbaths-the weekly days of holy rest. The sacrifices made during the festivals are to be in addition to your regular giving and normal fulfillment of your vows.)
39 "This last day of September, at the end of your harvesting, is the time to begin to celebrate this seven-day festival before the Lord. Remember that the first and last days of the festival are special days of rest. 40 On the first day, take boughs of fruit trees laden with fruit, and palm fronds, and the boughs of leafy trees-such as willows that grow by the brooks-and build shelters with them, rejoicing before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 This seven-day annual feast is a law from generation to generation. 42 During those seven days, all of you who are native Israelites are to live in these shelters. 43 The purpose of this is to remind the people of Israel, generation after generation, that I rescued you from Egypt, and caused you to live in shelters. I am Jehovah your God."
44 So Moses announced these annual festivals of the Lord to the people of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,160
4,4,7,360
5,5,9,478
6,6,11,573
7,7,13,710
8,8,15,807
9,9,17,983
10,10,19,1013
11,11,21,1200
12,12,23,1349
13,13,25,1505
14,14,27,1730
15,15,29,1932
16,16,31,2084
17,17,33,2199
18,18,35,2431
19,19,37,2745
20,20,39,2864
21,21,41,3064
22,22,43,3216
23,23,45,3460
24,24,47,3497
25,25,49,3685
26,26,51,3763
27,27,53,3794
28,28,55,3976
29,29,57,4170
30,30,59,4258
31,31,61,4344
32,32,63,4449
33,33,65,4673
34,34,67,4710
35,35,69,4867
36,36,71,4941
37,37,73,5185
38,38,75,5434
39,39,77,5647
40,40,79,5850
41,41,81,6050
42,42,83,6199
43,43,85,6291
44,44,87,6440
1,4,1,1
5,5,2,451
6,7,4,557
8,8,6,840
9,14,8,983
15,17,10,1819
18,18,12,2243
19,19,14,2455
20,22,16,2564
23,25,18,3174
26,32,20,3448
33,36,22,4153
37,38,24,4715
39,43,26,5075
44,44,28,5875
LEVIT024
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from crushed olives. That oil is for the lamps so that these lamps may never go out.
3 Aaron will keep the lamps burning in the Meeting Tent from evening until morning before the LORD; this is in front of the curtain of the Ark of the Agreement. This law will continue from now on.
4 Aaron must always keep the lamps burning on the lampstands of pure gold before the LORD.
5 "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread with it, using four quarts of flour for each loaf.
6 Put them in two rows on the golden table before the LORD, six loaves in each row.
7 Put pure incense on each row as the memorial portion to take the place of the bread. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
8 Every Sabbath day Aaron will put the bread in order before the LORD, as an agreement with the people of Israel that will continue forever.
9 That bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD. That bread is their share forever."
10 Now there was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father who was walking among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.
11 The son of the Israelite woman began cursing and speaking against the LORD, so the people took him to Moses. (The mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Debri from the family of Dan.)
12 The people held him as a prisoner while they waited for the LORD' s command to be made clear to them.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses,
14 "Take the one who spoke against me outside the camp. Then all the people who heard him must put their hands on his head, and all the people must throw stones at him and kill him.
15 Tell the people of Israel this: `If anyone curses his God, he is guilty of sin.
16 Anyone who speaks against the LORD must be put to death; all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him. Foreigners must be punished just like the people born in Israel; if they speak against the LORD, they must be put to death.
17 "`Whoever kills another person must be put to death.
18 Whoever kills an animal that belongs to another person must give that person another animal to take its place.
19 And whoever causes an injury to a neighbor must receive the same kind of injury in return:
20 Broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Anyone who injures another person must be injured in the same way in return.
21 Whoever kills another person's animal must give that person another animal to take its place. But whoever kills another person must be put to death.
22 "`The law will be the same for the foreigner as for those from your own country. I am the LORD your God.' "
23 Then Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they took the person who had cursed outside the camp and killed him by throwing stones at him. So the people of Israel did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
F F 1 The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil for an eternal flame 3-4 in the lampstand of pure gold which stands outside the veil that secludes the Holy of Holies. Each morning and evening Aaron shall supply it with fresh oil and trim the wicks. It will be an eternal flame before the Lord from generation to generation.
5-8 "Every Sabbath day the High Priest shall place twelve loaves of bread in two rows upon the gold table that stands before the Lord. These loaves shall be baked from finely ground flour, using a fifth of a bushel for each. Pure frankincense shall be sprinkled along each row. This will be a memorial offering made by fire to the Lord, in memory of his everlasting covenant with the people of Israel. 9 The bread shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons, in a place set apart for the purpose. For these are offerings made by fire to the Lord under a permanent law of God and are most holy."
10 Out in the camp one day, a young man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian got into a fight with one of the men of Israel. 11 During the fight the Egyptian man's son cursed God, and was brought to Moses for judgment. (His mother's name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.) 12 He was put in jail until the Lord would indicate what to do with him.
13-14 And the Lord said to Moses, "Take him outside the camp and tell all who heard him to lay their hands upon his head; then all the people are to execute him by stoning. 15-16 And tell the people of Israel that anyone who curses his God must pay the penalty: he must die. All the congregation shall stone him; this law applies to the foreigner as well as to the Israelite who blasphemes the name of Jehovah. He must die.
17 "Also, all murderers must be executed. 18 Anyone who kills an animal that isn't his shall replace it. 19 The penalty for injuring anyone is to be injured in exactly the same way: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever anyone does to another shall be done to him.
21 "To repeat, whoever kills an animal must replace it, and whoever kills a man must die. 22 You shall have the same law for the foreigner as for the home-born citizen, for I am Jehovah your God."
23 So they took the youth out of the camp and stoned him until he died, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,174
4,4,7,375
5,5,9,470
6,6,11,576
7,7,13,664
8,8,15,799
9,9,17,944
10,10,19,1140
11,11,21,1310
12,12,23,1507
13,13,25,1616
14,14,27,1652
15,15,29,1838
16,16,31,1925
17,17,33,2169
18,18,35,2229
19,19,37,2347
20,20,39,2445
21,21,41,2588
22,22,43,2744
23,23,45,2859
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,361
10,12,5,952
13,16,7,1347
17,20,9,1774
21,22,11,2070
23,23,13,2270
LEVIT025
1 The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai,
2 "Tell the people of Israel this: `When you enter the land I will give you, let it have a special time of rest, to honor the LORD.
3 You may plant seed in your field for six years, and you may trim your vineyards for six years and bring in their fruits.
4 But during the seventh year, you must let the land rest. This will be a special time to honor the LORD. You must not plant seed in your field or trim your vineyards.
5 You must not cut the crops that grow by themselves after harvest, or gather the grapes from your vines that are not trimmed. The land will have a year of rest.
6 "`You may eat whatever the land produces during that year of rest. It will be food for your men and women servants, for your hired workers, and for the foreigners living in your country.
7 It will also be food for your cattle and the wild animals of your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.
8 "`Count off seven groups of seven years, or forty-nine years. During that time there will be seven years of rest for the land.
9 On the Day of Cleansing, you must blow the horn of a male sheep; this will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. You must blow the horn through the whole country.
10 Make the fiftieth year a special year, and announce freedom for all the people living in your country. This time will be called Jubilee. You will each go back to your own property, each to your own family and family group.
11 The fiftieth year will be a special time for you to celebrate. Don't plant seeds, or harvest the crops that grow by themselves, or gather grapes from the vines that are not trimmed.
12 That year is Jubilee; it will be a holy time for you. You may eat only the crops that come from the field.
13 In the year of Jubilee you each must go back to your own property.
14 "`If you sell your land to your neighbor, or if you buy land from your neighbor, don't cheat each other.
15 If you want to buy your neighbor's land, count the number of years since the last Jubilee, and use that number to decide the right price. If your neighbor sells the land to you, count the number of years left for harvesting crops, and use that number to decide the right price.
16 If there are many years, the price will be high. But if there are only a few years, lower the price, because your neighbor is really selling only a few crops to you.
17 You must not cheat each other, but you must respect your God. I am the LORD your God.
18 "`Remember my laws and rules, and obey them so that you will live safely in the land.
19 The land will give good crops to you, and you will eat as much as you want and live safely in the land.
20 "`But you might ask, "If we don't plant seeds or gather crops, what will we eat the seventh year?"
21 I will send you such a great blessing during the sixth year that the land will produce enough crops for three years.
22 When you plant in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the old crop; you will eat the old crop until the harvest of the ninth year.
23 "`The land really belongs to me, so you can't sell it for all time. You are only foreigners and travelers living for a while on my land.
24 People might sell their land, but it must always be possible for the family to get its land back.
25 If a person in your country becomes very poor and sells some land, then close relatives must come and buy it back.
26 If there is not a close relative to buy the land back, but if the person makes enough money to be able to buy it back,
27 the years must be counted since the land was sold. That number must be used to decide how much the first owner should pay back the one who bought it. Then the land will belong to the first owner again.
28 But if there is not enough money to buy it back, the one who bought it will keep it until the year of Jubilee. During that celebration, the land will go back to the first owner's family.
29 "`If someone sells a home in a walled city, for a full year after it is sold, the person has the right to buy it back.
30 But if the owner does not buy back the house before a full year is over, it will belong to the one who bought it and to his future sons. The house will not go back to the first owner at Jubilee.
31 But houses in small towns without walls are like open country; they can be bought back, and they must be returned to their first owner at Jubilee.
32 "`The Levites may always buy back their houses in the cities that belong to them.
33 If someone buys a house from a Levite, that house in the Levites' city will again belong to the Levites in the Jubilee. This is because houses in Levite cities belong to the people of Levi; the Israelites gave these cities to them.
34 Also the fields and pastures around the Levites' cities cannot be sold, because those fields belong to the Levites forever.
35 "`If anyone from your country becomes too poor to support himself, help him to live among you as you would a stranger or foreigner.
36 Do not charge him any interest on money you loan to him, but respect your God; let the poor live among you.
37 Don't lend him money for interest, and don't try to make a profit from the food he buys.
38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give the land of Canaan to you and to become your God.
39 "`If anyone from your country becomes very poor and sells himself as a slave to you, you must not make him work like a slave.
40 He will be like a hired worker and a visitor with you until the year of Jubilee.
41 Then he may leave you, take his children, and go back to his family and the land of his ancestors.
42 This is because the Israelites are my servants, and I brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They must not become slaves again.
43 You must not rule this person cruelly, but you must respect your God.
44 "`Your men and women slaves must come from other nations around you; from them you may buy slaves.
45 Also you may buy as slaves children from the families of foreigners living in your land. These child slaves will belong to you,
46 and you may even pass them on to your children after you die; you can make them slaves forever. But you must not rule cruelly over your own people, the Israelites.
47 "`Suppose a foreigner or visitor among you becomes rich. If someone in your country becomes so poor that he has to sell himself as a slave to the foreigner living among you or to a member of the foreigner's family,
48 the poor person has the right to be bought back and become free. One of his relatives may buy him back:
49 His uncle, his uncle's son, or any one of his close relatives may buy him back. Or, if he gets enough money, he may pay the money to free himself.
50 "`He and the one who bought him must count the time from when he sold himself up to the next year of Jubilee. Use that number to decide the price, because the person really only hired himself out for a certain number of years.
51 If there are still many years before the year of Jubilee, the person must pay back a large part of the price.
52 If there are only a few years left until Jubilee, the person must pay a small part of the first price.
53 But he will live like a hired person with the foreigner every year; don't let the foreigner rule cruelly over him.
54 "`Even if no one buys him back, at the year of Jubilee, he and his children will become free.
55 This is because the people of Israel are servants to me. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
1 While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him these instructions for the people of Israel:
"When you come into the land I am going to give you, you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year. 3 For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow before the Lord, uncultivated. Don't sow your crops and don't prune your vineyards during that entire year. 5 Don't even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that come up, and don't gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of rest for the land. 6-7 Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to all-for you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living among you. Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to graze there.
8 "Every fiftieth year, 9 on the Day of Atonement, let the trumpets blow loud and long throughout the land. 10 For the fiftieth year shall be holy, a time to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all enslaved debtors, and a time for the canceling of all public and private debts. It shall be a year when all the family estates sold to others shall be returned to the original owners or their heirs.
11 "What a happy year it will be! In it you shall not sow, nor gather crops nor grapes; 12 for it is a holy Year of Jubilee for you. That year your food shall be the volunteer crops that grow wild in the fields. 13 Yes, during the Year of Jubilee everyone shall return home to his original family possession; if he has sold it, it shall be his again! 14-16 Because of this, if the land is sold or bought during the preceding forty-nine years, a fair price shall be arrived at by counting the number of years until the Jubilee. If the Jubilee is many years away, the price will be high; if few years, the price will be low; for what you are really doing is selling the number of crops the new owner will get from the land before it is returned to you.
17-18 "You must fear your God and not overcharge! For I am Jehovah. Obey my laws if you want to live safely in the land. 19 When you obey, the land will yield bumper crops and you can eat your fill in safety. 20 But you will ask, `What shall we eat the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?' 21-22 The answer is, `I will bless you with bumper crops the sixth year that will last you until the crops of the eighth year are harvested!' 23 And remember, the land is mine, so you may not sell it permanently. You are merely my tenants and sharecroppers!
24 "In every contract of sale there must be a stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time by the seller. 25 If anyone becomes poor and sells some of his land, then his nearest relatives may redeem it. 26 If there is no one else to redeem it, and he himself gets together enough money, 27 then he may always buy it back at a price proportionate to the number of harvests until the Jubilee, and the owner must accept the money and return the land to him. 28 But if the original owner is not able to redeem it, then it shall belong to the new owner until the Year of Jubilee; but at the Jubilee year it must be returned again.
29 "If a man sells a house in the city, he has up to one year to redeem it, with full right of redemption during that time. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the year, then it will belong permanently to the new owner-it does not return to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. 31 But village houses-a village is a settlement without fortifying walls around it-are like farmland, redeemable at any time, and are always returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.
32 "There is one exception: The homes of the Levites, even though in walled cities, may be redeemed at any time, 33 and must be returned to the original owners in the Year of Jubilee; for the Levites will not be given farmland like the other tribes, but will receive only houses in their cities, and the surrounding fields.
34 The Levites are not permitted to sell the fields of common land surrounding their cities, for these are their permanent possession, and they must belong to no one else.
35 "If your brother becomes poor, you are responsible to help him; invite him to live with you as a guest in your home. 36 Fear your God and let your brother live with you; and don't charge him interest on the money you lend him. 37 Remember-no interest; and give him what he needs, at your cost: don't try to make a profit! 38 For I, the Lord your God, brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39 "If a fellow Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, you must not treat him as an ordinary slave, 40 but rather as a hired servant or as a guest; and he shall serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time he can leave with his children and return to his own family and possessions. 42 For I brought you from the land of Egypt, and you are my servants; so you may not be sold as ordinary slaves 43 or treated harshly; fear your God.
44 "However, you may purchase slaves from the foreign nations living around you, 45 and you may purchase the children of the foreigners living among you, even though they have been born in your land. 46 They will be permanent slaves for you to pass on to your children after you; but your brothers, the people of Israel, shall not be treated so.
47 "If a foreigner living among you becomes rich, and an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to the foreigner or to the foreigner's family, 48 he may be redeemed by one of his brothers, 49 his uncle, nephew, or anyone else who is a near relative. He may also redeem himself if he can find the money. 50 The price of his freedom shall be in proportion to the number of years left before the Year of Jubilee-whatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. 51 If there are still many years until the Jubilee, he shall pay almost the amount he received when he sold himself; 52 if the years have passed and only a few remain until the Jubilee, then he will repay only a small part of the amount he received when he sold himself. 53 If he sells himself to a foreigner, the foreigner must treat him as a hired servant rather than as a slave or as property. 54 If he has not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then he and his children shall be freed at that time. 55 For the people of Israel are my servants; I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,46
3,3,5,182
4,4,7,309
5,5,9,481
6,6,11,647
7,7,13,840
8,8,15,959
9,9,17,1092
10,10,19,1265
11,11,21,1495
12,12,23,1684
13,13,25,1798
14,14,27,1872
15,15,29,1984
16,16,31,2269
17,17,33,2442
18,18,35,2535
19,19,37,2628
20,20,39,2739
21,21,41,2845
22,22,43,2969
23,23,45,3118
24,24,47,3262
25,25,49,3367
26,26,51,3489
27,27,53,3615
28,28,55,3824
29,29,57,4018
30,30,59,4144
31,31,61,4346
32,32,63,4500
33,33,65,4589
34,34,67,4828
35,35,69,4959
36,36,71,5098
37,37,73,5213
38,38,75,5309
39,39,77,5439
40,40,79,5572
41,41,81,5660
42,42,83,5766
43,43,85,5900
44,44,87,5977
45,45,89,6083
46,46,91,6218
47,47,93,6389
48,48,95,6611
49,49,97,6722
50,50,99,6876
51,51,101,7110
52,52,103,7227
53,53,105,7337
54,54,107,7459
55,55,109,7560
1,7,1,1
8,10,4,811
11,16,6,1215
17,23,8,1969
24,28,10,2560
29,31,12,3197
32,33,14,3680
34,34,16,4007
35,38,18,4182
39,43,20,4628
44,46,22,5087
47,55,24,5436
LEVIT026
1 "`Don't make idols for yourselves or set up statues or memorials. Don't put stone statues in your land to bow down to, because I am the LORD your God.
2 "`Remember my Sabbaths, and respect my Holy Place. I am the LORD.
3 "`If you remember my laws and commands and obey them,
4 I will give you rains at the right season; the land will produce crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.
5 Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will continue until it is time to plant. Then you will have plenty to eat and live safely in your land.
6 I will give peace to your country; you will lie down in peace, and no one will make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country, and armies will not pass through it.
7 "`You will chase your enemies and defeat them, killing them with your sword.
8 Five of you will chase a hundred men; a hundred of you will chase ten thousand men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.
9 "`Then I will show kindness to you and let you have many children; I will keep my agreement with you.
10 You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. When you harvest the new crops, you will have to throw out the old ones to make room for them.
11 Also I will place my Holy Tent among you, and I will not turn away from you.
12 I will walk with you and be your God, and you will be my people.
13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. I broke the heavy weights that were on your shoulders and let you walk proudly again.
14 "`But if you do not obey me and keep all my commands,
15 and if you turn away from my rules and hate my laws, refusing to obey all my commands, you have broken our agreement.
16 As a result, I will do this to you: I will cause terrible things to happen to you. I will cause you to have disease and fever that will destroy your eyes and slowly kill you. You will not have success when you plant your seed, and your enemy will eat your crops.
17 I will be against you, and your enemies will defeat you. These people who hate you will rule over you, and you will run away even when no one is chasing you.
18 "`If after all this you still do not obey me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19 I will break your great pride, and I will make the sky like iron and the earth like bronze.
20 You will work hard, but it will not help. Your land will not grow any crops, and your trees will not give their fruit.
21 "`If you still turn against me and refuse to obey me, I will beat you seven times harder. The more you sin, the more you will be punished.
22 I will send wild animals to attack you, and they will take your children away from you and destroy your cattle. They will make you so few in number the roads will be empty.
23 "`If you don't learn your lesson after all these things, and if you still turn against me,
24 I will also turn against you. I will punish you seven more times for your sins.
25 You broke my agreement, and I will punish you. I will bring armies against you, and if you go into your cities for safety, I will cause diseases to spread among you so that your enemy will defeat you.
26 There will be very little bread to eat; ten women will be able to cook all your bread in one oven. They will measure each piece of bread, and you will eat, but you will still be hungry.
27 "`If you still refuse to listen to me and still turn against me,
28 I will show my great anger; I will punish you seven more times for your sins.
29 You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters.
30 I will destroy your places where gods are worshiped and cut down your incense altars. I will pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols. I will hate you.
31 I will destroy your cities and make your holy places empty, and I will not smell the pleasing smell of your offerings.
32 I will make the land empty so that your enemies who come to live in it will be shocked at it.
33 I will scatter you among the nations, and I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will become empty, your cities a waste.
34 When you are taken to your enemy's country, your land will finally get its rest. It will enjoy its time of rest all the time it lies empty.
35 During the time the land is empty, it will have the rest you should have given it while you lived in it.
36 "`Those of you who are left alive will lose their courage in the land of their enemies. They will be frightened by the sound of a leaf being blown by the wind. They will run as if someone were chasing them with a sword, and they will fall even when no one is chasing them.
37 They will fall over each other, as if someone were chasing them with a sword, even though no one is chasing them. You willnot be strong enough to stand up against your enemies.
38 You will die among other nations and disappear in your enemies' countries.
39 So those who are left alive will rot away in their enemies' countries because of their sins. They will also rot away because of their ancestors' sins.
40 "`But maybe the people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors; maybe they will admit they turned against me and sinned against me,
41 which made me turn against them and send them into the land of their enemies. If these disobedient people are sorry for what they did and accept punishment for their sin,
42 I will remember my agreement with Jacob, my agreement with Isaac, and my agreement with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
43 The land will be left empty by its people, and it will enjoy its time of rest as it lies bare without them. Then those who are left alive will accept the punishment for their sins. They will learn that they were punished because they hated my laws and refused to obey my rules.
44 But even though this is true, I will not turn away from them when they are in the land of their enemies. I will not hate them so much that I completely destroy them and break my agreement with them, because I am the LORD their God.
45 For their good I will remember the agreement with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt so I could become their God; the other nations saw these things. I am the LORD.' "
46 These are the laws, rules, and teachings the LORD made between himself and the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai.
1 "You must have no idols; you must never worship carved images, obelisks, or shaped stones, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You must obey my Sabbath laws of rest, and reverence my Tabernacle, for I am the Lord.
3 "If you obey all of my commandments, 4-5 I will give you regular rains, and the land will yield bumper crops, and the trees will be loaded with fruit long after the normal time! And grapes will still be ripening when sowing time comes again. You shall eat your fill, and live safely in the land, 6 for I will give you peace, and you will go to sleep without fear. I will chase away the dangerous animals. 7 You will chase your enemies; they will die beneath your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you, ten thousand! You will defeat all of your enemies. 9 I will look after you, and multiply you, and fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you won't know what to do with them when the new harvest is ready! 11 And I will live among you and not despise you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 For I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would be slaves no longer; I have broken your chains so that you can walk with dignity.
14 "But if you will not listen to me or obey me, 15 but reject my laws, 16 this is what I will do to you: I will punish you with sudden terrors and panic, and with tuberculosis and burning fever; your eyes shall be consumed and your life shall ebb away; you will sow your crops in vain, for your enemies will eat them. 17 I will set my face against you and you will flee before your attackers; those who hate you will rule you; you will even run when no one is chasing you!
18 "And if you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times more severely for your sins. 19 I will break your proud power and make your heavens as iron and your earth as bronze. 20 Your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its crops, nor your trees their fruit.
21 "And if even then you will not obey me and listen to me, I will send you seven times more plagues because of your sins. 22 I will send wild animals to kill your children and destroy your cattle and reduce your numbers so that your roads will be deserted.
23 "And if even this will not reform you, but you continue to walk against my wishes, 24 then I will walk against your wishes, and I, even I, will personally smite you seven times for your sin. 25 I will revenge the breaking of my covenant by bringing war against you. You will flee to your cities, and I will send a plague among you there; and you will be conquered by your enemies. 26 I will destroy your food supply so that one oven will be large enough to bake all the bread available for ten entire families; and you will still be hungry after your pittance has been doled out to you.
27 "And if you still won't listen to me or obey me, 28 then I will let loose my great anger and send you seven times greater punishment for your sins. 29 You shall eat your own sons and daughters, 30 and I will destroy the altars on the hills where you worship your idols, and I will cut down your incense altars, leaving your dead bodies to rot among your idols; and I will abhor you. 31 I will make your cities desolate, and destroy your places of worship, and will not respond to your incense offerings. 32 Yes, I will desolate your land; your enemies shall live in it, utterly amazed at what I have done to you.
33 "I will scatter you out among the nations, destroying you with war as you go. Your land shall be desolate and your cities destroyed. 34-35 Then at last the land will rest and make up for the many years you refused to let it lie idle; for it will lie desolate all the years that you are captives in enemy lands. Yes, then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths! It will make up for the rest you didn't give it every seventh year when you lived upon it.
36 "And for those who are left alive, I will cause them to be dragged away to distant lands as prisoners of war and slaves. There they will live in constant fear. The sound of a leaf driven in the wind will send them fleeing as though chased by a man with a sword; they shall fall when no one is pursuing them. 37 Yes, though none pursue they shall stumble over each other in flight, as though fleeing in battle, with no power to stand before their enemies. 38 You shall perish among the nations and be destroyed among your enemies. 39 Those left shall pine away in enemy lands because of their sins, the same sins as those of their fathers.
40-41 "But at last they shall confess their sins and their fathers' sins of treachery against me. (Because they were against me, I was against them, and brought them into the land of their enemies.) When at last their evil hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment I send them for their sins, 42 then I will remember again my promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will remember the land (and its desolation). 43 For the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as it lies desolate. But then at last they shall accept their punishment for rejecting my laws and for despising my rule. 44 But despite all they have done, I will not utterly destroy them and my covenant with them, for I am Jehovah their God. 45 For their sakes I will remember my promises to their ancestors to be their God. For I brought their forefathers out of Egypt as all the nations watched in wonder. I am Jehovah."
46 These were the laws, ordinances, and instructions that Jehovah gave to the people of Israel, through Moses, on Mount Sinai.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,158
3,3,5,230
4,4,7,290
5,5,9,421
6,6,11,608
7,7,13,796
8,8,15,879
9,9,17,1029
10,10,19,1137
11,11,21,1296
12,12,23,1380
13,13,25,1452
14,14,27,1622
15,15,29,1683
16,16,31,1808
17,17,33,2078
18,18,35,2243
19,19,37,2346
20,20,39,2445
21,21,41,2571
22,22,43,2717
23,23,45,2897
24,24,47,2995
25,25,49,3082
26,26,51,3290
27,27,53,3483
28,28,55,3555
29,29,57,3640
30,30,59,3699
31,31,61,3875
32,32,63,4001
33,33,65,4102
34,34,67,4243
35,35,69,4390
36,36,71,4502
37,37,73,4782
38,38,75,4968
39,39,77,5050
40,40,79,5208
41,41,81,5363
42,42,83,5541
43,43,85,5675
44,44,87,5960
45,45,89,6199
46,46,91,6396
1,2,1,1
3,13,3,214
14,17,5,1282
18,20,7,1759
21,22,9,2053
23,26,11,2314
27,32,13,2907
33,35,15,3526
36,39,17,3987
40,45,19,4632
46,46,21,5525
Scrapbook: "Kara: Obedience" ,!page "Kara1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
,p'n'n'
LEVIT027
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the people of Israel and tell them: `If someone makes a special promise to give a person as a servant to the LORD by paying a price that is the same value as that person,
3 the price for a man twenty to sixty years old is about one and one-fourth pounds of silver. (You must use the measure as set by the Holy Place.)
4 The price for a woman twenty to sixty years old is about twelve ounces of silver.
5 The price for a man five to twenty years old is about eight ounces of silver; for a woman it is about four ounces of silver.
6 The price for a baby boy one month to five years old is about two ounces of silver; for a baby girl the price is about one and one-half ounces of silver.
7 The price for a man sixty years old or older is about six ounces of silver; for a woman it is about four ounces of silver.
8 "`If anyone is too poor to pay the price, bring him to the priest, and the priest will set the price. The priest will decide how much money the person making the vow can afford to pay.
9 "`Some animals may be used as sacrifices to the LORD. If someone promises to bring one of these to the LORD, it will become holy.
10 That person must not try to put another animal in its place or exchange it, a good animal for a bad one, or a bad animal for a good one. If this happens, both animals will become holy.
11 "`Unclean animals cannot be offered as sacrifices to the LORD, and if someone brings one of them to the LORD, that animal must be brought to the priest.
12 The priest will decide a price for the animal, according to whether it is good or bad; as the priest decides, that is the price for the animal.
13 If the person wants to buy back the animal, an additional one-fifth must be added to the price.
14 "`If a person gives a house as holy to the LORD, the priest must decide its value, according to whether the house is good or bad; as the priest decides, that is the price for the house.
15 But if the person who gives the house wants to buy it back, an additional one-fifth must be added to the price. Then the house will belong to that person again.
16 "`If a person gives some family property to the LORD, the value of the fields will depend on how much seed is needed to plant them. It will cost about one and one-fourth pounds of silver for each six bushels of barley seed needed.
17 If the person gives a field at the year of Jubilee, its value will stay at what the priest has decided.
18 But if the person gives the field after the Jubilee, the priest must decide the exact price by counting the number of years to the next year of Jubilee. Then he will subtract that number from its value.
19 If the person who gave the field wants to buy it back, one-fifth must be added to that price, and the field will belong to the first owner again.
20 "`If the person does not buy back the field, or if it is sold to someone else, the first person cannot ever buy it back.
21 When the land is released at the year of Jubilee, it will become holy to the LORD, like land specially given to him. It will become the property of the priests.
22 "`If someone gives to the LORD a field he has bought, which is not a part of his family land,
23 the priest must count the years to the next Jubilee. He must decide the price for the land, and the price must be paid on that day. Then that land will be holy to the LORD.
24 At the year of Jubilee, the land will go back to its first owner, to the family who sold the land.
25 "`You must use the measure as set by the Holy Place in paying these prices; it weighs two-fifths of an ounce.
26 "`If an animal is the first one born to its parent, it already belongs to the LORD, so people may not give it again. If it is a cow or a sheep, it is the LORD' s.
27 If the animal is unclean, the person must buy it back for the price set by the priest, and the person must add one-fifth to that price. If it is not bought back, the priest must sell it for the price he had decided.
28 "`There is a special kind of gift that people set apart to give to the LORD; it may be a person, animal, or field from the family property. That gift cannot be bought back or sold. Every special kind of gift is most holy to the LORD.
29 "`If anyone is given for the purpose of being destroyed, he cannot be bought back; he must be put to death.
30 "`One-tenth of all crops belongs to the LORD, including the crops from fields and the fruit from trees. That one-tenth is holy to the LORD.
31 If a person wants to get back that tenth, one-fifth must be added to its price.
32 "`The priest will take every tenth animal from a person's herd or flock, and it will be holy to the LORD.
33 The owner should not pick out the good animals from the bad or exchange one animal for another. If that happens, both animals will become holy; they cannot be bought back.' "
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that when a person makes a special vow to give himself to the Lord, he shall give these payments instead: 3 A man from the age of twenty to sixty shall pay twenty-five dollars;
4 a woman from the age of twenty to sixty shall pay fifteen dollars; 5 a boy from five to twenty shall pay ten dollars; a girl, five dollars. 6 A boy one month to five years old shall have paid for him two and a half dollars; a girl, one and a half dollars. 7 A man over sixty shall pay seven and a half dollars; a woman, five dollars. 8 But if the person is too poor to pay this amount, he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall talk it over with him, and he shall pay as the priest shall decide.
9 "But if it is an animal that is vowed to be given to the Lord as a sacrifice, it must be given. 10 The vow may not be changed; the donor may neither change his mind about giving it to the Lord, nor substitute good for bad or bad for good; if he does, both the first and the second shall belong to the Lord! 11-12 But if the animal given to the Lord is not a kind that is permitted as a sacrifice, the owner shall bring it to the priest to value it, and he shall be told how much to pay instead. 13 If the animal is a kind that may be offered as a sacrifice, but the man wants to redeem it, then he shall pay 20 percent more than the value set by the priest.
14-15 "If someone donates his home to the Lord and then wishes to redeem it, the priest will decide its value, and the man shall pay that amount plus 20 percent, and the house will be his again.
16 "If a man dedicates any part of his field to the Lord, value it in proportion to its size, as indicated by the amount of seed required to sow it. A section of land that requires ten bushels of barley seed for sowing is valued at twenty-five dollars. 17 If a man dedicates his field in the Year of Jubilee, then the whole estimate shall stand; 18 but if it is after the Year of Jubilee, then the value shall be in proportion to the number of years remaining until the next Year of Jubilee. 19 If the man decides to redeem the field, he shall pay 20 percent in addition to the priest's valuation, and the field will be his again. 20 But if he decides not to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to someone else and has given to the Lord his rights to it at the Year of Jubilee, it shall not be returned to him again. 21 When it is freed in the Year of Jubilee, it shall belong to the Lord as a field devoted to him, and it shall be given to the priests.
22 "If a man dedicates to the Lord a field he has bought, but which is not part of his family possession, 23 the priest shall estimate the value until the Year of Jubilee, and he shall immediately give that estimated value to the Lord, 24 and in the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the original owner from whom it was bought. 25 All the valuations shall be stated in standard money.
26 "You may not dedicate to the Lord the firstborn of any ox or sheep, for it is already his. 27 But if it is the firstborn of an animal that cannot be sacrificed because it is not on the list of those acceptable to the Lord, then the owner shall pay the priest's estimate of its worth, plus 20 percent; or if the owner does not redeem it, the priest may sell it to someone else. 28 However, anything utterly devoted to the Lord-people, animals, or inherited fields-shall not be sold or redeemed, for they are most holy to the Lord. 29 No one sentenced by the courts to die may pay a fine instead; he shall surely be put to death.
30 "A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord's, and is holy. 31 If anyone wants to buy back this fruit or grain, he must add a fifth to its value. 32 And the Lord owns every tenth animal of your herds and flocks and other domestic animals, as they pass by for counting. 33 The tenth given to the Lord shall not be selected on the basis of whether it is good or bad, and there shall be no substitutions; for if there is any change made, then both the original and the substitution shall belong to the Lord, and may not be bought back!"
34 These are the commandments the Lord gave to Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,218
4,4,7,369
5,5,9,457
6,6,11,588
7,7,13,748
8,8,15,877
9,9,17,1068
10,10,19,1204
11,11,21,1396
12,12,23,1556
13,13,25,1707
14,14,27,1810
15,15,29,2003
16,16,31,2171
17,17,33,2409
18,18,35,2520
19,19,37,2730
20,20,39,2883
21,21,41,3011
22,22,43,3179
23,23,45,3280
24,24,47,3460
25,25,49,3566
26,26,51,3683
27,27,53,3853
28,28,55,4076
29,29,57,4317
30,30,59,4432
31,31,61,4579
32,32,63,4666
33,33,65,4779
1,3,1,1
4,8,2,232
9,13,4,747
14,15,6,1410
16,21,8,1608
22,25,10,2575
26,29,12,2971
30,33,14,3605
34,34,16,4174
VNUMBE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To tell the story of how Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, how they sinned and were punished, and how they prepared to try again
AUTHOR:
Moses
TO WHOM WRITTEN:
The people of Israel
DATE WRITTEN:
1450-1410 B.C.
SETTING:
The vast wilderness of the Sinai region, as well as lands just south and east of Canaan
Mount Sinai, Promised Land (Canaan), Kadesh, Mount Hor, plains of Moab
At noon, two weary travelers who had been walking all day wanted to get out of the heat and rest. They noticed a huge tree with branches that formed a canopy of shade. They stumbled to the shade of the tree, threw down their packs, spread their blankets, and soon were blissfully asleep. When they awoke, one of the travelers, feeling refreshed and a little arrogant, gazed into the tree and complained: "What a useless tree. There's no fruit!" He had forgotten about the tree's wonderful shade. The traveler was a lot like Israel. The Israelites seemed to be sitting in God's "shade." The future looked great. God himself was leading them and they were about to enter the Promised Land. Then the people began to complain about everything. They decided they would rather be back in Egypt as slaves where they were. Finally God got fed up and banished them to the wilderness, refusing to let them enter the Promised Land. Though God still considered these complainers his people, he was no longer ready to give them all he had promised. Are we much different from the complaining Israelites? God has done, is doing, and will do so much for us. Yet we complain. "God, what are you doing?" "God, you don't care!" "God, I hate you!" We don't trust him although he has proven himself trustworthy. Do you trust God, or do you complain? You are sitting under the "shade" of God's love. Don't complain. God was leading the Israelites even when they thought he wasn't, and he is leading you.
1,10,1,1
1,1,1,1
Lr$t$t$
NUMBE001
1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent in the Desert of Sinai. This was on the first day of the second month in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. He said to Moses:
2 "You and Aaron must count all the people of Israel by families and family groups, listing the name of each man.
3 You and Aaron must count every man twenty years old or older who will serve in the army of Israel, and list them by their divisions.
4 One man from each tribe, the leader of his family, will help you.
5 These are the names of the men who will help you: from the tribe of Reuben- Elizur son of Shedeur;
6 from the tribe of Simeon- Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from the tribe of Judah- Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from the tribe of Issachar- Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from the tribe of Zebulun- Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph- Elishama son of Ammihud; from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph- Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11 from the tribe of Benjamin- Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from the tribe of Dan- Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from the tribe of Asher- Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from the tribe of Gad- Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15 from the tribe of Naphtali- Ahira son of Enan."
16 These were the men chosen from the people to be leaders of their tribes, the heads of Israel's family groups.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been picked
18 and called all the people of Israel together on the first day of the second month. Then the people were listed by their families and family groups, and all the men who were twenty years old or older were listed by name.
19 Moses did exactly what the LORD had commanded and listed the people while they were in the Desert of Sinai.
20 The tribe of Reuben, the first son born to Israel, was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
21 The tribe of Reuben totaled 46,500 men.
22 The tribe of Simeon was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
23 The tribe of Simeon totaled 59,300 men.
24 The tribe of Gad was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
25 The tribe of Gad totaled 45,650 men.
26 The tribe of Judah was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
27 The tribe of Judah totaled 74,600 men.
28 The tribe of Issachar was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
29 The tribe of Issachar totaled 54,400 men.
30 The tribe of Zebulun was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
31 The tribe of Zebulun totaled 57,400 men.
32 The tribe of Ephraim, a son of Joseph, was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
33 The tribe of Ephraim totaled 40,500 men.
34 The tribe of Manasseh, also a son of Joseph, was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
35 The tribe of Manasseh totaled 32,200 men.
36 The tribe of Benjamin was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
37 The tribe of Benjamin totaled 35,400 men.
38 The tribe of Dan was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
39 The tribe of Dan totaled 62,700 men.
40 The tribe of Asher was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
41 The tribe of Asher totaled 41,500 men.
42 The tribe of Naphtali was counted; all the men twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army were listed by name with their families and family groups.
43 The tribe of Naphtali totaled 53,400 men.
44 Moses, Aaron, and the twelve leaders of Israel, one from each of the families, counted these men.
45 Every man of Israel twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army was counted and listed with his family.
46 The total number of men was 603,550.
47 The families from the tribe of Levi were not listed with the others, because
48 the LORD had told Moses:
49 "Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them with the other Israelites.
50 Instead put the Levites in charge of the Holy Tent of the Agreement and everything that is with it. They must carry the Holy Tent and everything in it, and they must take care of it and make their camp around it.
51 Any time the Holy Tent is moved, the Levites must take it down, and any time it is set up, the Levites must do it. Anyone else who goes near the Holy Tent will be put to death.
52 The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions, each family near its flag.
53 But the Levites must make their camp around the Holy Tent of the Agreement so that I will not be angry with the Israelites. The Levites will take care of the Holy Tent of the Agreement."
54 So the Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses.
T T 1 It was on the fifteenth day of of the second year after the Israelis left Egypt that the Lord issued the following instructions to Moses. (He was in the Tabernacle at the camp of Israel on the Sinai peninsula at the time.)
2-15 "Take a census of all the men twenty years old and older who are able to go to war, indicating their tribe and family. You and Aaron are to direct the project, assisted by these leaders from each tribe":
Tribe Leader
Reuben Elizur (son of Shedeur)
Simeon Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai)
Judah Nahshon (son of Amminadab)
Issachar Nethanel (son of Zuar)
Zebulun Eliab (son of Helon)
Ephraim (son of Joseph) Elishama (son of Ammihud)
Manasseh (son of Joseph) Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur)
Benjamin Abidan (son of Gideoni)
Dan Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai)
Asher Pagiel (son of Ochran)
Gad Eliasaph (son of Deuel)
Naphtali Ahira (son of Enan)
16 These were the tribal leaders elected from among the people.
17 On the same day Moses and Aaron and the above-named leaders summoned all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older to come and register, each man indicating his tribe and family, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20-46 Here is the final tabulation:
Tribe Total
Reuben (the oldest son of Jacob) 46,500
Simeon 59,300
Gad 45,650
Judah 74,600
Issachar 54,400
Zebulun 57,400
Joseph: Ephraim (son of Joseph) 40,500
Joseph: Manasseh (son of Joseph) 32,200
Benjamin 35,400
Dan 62,700
Asher 41,500
Naphtali 53,400
Grand Total: 603,550
47-49 This total does not include the Levites, for the Lord had said to Moses, "Exempt the entire tribe of Levi from the draft, and do not include their number in the census. 50 For the Levites are assigned for the work connected with the Tabernacle and its transportation. They are to live near the Tabernacle, 51 and whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites are to take it down and set it up again; anyone else touching it shall be executed. 52 Each tribe of Israel shall have a separate camping area with its own flag. 53 The Levites' tents shall be clustered around the Tabernacle as a wall between the people of Israel and God's wrath-to protect them from his fierce anger against their sins."
54 So all these instructions of the Lord to Moses were put into effect.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,194
3,3,5,313
4,4,7,455
5,5,9,529
6,6,11,634
7,7,13,696
8,8,15,753
9,9,17,809
10,10,19,862
11,11,21,1003
12,12,23,1061
13,13,25,1121
14,14,27,1175
15,15,29,1228
16,16,31,1283
17,17,33,1402
18,18,35,1460
19,19,37,1688
20,20,39,1803
21,21,41,2011
22,22,43,2058
23,23,45,2231
24,24,47,2278
25,25,49,2448
26,26,51,2493
27,27,53,2665
28,28,55,2711
29,29,57,2888
30,30,59,2937
31,31,61,3113
32,32,63,3162
33,33,65,3354
34,34,67,3403
35,35,69,3601
36,36,71,3650
37,37,73,3824
38,38,75,3873
39,39,77,4042
40,40,79,4086
41,41,81,4259
42,42,83,4307
43,43,85,4482
44,44,87,4531
45,45,89,4636
46,46,91,4765
47,47,93,4809
48,48,95,4894
49,49,97,4927
50,50,99,5010
51,51,101,5230
52,52,103,5417
53,53,105,5511
54,54,107,5714
1,1,1,1
2,15,3,229
16,16,17,922
17,46,19,989
47,53,34,1609
54,54,36,2316
NUMBE002
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
2 "The Israelites should make their camps around the Meeting Tent, but they should not camp too close to it. They should camp under their family flag and banners."
3 The camp of Judah will be on the east side, where the sun rises, and they will camp by divisions there under their flag. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.
4 There are 74,600 men in his division.
5 Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.
6 There are 54,400 men in his division.
7 Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon.
8 There are 57,400 men in his division.
9 There are a total of 186,400 men in the camps of Judah and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.
10 The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.
11 There are 46,500 men in his division.
12 Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
13 There are 59,300 men in his division.
14 Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.
15 There are 45,650 men in his division.
16 There are a total of 151,450 men in the camps of Reuben and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.
17 When the Levites march out with the Meeting Tent, they will be in the middle of the other camps. The tribes will march out in the same order as they camp, each in its place under its flag.
18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud.
19 There are 40,500 men in his division.
20 Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
21 There are 32,200 men in his division.
22 Next is the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.
23 There are 35,400 men in his division.
24 There are a total of 108,100 men in the camps of Ephraim and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.
25 The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side, where they will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
26 There are 62,700 men in his division.
27 Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran.
28 There are 41,500 men in his division.
29 Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.
30 There are 53,400 men in his division.
31 There are 157,600 men in the camps of Dan and its neighbors. They will be the last to march out of camp, and they will travel under their own flag.
32 These are the Israelites who were counted by families. The total number of Israelites in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550.
33 Moses obeyed the LORD and did not count the Levites among the other people of Israel.
34 So the Israelites obeyed everything the LORD commanded Moses. They camped under their flags and marched out by families and family groups.
1 The Lord gave these further instructions to Moses and Aaron: "Each tribe will have its own tent area, with its flagpole and tribal banner; and at the center of these tribal compounds will be the Tabernacle." 3-31 Here are the tribal locations:
Tribe: Leader: Location: Census:
Judah Nahshon (son of Amminadab) East side of Tabernacle 74,600
Issachar Nethanel (son of Zuar) Next to Judah 54,400
Zebulun Eliab (son of Helon) Next to Issachar 57,400
So the total of all those on Judah's side of the camp was 186,400. These three tribes led the way whenever the Israelites traveled to a new campsite.
Reuben Elizur (son of Shedeur) South side of Tabernacle 46,500
Simeon Shelumiel (son of Zurishaddai)Next to Reuben 59,300
Gad Eliasaph (son of Reuel ) Next to Simeon 45,650
So the total of the Reuben side of the camp was 151,450. These three tribes were next in line whenever the Israelis traveled.
Next in the line of march was the Tabernacle, with the Levites. When traveling, each tribe stayed together under its own flag, just as each was separate from the others in camp.
Ephraim Elishama (son of Ammihud) West side of Tabernacle 40,500
Manasseh Gamaliel (son of Pedahzur) Next to Ephraim 32,200
Benjamin Abidan (son of Gideoni) Next to Manasseh 35,400
So the total on the Ephraim side of the camp was 108,100, and they were next in the line of march.
Dan Ahiezer (son of Ammishaddai)North side of Tabernacle 62,700
Asher Pagiel (son of Ochran) Next to Dan 41,500
Naphtali Ahira (son of Enan) Next to Asher 53,400
So the total on Dan's side of the camp was 157,600. They brought up the rear whenever Israel traveled. 32-33 In summary, the armies of Israel totaled 603,550 (not including the Levites, who were exempted by Jehovah's commandment to Moses). 34 So the people of Israel set up their camps, each tribe under its own banner, in the locations indicated by the Lord to Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,43
3,3,5,212
4,4,7,406
5,5,9,450
6,6,11,567
7,7,13,611
8,8,15,707
9,9,17,751
10,10,19,900
11,11,21,1074
12,12,23,1121
13,13,25,1245
14,14,27,1290
15,15,29,1381
16,16,31,1426
17,17,33,1584
18,18,35,1782
19,19,37,1956
20,20,39,2001
21,21,41,2123
22,22,43,2169
23,23,45,2273
24,24,47,2318
25,25,49,2476
26,26,51,2650
27,27,53,2696
28,28,55,2807
29,29,57,2852
30,30,59,2953
31,31,61,3000
32,32,63,3159
33,33,65,3300
34,34,67,3397
1,15,1,1
CONTRAST NUMBE 2:34
This must have been one of the biggest campsites the world has ever seen! It would have taken about 12 square miles to set up tents for just the 600,000 fighting men-not to mention the women and children. Moses must have had a difficult time managing such a group. In the early stages of the journey and at Mount Sinai, the people were generally obedient to both God and Moses. But when the people left Mount Sinai and traveled across the rugged wilderness, they began to complain, grumble, and disobey. Soon problems erupted, and Moses could no longer effectively manage the Israelites. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers present a striking contrast between how much we can accomplish when we obey God, and how little we can accomplish when we don't.
NUMBE003
1 This is the family history of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These were the names of Aaron's sons, who were appointed to serve as priests.
4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the LORD when they offered the wrong kind of fire before the LORD in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
5 The LORD said to Moses,
6 "Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to help him.
7 They will help him and all the Israelites at the Meeting Tent, doing the work in the Holy Tent.
8 The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent and serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the Holy Tent.
9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; of all the Israelites, the Levites are given completely to him.
10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, but anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death."
11 The LORD also said to Moses,
12 "I am choosing the Levites from all the Israelites to take the place of all the firstborn children of Israel. The Levites will be mine,
13 because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine, both animals and children. They are mine. I am the LORD."
14 The LORD again said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,
15 "Count the Levites by families and family groups. Count every male one month old or older."
16 So Moses obeyed the LORD and counted them all.
17 Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 The Gershonite family groups were Libni and Shimei.
19 The Kohathite family groups were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The Merarite family groups were Mahli and Mushi. These were the family groups of the Levites.
21 The family groups of Libni and Shimei belonged to Gershon; they were the Gershonite family groups.
22 The number that was counted was 7,500 males one month old or older.
23 The Gershonite family groups camped on the west side, behind the Holy Tent.
24 The leader of the families of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 In the Meeting Tent the Gershonites were in charge of the Holy Tent, its covering, the curtain at the entrance to the Meeting Tent,
26 the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entry to the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, the ropes, and all the work connected with these items.
27 The family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel belonged to Kohath; they were the Kohathite family groups.
28 They had 8,600 males one month old or older, and they were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place.
29 The Kohathite family groups camped south of the Holy Tent.
30 The leader of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
31 They were responsible for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the tools of the Holy Place which they were to use, the curtain, and all the work connected with these items.
32 The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, who was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.
33 The family groups of Mahli and Mushi belonged to Merari; they were the Merarite family groups.
34 The number that was counted was 6,200 males one month old or older.
35 The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel son of Abihail, and they were to camp north of the Holy Tent.
36 The Merarites were responsible for the frames of the Holy Tent, the braces, the posts, the bases, and all the work connected with these items.
37 They were also responsible for the posts in the courtyard around the Holy Tent and their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the Holy Tent, toward the sunrise, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place for the Israelites. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.
39 Moses and Aaron counted the Levite men by their families, as the LORD commanded, and there were 22,000 males one month old or older.
40 The LORD said to Moses, "Count all the firstborn sons in Israel one month old or older, and list their names.
41 Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel; take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the rest of Israel. I am the LORD."
42 So Moses did what the LORD commanded and counted all the firstborn sons of the Israelites.
43 When he listed all the firstborn sons one month old or older, there were 22,273 names.
44 The LORD also said to Moses,
45 "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites, and take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. I am the LORD.
46 Since there are 273 more firstborn sons than Levites,
47 collect two ounces of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the measure as set by the Holy Place, which is two-fifths of an ounce.
48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the 273 Israelites."
49 So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not replace.
50 From the firstborn of the Israelites, he collected thirty-five pounds of silver, using the measure set by the Holy Place.
51 Moses obeyed the command of the LORD and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons.
1 At the time when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 Aaron's sons were:
Nadab (his oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar. 3 All were anointed as priests and set apart to minister at the Tabernacle. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai when they used unholy fire. And since they had no children, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to assist their father, Aaron.
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, 6 "Summon the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron as his assistants. 7-9 They will follow his instructions and perform the sacred duties at the Tabernacle on behalf of all the people of Israel. For they are assigned to him as representatives of all the people of Israel. They are in charge of all the furnishings and maintenance of the Tabernacle. 10 However, only Aaron and his sons may carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who presumes to assume this office shall be executed."
11-12 And the Lord said to Moses, "I have accepted the Levites in substitution for all the oldest sons of the people of Israel. The Levites are mine 13 in exchange for all the oldest sons. From the day I killed all the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I took for myself all the firstborn in Israel of both men and animals! They are mine; I am Jehovah."
14-15 The Lord now spoke again to Moses at the Sinai peninsula, telling him, "Take a census of the tribe of Levi, indicating each person's clan; count every male down to one month old." 16-24 So Moses did:
Levi's son Levi's grandsons Census Leader Camp Location
(clan names)
Gershon Libni 7,500 Elisaph (son West side of
Shimei of Lael) Tabernacle
25-30 Responsibilities:
The responsibility of these two clans of Levites was the care of the Tabernacle: its coverings, its entry drapes, the drapes covering the fence surrounding the courtyard, the screen at the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle, the altar, and all the ropes used in tying the Tabernacle together.
Levi's son Levi's grandsons Census Leader Camp Location
(clan names)
Kohath Amran 8,600 Elizaphan (son South side of
Izhar of Uzziel) Tabernacle
Hebron
Uzziel
31-35 Responsibilities:
The responsibility of these four clans of Levites was the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various utensils used in the Tabernacle, the veil, and any repairs needed on any of these items. (Note: Eleazar, Aaron's son, shall be the chief administrator over the leaders of the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary.)
Levi's son Levi's grandsons Census Leader Camp Location
(clan names)
Merari Mahli 6,200 Zuriel (son North side of
Mushi of Abihail) Tabernacle
36-37 Responsibilities:
The responsibility of these two clans was the care of the frames of the Tabernacle building; the posts; the bases for the posts, and all of the equipment needed for their use; the posts around the courtyard and their bases, pegs, and ropes.
38 The area east of the Tabernacle was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the Tabernacle on behalf of the people of Israel. (Anyone who was not a priest or Levite, but came into the Tabernacle, was to be executed.)
39 So all the Levites, as numbered by Moses and Aaron at the command of the Lord, were 22,000 males one month old and older.
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now take a census of all the eldest sons in Israel who are one month old and older, and register each name. 41 The Levites shall be mine (I am Jehovah) as substitutes for the eldest sons of Israel; and the Levites' cattle are mine as substitutes for the firstborn cattle of the whole nation."
42 So Moses took a census of the eldest sons of the people of Israel, as the Lord had commanded, 43 and found the total number of eldest sons one month old and older to be 22,273.
44 Now the Lord said to Moses, 45 "Give me the Levites instead of the eldest sons of the people of Israel; and give me the cattle of the Levites instead of the firstborn cattle of the people of Israel; yes, the Levites shall be mine; I am Jehovah. 46 To redeem the 273 eldest sons in excess of the number of Levites, 47-48 pay five dollars for each one to Aaron and his sons."
49 So Moses received redemption money for the 273 eldest sons of Israel who were in excess of the number of Levites. (All the others were redeemed because the Levites had been given to the Lord in their place.) 50 The money collected came to a total of $1,365.
51 And Moses gave it to Aaron and his sons as the Lord had commanded.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,106
3,3,5,181
4,4,7,265
5,5,9,507
6,6,11,537
7,7,13,620
8,8,15,723
9,9,17,858
10,10,19,968
11,11,21,1093
12,12,23,1129
13,13,25,1277
14,14,27,1501
15,15,29,1562
16,16,31,1661
17,17,33,1717
18,18,35,1793
19,19,37,1853
20,20,39,1927
21,21,41,2029
22,22,43,2136
23,23,45,2211
24,24,47,2294
25,25,49,2365
26,26,51,2504
27,27,53,2679
28,28,55,2800
29,29,57,2913
30,30,59,2979
31,31,61,3052
32,32,63,3242
33,33,65,3382
34,34,67,3484
35,35,69,3559
36,36,71,3674
37,37,73,3824
38,38,75,3949
39,39,77,4189
40,40,79,4331
41,41,81,4452
42,42,83,4640
43,43,85,4738
44,44,87,4834
45,45,89,4870
46,46,91,5068
47,47,93,5129
48,48,95,5267
49,49,97,5353
50,50,99,5437
51,51,101,5567
1,4,1,1
5,10,4,402
11,13,6,935
14,24,8,1288
25,30,13,1645
31,35,21,2149
36,37,27,2699
38,38,30,2968
39,39,32,3247
40,41,34,3375
42,43,36,3704
44,48,38,3887
49,50,40,4267
51,51,42,4531
NUMBE004
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "Count the Kohathites among the Levites by family groups and families.
3 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent.
4 "The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent.
5 When the Israelites are ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Holy Tent, take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the Agreement with it.
6 Over this they must put a covering made from fine leather, then spread the solid blue cloth over that, and put the poles in place.
7 "Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread that shows a person is in God's presence. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table.
8 Then they must put a red cloth over all of these things, cover everything with fine leather, and put the poles in place.
9 "With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps.
10 Then they must wrap everything in fine leather and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.
11 "They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with fine leather, and put the poles in place.
12 "They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather and put these things on a frame for carrying them.
13 "They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
14 They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar- the pans for carrying the fire, the meat forks, the shovels, and the bowls- and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it and put the poles in place.%|
15 "When the Israelites are ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the holy furniture and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won't touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites' job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.
16 "Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the Holy Tent and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp, the sweet-smelling incense, the continual grain offering, and the oil used to appoint priests and things to the LORD' s service."
17 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
18 "Don't let the Kohathites be cut off from the Levites.
19 Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry.
20 The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die."
21 The LORD said to Moses,
22 "Count the Gershonites by families and family groups.
23 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who have a job to do in the Meeting Tent.
24 "This is what the Gershonite family groups must do and what they must carry.
25 They must carry the curtains of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, its covering, and its outer covering made from fine leather. They must also carry the curtains for the entrance to the Meeting Tent,
26 the curtains of the courtyard that goes around the Holy Tent and the altar, the curtain for the entry to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things.
27 Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry; you tell them what they are responsible for carrying.
28 This is the work of the Gershonite family group at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.
29 "Count the Merarite families and family groups.
30 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who work at the Meeting Tent.
31 It is their job to carry the following as they serve in the Meeting Tent: the frames of the Holy Tent, the crossbars, the posts, and bases,
32 in addition to the posts that go around the courtyard, their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry.
33 This is the work the Merarite family group will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work."
34 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted the Kohathites by families and family groups,
35 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent.
36 There were 2,750 men in the family groups.
37 This was the total of the Kohath family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the LORD had commanded Moses.
38 Also, the Gershonites were counted by families and family groups,
39 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were given work at the Meeting Tent.
40 The families and family groups had 2,630 men.
41 This was the total of the Gershon family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the LORD had commanded.
42 Also, the men in the families and family groups of the Merari family were counted,
43 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent.
44 The family groups had 3,200 men.
45 This was the total of the Merari family groups, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the LORD had commanded Moses.
46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by families and family groups.
47 They counted the men from thirty to fifty who were given work at the Meeting Tent and who carried the Tent.
48 The total number of these men was 8,580.
49 Each man was counted as the LORD had commanded Moses; each man was given his work and told what to carry as the LORD had commanded Moses.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take a census of the Kohath division of the Levite tribe. 3 This census will be of all males from ages thirty to fifty who are able to work in the Tabernacle. 4 These are their sacred duties:
5 "When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons will enter the Tabernacle first and take down the veil and cover the Ark with it. 6 Then they will cover the veil with goatskin leather, cover the goatskins with a blue cloth, and place the carrying poles of the Ark in their rings.
7 "Next they must spread a blue cloth over the table where the Bread of the Presence is displayed, and place the dishes, spoons, bowls, cups, and the Bread upon the cloth. 8 They will spread a scarlet cloth over that, and finally a covering of goatskin leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they shall insert the carrying poles into the table.
9 "Next they must cover with a blue cloth the lampstand, the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the reservoir of olive oil. 10 This entire group of objects shall then be covered with goatskin leather, and the bundle shall be placed upon a carrying frame.
11 "They must then spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with a covering of goatskin leather, and insert the carrying poles into the altar. 12 All of the remaining utensils of the Tabernacle are to be wrapped in a blue cloth, covered with goatskin leather, and placed on the carrying frame.
13 "The ashes are to be removed from the altar, and the altar shall be covered with a purple cloth. 14 All of the altar utensils are to be placed upon the cloth-the firepans, hooks, shovels, basins, and other containers-and a cover of goatskin leather will be spread over them. Finally, the carrying poles are to be put in place. 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished packing the sanctuary and all the utensils, the clan of Kohath shall come and carry the units to wherever the camp is traveling; but they must not touch the holy items, lest they die. This, then, is the sacred work of the sons of Kohath.
16 "Aaron's son Eleazar shall be responsible for the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil-in fact, the supervision of the entire Tabernacle and everything in it will be his responsibility."
17-19 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Don't let the families of Kohath destroy themselves! This is what you must do so that they will not die when they carry the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in with them and point out what each is to carry. 20 Otherwise they must never enter the sanctuary for even a moment, lest they look at the sacred objects there and die."
21-23 And the Lord said to Moses, "Take a census of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi, all of the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible for the sacred work of the Tabernacle. 24 These will be their duties:
25 "They will carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle itself with its coverings, the goatskin leather roof, and the curtain for the Tabernacle entrance. 26 They are also to carry the drapes covering the courtyard fence, and the curtain across the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the altar and the Tabernacle. They will also carry the altar, the ropes, and all of the accessories. They are fully responsible for the transportation of these items. 27 Aaron or any of his sons may assign the Gershonites' tasks to them, 28 but the Gershonites will be directly responsible to Aaron's son Ithamar.
29 "Now take a census of the Merari division of the Levite tribe, all of the men from thirty to fifty who are eligible for the Tabernacle service. 30-31 When the Tabernacle is moved, they are to carry the frames of the Tabernacle, the bars, the bases, 32 the frames for the courtyard fence with their bases, pegs, cords, and everything else connected with their use and repair. Assign duties to each man by name. 33 The Merari division will also report to Aaron's son Ithamar."
34 So Moses and Aaron and the other leaders took a census of the Kohath division, 35 including all of the men thirty to fifty years of age who were eligible for the Tabernacle service, 36 and found that the total number was 2,750. 37 All this was done to carry out the Lord's instructions to Moses. 38-41 A similar census of the Gershon division totaled 2,630. 42-45 And of the Merari division, 3,200. 46-48 Thus Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel found that the total of all the Levites who were thirty to fifty years old and who were eligible for the Tabernacle service and transportation was 8,580. 49 This census was taken in response to the Lord's instructions to Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,44
3,3,5,123
4,4,7,218
5,5,9,302
6,6,11,461
7,7,13,600
8,8,15,872
9,9,17,1007
10,10,19,1158
11,11,21,1271
12,12,23,1387
13,13,25,1590
14,14,27,1681
15,15,29,1955
16,16,31,2266
17,17,33,2556
18,18,35,2600
19,19,37,2662
20,20,39,2839
21,21,41,2943
22,22,43,2975
23,23,45,3038
24,24,47,3137
25,25,49,3221
26,26,51,3430
27,27,53,3666
28,28,55,3797
29,29,57,3931
30,30,59,3988
31,31,61,4078
32,32,63,4226
33,33,65,4431
34,34,67,4575
35,35,69,4676
36,36,71,4760
37,37,73,4810
38,38,75,4959
39,39,77,5032
40,40,79,5119
41,41,81,5172
42,42,83,5316
43,43,85,5406
44,44,87,5490
45,45,89,5530
46,46,91,5651
47,47,93,5757
48,48,95,5872
49,49,97,5920
1,4,1,1
5,6,2,236
7,8,4,514
9,10,6,865
11,12,8,1116
13,15,10,1422
16,16,12,2034
17,20,14,2276
21,24,16,2666
25,28,17,2904
29,33,19,3522
34,49,21,4003
NUMBE005
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Command the Israelites to send away from camp anyone with a harmful skin disease. Send away anyone who gives off body fluid or who has become unclean by touching a dead body.
3 Send both men and women outside the camp so that they won't spread the disease there, where I am living among you."
4 So Israel obeyed the LORD' s command and sent those people outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had told Moses.
5 The LORD said to Moses,
6 "Tell the Israelites: `When a man or woman does something wrong to another person, that is really sinning against the LORD. That person is guilty
7 and must admit the wrong that has been done. The person must fully pay for the wrong that has been done, adding one-fifth to it, and giving it to the person who was wronged.
8 But if that person is dead and does not have any close relatives to receive the payment, the one who did wrong owes the LORD and must pay the priest. In addition, the priest must sacrifice a male sheep to remove the wrong so that the person will belong to the LORD.
9 When an Israelite brings a holy gift, it should be given to the priest.
10 No one has to give these holy gifts, but if someone does give them, they belong to the priest.' "
11 Then the LORD said to Moses,
12 "Tell the Israelites: `A man's wife might be unfaithful to him
13 and have sexual relations with another man. Her sin might be kept hidden from her husband so that he does not know about the wrong she did. Perhaps no one saw it, and she wasn't caught.
14 But if her husband has feelings of jealousy and suspects she has sinned- whether she has or not-
15 he should take her to the priest. The husband must also take an offering for her of two quarts of barley flour. He must not pour oil or incense on it, because this is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of remembrance. It is to find out if she is guilty.
16 "`The priest will bring in the woman and make her stand before the LORD.
17 He will take some holy water in a clay jar, and he will put some dirt from the floor of the Holy Tent into the water.
18 The priest will make the woman stand before the LORD, and he will loosen her hair. He will hand her the offering of remembrance, the grain offering for jealousy; he will hold the bitter water that brings a curse.
19 The priest will make her take an oath and ask her, "Has another man had sexual relations with you? Have you been unfaithful to your husband? If you haven't, this bitter water that brings a curse won't hurt you.
20 But if you have been unfaithful to your husband and have had sexual relations with a man besides him"-
21 the priest will then put on her the curse that the oath will bring- "the LORD will make the people curse and reject you. He will make your stomach get big, and he will make your body unable to give birth to another baby.
22 This water that brings a curse will go inside you and make your body unable to give birth to another baby." "`The woman must say, "I agree."
23 "`The priest should write these curses on a scroll, wash the words off into the bitter water,
24 and make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse. If she is guilty, the water will make her sick.
25 Then the priest will take the grain offering for jealousy from her. He will present it before the LORD and bring it to the altar.
26 He will take a handful of the grain, which is a memorial offering, and burn it on the altar. After that he will make the woman drink the water
27 to see if she is not pure and if she has sinned against her husband. When it goes into her, if her stomach gets big so that she is not able to have another baby, her people will reject her.
28 But if the woman has not sinned, she is pure. She is not guilty, and she will be able to have babies.
29 "`So this is the teaching about jealousy. This is what to do when a woman does wrong and is unfaithful while she is married to her husband.
30 It also should be done if the man gets jealous because he suspects his wife. The priest will have her stand before the LORD, and he will do all these things, just as the teaching commands.
31 In this way the husband can be proven correct, and the woman will suffer if she has done wrong.' "
1 These are further instructions from the Lord to Moses: "Inform the people of Israel that they must expel all lepers from the camp, and all who have open sores, or who have been defiled by touching a dead person. 3 This applies to men and women alike. Remove them so that they will not defile the camp where I live among you." 4 These instructions were put into effect.
5-6 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that when anyone, man or woman, betrays the Lord by betraying a trust, it is sin. 7 He must confess his sin and make full repayment for what he has stolen, adding 20 percent and returning it to the person he took it from. 8 But if the person he wronged is dead, and there is no near relative to whom the payment can be made, it must be given to the priest, along with a lamb for atonement. 9-10 When the people of Israel bring a gift to the Lord it shall go to the priests."
11-12 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that if a man's wife commits adultery, 13 but there is no proof, there being no witness, 14 and he is jealous and suspicious, 15 the man shall bring his wife to the priest with an offering for her of a tenth of a bushel of barley meal without oil or frankincense mingled with it-for it is a suspicion offering-to bring out the as to whether or not she is guilty.
16 "The priest shall bring her before the Lord, 17 and take holy water in a clay jar and mix into it dust from the floor of the Tabernacle. 18 He shall unbind her hair and place the suspicion offering in her hands to determine whether or not her husband's suspicions are justified. The priest shall stand before her holding the jar of bitter water that brings a curse. 19 He shall require her to swear that she is innocent, and then he shall say to her, `If no man has slept with you except your husband, be free from the effects of this bitter water that causes the curse. 20 But if you have committed adultery, 21-22 then Jehovah shall make you a curse among your people, for he will make your thigh rot away and your body swell.' And the woman shall be required to say, `Yes, let it be so.' 23 Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the bitter water. 24 (When he requires the woman to drink the water, it becomes bitter within her if she is guilty.
25 "Then the priest shall take the suspicion offering from the woman's hand and wave it before Jehovah, and carry it to the altar. 26 He shall take a handful, representing all of it, and burn the handful upon the altar, and then require the woman to drink the water. 27 If she has been defiled, having committed adultery against her husband, the water will become bitter within her, and her body will swell and her thigh will rot, and she shall be a curse among her people. 28 But if she is pure and has not committed adultery, she shall be unharmed and will soon become pregnant.
29 "This, then, is the law concerning a wayward wife-or a husband's suspicions against his wife-30 to determine whether or not she has been unfaithful to him. He shall bring her before the Lord and the priest shall handle the situation as outlined above. 31 Her husband shall not be brought to trial for causing her horrible disease, for she is responsible."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,35
3,3,5,220
4,4,7,342
5,5,9,472
6,6,11,502
7,7,13,654
8,8,15,839
9,9,17,1121
10,10,19,1200
11,11,21,1307
12,12,23,1343
13,13,25,1413
14,14,27,1607
15,15,29,1711
16,16,31,1992
17,17,33,2074
18,18,35,2200
19,19,37,2421
20,20,39,2639
21,21,41,2751
22,22,43,2981
23,23,45,3132
24,24,47,3237
25,25,49,3356
26,26,51,3494
27,27,53,3644
28,28,55,3841
29,29,57,3950
30,30,59,4100
31,31,61,4296
1,4,1,1
5,10,3,375
11,15,5,913
16,24,7,1340
25,28,9,2330
29,31,11,2914
REPAY NUMBE 5:5-8
God included restitution, a unique concept for that day, as part of his law for Israel. When someone was robbed, the guilty person was required to restore to the victim what had been taken and pay an additional interest penalty. When we have wronged someone, we should look for ways to set things right and, if possible, leave the victim even better off than before we harmed him or her. When we have been wronged, we should seek restoration rather than striking out in revenge.
@!B!B!
NUMBE006
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Tell the Israelites: `If men or women want to promise to belong to the LORD in a special way, they will be called Nazirites.
3 During this time, they must not drink wine or beer, or vinegar made from wine or beer. They must not even drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.
4 While they are Nazirites, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, even the seeds or the skin.
5 "`During the time they have promised to belong to the LORD, they must not cut their hair. They must be holy until this special time is over. They must let their hair grow long.
6 During their special time of belonging to the LORD, Nazirites must not go near a dead body.
7 Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not touch them, or they will become unclean. They must still keep their promise to belong to God in a special way.
8 While they are Nazirites, they belong to the LORD in a special way.
9 "`If they are next to someone who dies suddenly, their hair, which was part of their promise, has been made unclean. So they must shave their head seven days later to be clean.
10 Then on the eighth day, they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
11 The priest will offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. This removes sin so they will belong to the LORD. (They had sinned because they were near a dead body.) That same day they will again promise to let their hair groww
12 and give themselves to the LORD for another special time. They must bring a male lamb a year old as a penalty offering. The days of the special time before don't count, because they became unclean during their first special time.
13 "`This is the teaching for the Nazirites. When the promised time is over, they must go the entrance of the Meeting Tent
14 and give their offerings to the LORD. They must offer a year-old male lamb that has nothing wrong with it, as a burnt offering, a year-old female lamb that has nothing wrong with it, as a sin offering, and a male sheep that has nothing wrong with it, for a fellowship offering.
15 They must also bring the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with them. And they must bring a basket of bread made without yeast, loaves made with fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers made without yeast spread with oil.
16 "`The priest will give these offerings to the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.
17 Then he will kill the male sheep as a fellowship offering to the LORD; along with it, he will present the basket of bread made without yeast, the grain offering, and the drink offering.
18 "`The Nazirites must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and shave off their hair that they grew for their promise. The hair will be put in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
19 "`After the Nazirites cut off their hair, the priest will give them a boiled shoulder from the male sheep. From the basket he will also give a loaf and a wafer, both made without yeast.
20 Then the priest will present them to the LORD. They are holy and belong to the priest. Also, he is to present the breast and the thigh from the male sheep. After that, the Nazirites may drink wine.
21 "`This is the teaching for the Nazirites who make a promise. Everyone who makes the Nazirite promise must give all of these gifts to the LORD. If they promised to do more, they must keep their promise, according to the teaching of the Nazirites.' "
22 The LORD said to Moses,
23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, `This is how you should bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 "May the LORD bless you and keep you.
25 May the LORD show you his kindness and have mercy on you.
26 May the LORD watch over you and give you peace."'
27 "So Aaron and his sons will bless the Israelites with my name, and I will bless them."
1 The Lord gave Moses these further instructions for the people of Israel: "When either a man or a woman takes the special vow of a Nazirite, consecrating himself to the Lord in a special way, 3-4 he must not thereafter, during the entire period of his special consecration to the Lord, taste strong drink or wine or even fresh wine, grape juice, grapes, or raisins! He may eat nothing that comes from grapevines, not even the seeds or skins!
5 "Throughout that time he must never cut his hair, for he is holy and consecrated to the Lord; that is why he must let his hair grow.
6-7 "And he may not go near any dead body during the entire period of his vow, even if it is the body of his father, mother, brother, or sister; for his vow of consecration remains in effect, 8 and he is consecrated to the Lord throughout the entire period. 9 If he is defiled by having someone fall dead beside him, then seven days later he shall shave his defiled head; he will then be cleansed from the contamination of being in the presence of death. 10 The next day, the eighth day, he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 11 The priest shall offer one of the birds for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for his defilement. And he must renew his vows that day and let his hair begin to grow again. 12 The days of his vow that were fulfilled before his defilement no longer count. He must begin all over again with a new vow, and must bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering.
13 "At the conclusion of the period of his vow of separation to the Lord, he must go to the entrance of the Tabernacle 14 and offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, a year-old lamb without defect. He must also offer a sin offering, a yearling ewe lamb without defect; a peace offering, a ram without defect; 15 a basket of bread made without yeast; pancakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil; unleavened wafers spread with oil; and the accompanying grain offering and drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present these offerings before the Lord: first the sin offering and the burnt offering; 17 then the ram for a peace offering, along with the basket of bread made without yeast; and finally the grain offering along with the drink offering.
18 "Then the Nazirite shall shave his long hair-the sign of his vow of separation. This shall be done at the entrance of the Tabernacle, after which the hair shall be put in the fire under the peace offering sacrifice. 19 After the man's head has been shaved, the priest shall take the roasted shoulder of the lamb, one of the pancakes (made without yeast), and one of the wafers (also made without yeast), and put them all into the man's hands. 20 The priest shall then wave it all back and forth before the Lord in a gesture of offering; all of it is a holy portion for the priest, as are the rib piece and shoulder that were waved before the Lord. After that the Nazirite may again drink wine, for he is freed from his vow.
21 "These are the regulations concerning a Nazirite and his sacrifices at the conclusion of his period of special dedication. In addition to these sacrifices he must bring any further offering he promised at the time he took his vow to become a Nazirite."
22-23 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to give this special blessing to the people of Israel: 24-26 `May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord's face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.' 27 This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my blessings upon the people of Israel; and I myself will personally bless them."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,163
4,4,7,319
5,5,9,439
6,6,11,623
7,7,13,724
8,8,15,915
9,9,17,989
10,10,19,1174
11,11,21,1308
12,12,23,1562
13,13,25,1803
14,14,27,1931
15,15,29,2219
16,16,31,2455
17,17,33,2564
18,18,35,2763
19,19,37,2978
20,20,39,3175
21,21,41,3387
22,22,43,3643
23,23,45,3674
24,24,47,3766
25,25,49,3811
26,26,51,3876
27,27,53,3934
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,447
6,12,5,585
13,17,7,1575
18,20,9,2326
21,21,11,3056
22,27,13,3315
NUMBE007
AWESOME
1 When Moses finished setting up the Holy Tent, he gave it for service to the LORD by pouring olive oil on the Tent and on everything used in it. He also poured oil on the altar and all its tools to prepare them for service to the LORD.
2 Then the leaders of Israel made offerings. These were the heads of the families, the leaders of each tribe who counted the people.
3 They brought to the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen- each leader giving an ox, and every two leaders giving a cart. They brought these to the Holy Tent.
4 The LORD said to Moses,
5 "Accept these gifts from the leaders and use them in the work of the Meeting Tent. Give them to the Levites as they need them."
6 So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.
7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, which they needed for their work.
8 Then Moses gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, which they needed for their work. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, directed the work of all of them.
9 Moses did not give any oxen or carts to the Kohathites, because their job was to carry the holy things on their shoulders.
10 When the oil was poured on the altar, the leaders brought their offerings to it to give it to the LORD' s service; they presented them in front of the altar.
11 The LORD told Moses, "Each day one leader must bring his gift to make the altar ready for service to me."
12 On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Judah.
13 Each of the twelve leaders brought these gifts. Each leader brought one silver plate that weighed about three and one-fourth pounds, and one silver bowl that weighed about one and three-fourths pounds. These weights were set by the Holy Place measure. The bowl and the plate were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
14 Each leader also brought a large gold dish that weighed about four ounces and was filled with incense.
15 In addition, each of the leaders brought one young bull, one male sheep, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
16 one male goat for a sin offering;
17 and two oxen, five male sheep, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old for a fellowship offering.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Issachar.
24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Zebulun.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Reuben.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Simeon.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Gad.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Ephraim.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Manasseh.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Benjamin.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Dan.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Asher.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.
84 So these were the gifts from the Israelite leaders when oil was poured on the altar and it was given for service to the LORD: twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes.
85 Each silver plate weighed about three and one-fourth pounds, and each bowl weighed about one and three-fourths pounds. All the silver plates and silver bowls together weighed about sixty pounds according to a weight set by the Holy Place measure.
86 The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed four ounces each, according to the weight set by the Holy Place measure. Together the gold dishes weighed about three pounds.
87 The total number of animals for the burnt offering was twelve bulls, twelve male sheep, and twelve male lambs a year old. There was also a grain offering, and there were twelve male goats for a sin offering.
88 The total number of animals for the fellowship offering was twenty-four bulls, sixty male sheep, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. All these offerings were for giving the altar to the service of the LORD after the oil had been poured on it.!
89 When Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the LORD, he heard the LORD speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings that were above the lid of the Ark of the Agreement. In this way the LORD spoke with him.
1 Moses anointed and sanctified each part of the Tabernacle, including the altar and its utensils, on the day he finished setting it up. 2 Then the leaders of Israel-the chiefs of the tribes, the men who had organized the census-brought their offerings. 3 They brought six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen-a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each one; and they presented them to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.
4-5 "Accept their gifts," the Lord told Moses, "and use these wagons for the work of the Tabernacle. Give them to the Levites for whatever needs they may have."
6 So Moses presented the wagons and the oxen to the Levites. 7 Two wagons and four oxen were given to the Gershon division for their use, 8 and four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merari division, which was under the leadership of Ithamar, Aaron's son. 9 None of the wagons or teams were given to the Kohath division, for they were required to carry their portion of the Tabernacle upon their shoulders.
10 The leaders also presented dedication gifts on the day the altar was anointed, placing them before the altar. 11 The Lord said to Moses, "Let each of them bring his gift on a different day for the dedication of the altar."
12 So Nahshon, the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah, brought his gift the first day. 13 It consisted of a silver platter weighing three pounds and a silver bowl of about two pounds, both filled with grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil. 14 He also brought a gold box of incense which weighed only about four ounces. 15 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a male yearling lamb as burnt offerings; 16 a male goat for a sin offering; 17 and for the peace offerings two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male yearling lambs.
18-23 The next day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, chief of the tribe of Issachar, brought his gifts and offerings. They were exactly the same as Nahshon had presented on the previous day.
24-29 On the third day Eliab, the son of Helon, chief of the tribe of Zebulun, came with his offerings-the same as those presented on the previous days.
30-35 On the fourth day the gifts were presented by Elizur, son of Shedeur, chief of the tribe of Reuben; his gifts and offerings were the same as those given on the previous days.
36-41 On the fifth day came Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, chief of the tribe of Simeon, with the same gifts.
42-47 The next day it was Eliasaph's turn, son of Deuel, chief of the tribe of Gad. He, too, offered the same gifts and sacrifices.
48-53 On the seventh day, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, chief of the tribe of Ephraim, brought his gifts, the same as those presented on the previous days.
54-59 Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, prince of the tribe of Manasseh, came the eighth day with the same offerings.
60-65 On the ninth day it was Abidan the son of Gideoni, chief of the tribe of Benjamin, with his gifts, the same as those offered by the others.
66-71 Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, brought his gifts on the tenth day. He was the chief of the tribe of Dan and his offerings were the same as those on the previous days.
72-77 Pagiel, son of Ochran, chief of the tribe of Asher, brought his gifts on the eleventh day-the same gifts and offerings as the others.
78-83 On the twelfth day came Ahira, son of Enan, chief of the tribe of Naphtali, with his offerings; they were identical to those brought by the others.
84-86 So, beginning the day the altar was anointed, it was dedicated by these gifts from the chiefs of the tribes of Israel. Their combined offerings were as follows:
12 silver platters (each weighing about three pounds);
12 silver bowls (each weighing about two pounds); (so the total weight of the silver was about sixty pounds);
12 gold trays (the trays weighing about four ounces apiece); (so the total weight of gold was about three pounds).
87 For the burnt offerings they brought:
12 bulls, 12 rams,
12 yearling male goats (with the grain offerings that accompanied them).
For sin offerings they brought:
12 male goats.
88 For the peace offerings they brought:
24 young bulls,
60 rams, 60 male goats,
60 male lambs one year old.
89 When Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the place of mercy over the Ark, between the statues of the two Guardian Angels.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,243
3,3,5,380
4,4,7,547
5,5,9,579
6,6,11,713
7,7,13,791
8,8,15,884
9,9,17,1052
10,10,19,1181
11,11,21,1349
12,12,23,1463
13,13,25,1572
14,14,27,1924
15,15,29,2034
16,16,31,2165
17,17,33,2206
18,18,35,2319
19,19,37,2428
20,20,39,2435
21,21,41,2442
22,22,43,2449
23,23,45,2456
24,24,47,2464
25,25,49,2569
26,26,51,2576
27,27,53,2583
28,28,55,2590
29,29,57,2597
30,30,59,2604
31,31,61,2712
32,32,63,2719
33,33,65,2726
34,34,67,2733
35,35,69,2740
36,36,71,2747
37,37,73,2861
38,38,75,2868
39,39,77,2875
40,40,79,2882
41,41,81,2889
42,42,83,2896
43,43,85,3000
44,44,87,3007
45,45,89,3014
46,46,91,3021
47,47,93,3028
48,48,95,3035
49,49,97,3147
50,50,99,3154
51,51,101,3161
52,52,103,3168
53,53,105,3175
54,54,107,3182
55,55,109,3295
56,56,111,3302
57,57,113,3309
58,58,115,3316
59,59,117,3323
60,60,119,3330
61,61,121,3439
62,62,123,3446
63,63,125,3453
64,64,127,3460
65,65,129,3467
66,66,131,3474
67,67,133,3584
68,68,135,3591
69,69,137,3598
70,70,139,3606
71,71,141,3613
72,72,143,3620
73,73,145,3729
74,74,147,3736
75,75,149,3743
76,76,151,3751
77,77,153,3758
78,78,155,3765
79,79,157,3873
80,80,159,3880
81,81,161,3887
82,82,163,3895
83,83,165,3902
84,84,167,3909
85,85,169,4109
86,86,171,4364
87,87,173,4553
88,88,175,4768
89,89,177,5037
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,434
6,9,5,598
10,11,7,1014
12,17,9,1243
18,23,11,1790
24,29,13,1977
30,35,15,2133
36,41,17,2317
42,47,19,2434
48,53,21,2569
54,59,23,2728
60,65,25,2842
66,71,27,2991
72,77,29,3169
78,83,31,3312
84,86,33,3469
87,87,38,3928
88,88,44,4119
89,89,49,4240
&.,d-
AWESOME NUMBE 7:89
Imagine hearing the very voice of God! Moses must have trembled at the sound. Yet we have God's words recorded for us in the Bible, and we should have no less reverence and awe for them. God sometimes spoke directly to his people to tell them the proper way to live. The Bible records these con-versations to give us insights into God's character. How tragic when we take these very words of God lightly.
NUMBE008
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to Aaron and tell him, `Put the seven lamps where they can light the area in front of the lampstand.' "
3 Aaron did this, putting the lamps so they lighted the area in front of the lampstand; he obeyed the command the LORD gave Moses.
4 The lampstand was made from hammered gold, from its base to the flowers. It was made exactly the way the LORD had showed Moses.
5 The LORD said to Moses,
6 "Take the Levites away from the other Israelites and make them clean.
7 This is what you should do to make them clean: Sprinkle the cleansing water on them, and have them shave their bodies and wash their clothes so they will be clean.
8 They must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with oil that goes with it. Then take a second young bull for a sin offering.
9 Bring the Levites to the front of the Meeting Tent, and gather all the Israelites around.
10 When you bring the Levites before the LORD, the Israelites should put their hands on them.
11 Aaron will present the Levites before the LORD as an offering presented from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do the work of the LORD.
12 "The Levites will put their hands on the bulls' heads- one bull will be a sin offering to the LORD, and the other will be a burnt offering, to remove the sins of the Levites so they will belong to the LORD.
13 Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present the Levites as an offering to the LORD.
14 In this way you must set apart the Levites from the other Israelites; the Levites will be mine.
15 "Make the Levites pure, and present them as an offering so that they may come to work at the Meeting Tent.
16 They will be given completely to me from the Israelites; I have taken them for myself instead of the firstborn of every Israelite woman.
17 All the firstborn in Israel- people or animals- are mine. When I killed all the firstborn in Egypt, I set the firstborn in Israel aside for myself.
18 But I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn in Israel.
19 From all the Israelites I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons so that they may serve the Israelites at the Meeting Tent. They will help remove the Israelites' sins so they will belong to the LORD and so that no disaster will strike the Israelites when they approach the Holy Place."
20 So Moses, Aaron, and all the Israelites obeyed and did with the Levites what the LORD commanded Moses.
21 The Levites made themselves clean and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as an offering to the LORD. He also removed their sins so they would be pure.
22 After that, the Levites came to the Meeting Tent to work, and Aaron and his sons told them what to do. They did with the Levites what the LORD commanded Moses.
23 The LORD said to Moses,
24 "This command is for the Levites. Everyone twenty-five years old or older must come to the Meeting Tent, because they all have jobs to do there.
25 At the age of fifty, they must retire from their jobs and not work again.
26 They may help their fellow Levites with their work at the Meeting Tent, but they must not do the work themselves. This is the way you are to give the Levites their jobs."
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Tell Aaron that when he lights the seven lamps in the lampstand, he is to set them so that they will throw their light forward."
3 So Aaron did this. 4 The lampstand, including the floral decorations on the base and branches, was made entirely of beaten gold. It was constructed according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.
5-6 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now set apart the Levites from the other people of Israel. 7 Do this by sprinkling water of purification upon them, then having them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothing and themselves. 8 Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil, along with another young bull for a sin offering. 9 Then bring the Levites to the door of the Tabernacle as all the people watch. 10 There the of the tribes shall lay their hands upon them, 11 and Aaron, with a gesture of offering, shall present them to the Lord as a gift from the entire nation of Israel. The Levites will represent all the people in serving the Lord.
12 "Next, the Levite leaders shall lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls and offer them before the Lord; one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Then the Levites are to be presented to Aaron and his sons, just as any other gift to the Lord is given to the priests! 14 In this way you will dedicate the Levites from among the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 15 After you have sanctified them and presented them in this way, they shall go in and out of the Tabernacle to do their work.
16 "They are mine from among all the people of Israel, and I have accepted them in place of all the firstborn children of the Israelites: I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. 17 For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both men and animals; I claimed them for myself the night I killed all the firstborn Egyptians. 18 Yes, I have accepted the Levites in place of all the eldest sons of Israel. 19 And I will give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will carry out the sacred duties required of the people of Israel in the Tabernacle, and will offer the people's sacrifices, making atonement for them. There will be no plague among the Israelites-as there would be if the ordinary people entered the Tabernacle."
20 So Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, carefully following Jehovah's instructions to Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them to the Lord in a gesture of offering. He then performed the rite of atonement over them to purify them. 22 After that they went into the Tabernacle as assistants to Aaron and his sons; everything was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
23-24 The Lord also instructed Moses, "The Levites are to begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, and are to retire at the age of fifty. 25-26 After retirement they can assist with various light duties in the Tabernacle, but will have no regular responsibilities."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,283
5,5,9,417
6,6,11,449
7,7,13,527
8,8,15,700
9,9,17,854
10,10,19,953
11,11,21,1055
12,12,23,1215
13,13,25,1431
14,14,27,1545
15,15,29,1648
16,16,31,1764
17,17,33,1915
18,18,35,2071
19,19,37,2147
20,20,39,2446
21,21,41,2557
22,22,43,2731
23,23,45,2898
24,24,47,2929
25,25,49,3082
26,26,51,3164
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,162
5,11,5,371
12,15,7,1061
16,19,9,1646
20,22,11,2410
23,26,13,2869
NUMBE009
1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. He said,
2 "Tell the Israelites to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. That appointed time is the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; they must obey all the rules about it." 4 So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, 5 and they did; it was in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. 6 But some of the people could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were unclean from touching a dead body. So they went to Moses and Aaron that day and 7 said to Moses, "We are unclean because of touching a dead body. But why should we be kept from offering gifts to the LORD at this appointed time? Why can't we join the other Israelites?" 8 Moses said to them, "Wait, and I will find out what the LORD says about you." 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, 10 "Tell the Israelites this: `If you or your descendants become unclean because of a dead body, or if you are away on a trip during the Passover, you must still celebrate the LORD' s Passover. 11 But celebrate it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. Eat the lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. 12 Don't leave any of it until the next morning or break any of its bones. When you celebrate the Passover, follow all the rules. 1
3 Anyone who is clean and is not away on a trip but does not eat the Passover must be cut off from the people. That person did not give an offering to the LORD at the appointed time and must be punished for the sin. 1
4 "`Foreigners among you may celebrate the LORD' s Passover, but they must follow all the rules. You must have the same rules for foreigners as you have for yourselves.' " 1
5 On the day the Holy Tent, the Tent of the Agreement, was set up, a cloud covered it. From dusk until dawn the cloud above the Tent looked like fire. 1
6 The cloud stayed above the Tent, and at night it looked like fire. 1
7 When the cloud moved from its place over the Tent, the Israelites moved, and wherever the cloud stopped, the Israelites camped. 1
8 So the Israelites moved at the LORD' s command, and they camped at his command. While the cloud stayed over the Tent, they remained camped. 1
9 Sometimes the cloud stayed over the Tent for a long time, but the Israelites obeyed the LORD and did not move. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over it only a few days. At the LORD' s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from dusk until dawn; when the cloud lifted the next morning, the people moved. When the cloud lifted, day or night, the people moved. 22 The cloud might stay over the Tent for two days, a month, or a year. As long as it stayed, the people camped, but when it lifted, they moved. 23 At the LORD' s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. They obeyed the LORD' s order that he commanded through Moses.
1 Jehovah gave these instructions to Moses while he and the rest of the Israelis were on the Sinai peninsula, during the first month of the second year after leaving Egypt: 2-3 "The people of Israel must celebrate the Passover annually on April first, beginning in the evening. Be sure to follow all of my instructions concerning this celebration."
4-5 So Moses announced that the Passover celebration would begin on the evening of April first, there in the Sinai peninsula, just as the Lord had commanded. 6-7 But as it happened, some of the men had just attended a funeral and were ceremonially defiled by having touched the dead, so they couldn't eat the Passover lamb that night. They came to Moses and Aaron and explained their problem and protested at being forbidden from offering their sacrifice to the Lord at the time he had appointed.
8 Moses said he would ask the Lord about it, 9 and this was God's reply: 10 "If any of the people of Israel, now or in the generations to come, are defiled at Passover time because of touching a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present, they may still celebrate the Passover, but one month later, 11 on May first, beginning in the evening. They are to eat the lamb at that time, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They must not leave any of it until the next morning, and must not break a bone of it, and must follow all the regular instructions concerning the Passover.
13 "But anyone who is not defiled, and anyone who is not away on a trip, and yet refuses to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, shall be excommunicated from the people of Israel for refusing to sacrifice to Jehovah at the proper time; he must bear his guilt. 14 And if a foreigner is living among you and wants to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, he shall follow all these same instructions. There is one law for all."
15 On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and stayed that way throughout the night. 16 It was always so-the daytime Cloud changing to the appearance of fire at night. 17 When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on to wherever it stopped, and camped there. 18 In this way they journeyed at the command of the Lord and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the Cloud stayed. 19 If it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long time. But if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few days; for so the Lord had instructed them. 20-21 Sometimes the fire-cloud stayed only during the night and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when it moved, the people broke camp and followed. 22 If the Cloud stayed above the Tabernacle two days, a month, or a year, that is how long the people of Israel stayed; but as soon as it moved, they moved. 23 So it was that they camped or traveled at the commandment of the Lord; and whatever the Lord told Moses they should do, they did.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,134
3,3,5,1484
4,4,7,1706
5,5,9,1886
6,6,11,2042
7,7,13,2116
8,8,15,2253
9,9,17,2402
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,353
8,12,5,853
13,14,7,1455
15,23,9,1888
EVERYONE NUMBE 9:14
Sometimes we are tempted to excuse non-Christians from following God's guidelines for living. Christmas and Easter, for example, often have other meanings for them. We would not expect them to understand Lent. Yet foreigners at this time were expected to follow the same laws and ordinances as the Israelites. God did not have a separate set of standards for unbelievers and he still does not today. The phrase There is one law for all empha-sizes that non-Israelites were also subject to God's com-mands and promises. God singled out Israel for a special purpose-to be an example of how one nation could, and should, follow him. His aim, however, was to have all people obey and worship him.
PURPOSE NUMBE 9:23
The Hebrews traveled and camped as God guided. When you follow God's guidance, you know you are where God wants you whether you're moving or staying in one place. You are physically somewhere right now. Instead of praying, God, what do you want me to do next? ask, God, what do you want me to do while I'm right here? Direction from God is not just for your next big move. He has a purpose in placing you where you are right now. Begin to understand God's purpose for your life by discovering what he wants you to do now!
NUMBE010
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them to call the people together and to march out of camp.
3 When both trumpets are blown, the people should gather before you at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
4 If you blow only one trumpet, the leaders, the heads of the family groups of Israel, should meet before you.
5 When you loudly blow the trumpets, the tribes camping on the east should move.
6 When you loudly blow them again, the tribes camping on the south should move; the loud sound will tell them to move.
7 When you want to gather the people, blow the trumpets, but don't blow them as loudly.
8 "Aaron's sons, the priests, should blow the trumpets. This is a law for you and your descendants from now on.
9 When you are fighting an enemy who attacks you in your own land, blow the trumpets loudly. The LORD your God will take notice of you and will save you from your enemies.
10 Also blow your trumpets at happy times and during your feasts and at New Moon festivals. Blow them over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, because they will help you remember your God. I am the LORD your God."
11 The cloud lifted from the Tent of the Agreement on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year.
12 So the Israelites moved from the Desert of Sinai and continued until the cloud stopped in the Desert of Paran.
13 This was their first time to move, and they did it as the LORD had commanded Moses.
14 The divisions from the camp of Judah moved first under their flag. Nahshon son of Amminadab was the commander.
15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar.
16 Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.
17 Then the Holy Tent was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, moved next.
18 Then came the divisions from the camp of Reuben under their flag, and Elizur son of Shedeur was the commander.
19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon.
20 Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.
21 Then came the Kohathites, who carried the holy things; the Holy Tent was to be set up before they arrived.
22 Next came the divisions from the camp of Ephraim under their flag, and Elishama son of Ammihud was the commander.
23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh,
24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
25 The last ones were the rear guard for all the tribes. These were the divisions from the camp of Dan under their flag, and Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was the commander.
26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher;
27 Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.
28 This was the order the Israelite divisions marched in when they moved.
29 Hobab was the son of Reuel the Midianite, who was Moses' father-in-law. Moses said to Hobab, "We are moving to the land the LORD promised to give us. Come with us and we will be good to you, because the LORD has promised good things to Israel."
30 But Hobab answered, "No, I will not go. I will go back to my own land where I was born."
31 But Moses said, "Please don't leave us. You know where we can camp in the desert, and you can be our guide.
32 Come with us. We will share with you all the good things the LORD gives us."
33 So they left the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The Ark of the LORD' s Agreement went in front of the people for those three days, as they looked for a place to camp.
34 The LORD' s cloud was over them during the day when they left their camp.
35 When the Ark left the camp, Moses said, "Rise up, LORD! Scatter your enemies: make those who hate you run from you."
36 And when the Ark was set down, Moses said, "Return, LORD, to the thousands of people of Israel."
1 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Make two trumpets of beaten silver to be used for summoning the people to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp. 3 When both trumpets are blown, the people will know that they are to gather at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 4 But if only one is blown, then only the chiefs of the tribes of Israel shall come to you.
5-7 "Different trumpet blasts will be necessary to distinguish between the summons to assemble and the signal to break camp and move onward.
When the travel signal is blown, the tribes camped on the east side of the Tabernacle shall leave first; at the second signal, the tribes on the south shall go. 8 Only the priests are permitted to blow the trumpets. This is a permanent instruction to be followed from generation to generation.
9 "When you arrive in the Promised Land and go to war against your enemies, God will hear you and save you from your enemies when you sound the alarm with these trumpets. 10 Use the trumpets in times of gladness, too, blowing them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month to rejoice over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. And God will be reminded of his covenant with you. For I am Jehovah, your God."
11 The Cloud lifted from the Tabernacle on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year of Israel's leaving Egypt; 12 so the Israelites left the wilderness of Sinai, and followed the Cloud until it stopped in the wilderness of Paran. 13 This was their first journey after having received the Lord's travel instructions to Moses.
14 At the head of the march was the tribe of Judah grouped behind its flag and led by Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. 15 Next came the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel, the son of Zuar, 16 and the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab, the son of Helon.
17 The Tabernacle was taken down and the men of the Gershon and Merari divisions of the tribe of Levi were next in the line of march, carrying the Tabernacle upon their shoulders. 18 Then came the flag of the camp of Reuben, with Elizur the son of Shedeur leading his people. 19 Next was the tribe of Simeon headed by Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai; 20 and the tribe of Gad led by Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
21 Next came the Kohathites carrying the items from the inner sanctuary. (The Tabernacle was already erected in its new location by the time they arrived.) 22 Next in line was the tribe of Ephraim behind its flag, led by Elishama, the son of Ammihud; 23 and the tribe of Manasseh led by Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 24 and the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Last of all were the tribes headed by the flag of the tribe of Dan under the leadership of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai; 26 the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel, the son of Ochran; 27 and the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira, the son of Enan. 28 That was the order in which the tribes traveled.
29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab (son of Reuel, the Midianite), "At last we are on our way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel!"
30 But his brother-in-law replied, "No, I must return to my own land and kinfolk."
31 "Stay with us," Moses pleaded, "for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us.
32 If you come, you will share in all the good things the Lord does for us."
33 They traveled for three days after leaving Mount Sinai, with the Ark at the front of the column to choose a place for them to stop. 34 It was daytime when they left, with the Cloud moving along ahead of them as they began their march. 35 As the Ark was carried forward, Moses cried out, "Arise, O<N>Lord, and scatter your enemies; let them flee before you." 36 And when the Ark was set down he said, "Return, O<N>Lord, to the millions of Israel."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,143
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,369
6,6,11,455
7,7,13,579
8,8,15,672
9,9,17,788
10,10,19,965
11,11,21,1200
12,12,23,1321
13,13,25,1441
14,14,27,1532
15,15,29,1650
16,16,31,1726
17,17,33,1799
18,18,35,1904
19,19,37,2024
20,20,39,2110
21,21,41,2182
22,22,43,2301
23,23,45,2429
24,24,47,2509
25,25,49,2592
26,26,51,2772
27,27,53,2844
28,28,55,2917
29,29,57,2996
30,30,59,3250
31,31,61,3349
32,32,63,3465
33,33,65,3549
34,34,67,3743
35,35,69,3824
36,36,71,3948
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,362
9,10,6,801
11,13,8,1233
14,16,10,1577
17,20,12,1828
21,28,14,2243
29,29,16,2924
30,30,18,3150
31,31,20,3236
32,32,22,3346
33,36,24,3426
COMPLIMENTS NUMBE 10:29-32
By complimenting Hobab's wilderness skills, Moses let him know he was needed. People cannot know you appreciate them if you do not tell them they are important to you. Compli-menting those who deserve it builds lasting relationships and helps people know they are valued. Think about those who have helped you this month. What can you do to let them know how much you need and appreciate them?
NUMBE011
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1 Now the people complained to the LORD about their troubles, and when he heard them, he became angry. Then fire from the LORD burned among the people at the edge of the camp.
2 The people cried out to Moses, and when he prayed to the LORD, the fire stopped burning.
3 So that place was called Taberah, because the LORD' s fire had burned among them.
4 Some troublemakers among them wanted better food, and soon all the Israelites began complaining. They said, "We want meat!
5 We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt. We also had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"
7 The manna was like small white seeds.
8 The people would go to gather it, and then grind it in handmills, or crush it between stones. After they cooked it in a pot or made cakes with it, it tasted like bread baked with olive oil.
9 When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna. tents. Then the LORD became very angry, and Moses got upset. 11 He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? What have I done wrong that you made me responsible for all these people? 12 I am not the father of all these people, and I didn't give birth to them. So why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my arms as a nurse carries a baby? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, `We want meat!' 14 I can't take care of all these people alone. It is too much for me. 15 If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If you care about me, put me to death, and then I won't have any more troubles." 16 The LORD said to Moses, "Bring me seventy of Israel's older leaders, men that you know are leaders among the people. Bring them to the Meeting Tent, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is in you, and I will give it to them. They will help you care for the people so that you will not have to care for them alone. 18 "Tell the people this: `Make yourselves holy for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. You cried to the LORD, "We want meat! We were better off in Egypt!" So now the LORD will give you meat to eat. 19 You will eat it not for just one, two, five, ten, or even twenty days, 20 but you will eat that meat for a whole month. You will eat it until it comes out your nose, and you will grow to hate it. This is because you have rejected the LORD, who is with you. You have cried to him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"' " 21 Moses said, "LORD, here are six hundred thousand people standing around me, and you say, `I will give them enough meat to eat for a month!' 22 If we killed all the flocks and herds, that would not be enough. If we caught all the fish in the sea, that would not be enough." 23 But the LORD said to Moses, "Do you think I'm weak? Now you will see if I can do what I say." 24 So Moses went out to the people and told them what the LORD had said. He gathered seventy of the older leaders together and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. The LORD took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he gave it to the seventy leaders. With the Spirit in them, they prophesied, but just that one time. 26 Two men named Eldad and Medad were also listed as leaders, but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also given to them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran to Moses and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." 28 Joshua son of Nun said, "Moses, my master, stop them!" (Ever since he was a young boy, Joshua had been Moses' assistant.) 29 But Moses answered, "Are you jealous for me? I wish all the LORD' s people could prophesy. I wish the LORD would give his Spirit to all of them!" 30 Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp. 31 The LORD sent a strong wind from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about three feet deep on the ground, and there were quail a day's walk in any direction. 32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least sixty bushels, and they spread them around the camp. 33 But the LORD became very angry, and he gave the people a terrible sickness that came while the meat was still in their mouths. 34 So the people named that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried those who wanted other food. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people went to stay at Hazeroth.
1 The people were soon complaining about all their misfortunes, and the Lord heard them. His anger flared out against them because of their complaints, so the fire of the Lord began destroying those at the far end of the camp. 2 They screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed for them the fire stopped. 3 Ever after, the area was known as "The Place of Burning," because the fire from the Lord burned among them there.
4-5 Then the Egyptians who had come with them began to long for the good things of Egypt. This added to the discontent of the people of Israel and they wept, "Oh, for a few bites of meat! Oh, that we had some of the delicious fish we enjoyed so much in Egypt, and the wonderful cucumbers and melons, leeks, onions, and garlic! 6 But now our strength is gone, and day after day we have to face this manna!"
7 The manna was the size of small seeds, whitish yellow in color. 8 The people gathered it from the ground and pounded it into flour, then boiled it, and then made pancakes from it-they tasted like pancakes fried in vegetable oil.
9 The manna fell with the dew during the night.
10 Moses heard all the families standing around their tent doors weeping, and the anger of the Lord grew hot; Moses too was highly displeased.
11 Moses said to the Lord, "Why pick on me, to give me the burden of a people like this? 12 Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why you have given me the job of nursing them along like babies until we get to the land you promised their ancestors? 13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? For they weep to me saying, `Give us meat!' 14 I can't carry this nation by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now; it will be a kindness! Let me out of this impossible situation!"
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Summon before me seventy of the leaders of Israel; bring them to the Tabernacle, to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk with you there, and I will take of the Spirit which is on you and will put it upon them also; they shall bear the burden of the people along with you, so that you will not have the task alone.
18 "And tell the people to purify themselves, for tomorrow they shall have meat to eat. Tell them, `The Lord has heard your tearful complaints about all you left behind in Egypt, and he is going to give you meat. You shall eat it, 19-20 not for just a day or two, or five or ten or even twenty! For one whole month you will have meat until you vomit it from your noses; for you have rejected the Lord who is here among you, and you have wept for Egypt.' "
21 But Moses said, "There are 600,000 men alone besides all the women and children and yet you promise them meat for a whole month! 22 If we butcher all our flocks and herds it won't be enough! We would have to catch every fish in the ocean to fulfill your promise!"
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, "When did I become weak? Now you shall see whether my word comes true or not!"
24 So Moses left the Tabernacle and reported Jehovah's words to the people; and he gathered the seventy elders and placed them around the Tabernacle. 25 And the Lord came down in the Cloud and talked with Moses, and the Lord took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied for some time.
26 But two of the seventy-Eldad and Medad-were still in the camp, and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied there. 27 Some young men ran and told Moses what was happening, 28 and Joshua (the son of Nun), one of Moses' personally chosen assistants, protested, "Sir, make them stop!"
29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I only wish that all of the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!" 30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.
31 The Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall into the camp and all around it! As far as one could walk in a day in any direction, there were quail flying three or four feet above the ground.
32 So the people caught and killed quail all that day and through the night and all the next day too! The least anyone gathered was 100 bushels! Quail were spread out all around the camp. 33 But as everyone began eating the meat, the anger of the Lord rose against the people and he killed large numbers of them with a plague. 34 So the name of that place was called, "The Place of the Graves Caused by Lust," because they buried the people there who had lusted for meat and for Egypt. 35 And from that place they journeyed to Hazeroth, where they stayed awhile.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,184
3,3,5,279
4,4,7,369
5,5,9,499
6,6,11,612
7,7,13,694
8,8,15,740
9,35,17,938
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,428
7,8,5,837
9,9,7,1071
10,10,9,1122
11,15,11,1268
16,17,13,1833
18,20,15,2197
21,22,16,2654
23,23,18,2926
24,25,20,3040
26,28,22,3412
29,30,24,3709
31,31,26,3938
32,35,28,4161
GRATITUDE NUMBE 11:4-6
Dissatisfaction comes when our attention shifts from what we have to what we don't have. The people of Israel didn't seem to notice what God was doing for them-setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land-because they were so wrapped up in what God wasn't doing for them. They could think of nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they had left behind. Somehow they forgot that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery was the cost of eating that food. Before we judge the Israelites too harshly, it's helpful to think about what occupies our attention most of the time. Are we grateful for what God has given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? We should not allow our unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God's gifts of life, food, health, work, and friends.
NUMBE012
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite).
2 They said, "Is Moses the only one the LORD speaks through? Doesn't he also speak through us?" And the LORD heard this.
3 (Now Moses was very humble. He was the least proud person on earth.)
4 So the LORD suddenly spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, "All three of you come to the Meeting Tent." So they went.
5 The LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came near.
6 He said, "Listen to my words: When a prophet is among you, I, the LORD, will show myself to him in visions; I will speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true with my servant Moses. I trust him to lead all my people.
8 I speak face to face with him- clearly, not with hidden meanings. He has even seen the form of the LORD. You should be afraid to speak against my servant Moses."
9 The LORD was very angry with them, and he left.
10 When the cloud lifted from the Tent and Aaron turned toward Miriam, she was as white as snow; she had a skin disease.
11 Aaron said to Moses, "Please, my master, forgive us for our foolish sin.
12 Don't let her be like a baby who is born dead. (Sometimes a baby is born with half of its flesh eaten away.)"
13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "God, please heal her!"
14 The LORD answered Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, she would have been shamed for seven days, so put her outside the camp for seven days. After that, she may come back."
15 So Miriam was put outside of the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she came back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and camped in the Desert of Paran.
1 One day Miriam and Aaron were criticizing Moses because his wife was a Cushite woman, 2 and they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us, too?"
But the Lord heard them. 3-4 Immediately he summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tabernacle: "Come here, you three," he commanded. So they stood before the Lord. (Now Moses was the humblest man on earth.)
5 Then the Lord descended in the Cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. "Aaron and Miriam, step forward," he commanded; and they did. 6 And the Lord said to them, "Even with a prophet, I would communicate by visions and dreams; 7-8 but that is not how I communicate with my servant Moses. He is completely at home in my house! With him I speak face-to-face! And he shall see the very form of God! Why then were you not afraid to criticize him?"
9 Then the anger of the Lord grew hot against them, and he departed. 10 As the Cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, Miriam suddenly became white with leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened, 11 he cried out to Moses, "Oh, sir, do not punish us for this sin; we were fools to do such a thing. 12 Don't let her be as one dead, whose body is half rotted away at birth."
13 And Moses cried out to the Lord, "Heal her, O<N>God, I beg you!"
14 And the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face she would be defiled seven days. Let her be banished from the camp for seven days, and after that she can come back again."
15 So Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back in before they traveled again. 16 Afterwards they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,113
3,3,5,238
4,4,7,313
5,5,9,448
6,6,11,589
7,7,13,734
8,8,15,821
9,9,17,989
10,10,19,1043
11,11,21,1170
12,12,23,1252
13,13,25,1371
14,14,27,1435
15,15,29,1624
16,16,31,1739
1,4,1,1
5,8,4,395
9,12,6,855
13,13,8,1229
14,14,10,1300
15,16,12,1498
NUMBE013
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Send men to explore the land of Canaan, which I will give to the Israelites. Send one leader from each tribe."
3 So Moses obeyed the LORD' s command and sent the Israelite leaders out from the Desert of Paran.
4 These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the new name Joshua.)
17 Moses sent them to explore Canaan and said, "Go through southern Canaan and then into the mountains.
18 See what the land looks like. Are the people who live there strong or weak? Are there a few or many?
19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What about the towns they live in- are they open like camps, or do they have walls?
20 What about the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees there? Try to bring back some of the fruit from that land." (It was the season for the first grapes.)
21 So they went up and explored the land, from the Desert of Zin all the way to Rehob by Lebo Hamath.
22 They went through the southern area to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (The city of Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 In the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch of a grapevine that had one bunch of grapes on it and carried that branch on a pole between two of them. They also got some pomegranates and figs.
24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because the Israelites cut off the bunch of grapes there.
25 After forty days of exploring the land, the men returned to the camp. Desert of Paran. The men reported to them and showed everybody the fruit from the land. 27 They told Moses, "We went to the land where you sent us, and it is a fertile land! Here is some of its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are strong. Their cities are walled and very large. We even saw some Anakites there. 29 The Amalekites live in the southern area; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the mountains; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan River." 30 Then Caleb told the people near Moses to be quiet, and he said, "We should certainly go up and take the land for ourselves. We can certainly do it." 31 But the men who had gone with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And those men gave the Israelites a bad report about the land they explored, saying, "The land that we explored is too large to conquer. All the people we saw are very tall. 33 We saw the Nephilim people there. (The Anakites come from the Nephilim people.) We felt like grasshoppers, and we looked like grasshoppers to them."
1 Jehovah now instructed Moses, 2 "Send spies into the land of Canaan-the land I am giving to Israel; send one leader from each tribe."
3-15 (The Israelis were camped in the wilderness of Paran at the time.) Moses did as the Lord had commanded and sent these twelve tribal leaders:
Shammua, son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben;
Shaphat, son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon;
Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah;
Igal, son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar;
Hoshea,
son of Nun, from the half-tribe of Ephraim;
Palti, son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin;
Gaddiel, son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulun;
Gaddi, son of Susi, from the tribe of Joseph (actually, the half-tribe of Manasseh);
Ammiel, son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan;
Sethur, son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher;
Nahbi, son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali;
Geuel, son of Machi, from the tribe of Gad.
16 It was at this time that Moses changed Hoshea's name to Joshua.
17 Moses sent them out with these instructions: "Go northward into the hill country of the Negeb, 18 and see what the land is like; see also what the people are like who live there, whether they are strong or weak, many or few; 19 and whether the land is fertile or not; and what cities there are, and whether they are villages or are fortified; 20 whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are many trees. Don't be afraid, and bring back some samples of the crops you see." (The first of the grapes were being harvested at that time.)
21 So they spied out the land all the way from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Hamath. 22 Going northward, they passed first through the Negeb and arrived at Hebron. There they saw the Ahimanites, Sheshites, and Talmites, all families descended from Anak. (By the way, Hebron was very ancient, having been founded seven years before Tanis in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to what is now known as the valley of Eshcol where they cut down a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also took some samples of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The Israelis named the valley "Eshcol" at that time (meaning "Cluster") because of the cluster of grapes they found!
25 After forty days of exploration they returned from their tour. 26 They made their report to Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and they showed the fruit they had brought with them.
27 This was their report: "We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country-a land `flowing with milk and honey.' Here is some fruit we have brought as proof. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their cities are fortified and very large; and what's more, we saw Anakim giants there! 29 The Amalekites live in the south, while in the hill country there are the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites; down along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in the Jordan River Valley are the Canaanites."
30 But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses. "Let us go up at once and possess it," he said, "for we are well able to conquer it!"
31 "Not against people as strong as they are!" the other spies said. "They would crush us!"
32 So the majority report of the spies was negative: "The land is full of warriors, the people are powerfully built, 33 and we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them, they were so tall!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,255
5,5,9,333
6,6,11,386
7,7,13,441
8,8,15,495
9,9,17,548
10,10,19,602
11,11,21,657
12,12,23,731
13,13,25,786
14,14,27,845
15,15,29,901
16,16,31,950
17,17,33,1074
18,18,35,1182
19,19,37,1291
20,20,39,1436
21,21,41,1606
22,22,43,1712
23,23,45,1907
24,24,47,2110
25,33,49,2220
1,2,1,1
3,15,3,140
16,16,18,948
17,20,20,1018
21,24,22,1567
25,26,24,2283
27,29,26,2516
30,30,28,3058
31,31,30,3209
32,33,32,3304
POSITIVES NUMBE 13:25-29
God told the Israelites that the rich and plentiful Promised Land would be theirs. When the spies reported back to Moses, they couldn't stop focusing on their fear, and so forgot God's promise to help. When facing tough decisions, don't let fear of potential difficulties blind you to God's power to help and his promise to guide.
TRUTH NUMBE 13:31-32
The Israelites didn't trust God-and in their self-doubt, their decision made sense. But they forgot a promise from God is a sure thing, no matter how unlikely it seems. God's truth is set apart from feelings, situations, or majority opinions. Caleb stood for the truth-he knew God's promises could be depended on. Are you willing to stand against the pressure of popular opinion to do what God's word says?
NUMBE014
ADVICE
1 That night all the people in the camp began crying loudly.
2 All the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron, and all the people said to them, "We wish we had died in Egypt or in this desert.
3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land to be killed with swords? Our wives and children will be taken away. We would be better off going back to Egypt."
4 They said to each other, "Let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt."
5 Then Moses and Aaron bowed facedown in front of all the Israelites gathered there.
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who had explored the land, tore their clothes.
7 They said to all of the Israelites, "The land we explored is very good.
8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land and give us that fertile land.
9 Don't turn against the LORD! Don't be afraid of the people in that land! We will chew them up. They have no protection, but the LORD is with us. So don't be afraid of them."
10 Then all the people talked about killing them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the Meeting Tent to all the Israelites.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people ignore me? How long will they not believe me in spite of the miracles I have done among them?
12 I will give them a terrible sickness and get rid of them. But I will make you into a great nation that will be stronger than they are."
13 Then Moses said to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it! You brought these people from there by your great power,
14 and the Egyptians will tell this to those who live in this land. They have already heard about you, LORD. They know that you are with your people and that you were seen face to face. They know that your cloud stays over your people and that you lead your people with that cloud during the day and with fire at night.
15 If you put these people to death all at once, the nations who have heard about your power will say,
16 `The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.'
17 "So show your strength now, Lord. Do what you said:
18 `The LORD doesn't become angry quickly, but he has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the LORD never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, he will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.'
19 By your great love, forgive these people's sin, just as you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now."
20 The LORD answered, "I have forgiven them as you asked.
21 But, as surely as I live and as surely as my glory fills the whole earth, I make this promise:
22 All these men saw my glory and the miracles I did in Egypt and in the desert, but they disobeyed me and tested me ten times.
23 So not one of them will see the land I promised to their ancestors. No one who rejected me will see that land.
24 But my servant Caleb thinks differently and follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land he has already seen, and his children will own that land.
25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, leave tomorrow and follow the desert road toward the Red Sea."
26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
27 "How long will these evil people complain about me? I have heard the grumbling and complaining of these Israelites.
28 So tell them, `This is what the LORD says. I heard what you said, and as surely as I live, I will do those very things to you:
29 You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is twenty years old or older and who was counted with the people- all of you who complained against me- will die.
30 Not one of you will enter the land where I promised you would live; only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will go in.
31 You said that your children would be taken away, but I will bring them into the land to enjoy what you refused.
32 As for you, you will die in this desert.
33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years. Because you were not loyal, they will suffer until you lie dead in the desert.
34 For forty years you will suffer for your sins- a year for each of the forty days you explored the land. You will know me as your enemy.'
35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will certainly do these things to all these evil people who have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert."
36 The men Moses had sent to explore the land had returned and spread complaints among all the people. They had given a bad report about the land.
37 The men who gave a very bad report died; the LORD killed them with a terrible sickness.
38 Only two of the men who explored the land did not die- Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh.
39 When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, they were very sad.
40 Early the next morning they started to go toward the top of the mountains, saying, "We have sinned. We will go where the LORD told us."
41 But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the LORD' s command? You will not win!
42 Don't go, because the LORD is not with you and you will be beaten by your enemies.
43 You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will kill you with swords. You have turned away from the LORD, so the LORD will not be with you."
44 But they were proud. They went toward the top of the mountains, but Moses and the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD did not leave the camp.
45 The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those mountains came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back all the way to Hormah.
1 Then all the people began weeping aloud, and they carried on all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron.
"We wish we had died in Egypt," they wailed, "or even here in the wilderness, 3 rather than be taken into this country ahead of us. Jehovah will kill us there, and our wives and little ones will become slaves. Let's get out of here and return to Egypt!" 4 The idea swept the camp. "Let's elect a leader to take us back to Egypt!" they shouted.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face downward on the ground before the people of Israel. 6 Two of the spies, Joshua (the son of Nun), and Caleb (the son of Jephunneh), ripped their clothing 7 and said to all the people, "It is a wonderful country ahead, 8 and the Lord loves us. He will bring us safely into the land and give it to us. It is very fertile, a land `flowing with milk and honey'! 9 Oh, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land. For they are but bread for us to eat! The Lord is with us and he has removed his protection from them! Don't be afraid of them!"
10-11 But the only response of the people was to talk of stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared, and the Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people despise me? Will they never believe me, even after all the miracles I have done among them? 12 I will disinherit them and destroy them with a plague, and I will make you into a nation far greater and mightier than they are!"
13 "But what will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?" Moses pleaded with the Lord. "They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people. 14 They have told this to the inhabitants of this land, who are well aware that you are with Israel and that you talk with her face-to-face. They see the pillar of cloud and fire standing above us, and they know that you lead and protect us day and night. 15 Now if you kill all your people, the nations that have heard your fame will say, 16 `The Lord had to kill them because he wasn't able to take care of them in the wilderness. He wasn't strong enough to bring them into the land he swore he would give them.'
17-18 "Oh, please, show the great power of your patience by forgiving our sins and showing us your steadfast love. Forgive us, even though you have said that you don't let sin go unpunished, and that you punish the father's fault in the children to the third and fourth generation. 19 Oh, I plead with you, pardon the sins of this people because of your magnificent, steadfast love, just as you have forgiven them all the time from when we left Egypt until now."
20-21 Then the Lord said, "All right, I will pardon them as you have requested. But I vow by my own name that just as it is true that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 so it is true that not one of the men who has seen my glory and the miracles I did both in Egypt and in the wilderness-and ten times refused to trust me and obey me-23 shall even see the land I promised to this people's ancestors. 24 But my servant Caleb is a different kind of man-he has obeyed me fully. I will bring him into the land he entered as a spy, and his descendants shall have their full share in it. 25 But now, since the people of Israel are so afraid of the Amalekites and the Canaanites living in the valleys, tomorrow you must turn back into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea."
26-27 Then the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, "How long will this wicked nation complain about me? For I have heard all that they have been saying. 28 Tell them, `The Lord vows to do to you what you feared: 29 You will all die here in this wilderness! Not a single one of you twenty years old and older, who has complained against me, 30 shall enter the Promised Land. Only Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun) are permitted to enter it.
31 " `You said your children would become slaves of the people of the land. Well, instead I will bring them safely into the land and they shall inherit what you have despised. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 You must wander in the desert like nomads for forty years. In this way you will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the desert.
34-35 " `Since the spies were in the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years-a year for each day, bearing the burden of your sins. I will teach you what it means to reject me. I, Jehovah, have spoken. Every one of you who has conspired against me shall die here in this wilderness.' "
36-38 Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people were struck dead before the Lord. Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive. 39 What sorrow there was throughout the camp when Moses reported God's words to the people!
40 They were up early the next morning and started toward the Promised Land.
"Here we are!" they said. "We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to go on into the land the Lord has promised us."
41 But Moses said, "It's too late. Now you are disobeying the Lord's orders to return to the wilderness. 42 Don't go ahead with your plan or you will be crushed by your enemies, for the Lord is not with you. 43 Don't you remember? The Amalekites and the Canaanites are there! You have deserted the Lord, and now he will desert you."
44 But they went ahead into the hill country, despite the fact that neither the Ark nor Moses left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in the hills came down and attacked them and chased them to Hormah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,69
3,3,5,212
4,4,7,375
5,5,9,453
6,6,11,543
7,7,13,642
8,8,15,722
9,9,17,822
10,10,19,1002
11,11,21,1152
12,12,23,1306
13,13,25,1450
14,14,27,1579
15,15,29,1906
16,16,31,2016
17,17,33,2129
18,18,35,2188
19,19,37,2488
20,20,39,2616
21,21,41,2678
22,22,43,2781
23,23,45,2915
24,24,47,3035
25,25,49,3201
26,26,51,3343
27,27,53,3384
28,28,55,3507
29,29,57,3641
30,30,59,3812
31,31,61,3949
32,32,63,4068
33,33,65,4116
34,34,67,4257
35,35,69,4401
36,36,71,4579
37,37,73,4731
38,38,75,4826
39,39,77,4934
40,40,79,5014
41,41,81,5159
42,42,83,5246
43,43,85,5341
44,44,87,5500
45,45,89,5648
1,4,1,1
5,9,4,499
10,12,6,1098
13,16,8,1490
17,19,9,2169
20,25,11,2635
26,30,13,3441
31,33,15,3896
34,35,17,4300
36,39,18,4617
40,40,20,4920
41,43,23,5131
44,45,25,5467
-^041
ADVICE NUMBE 14:10
Two wise men, Joshua and Caleb, encouraged the people to act on God's promise. The people rejected their advice and even talked of killing them. Don't be too quick to reject advice you don't like. Evaluate it care-fully; weigh it against God's word. What you are hearing may be God's message.
NUMBE015
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them, `When you enter the land that I am giving you as a home,
3 give the LORD offerings made by fire. These may be from your herds or flocks, as a smell pleasing to the LORD. These may be burnt offerings or sacrifices for special promises, or as gifts to him, or as festival offerings.
4 The one who brings the offering shall also give the LORD a grain offering. It should be two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of olive oil.
5 Each time you offer a lamb as a burnt offering or sacrifice, also prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering.
6 "`If you are giving a male sheep, also prepare a grain offering of four quarts of fine flour mixed with one and one-fourth quarts of olive oil.
7 Also prepare one and one-fourth quarts of wine as a drink offering. Its smell will be pleasing to the LORD.
8 "`If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, whether it is for a special promise or a fellowship offering to the LORD,
9 bring a grain offering with the bull. It should be six quarts of fine flour mixed with two quarts of olive oil.
10 Also bring two quarts of wine as a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell will be pleasing to the LORD.
11 Prepare each bull or male sheep, lamb or young goat this way.
12 Do this for every one of the animals you bring.
13 "`All citizens must do these things in this way, and the smell of their offerings by fire will be pleasing to the LORD.
14 From now on if foreigners who live among you want to make offerings by fire so the smell will be pleasing to the LORD, they must offer them the same way you do.
15 The law is the same for you and for foreigners, and it will be from now on; you and the foreigners are alike before the LORD.
16 The teachings and rules are the same for you and for the foreigners among you.' "
17 The LORD said to Moses,
18 "Tell the Israelites: `You are going to another land, where I am taking you.
19 When you eat the food there, offer part of it to the LORD.
20 Offer a loaf of bread from the first of your grain, which will be your offering from the threshing floor.
21 From now on offer to the LORD the first part of your grain.
22 "`Now what if you forget to obey any of these commands the LORD gave Moses?
23 These are the LORD' s commands given to you through Moses, which began the day the LORD gave them to you and will continue from now on.
24 If the people forget to obey one of these commands, all the people must offer a young bull as a burnt offering, a smell pleasing to the LORD. By law you must also give the grain offering and the drink offering with it, and you must bring a male goat as a sin offering.
25 "`The priest will remove that sin for all the Israelites so they will belong to the LORD. They are forgiven, because they didn't know they were sinning. For the wrong they did they brought offerings to the LORD, an offering by fire and a sin offering.wsin offering
26 So all of the people of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven. No one meant to do wrong.
27 "`If just one person sins without meaning to, a year-old female goat must be brought for a sin offering.
28 The priest will remove the sin of the person who sinned accidentally. He will remove it before the LORD, and the person will be forgiven.
29 The same teaching is for everyone who sins accidentally- for those born Israelites and for foreigners living among you.
30 "`But anyone who sins on purpose is against the LORD and must be cut off from the people, whether it is someone born among you or a foreigner.
31 That person has turned against the LORD' s word and has not obeyed his commands. Such a person must surely be cut off from the others. He is guilty.' "
32 When the Israelites were still in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and all the people.
34 They held the man under guard, because they did not know what to do with him.
35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man must surely die. All the people must kill him by throwing stones at him outside the camp."
36 So all the people took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.
37 The LORD said to Moses,
38 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them this: `Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread in each one of these tassels. Wear them from now on.
39 You will have these tassels to look at to remind you of all the LORD' s commands. Then you will obey them and not be disloyal by following what your bodies and eyes want.
40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and you will be God's holy people.
41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.' "
1 The Lord told Moses to give these instructions to the people of Israel: "When your children finally live in the land I am going to give them, 3-4 and they want to please the Lord with a burnt offering or any other offering by fire, their sacrifice must be an animal from their flocks of sheep and goats, or from their herds of cattle. Each sacrifice-whether an ordinary one, or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or a freewill offering, or a special sacrifice at any of the annual festivals-must be accompanied by a grain offering. If a lamb is being sacrificed, use three quarts of fine flour mixed with three pints of oil, 5 accompanied by three pints of wine for a drink offering.
6 "If the sacrifice is a ram, use six quarts of fine flour mixed with four pints of oil, 7 and four pints of wine for a drink offering. This will be a sacrifice that is a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
8-9 "If the sacrifice is a young bull, then the grain offering accompanying it must consist of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with three quarts of oil, 10 plus three quarts of wine for the drink offering. This shall be offered by fire as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
11-12 "These are the instructions for what is to accompany each sacrificial bull, ram, lamb, or young goat. 13-14 These instructions apply both to native-born Israelis and to foreigners living among you who want to please the Lord with sacrifices offered by fire; 15-16 for there is the same law for all, native-born or foreigner, and this shall be true forever from generation to generation; all are the same before the Lord. Yes, one law for all!"
17-18 The Lord also said to Moses at this time, "Instruct the people of Israel that when they arrive in the land that I am going to give them, 19-21 they must present to the Lord a sample of each year's new crops by making a loaf, using coarse flour from the first grain that is cut each year. This loaf must be waved back and forth before the altar in a gesture of offering to the Lord. It is an annual offering from your threshing floor and must be observed from generation to generation.
22 "If by mistake you or future generations fail to carry out all of these regulations that the Lord has given you over the years through Moses, 23-24 then when the people realize their error, they must offer one young bull for a burnt offering. It will be a pleasant odor before the Lord, and must be offered along with the usual grain offering and drink offering, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all of the people of Israel and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have corrected it with their sacrifice made by fire before the Lord, and by their sin offering. 26 All the people shall be forgiven, including the foreigners living among them, for the entire population is involved in such error and forgiveness.
27 "If the error is made by a single individual, then he shall sacrifice a one-year-old female goat for a sin offering, 28 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven. 29 This same law applies to individual foreigners who are living among you.
30 "But anyone who deliberately makes the `mistake,' whether he is a native Israeli or a foreigner, is blaspheming Jehovah, and shall be cut off from among his people. 31 For he has despised the commandment of the Lord and deliberately failed to obey his law; he must be executed and die in his sin."
32 One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, one of them was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 He was arrested and taken before Moses and Aaron and the other judges.
34 They jailed him until they could find out the Lord's mind concerning him.
35 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die-all the people shall stone him to death outside the camp."
36 So they took him outside the camp and killed him as the Lord had commanded.
37-38 The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to make tassels for the hems of their clothes (this is a permanent regulation from generation to generation) and to attach the tassels to their clothes with a blue cord. 39 The purpose of this regulation is to remind you, whenever you notice the tassels, of the commandments of the Lord, and that you are to obey his laws instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you used to do in serving other gods. 40 It will remind you to be holy to your God. 41 For I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt; yes, I am the Lord, your God."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,136
4,4,7,364
5,5,9,523
6,6,11,646
7,7,13,800
8,8,15,915
9,9,17,1066
10,10,19,1187
11,11,21,1320
12,12,23,1391
13,13,25,1446
14,14,27,1573
15,15,29,1741
16,16,31,1875
17,17,33,1966
18,18,35,1997
19,19,37,2083
20,20,39,2149
21,21,41,2262
22,22,43,2330
23,23,45,2414
24,24,47,2559
25,25,49,2835
26,26,51,3114
27,27,53,3238
28,28,55,3352
29,29,57,3497
30,30,59,3626
31,31,61,3780
32,32,63,3944
33,33,65,4049
34,34,67,4143
35,35,69,4229
36,36,71,4365
37,37,73,4470
38,38,75,4501
39,39,77,4712
40,40,79,4896
41,41,81,4986
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,685
8,10,5,891
11,16,7,1167
17,21,9,1620
22,26,11,2114
27,29,13,2896
30,31,15,3185
32,33,17,3489
34,34,19,3686
35,35,21,3766
36,36,23,3878
37,41,25,3960
NUMBE016
1 Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On turned against Moses. (Korah was the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; Dathan and Abiram were brothers, the sons of Eliab; and On was the son of Peleth; Dathan, Abiram, and On were from the tribe of Reuben.)
2 These men gathered two hundred fifty other Israelite men, well-known leaders chosen by the community, and challenged Moses.
3 They came as a group to speak to Moses and Aaron and said, "You have gone too far. All the people are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. So why do you put yourselves above all the people of the LORD?"
4 When Moses heard this, he bowed facedown.
5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who belongs to him. He will bring the one who is holy near to him; he will bring to himself the person he chooses.
6 So Korah, you and all your followers do this: Get some pans for burning incense.
7 Tomorrow put fire and incense in them and take them before the LORD. He will choose the man who is holy. You Levites have gone too far."
8 Moses also said to Korah, "Listen, you Levites.
9 The God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelites. He brought you near to himself to do the work in the LORD' s Holy Tent and to stand before all the Israelites and serve them. Isn't that enough?
10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near to himself, yet now you want to be priests.
11 You and your followers have joined together against the LORD. Your complaint is not against Aaron."
12 Then Moses called Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come!
13 You have brought us out of a fertile land to this desert to kill us, and now you want to order us around.
14 You haven't brought us into a fertile land; you haven't given us any land with fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? No! We will not come!"
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Don't accept their gifts. I have not taken anything from them, not even a donkey, and I have not done wrong to any of them."
16 Then Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers must stand before the LORD tomorrow. And Aaron will stand there with you and them.
17 Each of you must take your pan and put incense in it; present these two hundred fifty pans before the LORD. You and Aaron must also present your pans."
18 So each man got his pan and put burning incense in it and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
19 Korah gathered all his followers who were against Moses and Aaron, and they stood at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to everyone.
20 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
21 "Move away from these men so I can destroy them quickly."
22 But Moses and Aaron bowed facedown and cried out, "God, you are the God over the spirits of all people. Please don't be angry with this whole group. Only one man has really sinned."
23 Then the LORD said to Moses,
24 "Tell everyone to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
25 Moses stood and went to Dathan and Abiram; the older leaders of Israel followed him.
26 Moses warned the people, "Move away from the tents of these evil men! Don't touch anything of theirs, or you will be destroyed because of their sins."
27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were standing outside their tents with their wives, children, and little babies.
28 Then Moses said, "Now you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things; it was not my idea.
29 If these men die a normal death- the way men usually die- then the LORD did not really send me.
30 But if the LORD does something new, you will know they have insulted the LORD. The ground will open and swallow them. They will be buried alive and will go to the place of the dead, and everything that belongs to them will go with them."
31 When Moses finished saying these things, the ground under the men split open.
32 The earth opened and swallowed them and all their families. All Korah's men and everything they owned went down.
33 They were buried alive, going to the place of the dead, and everything they owned went with them. Then the earth covered them. They died and were gone from the community.
34 The people of Israel around them heard their screams and ran away, saying, "The earth will swallow us, too!"
35 Then a fire came down from the LORD and destroyed the two hundred fifty men who had presented the incense.
36 The LORD said to Moses,
37 "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take all the incense pans out of the fire. Have him scatter the coals a long distance away. But the incense pans are still holy.
38 Take the pans of these men who sinned and lost their lives, and hammer them into flat sheets that will be used to cover the altar. They are holy, because they were presented to the LORD, and they will be a sign to the Israelites."
39 So Eleazar the priest gathered all the bronze pans that had been brought by the men who were burned up. He had the pans hammered into flat sheets to put on the altar,
40 as the LORD had commanded him through Moses. These sheets were to remind the Israelites that only descendants of Aaron should burn incense before the LORD. Anyone else would die like Korah and his followers.
41 The next day all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron and said, "You have killed the LORD' s people."
42 When the people gathered to complain against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Meeting Tent, and the cloud covered it. The glory of the LORD appeared.
43 Then Moses and Aaron went in front of the Meeting Tent.
44 The LORD said to Moses,
45 "Move away from these people so I can destroy them quickly." So Moses and Aaron bowed facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Get your pan, and put fire from the altar and incense in it. Hurry to the people and remove their sin. The LORD is angry with them; the sickness has already started."
47 So Aaron did as Moses said. He ran to the middle of the people, where the sickness had already started among them. So Aaron offered the incense to remove their sin.
48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the sickness stopped there.
49 But 14,700 people died from that sickness, in addition to those who died because of Korah.
50 Then Aaron went back to Moses at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. The terrible sickness had been stopped.
1 One day Korah (son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, and a descendant of Levi) conspired with Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab) and On (the son of Peleth), all three from the tribe of Reuben, 2 to incite a rebellion against Moses. Two hundred and fifty popular leaders, all members of the Assembly, were involved.
3 They went to Moses and Aaron and said, "We have had enough of your presumption; you are no better than anyone else; everyone in Israel has been chosen of the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to put yourselves forward, claiming that we must obey you, and acting as though you were greater than anyone else among all these people of the Lord?"
4 When Moses heard what they were saying he fell face downward to the ground. 5 Then he said to Korah and to those who were with him, "In the morning the Lord will show you who are his, and who is holy, and whom he has chosen as his priest. 6-7 Do this: You, Korah, and all those with you, take censers tomorrow and light them, and put incense upon them before the Lord, and we will find out whom the Lord has chosen. You are the presumptuous ones, you sons of Levi."
8-9 Then Moses spoke again to Korah: "Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the people of Israel to be near to himself as you work in the Tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the people to minister to them? 10 Is it nothing to you that he has given this task to only you Levites? And now are you demanding the priesthood also? 11-12 That is what you are really after! That is why you are revolting against Jehovah. And what has Aaron done, that you are dissatisfied with him?" Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab), but they refused to come.
13 "Is it a small thing," they mimicked, "that you brought us out of lovely Egypt to kill us here in this terrible wilderness, and that now you want to make yourself our king? 14 What's more, you haven't brought us into the wonderful country you promised, nor given us fields and vineyards. Whom are you trying to fool? We refuse to come."
15 Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, "Do not accept their sacrifices! I have never stolen so much as a donkey from them and have not hurt one of them."
16 And Moses said to Korah, "Come here tomorrow before the Lord with all your friends; Aaron will be here too. 17 Be sure to bring your censers with incense on them; a censer for each man, 250 in all; and Aaron will also be here with his."
18 So they did. They came with their censers and lit them and placed the incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron. 19 Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire nation against Moses and Aaron, and they all assembled to watch. Then the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people, 20 and Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, 21 "Get away from these people so that I may instantly destroy them."
22 But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the ground before the Lord. "O<N>God, the God of all mankind," they pleaded, "must you be angry with all the people when one man sins?"
23-24 And the Lord said to Moses, "Then tell the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
25 So Moses rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed closely by the 250 Israeli leaders. 26 "Quick!" he told the people, "get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don't touch anything that belongs to them, lest you be included in their sins and be destroyed with them."
27 So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents with their wives and sons and little ones.
28 And Moses said, "By this you shall know that Jehovah has sent me to do all these things that I have done-for I have not done them on my own. 29 If these men die a natural death or from some ordinary accident or disease, then Jehovah has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord does a miracle and the ground opens up and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord."
31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them, 32 and a great fissure swallowed them up, along with their tents and families and the friends who were standing with them, and everything they owned. 33 So they went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them, and they perished. 34 All of the people of Israel fled at their screams, fearing that the earth would swallow them too. 35 Then fire came from Jehovah and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.
36-37 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to pull those censers from the fire; for they are holy, dedicated to the Lord. He must also scatter the burning incense 38 from the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives. He shall then beat the metal into a sheet as a covering for the altar, for these censers are holy because they were used before the Lord; and the altar sheet shall be a reminder to the people of Israel."
39 So Eleazar the priest took the 250 bronze censers and beat them out into a sheet of metal to cover the altar, 40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel that no unauthorized person-no one who is not a descendant of Aaron-may come before the Lord to burn incense, lest the same thing happen to him as happened to Korah and his associates. Thus the Lord's directions to Moses were carried out.
41 But the very next morning all the people began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the Lord's people."
42 Soon a great, sullen mob formed; suddenly, as they looked toward the Tabernacle, the Cloud appeared and the awesome glory of the Lord was seen. 43-44 Moses and Aaron came and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and the Lord said to Moses, 45 "Get away from these people so that I can instantly destroy them." But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the earth before the Lord.
46 And Moses said to Aaron, "Quick, take a censer and place fire in it from the altar; lay incense on it, and carry it quickly among the people and make atonement for them; for God's anger has gone out among them-the plague has already begun."
47 Aaron did as Moses had told him to, and ran among the people, for the plague had indeed already begun; and he put on the incense and made atonement for them. 48 And he stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was stopped, 49 but not before 14,700 people had died (in addition to those who had died the previous day with Korah). 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle; and so the plague was stopped.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,262
3,3,5,392
4,4,7,618
5,5,9,667
6,6,11,871
7,7,13,958
8,8,15,1101
9,9,17,1155
10,10,19,1378
11,11,21,1481
12,12,23,1588
13,13,25,1686
14,14,27,1800
15,15,29,1971
16,16,31,2156
17,17,33,2302
18,18,35,2461
19,19,37,2592
20,20,39,2771
21,21,41,2812
22,22,43,2879
23,23,45,3070
24,24,47,3106
25,25,49,3187
26,26,51,3279
27,27,53,3439
28,28,55,3609
29,29,57,3725
30,30,59,3829
31,31,61,4074
32,32,63,4160
33,33,65,4286
34,34,67,4468
35,35,69,4587
36,36,71,4705
37,37,73,4736
38,38,75,4915
39,39,77,5156
40,40,79,5335
41,41,81,5556
42,42,83,5683
43,43,85,5849
44,44,87,5912
45,45,89,5943
46,46,91,6047
47,47,93,6255
48,48,95,6428
49,49,97,6509
50,50,99,6608
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,320
4,7,5,689
8,12,7,1160
13,14,9,1780
15,15,11,2123
16,17,13,2292
18,21,15,2535
22,22,17,2969
23,24,19,3153
25,26,21,3270
27,27,23,3566
28,30,25,3762
31,35,27,4225
36,38,29,4747
39,40,31,5227
41,41,33,5626
42,45,35,5765
46,46,37,6154
47,50,39,6401
MOTIVATION NUMBE 16:8-10
Korah wanted the special qualities God had given others, even though he had his own significant, worthwhile abilities and responsibilities. In the end, his ambition caused him to lose everything. Inappropriate ambition is greed in disguise.
REVENGE NUMBE 16:22-27
Moses and Aaron prayed for those with whom they were most angry and frustrated. Do you pray for those who hurt you? Or do you seek revenge? Only those who have a deep relationship with God can understand that he will settle the score with those who rebel. It is not our job to seek revenge against those who wrong us. God will make certain that, in the end, justice is done.
NUMBE017
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the people of Israel and get twelve walking sticks from them- one from the leader of each tribe. Write the name of each man on his stick, and
3 on the stick from Levi, write Aaron's name. There must be one stick for the head of each tribe.
4 Put them in the Meeting Tent in front of the Ark of the Agreement, where I meet with you.
5 I will choose one man whose walking stick will begin to grow leaves; in this way I will stop the Israelites from always complaining against you."
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites. Each of the twelve leaders gave him a walking stick- one from each tribe- and Aaron's walking stick was among them.
7 Moses put them before the LORD in the Tent of the Agreement.
8 The next day, when Moses entered the Tent, he saw that Aaron's stick (which stood for the family of Levi) had grown leaves. It had even budded, blossomed, and produced almonds.
9 So Moses brought out to the Israelites all the walking sticks from the LORD' s presence. They all looked, and each man took back his stick.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Put Aaron's walking stick back in front of the Ark of the Agreement. It will remind these people who are always turning against me to stop their complaining against me so they won't die."
11 So Moses obeyed what the LORD commanded him.
12 The people of Israel said to Moses, "We are going to die! We are destroyed. We are all destroyed!
13 Anyone who even comes near the Holy Tent of the LORD will die. Will we all die?"
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel that each of their tribal chiefs is to bring you a wooden rod with his name inscribed upon it. Aaron's name is to be on the rod of the tribe of Levi. 4 Put these rods in the inner room of the Tabernacle where I meet with you, in front of the Ark. 5 I will use these rods to identify the man I have chosen: for buds will grow on his rod! Then at last this murmuring and complaining against you will stop!"
6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people, and each of the twelve chiefs (including Aaron) brought him a rod. 7 He put them before the Lord in the inner room of the Tabernacle, 8 and when he went in the next day, he found that Aaron's rod, representing the tribe of Levi, had budded and was blossoming, and had ripe almonds hanging from it!
9 When Moses brought them out to show the others, they stared in disbelief! Then each man except Aaron claimed his rod. 10 The Lord told Moses to place Aaron's rod permanently beside the Ark as a reminder of this rebellion. He was to bring it out and show it to the people again if there were any further complaints about Aaron's authority; this would ward off further catastrophe to the people. 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.
12-13 But the people of Israel only grumbled the more. "We are as good as dead," they whined. "Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle dies. Must we all perish?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,189
4,4,7,291
5,5,9,387
6,6,11,540
7,7,13,699
8,8,15,767
9,9,17,951
10,10,19,1098
11,11,21,1323
12,12,23,1375
13,13,25,1487
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,467
9,11,5,816
12,13,7,1259
REBELLION NUMBE 17:12-13
After witnessing spectacular miracles, seeing the Egyptians punished by the plagues, and experiencing the actual presence of God, the Israelites still complained and rebelled. We wonder how they could be so blind and ignorant, and yet we often repeat this same pattern. We have centuries of evidence, the Bible in many translations, and the convincing results of archaeological and historical studies to show us God is who he says he is. But people today continue to disobey God and go their own way. We can escape this pattern only by paying attention to all the signs of God's presence that we have been given. Has God guided and protected you? Has he answered your prayers? Do you know Bible stories about the way God has led his people? Focus your thoughts on these things, and rebellion will become unthinkable.
NUMBE018
D(\(2*
1 The LORD said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your family are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place; you and your sons are responsible for any wrongs done against the priests.
2 Bring with you your fellow Levites from your tribe, and they will help you and your sons serve in the Tent of the Agreement.
3 They are under your control, to do all the work that needs to be done in the Tent. But they must not go near the things in the Holy Place or near the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.
4 They will join you in taking care of the Meeting Tent. They must do the work at the Tent, and no one else may come near you.
5 "You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won't become angry with the Israelites again.
6 I myself chose your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift given for you to the LORD, to work at the Meeting Tent.
7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and anyone else who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death."
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, "I myself make you responsible for the offerings given to me. All the holy offerings that the Israelites give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your continual portion.
9 Your share of the holy offerings is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as most holy offerings, whether they are grain or sin or penalty offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons.
10 You must eat the offering in a most holy place. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.
11 "I also give you the offerings the Israelites present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your continual share. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat it.
12 "And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. This is what the Israelites give to me, the LORD, from the first crops they harvest.
13 When they bring to the LORD all the first things they harvest, they will be yours. Anyone in your family who is clean may eat these things.
14 "Everything in Israel that is given to the LORD is yours.
15 The first one born to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the LORD. And that will be yours. But you must make a payment for every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean.
16 When they are one month old, you must make a payment for them of two ounces of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure.
17 "But you must not make a payment for the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire. The smell is pleasing to the LORD.
18 But the meat will be yours, just as the breast that is presented and the right thigh will be yours.
19 Anything the Israelites present as holy gifts I, the LORD, give to you, your sons and daughters as your continual portion. This is a lasting agreement of salt before the LORD for you and your children forever."
20 The LORD also said to Aaron, "You will not inherit any of the land, and you will not own any land among the other people. I will be yours. Out of all the Israelites, only you will inherit me.
21 "When the people of Israel give me a tenth of what they make, I will give that tenth to the Levites. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent.
22 But the other Israelites must never go near the Meeting Tent, or they will die for their sin.
23 Only the Levites should work in the Meeting Tent and be responsible for any sins against it. This is a rule from now on. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other Israelites,
24 but when the Israelites give a tenth of everything they make to me, I will give that tenth to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: `They will not inherit any land among the Israelites.' "
25 The LORD said to Moses,
26 "Speak to the Levites and tell them: `You will receive a tenth of everything the Israelites make, which I will give to you. But you must give a tenth of that back to the LORD.
27 I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give new grain or new wine.
28 In this way you will present an offering to the LORD as the other Israelites do. When you receive a tenth from the Israelites, you will give a tenth of that to Aaron, the priest, as the LORD' s share.
29 Choose the best and holiest part from what you are given as the portion you must give to the LORD.'
30 "Say to the Levites: `When you present the best, it will be accepted as much as the grain and wine from the other people.
31 You and your families may eat all that is left anywhere, because it is your pay for your work in the Meeting Tent.
32 And if you always give the best part to the LORD, you will never be guilty. If you do not sin against the holy offerings of the Israelites, you will not die.' "
1 The Lord now spoke to Aaron: "You and your sons and your family are responsible for any desecration of the sanctuary," he said, "and will be held liable for any impropriety in your priestly work.
2-3 "Your kinsmen, the tribe of Levi, are your assistants; but only you and your sons may perform the sacred duties in the Tabernacle itself. The Levites must be careful not to touch any of the sacred articles or the altar, lest I destroy both them and you. 4 No one who is not a member of the tribe of Levi shall assist you in any way. 5 Remember, only the priests are to perform the sacred duties within the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the wrath of God will never again fall upon any of the people of Israel for violating this law. 6 I say it again-your kinsmen the Levites are your assistants for the work of the Tabernacle. They are a gift to you from the Lord. 7 But you and your sons, the priests, shall personally handle all the sacred service, including the altar and all that is within the veil, for the priesthood is your special gift of service. Anyone else who attempts to perform these duties shall die."
8 The Lord gave these further instructions to Aaron: "I have given the priests all the gifts which are brought to the Lord by the people; all these offerings presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving them before the altar belong to you and your sons, by permanent law. 9 The grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings are yours, except for the sample presented to the Lord by burning upon the altar. All these are most holy offerings. 10 They are to be eaten only in a most holy place, and only by males. 11 All other gifts presented to me by the gesture of waving them before the altar are for you and your families, sons and daughters alike. For all the members of your families may eat these unless anyone is ceremonially impure at the time.
12 "Yours also are the first-of-the-harvest gifts the people bring as offerings to the Lord-the best of the olive oil, wine, grain, 13 and every other crop. Your families may eat these unless they are ceremonially defiled at the time. 14-15 So everything that is dedicated to the Lord shall be yours, including the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, and the firstborn of their animals. 16 However, you may never accept the firstborn sons, nor the firstborn of any animals that I do not permit for food. Instead, there must be a payment of two and a half dollars made for each firstborn child. It is to be brought when he is one month old.
17 "However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, or goats may not be bought back; they must be sacrificed to the Lord. Their blood is to be sprinkled upon the altar, and their fat shall be burned as a fire offering; it is very pleasant to the Lord. 18 The meat of these animals shall be yours, including the breast and right thigh that are presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar. 19 Yes, I have given to you all of these `wave offerings' brought by the people of Israel to the Lord; they are for you and your families as food; this is a permanent contract between the Lord and you and your descendants.
20 "You priests may own no property nor have any other income, for I am all that you need.
21 "As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, they shall be paid for their service with the tithes from the entire land of Israel.
22 "From now on, Israelites other than the priests and Levites shall not enter the sanctuary lest they be judged guilty and die. 23 Only the Levites shall do the work there, and they shall be guilty if they fail. This is a permanent law among you, that the Levites shall own no property in Israel, 24 for the people's tithes, offered to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar, shall belong to the Levites; these are their inheritance, and so they have no need for property."
25-26 The Lord also said to Moses, "Tell the Levites to give to the Lord a tenth of the tithes they receive-a tithe of the tithe, to be presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar. 27 The Lord will consider this as your first-of-the-harvest offering to him of grain and wine, as though it were from your own property. 28-29 This tithe of the tithe shall be selected from the choicest part of the tithes you receive as the Lord's portion, and shall be given to Aaron the priest. 30 It shall be credited to you just as though it were from your own threshing floor and winepress. 31 Aaron and his sons and their families may eat it in their homes or anywhere they wish, for it is their compensation for their service in the Tabernacle. 32 You Levites will not be held guilty for accepting the Lord's tithes if you then give the best tenth to the priests. But beware that you do not treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common, lest you die."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,208
3,3,5,342
4,4,7,547
5,5,9,678
6,6,11,796
7,7,13,936
8,8,15,1172
9,9,17,1391
10,10,19,1618
11,11,21,1727
12,12,23,1917
13,13,25,2086
14,14,27,2234
15,15,29,2300
16,16,31,2522
17,17,33,2652
18,18,35,2875
19,19,37,2987
20,20,39,3210
21,21,41,3410
22,22,43,3594
23,23,45,3699
24,24,47,3907
25,25,49,4131
26,26,51,4162
27,27,53,4348
28,28,55,4467
29,29,57,4680
30,30,59,4790
31,31,61,4919
32,32,63,5042
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,202
8,11,5,1157
12,16,7,1927
17,19,9,2574
20,20,11,3199
21,21,13,3293
22,24,15,3427
25,32,17,3917
NUMBE019
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "These are the teachings that the LORD commanded. Tell the Israelites to get a young red cow that does not have anything wrong with it and that has never been worked.
3 Give the cow to Eleazar the priest; he will take it outside the camp and kill it.
4 Then Eleazar the priest must put some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Meeting Tent.
5 The whole cow must be burned while he watches; the skin, the meat, the blood, and the intestines must all be burned.
6 Then the priest must take a cedar stick, a hyssop branch, and a red string and throw them onto the burning cow.
7 After the priest has washed himself and his clothes with water, he may come back into the camp, but he will be unclean until evening.
8 The man who burns the cow must wash himself and his clothes in water; he will be unclean until evening.
9 "Then someone who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The Israelites will keep these ashes to use in the cleansing water, in a special ceremony to cleanse away sin.
10 The man who collected the cow's ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This is a lasting rule for the Israelites and for the foreigners among them.
11 "Those who touch a dead person's body will be unclean for seven days.
12 They must wash themselves with the cleansing water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not wash themselves on the third day and the seventh day, they cannot be clean.
13 If those who touch a dead person's body stay unclean and go to the LORD' s Holy Tent, it becomes unclean; they must be cut off from Israel. If the cleansing water is not sprinkled on them, they are unclean and will stay unclean.
14 "This is the teaching about someone who dies in a tent: Anyone in the tent or anyone who enters it will be unclean for seven days.
15 And every open jar or pot without a cover becomes unclean.
16 If anyone is outside and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died a natural death, or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.
17 "So you must use the ashes from the burnt offering to make that person clean again. Pour fresh water over the ashes into a jar.
18 A clean person must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water, and then he must sprinkle it over the Tent and all its objects. He must also sprinkle the people who were there, as well as anyone who touched a bone, or the body of someone who was killed, or a dead person, or a grave.
19 The person who is clean must sprinkle this water on the unclean people on the third day and on the seventh day. On the seventh day they will become clean. They must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they will be clean that evening.
20 If any who are unclean do not become clean, they must be cut off from the community. Since they were not sprinkled with the cleansing water, they stay unclean, and they could make the LORD' s Holy Tent unclean.
21 This is a lasting rule. Those who sprinkle the cleansing water must also wash their clothes, and anyone who touches the water will be unclean until evening.
22 Anything an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and whoever touches it will be unclean until evening."
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Here is another of my laws: "Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, one that has never been yoked. Give her to Eleazar the priest and he shall take her outside the camp and someone shall kill her as he watches. 4 Eleazar shall take some of her blood upon his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle. 5 Then someone shall burn the heifer as he watches-her hide, meat, blood, and dung. 6 Eleazar shall take cedar wood and hyssop branches and scarlet thread, and throw them into the burning pile.
7 "Then he must wash his clothes, and bathe, and afterwards return to the camp and be ceremonially defiled until the evening. 8 And the one who burns the animal must wash his clothes and bathe, and he too shall be defiled until evening. 9 Then someone who is not ceremonially defiled shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them in some purified place outside the camp, where they shall be kept for the people of Israel as a source of water for the purification ceremonies, for removal of sin. 10 And the one who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be defiled until evening; this is a permanent law for the benefit of the people of Israel and any foreigners living among them.
11 "Anyone who touches a dead human body shall be defiled for seven days, 12 and must purify himself the third and seventh days with water run through the ashes of the red heifer; then he will be purified; but if he does not do this on the third day, he will continue to be defiled even after the seventh day. 13 Anyone who touches a dead person and does not purify himself in the manner specified has defiled the Tabernacle of the Lord, and shall be excommunicated from Israel. The cleansing water was not sprinkled upon him, so the defilement continues.
14 "When a man dies in a tent, these are the various regulations: Everyone who enters the tent, and those who are in it at the time, shall be defiled seven days. 15 Any container in the tent without a lid over it is defiled.
16 "If someone out in a field touches the corpse of someone who has been killed in battle or who has died in any other way, or if he even touches a bone or a grave, he shall be defiled seven days. 17 To become purified again, ashes from the red heifer sin offering are to be added to spring water in a kettle. 18 Then a person who is not defiled shall take hyssop branches and dip them into the water and sprinkle the water upon the tent and upon all the pots and pans in the tent, and upon anyone who has been defiled by being in the tent, or by touching a bone, or touching someone who has been killed or is otherwise dead, or has touched a grave. 19 This shall take place on the third and seventh days; then the defiled person must wash his clothes and bathe himself, and that evening he will be out from under the defilement.
20 "But anyone who is defiled and doesn't purify himself shall be excommunicated, for he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, and the water to cleanse him has not been sprinkled upon him; so he remains defiled. 21 This is a permanent law. The man who sprinkles the water must afterwards wash his clothes; and anyone touching the water shall be defiled until evening. 22 And anything a defiled person touches shall be defiled until evening."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,42
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,313
5,5,9,455
6,6,11,579
7,7,13,697
8,8,15,837
9,9,17,948
10,10,19,1176
11,11,21,1355
12,12,23,1433
13,13,25,1657
14,14,27,1897
15,15,29,2035
16,16,31,2102
17,17,33,2295
18,18,35,2430
19,19,37,2729
20,20,39,2976
21,21,41,3200
22,22,43,3371
1,6,1,1
7,10,3,594
11,13,5,1309
14,15,7,1868
16,19,9,2096
20,22,11,2929
NUMBE020
1 In the first month all the people of Israel arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 There was no water for the people, so they came together against Moses and Aaron.
3 They argued with Moses and said, "We should have died in front of the LORD as our brothers did.
4 Why did you bring the LORD' s people into this desert? Are we and our animals to die here?
5 Why did you bring us from Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain, figs, grapevines, or pomegranates, and there's no water to drink!"
6 So Moses and Aaron left the people and went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they bowed facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
7 The LORD said to Moses,
8 "Take your walking stick, and you and your brother Aaron should gather the people. Speak to that rock in front of them so that its water will flow from it. When you bring the water out from that rock, give it to the people and their animals." w
9 So Moses took the stick from in front of the LORD, as he had said.
10 Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock, and Moses said, "Now listen to me, you who turn against God! Do you want us to bring water out of this rock?"
11 Then Moses lifted his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick. Water began pouring out, and the people and their animals drank it.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe me, and because you did not honor me as holy before the people, you will not lead them into the land I will give them."
13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites argued with the LORD and where he showed them he was holy.
14 From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom. He said, "Your brothers, the Israelites, say to you: You know about all the troubles we have had,
15 how our ancestors went down into Egypt and we lived there for many years. The people of Egypt were cruel to us and our ancestors,
16 but when we cried out to the LORD, he heard us and sent us an angel to bring us out of Egypt. "Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your land.
17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not touch any fields of grain or vineyards, and will not drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king's road, not turning right or left until we have passed through your country." But the king of Edom answered: "You may not pass through here. If you try, I will come and meet you with swords." 19 The Israelites answered: "We will go along the main road, and if we or our animals drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to walk through. That's all." 20 But he answered: "You may not pass through here." Then the Edomites went out to meet the Israelites with a large and powerful army. 21 The Edomites refused to let them pass through their country, so the Israelites turned back. 22 All the Israelites moved from Kadesh to Mount Hor, 23 near the border of Edom. There the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 24 "Aaron will die. He will not enter the land that I'm giving to the Israelites, because you both acted against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor, 26 and take off Aaron's special clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will die there; he will join his ancestors." 27 Moses obeyed the LORD' s command. They climbed up Mount Hor, and all the people saw them go. 28 Moses took off Aaron's clothes and put them on Aaron's son Eleazar. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came back down the mountain, 29 and when all the people learned that Aaron was dead, everyone in Israel cried for him for thirty days.
1 The people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin in and camped at Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried. 2 There was not enough water to drink at that place, so the people again rebelled against Moses and Aaron. A great mob formed, 3 and they held a protest meeting.
"Would that we too had died with our dear brothers the Lord killed!" they shouted at Moses. 4 "You have deliberately brought us into this wilderness to get rid of us, along with our flocks and herds. 5 Why did you ever make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this evil place? Where is the fertile land of wonderful crops-the figs, vines, and pomegranates you told us about? Why, there isn't even water enough to drink!"
6 Moses and Aaron turned away and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face downward before the Lord; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to them.
7 And he said to Moses, 8 "Get Aaron's rod; then you and Aaron must summon the people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people and all their cattle!"
9 So Moses did as instructed. He took the rod from the place where it was kept before the Lord; 10 then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock; and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?"
11 Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, and water gushed out; and the people and their cattle drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe me and did not sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you shall not bring them into the land I have promised them!"
13 This place was named Meribah (meaning "Rebel Waters"), because it was where the people of Israel fought against Jehovah, and where he showed himself to be holy before them.
14 While Moses was at Kadesh he sent messengers to the king of Edom: "We are the descendants of your brother, Israel," he declared. "You know our sad history, 15 how our ancestors went down to visit Egypt and stayed there so long, and became slaves of the Egyptians. 16 But when we cried to the Lord he heard us and sent an Angel who brought us out of Egypt, and now we are here at Kadesh, encamped on the borders of your land. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will be careful not to go through your planted fields, nor through your vineyards; we won't even drink water from your wells, but will stay on the main road and not leave it until we have crossed your border on the other side."
18 But the king of Edom said, "Stay out! If you attempt to enter my land, I will meet you with an army!"
19 "But, sir," protested the Israeli ambassadors, "we will stay on the main road and will not even drink your water unless we pay whatever you demand for it. We only want to pass through and nothing else."
20 But the king of Edom was adamant. "Stay out!" he warned, and, mobilizing his army, he marched to the frontier with a great force. 21-22 Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel turned back and journeyed from Kadesh to Mount Hor.
23 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at the border of the land of Edom, 24 "The time has come for Aaron to die-for he shall not enter the land I have given the people of Israel, for the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah. 25 Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar and lead them up onto Mount Hor. 26 There you shall remove Aaron's priestly garments from him and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall die there."
27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. The three of them went up together into Mount Hor as all the people watched. 28 When they reached the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on his son Eleazar; and Aaron died on the top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar returned, 29 and when the people were informed of Aaron's death, they mourned for him for thirty days.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,142
3,3,5,230
4,4,7,334
5,5,9,432
6,6,11,583
7,7,13,741
8,8,15,771
9,9,17,1029
10,10,19,1103
11,11,21,1282
12,12,23,1423
13,13,25,1618
14,14,27,1739
15,15,29,1902
16,16,31,2042
17,29,33,2207
1,5,1,1
6,6,4,703
7,8,6,870
9,10,8,1127
11,11,10,1385
12,12,12,1505
13,13,14,1704
14,17,16,1883
18,18,18,2589
19,19,20,2697
20,22,22,2906
23,26,24,3175
27,29,26,3638
CONFLICT NUMBE 20:17
Moses negotiated and reasoned with the Edomite king. When nothing worked, he was left with two choices-force a conflict or avoid it. Moses knew there would be enough barriers in the days and months ahead. There was no point in adding another one unnecessarily. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable. Sometimes, however, it isn't worth the consequences. Open warfare may seem heroic, courageous, and even righteous, but it is not always the best choice. When we can find another way to solve our problems, even if it is harder for us to do, we should consider Moses' example.
Moral Dilemmas: Anger ,!page "^M004" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
NUMBE021
1 The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the southern area. When he heard that the Israelites were coming on the road to Atharim, he attacked them and captured some of them.
2 Then the Israelites made this promise to the LORD: "If you will help us defeat these people, we will completely destroy their cities."
3 The LORD listened to the Israelites, and he let them defeat the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed the Canaanites and their cities, so the place was named Hormah.
4 The Israelites left Mount Hor and went on the road toward the Red Sea, in order to go around the country of Edom. But the people became impatient on the way
5 and grumbled at God and Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this desert? There is no bread and no water, and we hate this terrible food!"
6 So the LORD sent them poisonous snakes; they bit the people, and many of the Israelites died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we grumbled at you and the LORD. Pray that the LORD will take away these snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a bronze snake, and put it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, that person will live."
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, that person looked at the bronze snake and lived.
10 The Israelites went and camped at Oboth.
11 They went from Oboth to Iye Abarim, in the desert east of Moab.
12 From there they went and camped in the Zered Valley.
13 From there they went and camped across the Arnon, in the desert just inside the Amorite country. The Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.
14 That is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says: "... and Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines, the Arnon,
15 and the slopes of the ravines that lead to the settlement of Ar. These places are at the border of Moab."
16 The Israelites went from there to Beer; a well is there where the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people and I will give them water."
17 Then the Israelites sang this song: "Pour out water, well! Sing about it.
18 Princes dug this well. Important men made it. With their scepters and poles, they dug it." The people went from the desert to Mattanah.
19 From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel and on to Bamoth.
20 From Bamoth they went to the valley of Moab where the top of Mount Pisgah looks over the desert.
21 The Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
22 "Let us pass through your country. We will not go through any fields of grain or vineyards, or drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king's road until we have passed through your country."
23 But King Sihon would not let the Israelites pass through his country. He gathered his whole army together, and they marched out to meet Israel in the desert. At Jahaz they fought the Israelites.
24 Israel killed the king and captured his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They took the land as far as the Ammonite border, which was strongly defended.
25 Israel captured all the Amorite cities and lived in them, taking Heshbon and all the towns around it.
26 Heshbon was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. In the past he had fought with the king of Moab and had taken all the land as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why the poets say: "Come to Heshbon and rebuild it; rebuild Sihon's city.
28 A fire began in Heshbon; flames came from Sihon's city. It destroyed Ar in Moab, and it burned the Arnon highlands.
29 How terrible for you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are ruined. His sons ran away and his daughters were captured by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we defeated those Amorites. We ruined their towns from Heshbon to Dibon, and we destroyed them as far as Nophah, near Medeba."
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 After Moses sent spies to the town of Jazer, they captured the towns around it, forcing out the Amorites who lived there.
33 Then the Israelites went up the road toward Bashan. Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet the Israelites, and they fought at Edrei.
34 The LORD said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of him. I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon."
35 So the Israelites killed Og and his sons and all his army; no one was left alive. And they took his land.
1 When the king of Arad heard that the Israelis were approaching (for they were traveling the same route as the spies), he mobilized his army and attacked Israel, taking some of the men as prisoners. 2 Then the people of Israel vowed to the Lord that if he would help them conquer the king of Arad and his people, they would completely annihilate all the cities of that area. 3 The Lord heeded their request and defeated the Canaanites; and the Israelis completely destroyed them and their cities. The name of the region was thereafter called Hormah (meaning "Utterly Destroyed").
4 Then the people of Israel returned to Mount Hor, and from there continued southward along the road to the Red Sea in order to go around the land of Edom. The people were very discouraged; 5 they began to murmur against God and to complain against Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?" they whined. "There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink, and we hate this insipid manna."
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them to punish them, and many of them were bitten and died.
7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Pray to him to take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the Lord told him, "Make a bronze replica of one of these snakes and attach it to the top of a pole; anyone who is bitten shall live if he simply looks at it!"
9 So Moses made the replica, and whenever anyone who had been bitten looked at the bronze snake, he recovered!
10 Israel journeyed next to Oboth and camped there. 11 Then they went on to Iyeabarim, in the wilderness, a short distance east of Moab, 12 and from there they traveled to the valley of the brook Zared and set up camp. 13 Then they moved to the far side of the Arnon River, near the borders of the Amorites. (The Arnon River is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites. 14 This fact is mentioned in The Book of the Wars of Jehovah, where it is stated that the valley of the Arnon River and the city of Waheb 15 lie between the Amorites and the people of Moab.)
16 Then Israel traveled to Beer (meaning "A Well"). This is the place where the Lord told Moses, "Summon the people, and I will give them water." 17-18 What happened is described in this song the people sang:
Spring up, O<N>well!
Sing of the water!
This is a well
The leaders dug.
It was hollowed
With their staves
And shovels.
Then they left the desert and proceeded on through Mattanah, 19 Nahaliel, and Bamoth; 20 then to the valley in the plateau of Moab, which overlooks the desert with Mount Pisgah in the distance.
21 Israel now sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites.
22 "Let us travel through your land," they requested. "We will not leave the road until we have passed beyond your borders. We won't trample your fields or touch your vineyards or drink your water."
23 But King Sihon refused. Instead he mobilized his army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, battling them at Jahaz. 24 But Israel slaughtered them and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, as far as the borders of the Ammonites; but they were stopped there by the rugged terrain.
25-26 So Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and lived in them, including the city of Heshbon, which had been King Sihon's capital. 27-30 The ancient poets had referred to King Sihon in this poem:
Come to Heshbon,
King Sihon's capital,
For a fire has flamed forth
And devoured
The city of Ar in Moab,
On the heights of the Arnon River.
Woe to Moab!
You are finished,
O<N>people of Chemosh;
Your sons have fled,
And your daughters are captured
By King Sihon of the Amorites.
He has destroyed
The little children
And the men and women
As far as Dibon, Nophah, and Medeba.
31-32 While Israel was there in the Amorite country, Moses sent spies to look over the Jazer area; he followed up with an armed attack, capturing all of the towns and driving out the Amorites. 33 They next turned their attention to the city of Bashan, but King Og of Bashan met them with his army at Edrei. 34 The Lord told Moses not to fear-that the enemy was already conquered! "The same thing will happen to King Og as happened to King Sihon at Heshbon," the Lord assured him. 35 And sure enough, Israel was victorious and killed King Og, his sons, and his subjects, so that not a single survivor remained; and Israel occupied the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,181
3,3,5,324
4,4,7,512
5,5,9,675
6,6,11,846
7,7,13,950
8,8,15,1127
9,9,17,1265
10,10,19,1404
11,11,21,1452
12,12,23,1525
13,13,25,1588
14,14,27,1756
15,15,29,1869
16,16,31,1982
17,17,33,2128
18,18,35,2209
19,19,37,2353
20,20,39,2414
21,21,41,2522
22,22,43,2602
23,23,45,2821
24,24,47,3027
25,25,49,3202
26,26,51,3311
27,27,53,3474
28,28,55,3564
29,29,57,3687
30,30,59,3838
31,31,61,3976
32,32,63,4028
33,33,65,4159
34,34,67,4317
35,35,69,4508
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,585
6,6,5,1013
7,7,7,1118
8,8,9,1307
9,9,11,1477
10,15,13,1591
16,20,15,2170
21,21,25,2717
22,22,27,2782
23,24,29,2984
25,30,31,3295
31,35,49,3927
COMPLAINTS NUMBE 21:5
In Psalm 78, we learn the sources of Israel's complaining: (1) they forgot the miracles God did for them, (2)they demanded more than what God had given them, (3)their repentance was insincere, and (4)they were ungrateful for what God had done for them. Our complaining often has its roots in one of these thought-less actions and attitudes. If we can cut off the source of complaining, it will not take hold and grow in our lives.
ASSURANCE NUMBE 21:34
God assured Moses that Israel's enemy was conquered even before the battle began! God wants to give us victory over our enemies-which usually are the problems related to sin, rather than armed soldiers. First we must believe thathe can help us. Second, we must trust him to help us. Third, we must take thesteps he shows us.
NUMBE022
1 Then the people of Israel went to the plains of Moab, and they camped near the Jordan River across from Jericho.
2 Balak son of Zippor saw everything the Israelites had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was scared of so many Israelites; truly, Moab was terrified by them.
4 The Moabites said to the older leaders of Midian, "These people will take everything around us like an ox eating grass." Balak son of Zippor was the king of Moab at this time.
5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, near the Euphrates River in his native land. Balak said, "A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. They have camped next to me,
6 and they are too powerful for me. So come and put a curse on them. Maybe then I can defeat them and make them leave the area. I know that if you bless someone, the blessings happen, and if you put a curse on someone, it happens."
7 The older leaders of Moab and Midian went with payment in their hands. When they found Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 Balaam said to them, "Stay here for the night, and I will tell you what the LORD tells me." So the Moabite leaders stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"
10 Balaam said to God, "The king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, sent them to me with this message:
11 `A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. So come and put a curse on them, and maybe I can fight them and force them out of my land.' "
12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. Don't put a curse on those people, because I have blessed them."
13 The next morning Balaam awoke and said to Balak's leaders, "Go back to your own country; the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
14 So the Moabite leaders went back to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." were more important. 16 They went to Balaam and said, "Balak son of Zippor says this: Please don't let anything stop you from coming to me. 17 I will pay you very well, and I will do what you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me." 18 But Balaam answered Balak's servants, "King Balak could give me his palace full of silver and gold, but I cannot disobey the LORD my God in anything, great or small. 19 You stay here tonight as the other men did, and I will find out what more the LORD tells me." 20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "These men have come to ask you to go with them. Go, but only do what I tell you." 21 Balaam got up the next morning and put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite leaders. 22 But God became angry because Balaam went, so the angel of the LORD stood in the road to stop Balaam. Balaam was riding his donkey, and he had two servants with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey left the road and went into the field. Balaam hit the donkey to force her back on the road. 24 Later, the angel of the LORD stood on a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 Again the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, and she walked close to one wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he hit her again. 26 The angel of the LORD went ahead again and stood at a narrow place, too narrow to turn left or right. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. This made him so angry that he hit her with his stick. 28 Then the LORD made the donkey talk, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to make you hit me three times?" 29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!" 30 But the donkey said to Balaam, "I am your very own donkey, which you have ridden for years. Have I ever done this to you before?" "No," Balaam said. 31 Then the LORD let Balaam see the angel of the LORD, who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Then Balaam bowed facedown on the ground. 32 The angel of the LORD asked Balaam, "Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have stood here to stop you, because what you are doing is wrong. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If she had not turned away, I would have killed you by now, but I would have let her live." 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned; I did not know you were standing in the road to stop me. If I am wrong, I will go back." 35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with these men, but say only what I tell you." So Balaam went with Balak's leaders. 36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar in Moab, which was beside the Arnon, at the edge of his country. 37 Balak said to Balaam, "I had asked you before to come quickly. Why didn't you come to me? I am able to reward you well." 38 But Balaam answered, "I have come to you now, but I can't say just anything. I can only say what God tells me to say." 39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak offered cattle and sheep as a sacrifice and gave some meat to Balaam and the leaders with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam to Bamoth Baal; from there he could see the edge of the Israelite camp.
1 The people of Israel now traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho. 2-3 When King Balak of Moab (the son of Zippor) realized how many of them there were, and when he learned what they had done to the Amorites, he and his people were terrified. 4 They quickly consulted with the leaders of Midian.
"This mob will eat us like an ox eats grass," they exclaimed.
So King Balak 5-6 sent messengers to Balaam (son of Beor) who was living in his native land of Pethor, near the Euphrates River. He begged Balaam to come and help him.
"A vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth and are headed toward me," he frantically explained. "Please come and curse them for me, so that I can drive them out of my land; for I know what fantastic blessings fall on those whom you bless, and I also know that those whom you curse are doomed."
7 The messengers he sent were some of the top leaders of Moab and Midian. They went to Balaam with money in hand and urgently explained to him what Balak wanted.
8 "Stay here overnight," Balaam said, "and I'll tell you in the morning whatever the Lord directs me to say." So they did.
9 That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men?"
10 "They have come from King Balak of Moab," he replied. 11 "The king says that a vast horde of people from Egypt has arrived at his border, and he wants me to go at once and curse them, in the hope that he can battle them successfully."
12 "Don't do it!" God told him. "You are not to curse them, for I have blessed them!"
13 The next morning Balaam told the men, "Go on home! The Lord won't let me do it."
14 So King Balak's ambassadors returned without him and reported his refusal. 15 Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished ambassadors than the former group. 16-17 They came to Balaam with this message:
"King Balak pleads with you to come. He promises you great honors plus any payment you ask. Name your own figure! Only come and curse these people for us."
18 But Balaam replied, "If he were to give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I could do nothing contrary to the command of the Lord my God. 19 However, stay here tonight so that I can find out whether the Lord will add anything to what he said before."
20 That night God told Balaam, "You may get up and go with these men, but be sure to say only what I tell you to."
21 So the next morning he saddled his donkey and started off with them. 22-23 But God was angry about Balaam's eager attitude, so he sent an Angel to stand in the road to kill him. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam's donkey suddenly saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword. She bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat her back onto the road. 24 Now the Angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road went between two vineyard walls. 25 When the donkey saw him standing there, she squirmed past by pressing against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot in the process. So he beat her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey couldn't get by at all. 27 So she lay down in the road! In a great fit of temper Balaam beat her again with his staff.
28 Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak! "What have I done that deserves your beating me these three times?" she asked.
29 "Because you have made me look like a fool!" Balaam shouted. "I wish I had a sword with me, for I would kill you."
30 "Have I ever done anything like this before in my entire life?" the donkey asked.
"No," he admitted.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the Angel standing in the roadway with drawn sword, and he fell flat on the ground before him.
32 "Why did you beat your donkey those three times?" the Angel demanded. "I have come to stop you because you are headed for destruction. 33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; otherwise I would certainly have killed you by now and spared her."
34 Then Balaam confessed, "I have sinned. I didn't realize you were there. I will go back home if you don't want me to go on."
35 But the Angel told him, "Go with the men, but say only what I tell you to say." So Balaam went on with them. 36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he left the capital and went out to meet him at the Arnon River, at the border of his land.
37 "Why did you delay so long?" he asked Balaam. "Didn't you believe me when I said I would give you great honors?"
38 Balaam replied, "I have come, but I have no power to say anything except what God tells me to say; and that is what I shall speak." 39 Balaam accompanied the king to Kiriathhuzoth, 40 where King Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and gave animals to Balaam and the ambassadors for their sacrifices. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Bamoth-baal, from which he could see the people of Israel spread out before him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,214
4,4,7,303
5,5,9,486
6,6,11,686
7,7,13,922
8,8,15,1059
9,9,17,1199
10,10,19,1267
11,11,21,1369
12,12,23,1527
13,13,25,1648
14,41,27,1790
1,6,1,1
7,7,6,914
8,8,8,1079
9,9,10,1205
10,11,12,1276
12,12,14,1517
13,13,16,1606
14,17,18,1693
18,19,21,2094
20,20,23,2357
21,27,25,2475
28,28,27,3345
29,29,29,3472
30,30,31,3593
31,31,34,3701
32,33,36,3848
34,34,38,4114
35,36,40,4244
37,37,42,4504
38,41,44,4623
GREED NUMBE 22:20-23
God let Balaam go with Balak's messengers, but he was angry about Balaam's greedy attitude. Balaam claimed that he would not go against God just for money, but his resolve was beginning to slip. His greed for the wealth offered by the king blinded him so that he could not see how God was trying to stop him. Though we may know what God wants us to do, we can become blinded by our greedy desire for money, possessions, or prestige. We can avoid Balaam's mistake by looking past the allure of fame or fortune to the long-range benefits of following God.
NUMBE023
1 Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me."
2 Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the LORD comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me." Then Balaam went to a higher place.
4 God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar."
5 The LORD told Balaam what he should say. Then the LORD said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."
6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering
7 when Balaam gave them this message: "Balak brought me here from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains. Balak said, `Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me. Come, call down evil on the people of Israel.'
8 But God has not cursed them, so I cannot curse them. The LORD has not called down evil on them, so I cannot call down evil on them.
9 I see them from the top of the mountains; I see them from the hills. I see a people who live alone, who think they are different from other nations.
10 No one can number the many people of Jacob, and no one can count a fourth of Israel. Let me die like good men, and let me end up like them!"
11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have only blessed them!"
12 But Balaam answered, "I must say what the LORD tells me to say."
13 Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place, where you can also see the people. But you can only see part of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there."
14 So Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
15 So Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will meet with God over there."
16 So the LORD came to Balaam and told him what to say. Then he said, "Go back to Balak and say such and such."
17 So Balaam went to Balak, where he and the leaders of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. Balak asked him, "What did the LORD say?"
18 Then Balaam gave this message: "Stand up, Balak, and listen. Hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says he will do, he does. What he promises, he makes come true.
20 He told me to bless them, so I cannot change the blessing.
21 He has found no wrong in the people of Jacob; he saw no fault in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and they praise their King.
22 God brought them out of Egypt; they are as strong as a wild ox.
23 No tricks will work on the people of Jacob, and no magic will work against Israel. People now say about them, `Look what God has done for Israel!'
24 The people rise up like a lioness; they get up like a lion. Lions don't rest until they have eaten, until they have drunk their enemies' blood."
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "You haven't cursed these people, so at least, don't bless them!"
26 Balaam answered Balak, "I told you before that I can only do what the LORD tells me."
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come, I will take you to another place. Maybe God will be pleased to let you curse them from there."
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, the mountain that looks over the desert.
29 Balaam told Balak, "Build me seven altars here and prepare for me seven bulls and seven male sheep."
30 Balak did what Balaam asked, and he offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
1 Balaam said to the king, "Build seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for sacrifice."
2 Balak followed his instructions, and a young bull and a ram were sacrificed on each altar.
3-4 Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your burnt offerings and I will see if the Lord will meet me; and I will tell you what he says to me." So he went up to a barren height, and God met him there. Balaam told the Lord, "I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each." 5 Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak.
6 When Balaam returned, the king was standing beside the burnt offerings with all the princes of Moab. 7-10 This was Balaam's message:
"King Balak, king of Moab, has brought me
From the land of Aram,
From the eastern mountains.
`Come,' he told me, `curse Jacob for me!
Let your anger rise on Israel.'
But how can I curse
What God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
A people God has not denounced?
I see them from the cliff tops,
I watch them from the hills.
They live alone,
And prefer to remain distinct
From every other nation.
They are as numerous as dust!
They are beyond numbering.
If only I could die as happy as an Israelite!
Oh, that my end might be like theirs!"
11 "What have you done to me?" demanded King Balak. "I told you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them!"
12 But Balaam replied, "Can I say anything except what Jehovah tells me to?"
13 Then Balak told him, "Come with me to another place; there you will see only a portion of the nation of Israel. Curse at least that many!"
14 So King Balak took Balaam into the fields of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars there; and he offered up a young bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Then Balaam said to the king, "Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord." 16 And the Lord met Balaam and told him what to say. 17 So he returned to where the king and the princes of Moab were standing beside their burnt offerings.
"What has Jehovah said?" the king eagerly inquired.
18-24 And he replied,
"Rise up, Balak, and hear:
Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that he should lie;
He doesn't change his mind like humans do.
Has he ever promised,
Without doing what he said?
Look! I have received a command to bless them,
For God has blessed them,
And I cannot reverse it!
He has not seen sin in Jacob.
He will not trouble Israel!
Jehovah their God is with them.
He is their king!
God has brought them out of Egypt.
Israel has the strength of a wild ox.
No curse can be placed on Jacob,
And no magic shall be done against him.
For now it shall be said of Israel,
`What wonders God has done for them!'
These people rise up as a lion;
They shall not lie down
Until they have eaten what they capture
And have drunk the blood of the slain!"
25 "If you aren't going to curse them, at least don't bless them!" the king exclaimed to Balaam.
26 But Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell you that I must say whatever Jehovah tells me to?"
27 Then the king said to Balaam, "I will take you to yet another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there."
28 So King Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the desert. 29 Balaam again told the king to build seven altars, and to prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for the sacrifice. 30 The king did as Balaam said, and offered a young bull and ram on every altar.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,214
4,4,7,400
5,5,9,547
6,6,11,660
7,7,13,776
8,8,15,1023
9,9,17,1162
10,10,19,1321
11,11,21,1469
12,12,23,1598
13,13,25,1670
14,14,27,1854
15,15,29,2014
16,16,31,2119
17,17,33,2236
18,18,35,2385
19,19,37,2478
20,20,39,2656
21,21,41,2722
22,22,43,2863
23,23,45,2934
24,24,47,3088
25,25,49,3245
26,26,51,3345
27,27,53,3441
28,28,55,3578
29,29,57,3667
30,30,59,3775
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,118
3,5,5,214
6,10,7,585
11,11,27,1314
12,12,29,1434
13,13,31,1514
14,14,33,1659
15,17,35,1831
18,24,38,2142
25,25,63,2989
26,26,65,3089
27,27,67,3181
28,30,69,3318
NUMBE024
1 Balaam saw that the LORD wanted to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any magic but looked toward the desert.
2 When Balaam saw the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God took control of him,
3 and he gave this message: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of a man who sees clearly;
4 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God. I see a vision from the Almighty, and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 Your tents are beautiful, people of Jacob! So are your homes, Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like valleys like gardens beside a river. They are like spices planted by the LORD, like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel's water buckets will always be full, and their crops will have plenty of water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt; they are as strong as a wild ox. They will defeat their enemies and break their enemies' bones; they will shoot them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack; like a lioness, no one would be brave enough to wake them. Anyone who blesses you will be blessed, and anyone who curses you will be cursed."
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, "I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times.
11 Now go home! I said I would pay you well, but the LORD has made you lose your reward."
12 Balaam said to Balak, "When you sent messengers to me, I told them,
13 `Balak could give me his palace filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot go against the LORD' s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the LORD says.'
14 Now I am going back to my own people, but I will tell you what these people will do to your people in the future."
15 Then Balaam gave this message: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of a man who sees clearly;
16 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God. I know well the Most High God. I see a vision from the Almighty, and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone who will come some day, someone who will come, but not soon. A star will come from Jacob; a ruler will rise from Israel. He will crush the heads of the Moabites and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered; his enemy Edom will be conquered, but Israel will grow wealthy.
19 A ruler will come from the descendants of Jacob and will destroy those left in the city."
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message: "Amalek was the most important nation, but Amalek will be destroyed at last."
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this message: "Your home is safe, like a nest on a cliff.
22 But you Kenites will be burned up; Assyria will keep you captive."
23 Then Balaam gave this message: "No one can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of Cyprus and defeat Assyria and Eber, but they will also be destroyed."
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
1 Balaam realized by now that Jehovah planned to bless Israel, so he didn't even go to meet the Lord as he had earlier. Instead, he went at once and looked out toward the camp of Israel 2 which stretched away across the plains, divided by tribal areas.
Then the Spirit of God came upon him, 3-9 and he spoke this prophecy concerning them:
"Balaam the son of Beor says-
The man whose eyes are open says-
`I have listened to the word of God,
I have seen what God Almighty showed me;
I fell, and my eyes were opened:
Oh, the joys awaiting Israel,
Joys in the homes of Jacob.
I see them spread before me as green valleys,
And fruitful gardens by the riverside;
As aloes planted by the Lord himself;
As cedar trees beside the waters.
They shall be blessed with an abundance of water,
And they shall live in many places.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
Their kingdom is exalted.
God has brought them from Egypt.
Israel has the strength of a wild ox,
And shall eat up the nations that oppose him;
He shall break their bones in pieces,
And shall shoot them with many arrows.
Israel sleeps as a lion or a lioness-
Who dares arouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O<N>Israel,
And curses shall fall upon everyone who curses you.' "
10 King Balak was livid with rage by now. Striking his hands together in anger and disgust he shouted, "I called you to curse my enemies and instead you have blessed them three times. 11 Get out of here! Go back home! I had planned to promote you to great honor, but Jehovah has kept you from it!"
12 Balaam replied, "Didn't I tell your messengers 13 that even if you gave me a palace filled with silver and gold, I could not go beyond the words of Jehovah, and could not say a word of my own? I said that I would say only what Jehovah says! 14 Yes, I shall return now to my own people. But first, let me tell you what the Israelites are going to do to your people!"
15-19 So he spoke this prophecy to him:
"Balaam the son of Beor is the man
Whose eyes are open!
He hears the words of God
And has knowledge from the Most High;
He sees what Almighty God has shown him;
He fell, and his eyes were opened:
I see in the future of Israel,
Far down the distant trail,
That there shall come a star from Jacob!
This ruler of Israel
Shall smite the people of Moab,
And destroy the sons of Sheth.
Israel shall possess all Edom and Seir.
They shall overcome their enemies.
Jacob shall arise in power
And shall destroy many cities."
20 Then Balaam looked over at the homes of the people of Amalek and prophesied:
"Amalek was the first of the nations,
But its destiny is destruction!"
21-22 Then he looked over at the Kenites:
"Yes, you are strongly situated,
Your nest is set in the rocks!
But the Kenites shall be destroyed,
And the mighty army of the king of Assyria shall deport you from this land!"
23-24 He concluded his prophecies by saying:
"Alas, who can live when God does this?
Ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus,
And shall oppress both Eber and Assyria.
They too must be destroyed."
25 So Balaam and Balak returned to their homes.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,226
4,4,7,341
5,5,9,481
6,6,11,557
7,7,13,710
8,8,15,877
9,9,17,1046
10,10,19,1240
11,11,21,1418
12,12,23,1515
13,13,25,1590
14,14,27,1796
15,15,29,1920
16,16,31,2041
17,17,33,2213
18,18,35,2440
19,19,37,2539
20,20,39,2636
21,21,41,2767
22,22,43,2871
23,23,45,2945
24,24,47,3020
25,25,49,3133
1,9,1,1
10,11,27,1312
12,14,29,1613
15,19,31,1985
20,20,49,2590
21,22,53,2750
23,24,59,2984
25,25,65,3198
NUMBE025
1 While the people of Israel were still camped at Acacia, the men began sinning sexually with Moabite women.
2 The women invited them to their sacrifices to their gods, and the Israelites ate food there and worshiped these gods.
3 So the Israelites began to worship Baal of Peor, and the LORD was very angry with them.
4 The LORD said to Moses, "Get all the leaders of the people and kill them in open daylight in the presence of the LORD. Then the LORD will not be angry with the people of Israel."
5 So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death your people who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor."
6 Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people.
7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear.
8 He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped.
9 This sickness had killed twenty-four thousand people.
10 The LORD said to Moses,
11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has saved the Israelites from my anger. He hates sin as much as I do. Since he tried to save my honor among them, I will not kill them.
12 So tell Phinehas that I am making my peace agreement with him.
13 He and his descendants will always be priests, because he had great concern for the honor of his God. He removed the sins of the Israelites so they would belong to God."
14 The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu. He was the leader of a family in the tribe of Simeon.
15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the chief of a Midianite family.
16 The LORD said to Moses,
17 "The Midianites are your enemies, and you should kill them.
18 They have already made you their enemies, because they tricked you at Peor and because of their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed when the sickness came because the people sinned at Peor."
1 While Israel was camped at Acacia, some of the young men began going to wild parties with the local Moabite girls. 2 These girls also invited them to attend the sacrifices to their gods, and soon the men were not only attending the feasts, but also bowing down and worshiping the idols. 3 Before long all Israel was joining freely in the worship of Baal, the god of Moab; and the anger of the Lord was hot against his people.
4 He issued the following command to Moses:
"Execute all the tribal leaders of Israel. Hang them up before the Lord in broad daylight, so that his fierce anger will turn away from the people."
5 So Moses ordered the judges to execute all who had worshiped Baal.
6 But one of the Israeli men insolently brought a Midianite girl into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as they were weeping at the door of the Tabernacle. 7 When Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) saw this, he jumped up, grabbed a spear, 8 and rushed after the man into his tent, where he had taken the girl. He thrust the spear all the way through the man's body and into her stomach. So the plague was stopped, 9 but only after 24,000 people had already died.
10-11 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) has turned away my anger for he was angry with my anger, and would not tolerate the worship of any God but me. So I have stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended. 12-13 Now because of what he has done-because of his zeal for his God, and because he has made atonement for the people of Israel by what he did-I promise that he and his descendants shall be priests forever."
14 The name of the man who was killed with the Midianite girl was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of the tribe of Simeon. 15 The girl's name was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a Midianite prince.
16-17 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Destroy the Midianites, 18 for they are destroying you with their wiles. They are causing you to worship Baal, and they are leading you astray, as you have just seen by the death of Cozbi."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,241
4,4,7,335
5,5,9,522
6,6,11,653
7,7,13,860
8,8,15,973
9,9,17,1152
10,10,19,1212
11,11,21,1244
12,12,23,1443
13,13,25,1514
14,14,27,1691
15,15,29,1839
16,16,31,1972
17,17,33,2003
18,18,35,2071
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,432
5,5,6,629
6,9,8,701
10,13,10,1218
14,15,12,1696
16,18,14,1885
FUN NUMBE 25:1-2
Attending a local party with the Moabite girls may have seemed harmless enough. But for these young Israelite men, fun turned into tragedy. At first, they didn't think about worshiping idols. They just wanted to go to the party and have a good time. Before long, they started attending local feasts and family celebrations that involved idol worship. Soon they were in over their heads, absorbed into the practices of the heathen culture. Their desire for fun and companion-ship caused them to loosen their spiritual commitment. Consider your favorite recreations-do they help you grow in faith, or do they push you to relax your standards?
ANGER NUMBE 25:10-11
It is clear from Phinehas's story that some anger is proper and justified. But how can we know when our anger is appropriate and when it should be restrained? Ask these questions when you become angry: (1)Why am I angry? (2)Whose rights are being violated (mine or another's)? (3)Is the truth(a principle of God) being violated? If only your rights are at stake, it may be wiser to keep angry feelings under control. But if the truth is at stake, anger is often justified, although violence and retaliation are usually the wrong way to express it (Phinehas's case was unique). If we are becoming more and more like God, we should be angered by sin.
NUMBE026
1 After the great sickness, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest,
2 "Count all the people of Israel by families. Count all the men who are twenty years old or older who will serve in the army of Israel."
3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They said,
4 "Count the men twenty years old or older, as the LORD commanded Moses." Here are the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The tribe of Reuben, the first son born to Israel, was counted. From Hanoch came the Hanochite family group; from Pallu came the Palluite family group;
6 from Hezron came the Hezronite family group; from Carmi came the Carmite family group.
7 These were the family groups of Reuben, and the total number of men was 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab,
9 and Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron and followed Korah when he turned against the LORD.
10 The earth opened up and swallowed them and Korah; they died at the same time the fire burned up the 250 men. This was a warning,
11 but the children of Korah did not die.
12 These were the family groups in the tribe of Simeon: From Nemuel came the Nemuelite family group; from Jamin came the Jaminite family group; from Jakin came the Jakinite family group;
13 from Zerah came the Zerahite family group; from Shaul came the Shaulite family group.
14 These were the family groups of Simeon, and the total number of men was 22,200.
15 These were the family groups in the tribe of Gad: From Zephon came the Zephonite family group; from Haggi came the Haggite family group; from Shuni came the Shunite family group;
16 from Ozni came the Oznite family group; from Eri came the Erite family group;
17 from Arodi came the Arodite family group; from Areli came the Arelite family group.
18 These were the family groups of Gad, and the total number of men was 40,500.
19 Two of Judah's sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.
20 These were the family groups in the tribe of Judah: From Shelah came the Shelanite family group; from Perez came the Perezite family group; from Zerah came the Zerahite family group.
21 These were the family groups from Perez: From Hezron came the Hezronite family group; from Hamul came the Hamulite family group.
22 These were the family groups of Judah, and the total number of men was 76,500.
23 These were the family groups in the tribe of Issachar: From Tola came the Tolaite family group; from Puah came the Puite family group;
24 from Jashub came the Jashubite family group; from Shimron came the Shimronite family group.
25 These were the family groups of Issachar, and the total number of men was 64,300.
26 These were the family groups in the tribe of Zebulun: From Sered came the Seredite family group; from Elon came the Elonite family group; from Jahleel came the Jaheelite family group.
27These were the family groups of Zebulun, and the total number of men was 60,500.
28 These were the family groups of Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 These were the family groups of Manasseh: From Makir came the Makirite family group (Makir was the father of Gilead); from Gilead came the Gileadite family group.
30 These were the family groups that came from Gilead: From Iezer came the Iezerite family group; from Helek came the Helekite family group;
31 from Asriel came the Asrielite family group; from Shechem came the Shechemite family group;
32 from Shemida came the Shemidaite family group; from Hepher came the Hepherite family group.
33 (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, and their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)
34 These were the family groups of Manasseh, and the total number of men was 52,700.
35 These were the family groups in the tribe of Ephraim: From Shuthelah came the Shuthelahite family group; from Beker came the Bekerite family group; from Tahan came the Tahanite family group.
36 This was the family group from Shuthelah: From Eran came the Eranite family group.
37 These were the family groups of Ephraim, and the total number of men was 32,500. These are the family groups that came from Joseph.
38 These were the family groups in the tribe of Benjamin: From Bela came the Belaite family group; from Ashbel came the Ashbelite family group; from Ahiram came the Ahiramite family group;
39 from Shupham came the Shuphamite family group; from Hupham came the Huphamite family group.
40 These were the family groups from Bela through Ard and Naaman: From Ard came the Ardite family group; from Naaman came the Naamite family group.
41 These were the family groups of Benjamin, and the total number of men was 45,600.
42 This was the family group in the tribe of Dan: From Shuham came the Shuhamite family group. That was the family of Dan,
43 and the total number of men in the Shuhamite family group of Dan was 64,400.
44 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher: From Imnah came the Imnite family group; from Ishvi came the Ishvite family group; from Beriah came the Beriite family group.
45 These were the family groups that came from Beriah: From Heber came the Heberite family group; from Malkiel came the Malkielite family group.
46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.)
47 These were the family groups of Asher, and the total number of men was 53,400.
48 These were the family groups in the tribe of Naphtali: From Jahzeel came the Jahzeelite family group; from Guni came the Gunite family group;
49 from Jezer came the Jezerite family group; from Shillem came the Shillemite family group.
50 These were the family groups of Naphtali, and the total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The LORD said to Moses,
53 "Divide the land among these people by the number of names.
54 A large tribe will get more land, and a small tribe will get less land; the amount of land each tribe gets will depend on the number of its people.
55 Divide the land by drawing lots, and the land each tribe gets will be named for that tribe.
56 Divide the land between large and small groups by drawing lots."
57 The tribe of Levi was also counted. These were the family groups of Levi: From Gershon came the Gershonite family group; from Kohath came the Kohathite family group; from Merari came the Merarite family group.
58 These also were Levite family groups: the Libnite family group, the Hebronite family group, the Mahlite family group, the Mushite family group, and the Korahite family group. (Kohath was the ancestor of Amram,
59 whose wife was named Jochebed. She was from the tribe of Levi and she was born in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam.
60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
61 But Nadab and Abihu died because they made an offering before the LORD with the wrong kind of fire.)
62 The total number of male Levites one month old or older was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites, because they were not given any of the land among the other Israelites.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.
64 Moses and Aaron the priest had counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai, but no one Moses counted on the plains of Moab was in the first counting.
65 The LORD had told the Israelites they would all die in the desert, and the only two left were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
1 After the plague had ended, Jehovah said to Moses and to Eleazar (son of Aaron the priest), 2 "Take a census of all the men of Israel who are twenty years old or older, to find out how many of each tribe and clan are able to go to war."
3-4 So Moses and Eleazar issued census instructions to the leaders of Israel. (The entire nation was camped in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.) Here are the results of the census:
5-11 The tribe of Reuben: 43,730.
(Reuben was Israel's oldest son.) In this tribe were the following clans, named after Reuben's sons:
The Hanochites, named after their ancestor Hanoch.
The Palluites, named after their ancestor Pallu. (In the subclan of Eliab-who was one of the sons of Pallu-were the families of Nemuel, Abiram, and Dathan. This Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, and in fact challenged the very authority of God! But the earth opened and swallowed them; and 250 men were destroyed by fire from the Lord that day, as a warning to the entire nation.)
The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron.
The Carmites, named after their ancestor Carmi.
12-14 The tribe of Simeon: 22,200.
In this tribe were the following clans, founded by Simeon's sons:
The Nemuelites, named after their ancestor Nemuel.
The Jaminites, named after their ancestor Jamin.
The Jachinites, named after their ancestor Jachin.
The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.
The Shaulites, named after their ancestor Shaul.
15-18 The tribe of Gad: 40,500.
In this tribe were the following clans founded by the sons of Gad:
The Zephonites, named after their ancestor Zephon.
The Haggites, named after their ancestor Haggi.
The Shunites, named after their ancestor Shuni.
The Oznites, named after their ancestor Ozni.
The Erites, named after their ancestor Eri.
The Arodites, named after their ancestor Arod.
The Arelites, named after their ancestor Areli.
19-22 The tribe of Judah: 76,500.
In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Judah-but not including Er and Onan who died in the land of Canaan:
The Shelanites, named after their ancestor Shelah.
The Perezites, named after their ancestor Perez.
The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.
This census also included the subclans of Perez:
The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron.
The Hamulites, named after their ancestor Hamul.
23-25 The tribe of Issachar: 64,300.
In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Issachar:
The Tolaites, named after their ancestor Tola.
The Punites, named after their ancestor Puvah.
The Jashubites, named after their ancestor Jashub.
The Shimronites, named after their ancestor Shimron.
26-27 The tribe of Zebulun: 60,500.
In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Zebulun:
The Seredites, named after their ancestor Sered.
The Elonites, named after their ancestor Elon.
The Jahleelites, named after their ancestor Jahleel.
28-37 The tribe of Joseph: 32,500 in the half-tribe of Ephraim; and 52,700 in the half-tribe of Manasseh.
In the half-tribe of Manasseh was the clan of Machirites, named after their ancestor Machir.
The subclan of the Machirites was the Gileadites, named after their ancestor Gilead.
The tribes of the Gileadites:
The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer.
The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.
The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel.
The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.
The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida.
The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher. (Hepher's son, Zelophehad, had no sons. Here are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, Tirzah.)
The 32,500 registered in the half-tribe of Ephraim included the following clans, named after the sons of Ephraim:
The Shuthelahites, named after their ancestor Shuthelah. (A subclan of the Shuthelahites was the Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran, a son of Shuthelah.)
The Becherites, named after their ancestor Becher.
The Tahanites, named after their ancestor Tahan.
38-41 The tribe of Benjamin: 45,600.
In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Benjamin:
The Belaites, named after their ancestor Bela.
Subclans named after sons of Bela were:
The Ardites, named after their ancestor Ard.
The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.
The Ashbelites, named after their ancestor Ashbel.
The Ahiramites, named after their ancestor Ahiram.
The Shuphamites, named after their ancestor Shephupham.
The Huphamites, named after their ancestor Hupham.
42-43 The tribe of Dan: 64,400.
In this tribe was the clan of the Shuhamites, named after Shuham, the son of Dan.
44-47 The tribe of Asher: 53,400.
In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Asher:
The Imnites, named after their ancestor Imnah.
The Ishvites, named after their ancestor Ishvi.
The Beriites, named after their ancestor Beriah.
Subclans named after the sons of Beriah were:
The Heberites, named after their ancestor Heber.
The Malchielites, named after their ancestor Malchiel.
Asher also had a daughter named Serah.
48-50 The tribe of Naphtali: 45,400.
In this tribe were the following clans, named after the sons of Naphtali:
The Jahzeelites, named after their ancestor Jahzeel.
The Gunites, named after their ancestor Guni.
The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer.
The Shillemites, named after their ancestor Shillem.
51 So the total number of the men of draft age throughout Israel was 601,730.
52-53 Then the Lord told Moses to divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their population, as indicated by the census-54 the larger tribes to be given more land, the smaller tribes less land.
55-56 "Let the representatives of the larger tribes have a lottery, drawing for the larger sections," the Lord instructed, "and let the smaller tribes draw for the smaller sections."
57 These are the clans of the Levites numbered in the census:
The Gershonites, named after their ancestor Gershon.
The Kohathites, named after their ancestor Kohath.
The Merarites, named after their ancestor Merari.
58-59 These are the families of the tribe of Levi: the Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, the Korahites.
While Levi was in Egypt, a daughter, Jochebed, was born to him and she became the wife of Amram, son of Kohath. They were the parents of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized incense before the Lord.
62 The total number of Levites in the census was 23,000, counting all the males a month old and upward. But the Levites were not included in the total census figure of the people of Israel, for the Levites were given no land when it was divided among the tribes.
63 So these are the census figures as prepared by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64-65 Not one person in this entire census had been counted in the previous census taken in the wilderness of Sinai! For all who had been counted then had died, as the Lord had decreed when he said of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,240
4,4,7,372
5,5,9,497
6,6,11,656
7,7,13,754
8,8,15,841
9,9,17,877
10,10,19,1055
11,11,21,1191
12,12,23,1237
13,13,25,1429
14,14,27,1526
15,15,29,1615
16,16,31,1803
17,17,33,1888
18,18,35,1979
19,19,37,2064
20,20,39,2123
21,21,41,2320
22,22,43,2459
23,23,45,2545
24,24,47,2689
25,25,49,2788
26,27,51,2877
28,28,55,3158
29,29,57,3237
30,30,59,3410
31,31,61,3555
32,32,63,3654
33,33,65,3758
34,34,67,3891
35,35,69,3980
36,36,71,4180
37,37,73,4270
38,38,75,4409
39,39,77,4605
40,40,79,4706
41,41,81,4858
42,42,83,4949
43,43,85,5077
44,44,87,5162
45,45,89,5353
46,46,91,5504
47,47,93,5552
48,48,95,5638
49,49,97,5788
50,50,99,5888
51,51,101,5977
52,52,103,6038
53,53,105,6072
54,54,107,6140
55,55,109,6295
56,56,111,6396
57,57,113,6468
58,58,115,6688
59,59,117,6911
60,60,119,7077
61,61,121,7144
62,62,123,7252
63,63,125,7458
64,64,127,7609
65,65,129,7768
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,243
5,11,4,454
12,14,11,1183
15,18,19,1542
19,22,29,1984
23,25,38,2461
26,27,45,2777
28,37,51,3041
38,41,66,4180
42,43,77,4704
44,47,80,4822
48,50,90,5274
51,51,97,5594
52,54,99,5675
55,56,101,5881
57,57,103,6067
58,61,108,6289
62,62,111,6722
63,65,113,6988
NUMBE027
1 Then the daughters of Zelophehad came near. Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad's daughters belonged to the family groups of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters' names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
2 They went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the people. They said,
3 "Our father died in the desert. He was not one of Korah's followers who came together against the LORD, but he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons.
4 Our father's name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father's relatives."
5 So Moses brought their case to the LORD,
6 and the LORD said to him,
7 "The daughters of Zelophehad are right; they should certainly get what their father owned. Give them property among their father's relatives.
8 "Tell the Israelites, `If a man dies and has no son, then everything he owned should go to his daughter.
9 If he has no daughter, then everything he owned should go to his brothers.
10 If he has no brothers, then everything he owned should go to his father's brothers.
11 And if his father had no brothers, then everything he owned should go to the nearest relative in his family group. This should be a rule among the people of Israel, as the LORD has given this command to Moses.' "
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains, and look at the land I have given to the Israelites.
13 After you have seen it, you will die and join your ancestors as your brother Aaron did,
14 because you both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah." (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the LORD,
16 "The LORD is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a leader for these people,
17 who will go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in; the LORD' s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd."
18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, because my Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him,
19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch.
20 Let him share your honor so that all the Israelites will obey him.
21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest, and Eleazar will get advice from the LORD by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will all come in."
22 Moses did what the LORD told him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people,
23 and he put his hands on him and gave him orders, just as the LORD had told him.
1 One day the daughters of Zelophehad came to the entrance of the Tabernacle to give a petition to Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and others who were there. The names of these women were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They were members of the half-tribe of Manasseh (a son of Joseph). Their ancestor was Machir, son of Manasseh. Manasseh's son Gilead was their great-grandfather, his son Hepher was their grandfather, and his son Zelophehad was their father.
3-4 "Our father died in the wilderness," they said, "and he was not one of those who perished in Korah's revolt against the Lord-it was a natural death, but he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no son? We feel that we should be given property along with our father's brothers."
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord.
6-7 And the Lord replied to Moses, "The daughters of Zelophehad are correct. Give them land along with their uncles; give them the property that would have been given to their father if he had lived. 8 Moreover, this is a general law among you, that if a man dies and has no sons, then his inheritance shall be passed on to his daughters. 9 And if he has no daughter, it shall belong to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brother, then it shall go to his uncles. 11 But if he has no uncles, then it shall go to the nearest relative."
12 One day the Lord said to Moses, "Go up into Mount Abarim and look across the river to the land I have given to the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you shall die as Aaron your brother did, 14 for you rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you did not glorify me before them by following my instructions to order water to come out of the rock." He was referring to the incident at the waters of Meribah ("Place of Strife") in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.
15 Then Moses said to the Lord, 16 "O Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all mankind, before I am taken away please appoint a new leader for the people, 17 a man who will lead them into battle and care for them, so that the people of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd."
18 The Lord replied, "Go and get Joshua (son of Nun), who has the Spirit in him, 19 and take him to Eleazar the priest, and as all the people watch, charge him with the responsibility of leading the people. 20 Publicly give him your authority so that all the people of Israel will obey him. 21 He shall be the one to consult with Eleazar the priest in order to get directions from the Lord. The Lord will speak to Eleazar through the use of the Urim, and Eleazar will pass on these instructions to Joshua and the people. In this way the Lord will continue to give them guidance."
22 So Moses did as Jehovah commanded and took Joshua to Eleazar the priest. As the people watched, 23 Moses laid his hands upon him and dedicated him to his responsibilities, as the Lord had commanded.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,293
3,3,5,434
4,4,7,607
5,5,9,716
6,6,11,763
7,7,13,795
8,8,15,943
9,9,17,1059
10,10,19,1140
11,11,21,1232
12,12,23,1454
13,13,25,1590
14,14,27,1687
15,15,29,1887
16,16,31,1918
17,17,33,2018
18,18,35,2178
19,19,37,2288
20,20,39,2401
21,21,41,2478
22,22,43,2678
23,23,45,2798
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,490
5,5,5,814
6,11,7,864
12,14,9,1400
15,17,11,1934
18,21,13,2222
22,23,15,2805
NUMBE028
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Give this command to the Israelites. Tell them: `Bring me food offerings made by fire, for a smell that is pleasing to me, and be sure to bring them at the right time.'
3 Say to them, `These are the offerings you must bring to the LORD: two male lambs, a year old, as a burnt offering each day. They must have nothing wrong with them.
4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at twilight.
5 Also bring a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour, mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives.
6 This is the daily burnt offering which began at Mount Sinai; its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
7 Offer one quart of wine with each lamb as a drink offering; pour it out to the LORD at the Holy Place.
8 Offer the second lamb at twilight. As in the morning, also give a grain offering and a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
9 "`On the Sabbath day you must give two male lambs, a year old, that have nothing wrong with them. Also give a drink offering and a grain offering; the grain offering must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil.
10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the daily burnt offering and drink offering.
11 "`On the first day of each month bring a burnt offering to the LORD. This will be two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old, and they must have nothing wrong with them.
12 Give a grain offering with each bull of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Also give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil.
13 And give a grain offering with each lamb of two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, and its smell is pleasing to the LORD.
14 The drink offering with each bull will be two quarts of wine, with the male sheep it will be one and one-third quarts, and with each lamb it will be one quart of wine. This is the burnt offering that must be offered each month of the year.
15 Besides the daily burnt offerings and drink offerings, bring a sin offering of one goat to the LORD.
16 "`The LORD' s Passover will be on the fourteenth day of the first month.
17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that month. For seven days, you may eat only bread made without yeast.
18 Have a holy meeting on the first day of the festival, and don't work that day.
19 Bring to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
20 With each bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. With the male sheep it must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil.
21 With each of the seven lambs, it must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil.
22 Bring one goat as a sin offering, to remove your sins so you will belong to God.
23 Bring these offerings in addition to the burnt offerings you give every morning.
24 So bring food for the offering made by fire each day for seven days, for a smell that is pleasing to the LORD. Do it in addition to the daily burnt offering and its drink offering.
25 On the seventh day have a holy meeting, and don't work that day.
26 "`On the day of firstfruits when you bring new grain to the LORD during the Feast of Weeks, have a holy meeting. Don't work that day.
27 Bring this burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. This smell is pleasing to the LORD.
28 Also, with each bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep, it must be four quarts of flour,
29 and with each of the seven lambs offer two quarts of flour.
30 Offer one male goat to remove your sins so you will belong to God.
31 Bring these offerings and their drink offerings in addition to the daily burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must have nothing wrong with them.
1 The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the people of Israel: "The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.
3 "When you make offerings by fire, you shall use yearling male lambs-each without defect. Two of them shall be offered each day as a regular burnt offering. 4 One lamb shall be sacrificed in the morning, the other in the evening. 5 With them shall be offered a grain offering of three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with three pints of oil. 6 This is the burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, to be regularly offered as a fragrant odor, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 7 Along with it shall be the drink offering, consisting of three pints of strong wine with each lamb, poured out in the holy place before the Lord. 8 Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering. It too is a fragrant odor to the Lord, an offering made by fire.
9-10 "On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two yearling male lambs-both without defect-in addition to the regular offerings. They are to be accompanied by a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, and the usual drink offering.
11 "Also, on the first day of each month there shall be an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs-all without defect. 12 Accompany them with nine quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull; and six quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the ram; 13 and for each lamb, three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. This burnt offering shall be presented by fire and will please the Lord very much. 14 Along with each sacrifice shall be a drink offering-six pints of wine with each bull, four pints for a ram, and three pints for a lamb. This, then, will be the burnt offering each month throughout the year.
15 "Also on the first day of each month you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its drink offering.
16 "On April first you shall celebrate the Passover-when the death angel passed over the oldest sons of the Israelites in Egypt, leaving them unharmed. 17 On the following day a great, joyous seven-day festival will begin, but no leavened bread shall be served. 18 On the first day of the festival all the people shall be called together before the Lord. No hard work shall be done on that day. 19 You shall offer as burnt sacrifices to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs-all without defect. 20-21 With each bull there shall be a grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram there shall be six quarts; and with each of the seven lambs there shall be three quarts of fine flour. 22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for yourselves. 23 These offerings shall be in addition to the usual daily sacrifices. 24 This same sacrifice shall be offered on each of the seven days of the feast; they will be very pleasant to the Lord. 25 On the seventh day there shall again be a holy and solemn assembly of all the people, and during that day you may do no hard work.
26 "On the first day of the Harvest Festival all the people must come before the Lord for a special, solemn assembly to celebrate the new harvest. On that day you are to present the first of the new crop of grain as a grain offering to the Lord; there is to be no regular work by anyone on that day. 27 A special burnt offering, very pleasant to the Lord, shall be offered that day. It shall consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs. 28-29 These shall be accompanied by your grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs. 30 Also offer one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. 31 These special offerings are in addition to the regular daily burnt offerings and grain offerings and drink offerings. Make sure that the animals you sacrifice are without defect.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,210
4,4,7,380
5,5,9,448
6,6,11,562
7,7,13,664
8,8,15,773
9,9,17,952
10,10,19,1181
11,11,21,1294
12,12,23,1498
13,13,25,1700
14,14,27,1867
15,15,29,2121
16,16,31,2231
17,17,33,2313
18,18,35,2455
19,19,37,2541
20,20,39,2718
21,21,41,2885
22,22,43,2974
23,23,45,3062
24,24,47,3150
25,25,49,3338
26,26,51,3411
27,27,53,3556
28,28,55,3704
29,29,57,3854
30,30,59,3921
31,31,61,3997
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,254
9,10,5,1041
11,14,7,1283
15,15,9,2040
16,25,11,2225
26,31,13,3378
NUMBE029
1 "`Have a holy meeting on the first day of the seventh month, and don't work on that day. That is the day you blow the trumpets.
2 Bring these burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the LORD: one young bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
3 With the bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep offer four quarts,
4 and with each of the seven lambs offer two quarts.
5 Offer one male goat for a sin offering to remove your sins so you will belong to God.
6 These offerings are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings. Their grain offerings and drink offerings must be done as you have been told. These offerings are made by fire to the LORD, and their smell is pleasing to him.
7 "`Have a holy meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. On that day do not eat and do not work.
8 Bring these burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the LORD: one young bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
9 With the bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep it must be four quarts,
10 and with each of the seven lambs it must be two quarts.
11 Offer one male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering which removes your sins, the daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and the drink offerings.
12 "`Have a holy meeting on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and do not work on that day. Celebrate a festival to the LORD for seven days.
13 Bring these burnt offerings, made by fire, as a smell pleasing to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
14 With each of the thirteen bulls offer a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With each of the two male sheep it must be four quarts,
15 and with each of the fourteen lambs it must be two quarts.
16 Offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
17 "`On the second day of this festival give an offering of twelve bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
18 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
19 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
20 "`On the third day offer eleven bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
21 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
22 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
23 "`On the fourth day offer ten bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
24 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
25 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
26 "`On the fifth day offer nine bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
27 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
28 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
29 "`On the sixth day offer eight bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
30 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
31 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
32 "`On the seventh day offer seven bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
33 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required.
34 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
35 "`On the eighth day have a closing meeting, and do not work on that day.
36 Bring an offering made by fire, a burnt offering, as a smell pleasing to the LORD. Offer one bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them.
37 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bull, the male sheep, and the lambs, according to the number required.
38 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
39 "`At your festivals you should bring these to the LORD: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings. These are in addition to other promised offerings and special gifts you want to give to the LORD.' "
40 Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him.
1 "The Festival of Trumpets shall be celebrated on the fifteenth day of each year; there shall be a solemn assembly of all the people on that day, and no hard work may be done. 2 On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice consisting of one young bull, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs-all without defect. These are sacrifices which the Lord will appreciate and enjoy. 3-4 A grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil shall be offered with the bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs. 5 In addition, there shall be a male goat sacrificed as a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 6 These special sacrifices are in addition to the regular monthly burnt offering for that day, and also in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, which are to be offered with the respective grain offerings and drink offerings, as specified by the ordinances governing them.
7 "Ten days later another convocation of all the people shall be held. This will be a day of solemn humility before the Lord, and no work of any kind may be done. 8 On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord-it will be very pleasant to him-of one young bull, one ram, seven yearling male lambs-each without defect-9-10 and their accompanying grain offerings. Nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil are to be offered with the bull, six with the ram, and three with each of the seven lambs. 11 You are also to sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of the Day of Atonement offered annually on that day, and in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and drink offerings.
12 "Five days later there shall be yet another assembly of all the people, and on that day no hard work shall be done; it is the beginning of a seven-day festival before the Lord. 13 Your special burnt sacrifice that day, which will give much pleasure to the Lord, shall be thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-14 accompanied by the usual grain offerings-nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil for each of the thirteen young bulls; six quarts for each of the two rams; 15 and three quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 There must also be a male goat sacrificed for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice with its accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings.
17 "On the second day of this seven-day festival you shall sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-18 accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings. 19 Also, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice, you are to sacrifice a male goat with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering for a sin offering.
20 "On the third day of the festival, offer eleven young bulls, two rams, fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-21 and the usual grain offering and drink offering with each sacrifice. 22 And in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering, with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering.
23 "On the fourth day of the festival, you are to sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-24 each with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering; 25 also a male goat as a sin offering (along with the usual grain and drink offerings) in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.
26-27 "On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings; 28 also sacrifice a male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings, as a special sin offering, in addition to the usual daily sacrifices.
29 "On the sixth day of the festival, you must sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-30 along with their usual grain and drink offerings. 31 In addition to the usual daily sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat and the usual grain and drink offerings as a sin offering.
32 "On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs-each without defect-33 each with its customary grain and drink offerings; 34 also sacrifice an extra sin offering of one male goat, with the usual grain and drink offerings, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.
35 "On the eighth day summon the people to another solemn assembly; you must do no hard work that day. 36 Sacrifice a burnt offering-they are very pleasant to the Lord-of one young bull, one ram, seven male yearling lambs-each without defect-37 and the customary grain and drink offerings. 38 Sacrifice also one male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices. 39 These offerings are compulsory at the times of your annual feasts, and are in addition to sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as freewill offerings, burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings."
40 So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,137
3,3,5,313
4,4,7,438
5,5,9,496
6,6,11,589
7,7,13,830
8,8,15,937
9,9,17,1111
10,10,19,1244
11,11,21,1309
12,12,23,1506
13,13,25,1656
14,14,27,1853
15,15,29,2016
16,16,31,2082
17,17,33,2204
18,18,35,2374
19,19,37,2490
20,20,39,2619
21,21,41,2760
22,22,43,2870
23,23,45,2994
24,24,47,3131
25,25,49,3242
26,26,51,3364
27,27,53,3500
28,28,55,3610
29,29,57,3732
30,30,59,3869
31,31,61,3980
32,32,63,4103
33,33,65,4247
34,34,67,4358
35,35,69,4481
36,36,71,4564
37,37,73,4762
38,38,75,4885
39,39,77,5008
40,40,79,5264
1,6,1,1
7,11,3,934
12,16,5,1694
17,19,7,2443
20,22,9,2831
23,25,11,3186
26,28,13,3526
29,31,15,3865
32,34,17,4187
35,39,19,4521
40,40,21,5206
WORSHIP NUMBE 29:1-2
The Festival of Trumpets demonstrated three important principles that we should follow in our worship today: (1)The people gathered together to celebrate and worship. There is something special about worshiping with other believers. (2)The normal daily routine was suspended and no hard work was done. It takes time to worship, and setting aside the time allows us to prepare our hearts before and reflect afterwards. (3)The people sacrificed animals as burnt offerings to God. We show our commit-ment to God when we give something of value to him. The best gift, of course, is ourselves.
NUMBE030
1 Moses spoke with the leaders of the Israelite tribes. He told them these commands from the LORD.
2 "If a man makes a promise to the LORD or says he will do something special, he must keep his promise. He must do what he said.
3 If a young woman still living at home makes a promise to the LORD or pledges to do something special,
4 and if her father hears about the promise or pledge and says nothing, she must do what she promised. She must keep her pledge.
5 But if her father hears about the promise or pledge and does not allow it, then the promise or pledge does not have to be kept. Her father would not allow it, so the LORD will free her from her promise.
6 "If a woman makes a pledge or a careless promise and then gets married,
7 and if her husband hears about it and says nothing, she must keep her promise or the pledge she made.
8 But if her husband hears about it and does not allow it, he cancels her pledge or the careless promise she made. The LORD will free her from keeping it.
9 "If a widow or divorced woman makes a promise, she must do whatever she promised.
10 "If a woman makes a promise or pledge while she is married,
11 and if her husband hears about it but says nothing and does not stop her, she must keep her promise or pledge.
12 But if her husband hears about it and cancels it, she does not have to do what she said. Her husband has canceled it, so the LORD will free her from it.
13 A woman's husband may make her keep or cancel any promise or pledge she has made.
14 If he says nothing to her about it for several days, she must keep her promises. If he hears about them and says nothing, she must keep her promises.
15 But if he cancels them long after he heard about them, he is responsible if she breaks her promise."
16 These are commands that the LORD gave to Moses for husbands and wives, and for fathers with daughters living at home.
1 Now Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes and told them, "The Lord has commanded that when anyone makes a promise to the Lord, either to do something or to quit doing something, that vow must not be broken: the person making the vow must do exactly as he has promised.
3 "If a woman promises the Lord to do or not do something, and she is still a girl at home in her father's home, 4 and her father hears that she has made a vow with penalties, but says nothing, then her vow shall stand. 5 But if her father refuses to let her make the vow, or feels that the penalties she has agreed to are too harsh, then her promise will automatically become invalid. Her father must state his disagreement on the first day he hears about it; and then Jehovah will forgive her because her father would not let her do it.
6 "If she takes a vow or makes a foolish pledge, and later marries, 7 and her husband learns of her vow and says nothing on the day he hears of it, her vow shall stand. 8 But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or foolish pledge, his disagreement makes it void, and Jehovah will forgive her.
9 "But if the woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill her vow.
10 "If she is married and living in her husband's home when she makes the vow, 11 and her husband hears of it and does nothing, the vow shall stand; 12 but if he refuses to allow it on the first day he hears of it, her vow is void and Jehovah will forgive her. 13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify her vow, 14 but if he says nothing for a day, then he has already agreed to it. 15 If he waits more than a day and then refuses to permit the vow, whatever penalties to which she agreed shall come upon him-he shall be responsible."
16 These, then, are the commandments the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a father and his daughter who is living at home.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,238
4,4,7,349
5,5,9,482
6,6,11,691
7,7,13,770
8,8,15,878
9,9,17,1037
10,10,19,1125
11,11,21,1192
12,12,23,1310
13,13,25,1470
14,14,27,1559
15,15,29,1718
16,16,31,1827
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,278
6,8,5,820
9,9,7,1120
10,15,9,1196
16,16,11,1740
PROMISES NUMBE 30:1-2
Moses reminded the people that their promises to God and others must be kept. In ancient times, people did not sign written contracts. A person's word was as binding as a signature. To make a vow even more binding, an offering was given along with it. No one was forced by law to make a vow; but once made, vows had to be fulfilled. Breaking a vow meant a broken trust and a broken relationship. Trust is still the basis of our relation-ships with God and others. Thus a broken promise today is just as harmful as it was in Moses' day.
PARENTS NUMBE 30:3-5
Under Israelite law, parents could overrule their children's vows. This helped young people avoid making foolish promises or costly commitments. From this law comes an important principle for both parents and children. Young people still living at home should seek their parents' help when they make decisions. A parent's experience could save a child from a serious mistake. Parents, however, should exercise their authority with caution and grace. They should let children learn from their mistakes while pro-tecting them from disaster.
NUMBE031
1 The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
2 "Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that you will die."
3 So Moses said to the people, "Get some men ready for war. The LORD will use them to pay back the Midianites.
4 Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel."
5 So twelve thousand men got ready for war, a thousand men from each tribe.
6 Moses sent those men to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets for giving the alarm.
7 They fought the Midianites as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man.
8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children, and they took all their flocks, herds, and goods.
10 They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps,
11 but they took all the people and animals and goods.
12 Then they brought the captives, the animals, and the goods back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. Their camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people went outside the camp to meet them.
14 Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.
15 He asked them, "Why did you let the women live?
16 They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and turned the Israelites from the LORD at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the LORD' s people.
17 Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations.
18 But save for yourselves the girls who have not had sexual relations with a man.
19 "All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean.
20 You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood."
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, "These are the teachings that the LORD gave to Moses:
22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead-
23 anything that will not burn- into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water.
24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp."
25 The LORD said to Moses,
26 "You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the family groups should take a count of the goods, the men, and the animals that were taken.
27 Then divide those possessions between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people.
28 From the soldiers who went to war, take a tax for the LORD of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.
29 Take it from the soldiers' half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD' s share.
30 And from the people's half, take one item out of every fifty. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals. Give that to the Levites, who take care of the LORD' s Holy Tent."
31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep,
33 72,000 cattle,
34 61,000 donkeys,
35 and 32,000 women who had not had sexual relations with a man.
36 The soldiers who went to war got 3
37,000 sheep, 37 and they gave 675 of them to the LORD.
38 They got 36,000 cattle, and they gave 72 of them to the LORD.
39 They got 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to the LORD.
40 They got 16,000 people, and they gave 32 of them to the LORD.
41 Moses gave the LORD' s share to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD had commanded him.
42 Moses separated the people's half from the soldiers' half.
43 The people got 337,500 sheep,
44 36,000 cattle,
45 30,500 donkeys,
46 and 16,000 people.
47 From the people's half Moses took one item out of every fifty for the LORD. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites, who took care of the LORD' s Holy Tent. This was what the LORD had commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers of the army, the commanders of a thousand men and commanders of a hundred men, came to Moses.
49 They told Moses, "We, your servants, have counted our soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing.
50 So we have brought the LORD a gift of the gold things that each of us found: arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces. These are to remove our sins so we will belong to the LORD."
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, which had been made into all kinds of objects.
52 The commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men gave the LORD the gold, and all of it together weighed about 420 pounds;
53 each soldier had taken something for himself.
54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men. Then they put it in the Meeting Tent as a memorial before the LORD for the people of Israel.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take vengeance on the Midianites for leading you into idolatry, and then you must die."
3 Moses said to the people, "Some of you must take arms to wage Jehovah's war against Midian. 4-5 Conscript 1,000 men from each tribe." So this was done; and out of the many thousands of Israel, 12,000 armed men were sent to battle by Moses. 6 Phinehas (son of Eleazar the priest) led them into battle, accompanied by the Ark, with trumpets blaring. 7 And every man of Midian was killed. 8 Among those killed were all five of the Midianite kings-Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Balaam, the son of Beor, was also killed.
9-11 Then the Israeli army took as captives all the women and children, and seized the cattle and flocks and a lot of miscellaneous booty. All of the cities, towns, and villages of Midian were then burned. 12 The captives and other war loot were brought to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the rest of the people of Israel who were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the people went out to meet the victorious army, 14 but Moses was very angry with the army officers and battalion leaders.
15 "Why have you let all the women live?" he demanded. 16 "These are the very ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the people of Israel to worship idols on Mount Peor, and they are the cause of the plague that destroyed us. 17 Now kill all the boys and all the women who have had sexual intercourse. 18 Only the little girls may live; you may keep them for yourselves. 19 Now stay outside of the camp for seven days, all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body. Then purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. 20 Remember also to purify all your garments and everything made of leather, goat's hair, or wood."
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, "This is the commandment Jehovah has given Moses: 22 `Anything that will stand heat-such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead-23 shall be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure; it must then be further purified with the purification water. But anything that won't stand heat shall be purified by the water alone.' 24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified, and then you may come back into the camp."
25 And the Lord said to Moses, 26 "You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the tribes are to make a list of all the loot, including the people and animals; 27 then divide it into two parts. Half of it is for the men who were in the battle, and the other half is to be given to the people of Israel. 28 But first, the Lord gets a share of all the captives, oxen, donkeys, and flocks kept by the army. His share is one out of every five hundred. 29 Give this share to Eleazar the priest to be presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar. 30 Also levy a 2 percent tribute of all the captives, flocks, and cattle that are given to the people of Israel. Present this to the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle, for it is the Lord's portion."
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded. 32-35 The total booty (besides the jewelry, clothing, etc., which the soldiers kept for themselves) was 675,000 sheep; 72,000 oxen; 61,000 donkeys; and 32,000 young girls.
36-40 So the half given to the army totaled: 337,500 sheep (of which 675 were given to the Lord); 36,000 oxen (of which 72 were given to the Lord); 30,500 donkeys (of which 61 were given to the Lord); 16,000 girls (of whom 32 went to the Levites).
41 All of the Lord's portion was given to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had directed Moses.
42-46 The half of the booty assigned to the people of Israel-Moses had separated it from the half belonging to the warriors-amounted to: 337,500 sheep, 36,000 oxen, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 girls.
47 In accordance with the Lord's directions, Moses gave 2 percent of these to the Levites.
48-49 Then the officers and battalion leaders came to Moses and said, "We have accounted for all the men who went out to battle, and not one of us is missing! 50 So we have brought a special thank offering to the Lord from our loot-gold jewelry, bracelets, anklets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This is to make atonement for our souls before the Lord."
51-52 Moses and Eleazar the priest received this special offering from the captains and battalion leaders and company commanders, and found its total value to be more than $300,000. 53 (The soldiers had also kept personal loot for themselves.) 54 The offering was taken into the Tabernacle and kept there before the Lord as a memorial of the people of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,41
3,3,5,137
4,4,7,254
5,5,9,323
6,6,11,403
7,7,13,563
8,8,15,666
9,9,17,818
10,10,19,932
11,11,21,1019
12,12,23,1079
13,13,25,1295
14,14,27,1399
15,15,29,1535
16,16,31,1590
17,17,33,1752
18,18,35,1853
19,19,37,1941
20,20,39,2133
21,21,41,2225
22,22,43,2352
23,23,45,2409
24,24,47,2628
25,25,49,2738
26,26,51,2769
27,27,53,2915
28,28,55,3017
29,29,57,3172
30,30,59,3269
31,31,61,3469
32,32,63,3530
33,33,65,3600
34,34,67,3622
35,35,69,3645
36,37,71,3714
38,38,75,3815
39,39,77,3884
40,40,79,3955
41,41,81,4024
42,42,83,4115
43,43,85,4181
44,44,87,4218
45,45,89,4240
46,46,91,4263
47,47,93,4289
48,48,95,4532
49,49,97,4651
50,50,99,4778
51,51,101,4985
52,52,103,5096
53,53,105,5249
54,54,107,5303
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,124
9,14,5,647
15,20,7,1239
21,24,9,1897
25,30,11,2416
31,35,13,3182
36,40,15,3419
41,41,17,3670
42,46,19,3767
47,47,21,3969
48,50,23,4063
51,54,25,4422
GIVING NUMBE 31:25-30
Moses told the Israelites to give a portion of the war spoils to God. Another portion was to go to the people who remained behind. Similarly, the money we earn is not ours alone. Everything we possess comes directly or indirectly from God and ultimately belongs to him. We should return a portion to him and also share a portion with those in need.
Ult. Issues: Holy War? ,!page "^holy" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
NUMBE032
1 The people of Reuben and Gad had large flocks and herds. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were good for the animals,
2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people.
3 They said, "We, your servants, have flocks and herds. The LORD has captured for the Israelites a land that is good for animals
4 -the land around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.
5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don't make us cross the Jordan River."
6 Moses told the people of Gad and Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to war while you stay behind?
7 You will discourage the Israelites from going over to the land the LORD has given them.
8 Your ancestors did the same thing. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land.
9 They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, and when they saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from going into the land the LORD had given them.
10 The LORD became very angry that day and made this promise:
11 `None of the people who came from Egypt and who are twenty years old or older will see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These people have not followed me completely.
12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun followed the LORD completely.'
13 "The LORD was angry with Israel, so he made them wander in the desert for forty years. Finally all the people who had sinned against the LORD died,
14 and now you are acting just like your ancestors! You sinful people are making the LORD even more angry with Israel.
15 If you quit following him, it will add to their stay in the desert, and you will destroy all these people."
16 Then the Reubenites and Gadites came up to Moses and said, "We will build pens for our animals and cities for our children here.
17 Then our children will be in strong, walled cities, safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will prepare for war. We will help the other Israelites get their land,
18 and we will not return home until every Israelite has received his land.
19 We won't take any of the land west of the Jordan River; our part of the land is east of the Jordan."
20 So Moses told them, "You must do these things. You must go before the LORD into battle
21 and cross the Jordan River armed, until the LORD forces out the enemy.
22 After the LORD helps us take the land, you may return home. You will have done your duty to the LORD and Israel, and you may have this land as your own.
23 "But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the LORD; know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.
24 Build cities for your children and pens for your animals, but then you must do what you promised."
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, "We are your servants, and we will do what you, our master, command.
26 Our children, wives, and all our cattle will stay in the cities of Gilead,
27 but we, your servants, will prepare for battle. We will go over and fight for the LORD, as you, our master, have said."
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
29 Moses said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you, to go before the LORD and help you take the land, give them the land of Gilead for their own.
30 But if they do not go over armed, they will not receive it; their land will be in Canaan with you."
31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, "We are your servants, and we will do as the LORD said.
32 We will cross over into Canaan and go before the LORD ready for battle. But our land will be east of the Jordan River."
33 So Moses gave that land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh. (Manasseh was Joseph's son.) That land had been the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, as well as all the cities and the land around them.
34 The Gadites rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. These were strong, walled cities. And they built sheep pens.
37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah. They renamed Nebo and Baal Meon when they rebuilt them.
39 The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went and captured Gilead and forced out the Amorites who were there.
40 So Moses gave Gilead to the family of Makir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.
41 Jair son of Manasseh went out and captured the small towns there, and he called them the Towns of Jair.
42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and the small towns around it; then he named it Nobah after himself.
1 When Israel arrived in the land of Jazar and Gilead, the tribes of Reuben and Gad (who had large flocks of sheep) noticed what wonderful sheep country it was. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the other tribal leaders and said, 3-4 "The Lord has used Israel to destroy the population of this whole countryside-Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. And it is all wonderful sheep country, ideal for our flocks. 5 Please let us have this land as our portion instead of the land on the other side of the Jordan River."
6 "You mean you want to sit here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?" Moses demanded. 7 "Are you trying to discourage the rest of the people from going across to the land that the Lord has given them? 8 This is the same kind of thing your fathers did! I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, 9 but when they finished their survey and returned from the valley of Eshcol, they discouraged the people from going on into the Promised Land. 10-11 And the Lord's anger was hot against them, and he swore that of all those he had rescued from Egypt, no one over twenty years of age would ever see the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they had refused to do what he wanted them to.
12 "The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun)-for they wholeheartedly followed the Lord and urged the people to go on into the Promised Land.
13 "The Lord made us wander back and forth in the wilderness for forty years until all that evil generation died. 14 But here you are, a brood of sinners doing exactly the same thing! Only there are more of you, so Jehovah's anger against Israel will be even fiercer this time. 15 If you turn away from God like this, he will make the people stay even longer in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for destroying his people and bringing disaster to this entire nation!"
16 "Not at all!" they explained. "We will build sheepfolds for our flocks and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will go over armed, ahead of the rest of the people of Israel, until we have brought them safely to their inheritance. But first we will need to build walled cities here for our families, to keep them safe from attack by the local inhabitants. 18 We will not settle down here until all the people of Israel have received their inheritance. 19 We don't want land on the other side of the Jordan; we would rather have it on this side, on the east."
20 Then Moses said, "All right, if you will do what you have said and arm yourselves for Jehovah's war, 21 and keep your troops across the Jordan until the Lord has driven out his enemies, 22 then, when the land is finally subdued before the Lord, you may return. Then you will have discharged your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the eastern side shall be your possession from the Lord. 23 But if you don't do as you have said, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will catch up with you. 24 Go ahead and build cities for your families and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do all you have said."
25 "We will follow your instructions exactly," the people of Gad and Reuben replied. 26 "Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle shall stay here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But all of us who are conscripted will go over to battle for the Lord, just as you have said."
28 So Moses gave his approval by saying to Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders of Israel, 29 "If all the men of the tribes of Gad and Reuben who are conscripted for the Lord's battles go with you over the Jordan, then, when the land is conquered, you must give them the land of Gilead; 30 but if they refuse, then they must accept land among the rest of you in the land of Canaan."
31 The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, "As the Lord has commanded, so we will do-32 we will follow the Lord fully armed into Canaan, but our own land shall be here on this side of the Jordan."
33 So Moses assigned the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites, and of King Og of Bashan-all the land and cities-to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph).
34-36 The people of Gad built these cities: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran. They were all fortified cities with sheepfolds.
37-38 The children of Reuben built the following cities: Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, Nebo, Baal-meon, Sibmah. (The Israelites later changed the names of some of these cities they had conquered and rebuilt.)
39 Then the clan of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and drove out the Amorites who were living there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Machirites, and they lived there. 41 The men of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, occupied many of the towns in Gilead, and changed the name of their area to Havroth-jair. 42 Meanwhile, a man named Nobah led an army to Kenath and its surrounding villages, and occupied them, and he called the area Nobah, after his own name.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,141
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,354
5,5,9,449
6,6,11,556
7,7,13,658
8,8,15,752
9,9,17,845
10,10,19,1012
11,11,21,1081
12,12,23,1284
13,13,25,1386
14,14,27,1543
15,15,29,1668
16,16,31,1783
17,17,33,1919
18,18,35,2109
19,19,37,2190
20,20,39,2302
21,21,41,2397
22,22,43,2475
23,23,45,2635
24,24,47,2770
25,25,49,2879
26,26,51,2999
27,27,53,3083
28,28,55,3210
29,29,57,3344
30,30,59,3554
31,31,61,3661
32,32,63,3761
33,33,65,3890
34,34,67,4157
35,35,69,4226
36,36,71,4266
37,37,73,4364
38,38,75,4424
39,39,77,4516
40,40,79,4635
41,41,81,4727
42,42,83,4838
1,5,1,1
6,11,3,572
12,12,5,1295
13,15,7,1486
16,19,9,1967
20,24,11,2543
25,27,13,3224
28,30,15,3495
31,32,17,3884
33,33,19,4085
34,36,21,4281
37,38,23,4457
39,42,25,4669
ASSUMING NUMBE 32:1
Three tribes (Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh) wanted to live east of the Jordan River on land they had already conquered. Moses immediately assumed they had selfish motives and were trying to avoid helping the others fight for the land across the river. But Moses jumped to the wrong conclusion. In dealing with people, we must find out all the facts before making up our minds. We shouldn't automatically assume that their motives are wrong, even if their plans sound suspicious.
NUMBE033
RECORD
1 These are the places the Israelites went as Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt in divisions.
2 At the LORD' s command Moses recorded the places they went, and these are the places they went.
3 On the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover, the Israelites left Rameses and marched out boldly in front of all the Egyptians.
4 The Egyptians were burying their firstborn sons, whom the LORD had killed; the LORD showed that the gods of Egypt were false.
5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth.
6 They left Succoth and camped at Etham, at the edge of the desert.
7 They left Etham and went back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol.
8 They left Pi Hahiroth and walked through the sea into the desert. After going three days through the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.
9 They left Marah and went to Elim; there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees where they camped.
10 They left Elim and camped near the Red Sea.
11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.
12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where the people had no water to drink.
15 They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.
16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.
17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.
20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.
21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.
29 They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.
32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.
33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.
36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.
37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.
38 Aaron the priest obeyed the LORD and went up Mount Hor. There he died on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites left Egypt.
39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the southern area of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.
41 The people left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.
45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.
46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.
47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo.
48 They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.
49 They camped along the Jordan on the plains of Moab, and their camp went from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Acacia.
50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho, the LORD spoke to Moses. He said,
51 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them, `When you cross the Jordan River and go into Canaan,
52 force out all the people who live there. Destroy all of their carved statues and metal idols. Wreck all of their places of worship.
53 Take over the land and settle there, because I have given this land to you to own.
54 Throw lots to divide up the land by family groups, giving larger portions to larger family groups and smaller portions to smaller family groups. The land will be given as the lots decide; each tribe will get its own land.
55 "`But if you don't force those people out of the land, they will bring you trouble. They will be like sharp hooks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will bring trouble to the land where you live.
56 Then I will punish you as I had planned to punish them.' "
1 This is the itinerary of the nation of Israel from the time Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt. 2 Moses had written down their movements as the Lord had instructed him. 3-4 They left the city of Rameses, Egypt, on the first day of April, the day after the night of the Passover. They left proudly, hurried along by the Egyptians who were burying all their eldest sons, killed by the Lord the night before. The Lord had certainly defeated all the gods of Egypt that night!
5-6 After leaving Rameses, they stayed in Succoth, Etham (at the edge of the wilderness), and 7 Pihahiroth (near Baal-zephon, where they camped at the foot of Mount Migdol). 8 From there they went through the middle of the Red Sea and on for three days into the wilderness of Etham, camping at Marah.
9 Leaving Marah, they came to Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; they stayed there for quite a long time.
10 Leaving Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea, 11 and then in the wilderness of Sihn.
12 Next was Dophkah, 13 and then Alush; 14 then on to Rephidim (where there was no water for the people to drink).
15-37 From Rephidim they went to the wilderness of Sinai; from the wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah;
From Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth;
From Hazeroth to Rithmah;
From Rithmah to Rimmon-parez;
From Rimmon-parez to Libnah;
From Libnah to Rissah;
From Rissah to Kehelathah;
From Kehelathah to Mount Shepher;
From Mount Shepher to Haradah;
From Haradah to Makheloth;
From Makheloth to Tahath;
From Tahath to Terah;
From Terah to Mithkah;
From Mithkah to Hashmonah;
From Hashmonah to Moseroth;
From Moseroth to Bene-jaakan;
From Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad;
From Hor-haggidgad to Jotbathah;
From Jotbathah to Abronah;
From Abronah to Ezion-geber;
From Ezion-geber to Kadesh (in the wilderness of Zin);
From Kadesh to Mount Hor (at the edge of the land of Edom).
38-39 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up into the mountain, and there he died. This occurred during the fortieth year after the people of Israel had left Egypt. The date of his death was July 15 when he was 123 years old.
40 It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land. 41 After dealing with him, the Israelis journeyed from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah, 42 then at Punon, 43 then at Oboth, 44 then Iyeabarim (at the border of Moab). 45 From there they went to Dibon-gad, 46 and then to Almon-diblathaim, 47 and on into the mountains of Abarim, near Mount Nebo, 48 and finally to the plains of Moab beside the river Jordan, opposite Jericho. 49 While in that area they camped at various places along the Jordan River, from Bethjeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, on the plains of Moab.
50-51 It was while they were camped there that the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "When you pass across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the people living there and destroy all their idols-their carved stones, molten images, and the open-air sanctuaries in the hills where they worship their idols. 53 I have given the land to you; take it and live there. 54 You will be given land in proportion to the size of your tribes. The larger sections of land will be divided by lot among the larger tribes, and the smaller sections will be allotted to the smaller tribes. 55 But if you refuse to drive out the people living there, those who remain will be as cinders in your eyes and thorns in your sides. 56 And I will destroy you as I had planned for you to destroy them."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,208
4,4,7,367
5,5,9,501
6,6,11,558
7,7,13,630
8,8,15,734
9,9,17,882
10,10,19,999
11,11,21,1050
12,12,23,1114
13,13,25,1173
14,14,27,1219
15,15,29,1306
16,16,31,1367
17,17,33,1438
18,18,35,1498
19,19,37,1548
20,20,39,1601
21,21,41,1653
22,22,43,1700
23,23,45,1752
24,24,47,1812
25,25,49,1868
26,26,51,1918
27,27,53,1967
28,28,55,2012
29,29,57,2058
30,30,59,2113
31,31,61,2164
32,32,63,2217
33,33,65,2275
34,34,67,2331
35,35,69,2381
36,36,71,2433
37,37,73,2507
38,38,75,2579
39,39,77,2746
40,40,79,2806
41,41,81,2925
42,42,83,2982
43,43,85,3030
44,44,87,3077
45,45,89,3152
46,46,91,3206
47,47,93,3265
48,48,95,3351
49,49,97,3468
50,50,99,3583
51,51,101,3687
52,52,103,3789
53,53,105,3930
54,54,107,4020
55,55,109,4249
56,56,111,4462
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,481
9,9,5,785
10,11,7,929
12,14,9,1020
15,37,11,1138
38,39,34,1971
40,49,36,2254
50,56,38,2929
RECORD NUMBE 33:2
Moses recorded the Israelites' journeys as God instructed him, providing a record of their spiritual as well as geographic progress. Have you made spiritual progress lately? Recording your thoughts about God and lessons you have learned over a period of time can be a valuable aid to spiritual growth. A record of your spiritual pilgrimage will let you check up on your progress and avoid past mistakes.
NUMBE034
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Give this command to the people of Israel: `You will soon enter Canaan and it will be yours. These shall be the borders:
3 On the south you will get part of the Desert of Zin near the border of Edom. On the east side your southern border will start at the south end of the Dead Sea,
4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, and go through the Desert of Zin and south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon.
5 From Azmon it will go to the brook of Egypt, and it will end at the Mediterranean Sea.
6 "`Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.
7 "`Your northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and go to Mount Hor.
8 From Mount Hor it will go to Lebo Hamath, and on to Zedad.
9 Then the border will go to Ziphron, and it will end at Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.
10 "`Your eastern border will begin at Hazar Enan and go to Shepham.
11 From Shepham the border will go east of Ain to Riblah and along the hills east of Lake Galilee.
12 Then the border will go down along the Jordan River and end at the Dead Sea. "`These are the borders around your country.' "
13 So Moses gave this command to the Israelites: "This is the land you will receive. Throw lots to divide it among the nine and one-half tribes, because the LORD commanded that it should be theirs.
14 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh have already received their land.
15 These two and one-half tribes received land east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho."
16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
17 "These are the men who will divide the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun.
18 Also take one leader from each tribe to help divide the land.
19 These are the names of the leaders: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
20 from the tribe of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud;
21 from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon;
22 from the tribe of Dan, Bukki son of Jogli;
23 from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, Hanniel son of Ephod;
24 from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph, Kemuel son of Shiphtan;
25 from the tribe of Zebulun, Elizaphan son of Parnach;
26 from the tribe of Issachar, Paltiel son of Azzan;
27 from the tribe of Asher, Ahihud son of Shelomi;
28 from the tribe of Naphtali, Pedahel son of Ammihud."
29 The LORD commanded these men to divide the land of Canaan among the Israelites.
1 The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, "When you come into the land of Canaan (I am giving you the entire land as your homeland), 3 the southern portion of the country will be the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin at the Dead Sea, 4 and will continue south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazaraddar, and on to Azmon. 5 From Azmon the boundary will follow the brook of Egypt down to the Mediterranean Sea.
6 "Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
7-9 "Your northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and will proceed eastward to Mount Hor, then to Lebo-Hamath, and on through Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan.
10-11 "The eastern border will be from Hazar-enan south to Shepham, then on to Riblah at the east side of Ain. From there it will make a large half-circle, first going south and then westward until it touches the southernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee, 12 and then along the Jordan River, ending at the Dead Sea."
13 "This is the territory you are to apportion among yourselves by lot," Moses said. "It is to be divided up among the nine and one-half tribes, 14-15 for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already been assigned land on the east side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho."
16-28 And the Lord said to Moses, "These are the names of the men I have appointed to handle the dividing up of the land: Eleazar the priest, Joshua (son of Nun), and one leader from each tribe, as listed below:
Tribe Leader
Judah Caleb (son of Jephunneh)
Simeon Shemuel (son of Ammihud)
Benjamin Elidad (son of Chislon)
Dan Bukki (son of Jogli)
Manasseh Hanniel (son of Ephod)
Ephraim Kemuel (son of Shiphtan)
Zebulun Elizaphan (son of Parnach)
Issachar Paltiel (son of Azzan)
Asher Ahihud (son of Shelomi)
Naphtali Pedahel (son of Ammihud)
29 These are the names of the men I have appointed to oversee the dividing of the land among the tribes."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,32
3,3,5,166
4,4,7,333
5,5,9,481
6,6,11,578
7,7,13,638
8,8,15,724
9,9,17,789
10,10,19,897
11,11,21,970
12,12,23,1073
13,13,25,1209
14,14,27,1412
15,15,29,1503
16,16,31,1602
17,17,33,1638
18,18,35,1732
19,19,37,1801
20,20,39,1893
21,21,41,1955
22,22,43,2014
23,23,45,2064
24,24,47,2135
25,25,49,2208
26,26,51,2268
27,27,53,2325
28,28,55,2380
29,29,57,2441
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,548
7,9,5,624
10,12,7,798
13,15,9,1115
16,28,11,1416
29,29,23,1980
NUMBE035
<!T!J#
1 The LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab across from Jericho by the Jordan River. He said,
2 "Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in from the land they receive. Also give the Levites the pastureland around these cities.
3 Then the Levites will have cities where they may live and pastureland for their cattle, flocks, and other animals.
4 The pastureland you give the Levites will extend fifteen hundred feet from the city wall.
5 Also measure three thousand feet in each direction outside the city wall- three thousand feet east of the city, three thousand feet south of the city, three thousand feet west of the city, and three thousand feet north of the city, with the city in the center. This will be pastureland for the Levites' cities.
6 "Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of safety. A person who accidentally kills someone may run to one of those cities for safety. You must also give forty-two other cities to the Levites;
7 give the Levites a total of forty-eight cities and their pastures.
8 The larger tribes of Israel must give more cities, and the smaller tribes must give fewer cities. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the Levites, but the number of cities they give will depend on the size of their land."
9 Then the LORD said to Moses,
10 "Tell the Israelites these things: `When you cross the Jordan River and go into Canaan,
11 you must choose cities to be cities of safety, so that a person who accidentally kills someone may run to them for safety.
12 There the person will be safe from the dead person's relative who has the duty of punishing the killer. He will not die before he receives a fair trial in court.
13 The six cities you give will be cities of safety.
14 Give three cities east of the Jordan River and three cities in Canaan as cities of safety.
15 These six cities will be places of safety for citizens of Israel, as well as for foreigners and other people living with you. Any of these people who accidentally kills someone may run to one of these cities.
16 "`Anyone who uses an iron weapon to kill someone is a murderer. He must be put to death.
17 Anyone who takes a rock and kills a person with it is a murderer. He must be put to death.
18 Anyone who picks up a piece of wood and kills someone with it is a murderer. He must be put to death.
19 A relative of the dead person must put the murderer to death; when they meet, the relative must kill the murderer.
20 A person might shove someone or throw something at someone and cause death.
21 Or a person might hit someone with his hand and cause death. If it were done from hate, the person is a murderer and must be put to death. A relative of the dead person must kill the murderer when they meet.
22 "`But a person might suddenly shove someone, and not from hatred. Or a person might accidentally throw something and hit someone.
23 Or a person might drop a rock on someone he couldn't see and kill that person. There was no plan to hurt anyone and no hatred for the one who was killed.
24 If that happens, the community must judge between the relative of the dead person and the killer, according to these rules.
25 They must protect the killer from the dead person's relative, sending the killer back to the original city of safety, to stay there until the high priest dies (the high priest had the holy oil poured on him).
26 "`Such a person must never go outside the limits of the city of safety.
27 If a relative of the dead person finds the killer outside the city, the relative may kill that person and not be guilty of murder.
28 The killer must stay in the city of safety until the high priest dies. After the high priest dies, the killer may go home.
29 "`These laws are for you from now on, wherever you live.
30 "`If anyone kills a person, the murderer may be put to death only if there are witnesses. No one may be put to death with only one witness.
31 "`Don't take money to spare the life of a murderer who should be put to death. A murderer must be put to death.
32 "`If someone has run to a city of safety, don't take money to let the person go back home before the high priest dies.
33 "`Don't let murder spoil your land. The only way to remove the sin of killing an innocent person is for the murderer to be put to death.
34 I am the LORD, and I live among the Israelites. I live in that land with you, so do not spoil it with murder.' "
1 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,
2 "Instruct the people of Israel to give to the Levites as their inheritance certain cities and surrounding pasturelands. 3 These cities are for their homes, and the surrounding lands for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. 4-5 Their gardens and vineyards shall extend 1500 feet out from the city walls in each direction, with an additional 1500 feet beyond that for pastureland.
6 "You shall give the Levites the six Cities of Refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run and be safe, and forty-two other cities besides. 7 In all, there shall be forty-eight cities with the surrounding pastureland given to the Levites. 8 These cities shall be in various parts of the nation; the larger tribes with many cities will give several to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer."
9-10 And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people that when they arrive in the land, 11 Cities of Refuge shall be designated for anyone to flee into if he has killed someone accidentally. 12 These cities will be places of protection from the dead man's relatives who want to avenge his death; for the slayer must not be killed unless a fair trial establishes his guilt. 13-14 Three of these six Cities of Refuge are to be located in the land of Canaan, and three on the east side of the Jordan River. 15 These are not only for the protection of Israelites, but also for foreigners and travelers.
16 "But if someone is struck and killed by a piece of iron, it must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be executed. 17 Or if the slain man was struck down with a large stone, it is murder, and the murderer shall die. 18 The same is true if he is killed with a wooden weapon. 19 The avenger of his death shall personally kill the murderer when he meets him. 20 So if anyone kills another out of hatred by throwing something at him, or ambushing him, 21 or angrily striking him with his fist so that he dies, he is a murderer; and the murderer shall be executed by the avenger.
22-23 "But if it is an accident-a case in which something is thrown unintentionally, or in which a stone is thrown without anger, without realizing it will hit anyone, and without wanting to harm an enemy-yet the man dies, 24 then the people shall judge whether or not it was an accident, and whether or not to hand the killer over to the avenger of the dead man. 25 If it is decided that it was accidental, then the people shall save the killer from the avenger; the killer shall be permitted to stay in the City of Refuge; and he must live there until the death of the High Priest.
26 "If the slayer leaves the city, 27 and the avenger finds him outside and kills him, it is not murder, 28 for the man should have stayed inside the city until the death of the High Priest. But after the death of the High Priest, the man may return to his own land and home. 29 These are permanent laws for all Israel from generation to generation.
30 "All murderers must be executed, but only if there is more than one witness; no man shall die with only one person testifying against him. 31 Whenever anyone is judged guilty of murder, he must die-no ransom may be accepted for him. 32 Nor may a payment be accepted from a refugee in a City of Refuge, permitting him to return to his home before the death of the High Priest. 33 In this way the land will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for murder except by the execution of the murderer. 34 You shall not defile the land where you are going to live, for I, Jehovah, will be living there."
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26,29,12,2713
30,34,14,3066
REFUGE NUMBE 35:11-28
If anyone died because of violence, murder was assumed, but the murder suspect was not automatically assumed guilty. The people were to be intolerant of the sin, yet impartial to the accused so that he or she could have a fair trial. The Cities of Refuge represented God's concern for justice in a culture that did not always protect the innocent. It is unjust both to overlook wrongdoing and to jump to conclusions about guilt. When someone is accused of wrong-doing, stand up for justice, protect those not yet proven guilty, and listen carefully to all sides of the story.
BITTERNESS NUMBE 35:33
Murderers were to be execued because they corrupted the land. But Jesus startles us by saying that even becoing angry at someone for no reason is a sin like murder (Matthew 5:21-22). Murderand anger stem from the same root. While one seems a lesser sin, it often will lead to more sin. Unchecked bitterness and anger will ultimately destroy us. We need to deal with these unhealthy emotions before they fester and corrupt our lives.
NUMBE036
1 The leaders of Gilead's family group went to talk to Moses and the leaders of the families of Israel. (Gilead was the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.)
2 They said, "The LORD commanded you, our master, to give the land to the Israelites by throwing lots, and the LORD commanded you to give the land of Zelophehad, our brother, to his daughters.
3 But if his daughters marry men from other tribes of Israel, then that land will leave our family, and the people of the other tribes will get that land. So we will lose some of our land.
4 When the time of Jubilee comes for the Israelites, their land will go to the tribes of the people they marry; their land will be taken away from us, the land we received from our fathers."
5 Then Moses gave the Israelites this command from the LORD: "These men from the tribe of Joseph are right.
6 This is the LORD' s command to Zelophehad's daughters: You may marry anyone you wish, as long as the person is from your own tribe.
7 In this way the Israelites' land will not pass from tribe to tribe, and each Israelite will keep the land in the tribe that belonged to his ancestors.
8 A woman who inherits her father's land may marry, but she must marry someone from her own tribe. In this way every Israelite will keep the land that belonged to his ancestors.
9 The land must not pass from tribe to tribe, and each Israelite tribe will keep the land it received from its ancestors."
10 Zelophehad's daughters obeyed the LORD' s command to Moses.
11 So Zelophehad's daughters- Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah- married their cousins, their father's relatives.
12 Their husbands were from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, so their land stayed in their father's family group and tribe.
1 Then the heads of the subclan of Gilead (of the clan of Machir, of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the sons of Joseph) came to Moses and the leaders of Israel with a petition: "The Lord instructed you to divide the land by lot among the people of Israel," they reminded Moses, "and to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 But if they marry into another tribe, their land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way the total area of our tribe will be reduced 4 and will not be returned at the Year of Jubilee."
5 Then Moses replied publicly, giving them these instructions from the Lord: "The men of the tribe of Joseph have a proper complaint. 6 This is what the Lord has further commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: `Let them be married to anyone they like, so long as it is within their own tribe. 7 In this way none of the land of the tribe will shift to any other tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe is to remain permanently as it was first allotted. 8 The girls throughout the tribes of Israel who are heiresses must marry within their own tribe, so that their land won't leave the tribe. 9 In this way no inheritance shall move from one tribe to another.' "
10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11-12 These girls, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, were married to men in their own tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph); so their inheritance remained in their tribe.
13 These are the commandments and ordinances that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses, while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
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VDEUTE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To remind the people of what God has done and encourage them to rededicate their lives to him
AUTHOR:
Moses (except for the final summary which was probably written after Moses' death by Joshua)
TO WHOM WRITTEN:
Israel (the new generation entering the Promised Land)
DATE WRITTEN:
About 1407/6 B.C.
SETTING:
The east side of the Jordan River, in view of the Promised Land
KEY PEOPLE:
Moses, Joshua
KEY PLACE:
The valley of Arabah in Moab, east of the Jordan River
Do you have a "memories" drawer, a place where you keep various reminders from your past? Maybe you have a wall, or even a box filled with mementos of happy occasions. Some people save the petals off prom flowers. Others keep ticket stubs from movies, ball games, or concerts. Some store especially meaningful letters or old pictures. If you are like most people, these treasures become even more meaningful when you are going through tough times: when you're sad or lonely or scared about the future. There is something comforting in remembering the good times you've had. Your keepsakes remind you that everything is going to be O.K. The book of Deuteronomy is a book of "memories." God had made a covenant, or promise, with the slaves who first came out of Egypt, pledging to take them into the Promised Land. But the Israelites refused to obey or trust God. So he left them to wander in the wilderness until they died. But a new generation had grown up, so God, through Moses, reminded them of the covenant. Moses recounted to the people the mighty acts God had done for Israel. Then he let them know that, based on the past, they must trust, obey, and love God as they advanced on their new homeland. Only such an attitude would enable them to conquer the Promised Land. As you read Deuteronomy, let God remind you of the ways he as helped you in the past. Then, when you are fearful, you will trust yourself to him.y
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DEUTE001
f/~/42*3
1 This is the message Moses gave to all the people of Israel in the desert east of the Jordan River. They were in the desert area near Suph, between Paran and the towns of Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 (The trip from Mount Sinai to Kadesh Barnea on the Mount Seir road takes eleven days.)
3 Forty years after the Israelites had left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses told the people of Israel everything the LORD had commanded him to tell them.
4 This was after the LORD had defeated Sihon and Og. Sihon was king of the Amorite people and lived in Heshbon. Og was king of Bashan and lived in Ashteroth and Edrei.
5 Now the Israelites were east of the Jordan River in the land of Moab, and there Moses began to explain what God had commanded. He said:
6 The LORD our God spoke to us at Mount Sinai and said, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
7 Get ready, and go to the mountain country of the Amorites, and to all the places around there- the Jordan Valley, the mountains, the western hills, the southern area, the seacoast, the land of Canaan, and Lebanon. Go as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
8 See, I have given you this land, so go in and take it for yourselves. The LORD promised it to your ancestors- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants."
9 At that time I said, "I am not able to take care of you by myself.
10 The LORD your God has made you grow in number so that there are as many of you as there are stars in the sky.
11 I pray that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, will give you a thousand times more people and do all the wonderful things he promised.
12 But I cannot take care of your problems, your troubles, and your arguments by myself.
13 So choose some men from each tribe- wise men who have understanding and experience- and I will make them leaders over you."
14 And you said, "That's a good thing to do."
15 So I took the wise and experienced leaders of your tribes, and I made them your leaders. I appointed commanders over a thousand people, over a hundred people, over fifty people, and over ten people and made them officers over your tribes.
16 Then I told your leaders, "Listen to the arguments between your people. Judge fairly between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner.
17 When you judge, be fair to everyone; don't act as if one person is more important than another, and don't be afraid of anyone, because your decision comes from God. Bring the hard cases to me, and I will judge them."
18 At that time I told you everything you must do.
19 Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and went toward the mountain country of the Amorite people. We went through that large and terrible desert you saw, and then we came to Kadesh Barnea.
20 I said to you, "You have now come to the mountain country of the Amorites, to the land the LORD our God will give us.
21 Look, here it is! Go up and take it. The LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you to do this, so don't be afraid and don't worry."
22 Then all of you came to me and said, "Let's send men before us to spy out the land. They can come back and tell us about the way we should go and the cities we will find."
23 I thought that was a good idea, so I chose twelve of your men, one for each tribe.
24 They left and went up to the mountains, and when they came to the Valley of Eshcol they explored it.
25 They took some of the fruit from that land and brought it down to us, saying, "It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us."
26 But you refused to go. You would not obey the command of the LORD your God,
27 but grumbled in your tents, saying, "The LORD hates us. He brought us out of Egypt just to give us to the Amorites, who will destroy us.
28 Where can we go now? The spies we sent have made us afraid, because they said, `The people there are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are big, with walls up to the sky. And we saw the Anakites there!' "
29 Then I said to you, "Don't be frightened; don't be afraid of those people.
30 The LORD your God will go ahead of you and fight for you as he did in Egypt; you saw him do it.
31 And in the desert you saw how the LORD your God carried you, like one carries a child. And he has brought you safely all the way to this place."
32 But you still did not trust the LORD your God, even though
33 he had always gone before you to find places for you to camp. In a fire at night and in a cloud during the day, he showed you which way to go.
34 When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and made an oath, saying,
35 "I promised a good land to your ancestors, but none of you evil people will see it.
36 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh will see it. I will give him and his descendants the land he walked on, because he followed the LORD completely."
37 Because of you, the LORD was also angry with me and said, "You won't enter the land either,
38 but your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to take the land for their own.
39 "Your little children that you said would be captured, who do not know right from wrong at this time, will go into the land. I will give the land to them, and they will take it for their own.
40 But you must turn around and follow the desert road toward the Red Sea."
41 Then you said to me, "We have sinned against the LORD, but now we will go up and fight, as the LORD our God commanded us." Then all of you put on weapons, thinking it would be easy to go into the mountains.
42 But the LORD said to me, "Tell the people, `You must not go up there and fight. I will not be with you, and your enemies will defeat you.' "
43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You would not obey the LORD' s command. You were proud, so you went on up into the mountains,
44 and the Amorites who lived in those mountains came out and fought you. They chased you like bees and defeated you from Edom to Hormah.
45 So you came back and cried before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to you; he refused to pay attention to you.
46 So you stayed in Kadesh a long time.
1 This book records Moses' address to the people of Israel when they were camped in the valley of the Arabah in the wilderness of Moab, east of the Jordan River. (Cities in the area included Suph, Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.) The speech was given on February 15, forty years after the people of Israel left Mount Horeb-though it takes only eleven days to travel by foot from Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir! At the time of this address, King Sihon of the Amorites had already been defeated at Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan had been defeated at Ashtaroth, near Edrei. Here, then, is Moses' address to Israel, stating all the laws God had commanded him to pass on to them:
6 "It was forty years ago, at Mount Horeb, that Jehovah our God told us, `You have stayed here long enough. 7 Now go and occupy the hill country of the Amorites, the valley of the Arabah, and the Negeb, and all the land of Canaan and Lebanon-the entire area from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. 8 I am giving all of it to you! Go in and possess it, for it is the land the Lord promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all of their descendants.'
9 "At that time I told the people, `I need help! You are a great burden for me to carry all by myself, 10 for the Lord has multiplied you to become as many as the stars! 11 And may he multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised, 12 but what can one man do to settle all your quarrels and problems? 13 So choose some men from each tribe who are wise, experienced, and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.'
14 "They agreed to this; 15 I took the men they selected, some from every tribe, and appointed them as administrative assistants in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to decide their quarrels and assist them in every way. 16 I instructed them to be perfectly fair at all times, even to foreigners. 17 `When giving your decisions,' I told them, `never favor a man because he is rich; be fair to great and small alike. Don't fear their displeasure, for you are judging in the place of God. Bring me any cases too difficult for you, and I will handle them.' 18 And I gave them other instructions at that time also.
19-21 "Then we left Mount Horeb and traveled through the great and terrible desert, finally arriving among the Amorite hills to which the Lord our God had directed us. We were then at Kadesh-barnea on the border of the Promised Land and I said to the people, `The Lord God has given us this land. Go and possess it as he told us to. Don't be afraid! Don't even doubt!'
22 "But they replied, `First let's send out spies to discover the best route of entry, and to decide which cities we should capture first.'
23 "This seemed like a good idea, so I chose twelve spies, one from each tribe. 24-25 They crossed into the hills and came to the valley of Eshcol, and returned with samples of the local fruit. One look was enough to convince us that it was indeed a good land the Lord our God had given us. 26 But the people refused to go in and rebelled against the Lord's command.
27 "They murmured and complained in their tents and said, `The Lord must hate us, bringing us here from Egypt to be slaughtered by these Amorites. 28 What are we getting into? Our brothers who spied out the land have frightened us with their report. They say that the people of the land are tall and powerful, and that the walls of their cities rise high into the sky! They have even seen giants there-the descendants of the Anakim!'
29 "But I said to them, `Don't be afraid! 30 The Lord God is your leader, and he will fight for you with his mighty miracles, just as you saw him do in Egypt. 31 And you know how he has cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child!' 32 But nothing I said did any good.
"They refused to believe the Lord our God 33 who had led them all the way, and had selected the best places for them to camp, and had guided them by a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud during the day.
34-35 "Well, the Lord heard their complaining and was very angry. He vowed that not one person in that entire generation would live to see the good land he had promised their fathers, 36 except Caleb (the son of Jephunneh), who, because he had wholly followed the Lord, would receive as his personal inheritance some of the land he had walked over.
37 "And the Lord was even angry with me because of them and said to me, `You shall not enter the Promised Land! 38 Instead, your assistant, Joshua (the son of Nun), shall lead the people. Encourage him as he prepares to take over the leadership. 39 I will give the land to the children they said would die in the wilderness. 40 But as for you of the older generation, turn around now and go on back across the desert toward the Red Sea.'
41 "Then they confessed, `We have sinned! We will go into the land and fight for it as the Lord our God has told us to.' So they strapped on their weapons and thought it would be easy to conquer the whole area.
42 "But the Lord said to me, `Tell them not to do it, for I will not go with them; they will be struck down before their enemies.'
43 "I told them, but they wouldn't listen. Instead, they rebelled again against the Lord's commandment and went on up into the hill country to fight. 44 But the Amorites who lived there came out against them and chased them like bees and killed them from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then they returned and wept before the Lord, but he wouldn't listen. 46 So they stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.
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37,40,16,4482
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LEADERSHIP DEUTE 1:14-18
Moses identified some of the inner qualities of good leaders: (1)fairness, (2)impartiality, (3)character strength, and (4)the ability to recognize their limitations. These characteristics differ greatly from the ones that often help elect leaders today: good looks, wealth, popularity, willingness to do anything to get to the top. The qualities Moses identified should be evident in our lives as we lead, and we should look for them in the lives of those we elect to positions of leadership.
DEUTE002
1 Then we turned around, and we traveled on the desert road toward the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me to do. We traveled through the mountains of Edom for many days.
2 Then the LORD said to me,
3 "You have traveled through these mountains long enough. Turn north
4 and give the people this command: `You will soon go through the land that belongs to your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Edom. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.
5 Do not go to war against them. I will not give you any of their land- not even a foot of it, because I have given the mountains of Edom to Esau as his own.
6 You must pay them in silver for any food you eat or water you drink.' "
7 The LORD your God has blessed everything you have done; he has protected you while you traveled through this great desert. The LORD your God has been with you for the past forty years, and you have had everything you needed.
8 So we passed by our relatives, the descendants of Esau who lived in Edom. We turned off the Jordan Valley road that comes from the towns of Elath and Ezion Geber and traveled along the desert road to Moab.
9 Then the LORD said to me, "Don't bother the people of Moab. Don't go to war against them, because I will not give you any of their land as your own; I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their own."
10 (The Emites, who lived in Ar before, were strong people, and there were many of them. They were very tall, like the Anakites.
11 The Emites were thought to be Rephaites, like the Anakites, but the Moabite people called them Emites. The Horitees also lived in Edom before, but the descendants of Esau forced them out and destroyed them, taking their place as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their own.) 13 And the LORD said to me, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we crossed the valley. 14 It had been thirty-eight years from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, all the fighting men from that time had died, as the LORD had promised would happen. 15 The LORD continued to work against them to remove them from the camp until they were all dead. 16 When the last of those fighting men had died, 17 the LORD said to me, 18 "Today you will pass by Ar, on the border of Moab. 19 When you come near the people of Ammon, don't bother them or go to war against them, because I will not give you any of their land as your own. I have given it to the descendants of Lot for their own." 20 (That land was also thought to be a land of the Rephaites, because those people used to live there, but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were strong people, and there were many of them; they were very tall, like the Anakites. The LORD destroyed the Zamzummites, and the Ammonites forced them out of the land and took their place. 22 The LORD did the same thing for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Edom, when he destroyed the Horites. The Edomites forced them out of the land and took their place, and they live there to this day. 23 The Cretan people came from Crete and destroyed the Avvites, who lived in towns all the way to Gaza; the Cretans destroyed them and took their place.) 24 The LORD said, "Get up and cross the Arnon Ravine. See, I am giving you the power to defeat Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and I am giving you his land. So fight against him and begin taking his land. 25 Today I will begin to make all the people in the world afraid of you. When they hear reports about you, they will shake with fear, and they will be terrified of you." 26 I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon. They offered him peace, saying, 27 "If you let us pass through your country, we will stay on the road and not turn right or left. 28 We will pay you in silver for any food we eat or water we drink. We only want to walk through your country. 29 The descendants of Esau in Edom let us go through their land, and so did the Moabites in Ar. We want to cross the Jordan River into the land the LORD our God has given us." 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass, because the LORD your God had made him stubborn. The LORD wanted you to defeat Sihon, and now this has happened. 31 The LORD said to me, "See, I have begun to give Sihon and his country to you. Begin taking the land as your own." 32 Then Sihon and all his army came out and fought us at Jahaz, 33 but the LORD our God gave Sihon to us. We defeated him, his sons, and all his army. 34 We captured all his cities at that time and completely destroyed them, as well as the men, women, and children. We left no one alive. 35 But we kept the cattle and valuable things from the cities for ourselves. 36 We defeated Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Ravine, and we defeated the town in the ravine, and even as far as Gilead. No town was too strong for us; the LORD our God gave us all of them. 37 But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, on the shores of the Jabbok River, or the towns in the mountains, as the LORD our God had commanded.
1 "Then we turned back across the wilderness toward the Red Sea, for so the Lord had instructed me. For many years we wandered around in the area of Mount Seir. 2 Then at last the Lord said, 3 `You have stayed here long enough. Turn northward. 4 Inform the people that they will be passing through the country belonging to their brothers the Edomites, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir; the Edomites will be nervous, so be careful. 5 Don't start a fight! For I have given them all the Mount Seir hill country as their permanent possession, and I will not give you even a tiny piece of their land. 6 Pay them for whatever food or water you use. 7 The Lord your God has watched over you and blessed you every step of the way for all these forty years as you have wandered around in this great wilderness; and you have lacked nothing in all that time.'
8 "So we passed through Edom where our brothers lived, crossing the Arabah Road that goes south to Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveling northward toward the wilderness of Moab.
9 "Then the Lord warned us, `Don't attack the Moabites either, for I will not give you any of their land; I have given it to the descendants of Lot.'
10 "(The Emim used to live in that area, a very large tribe, tall as the giants of Anakim; 11 both the Emim and the Anakim are often referred to as the Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 In earlier days the Horites lived in Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, just as Israel would displace the peoples of Canaan, whose land had been assigned to Israel by the Lord.)
13 " `Now cross Zered Brook,' the Lord said; and we did.
14-15 "So it took us thirty-eight years to finally get across Zered Brook from Kadesh! For the Lord had decreed that this could not happen until all the men, who thirty-eight years earlier were old enough to bear arms, had died. Yes, the hand of the Lord was against them until finally all were dead.
16-17 "Then at last the Lord said to me, 18 `Today Israel shall cross the borders of Moab at Ar, 19 into the land of the Ammonites. But do not attack them, for I will not give you any of their land. I have given it to the descendants of Lot.'
20 "(That area, too, used to be inhabited by the Rephaim, called `Zamzummim' by the Ammonites. 21 They were a large and powerful tribe, as tall as the Anakim; but Jehovah destroyed them as the Ammonites came in, and the Ammonites lived there in their place. 22 The Lord had similarly helped the descendants of Esau at Mount Seir, for he destroyed the Horites who were living there before them. 23 Another similar situation occurred when the people of Caphtor invaded and destroyed the tribe of Avvim living in villages scattered across the countryside as far away as Gaza.)
24 "Then the Lord said, `Cross the Arnon River into the land of King Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon. War against him and begin to take possession of his land. 25 Beginning today I will make people throughout the whole earth tremble with fear because of you, and dread your arrival.'
26 "Then from the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with a proposal of peace. 27 `Let us pass through your land,' we said. `We will stay on the main road and won't turn off into the fields on either side. 28 We will not steal food as we go, but will purchase every bite we eat and everything we drink; all we want is permission to pass through. 29 The Edomites at Seir allowed us to go through their country, and so did the Moabites, whose capital is at Ar. We are on our way across the Jordan into the land the Lord our God has given us.'
30 "But King Sihon refused because Jehovah your God made him obstinate, so that he could destroy Sihon by the hands of Israel, as has now been done.
31 "Then the Lord said to me, `I have begun to give you the land of King Sihon; when you possess it, it shall belong to Israel forever.'
32 "King Sihon then declared war on us and mobilized his forces at Jahaz. 33-34 But the Lord our God crushed him, and we conquered all his cities and utterly destroyed everything, including the women and babies. We left nothing alive 35-36 except the cattle, which we took as our reward, along with the booty gained from ransacking the cities we had taken. We conquered everything from Aroer to Gilead-from the edge of the Arnon River Valley, and including all the cities in the valley. Not one city was too strong for us, for the Lord our God gave all of them to us. 37 However, we stayed away from the people of Ammon and from the Jabbok River and the hill country cities, the places Jehovah our God had forbidden us to enter.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,173
3,3,5,205
4,4,7,278
5,5,9,476
6,6,11,638
7,7,13,716
8,8,15,947
9,9,17,1159
10,10,19,1371
11,37,21,1504
1,7,1,1
8,8,2,859
9,9,4,1039
10,12,5,1190
13,13,7,1620
14,15,9,1680
16,19,11,1984
20,23,12,2228
24,25,14,2805
26,29,15,3093
30,30,16,3667
31,31,18,3819
32,37,19,3957
I Wonder: Boredom about the Old Testament ,!page "^W005" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
DEUTE003
1 When we turned and went up the road toward Bashan, Og king of Bashan and all his army came out to fight us at Edrei.
2 The LORD said to me, "Don't be afraid of Og, because I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon."
3 So the LORD our God gave us Og king of Bashan and all his army; we defeated them and left no one alive.
4 Then we captured all of Og's cities, all sixty of them, and took the whole area of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan.
5 All these were strong cities, with high walls and gates with bars. And there were also many small towns with no walls.
6 We completely destroyed them, just like the cities of Sihon king of Heshbon. We killed all the men, women, and children,
7 but we kept all the cattle and valuable things from the cities for ourselves.
8 So at that time we took the land east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon Ravine to Mount Hermon, from these two Amorite kings.
9 (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonian people, but The Amorites call it Senir.)
10 We captured all the cities on the high plain and all of Gilead, and we took all of Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns in Og's kingdom of Bashan.
11 (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the few Rephaites. His bed was made of iron, and it was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide! It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)
12 At that time we took this land to be our own. I gave the people of Reuben and Gad the land from Aroer by the Arnon Ravine, as well as half of the mountain country of Gilead and the cities in it.
13 To the people of East Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The area of Argob in Bashan was called the land of the Rephaites.
14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole area of Argob, all the way to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. So that land was named for Jair, and even today Bashan is called the Towns of Jair.)
15 I gave Gilead to Makir.
16 I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the land that begins at Gilead and goes from the Arnon Ravine (the middle of the Arnon is the border) to the Jabbok River, which is the Ammonite border.
17 The border on the west was the Jordan River in the Jordan Valley, and it goes from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea west of Mount Pisgah.
18 At that time I gave you this command: "The LORD your God has given you this land as your own. Now your fighting men must take their weapons, and you must lead the other Israelites across the river.
19 Your wives, your young children, and your cattle may stay here. I know you have many cattle, and they may stay here in the cities I have given you,
20 until the LORD also gives your Israelite relatives a place to rest. They will receive the land the LORD your God has given them on the other side of the Jordan River. After that, you may each return to the land I have given you."
21 Then I gave this command to Joshua: "You have seen for yourself all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same thing to all the kingdoms where you are going.
22 Don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God will fight for you."
23 Then I begged the LORD:
24 "Lord GOD, you have begun to show me, your servant, how great you are. You have great strength, and no other god in heaven or on earth can do the powerful things you do. There is no other god like you.
25 Please let me cross the Jordan River so that I may see the good land by the Jordan. I want to see the beautiful mountains and Lebanon."
26 But the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. The LORD said to me, "That's enough. Don't talk to me anymore about it.
27 Climb to the top of Mount Pisgah and look west, north, south, and east. You can look at the land, but you will not cross the Jordan River.
28 Appoint Joshua and help him be brave and strong. He will lead the people across the river and give them the land that they are to inherit, but you can only look at it."
29 So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.
1 "Next we turned toward King Og's land of Bashan. He immediately mobilized his army and attacked us at Edrei. But the Lord told me not to be afraid of him. `All his people and his land are yours,' the Lord told me. `You will do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites at Heshbon.' 3 So the Lord helped us fight against King Og and his people, and we killed them all. 4 We conquered all sixty of his cities, the entire Argob region of Bashan. 5 These were well-fortified cities with high walls and barred gates. Of course we also took all of the unwalled towns. 6 We utterly destroyed the kingdom of Bashan just as we had destroyed King Sihon's kingdom at Heshbon, killing the entire population-men, women, and children alike. 7 But we kept the cattle and loot for ourselves.
8 "We now possessed all the land of the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan River-all the land from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon. 9 (The Sidonians called Mount Hermon `Sirion,' while the Amorites called it `Senir.') 10 We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau, and all of Gilead and Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah and Edrei.
11 "Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the giant Rephaim. His iron bedstead is kept in a museum at Rabbah, one of the cities of the Ammonites, and measures thirteen and a half feet long by six feet wide.
12 "At that time I gave the conquered land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. To the tribes of Reuben and Gad I gave the area beginning at Aroer on the Arnon River, plus half of Mount Gilead, including its cities. 13 The half-tribe of Manasseh received the remainder of Gilead and all of the former kingdom of King Og, the Argob region. (Bashan is sometimes called `The Land of the Rephaim.') 14 The clan of Jair, of the tribe of Manasseh, took over the whole Argob region (Bashan) to the borders of the Geshurites and Maacathites. They renamed their country after themselves, calling it Havvoth-jair (meaning `Jair's Villages') as it is still known today. 15 Then I gave Gilead to the clan of Machir. 16 The tribes of Reuben and Gad received the area extending from the Jabbok River in Gilead (which was the Ammonite frontier) to the middle of the valley of the Arnon River. 17 They also received the Arabah (or wasteland), bounded by the Jordan River on the west, from Chinnereth to Mount Pisgah and the Dead Sea (also called the Sea of the Arabah).
18 "At that time I reminded the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh that, although the Lord had given them the land, they could not begin settling down until their armed men led the other tribes across the Jordan to the land the Lord was giving them.
19 " `But your wives and children,' I told them, `may live here in the cities the Lord has given you, caring for your many cattle 20 until you return after the Lord has given victory to the other tribes too. When they conquer the land the Lord your God has given them across the Jordan River, then you may return here to your own land.'
21 "Then I said to Joshua, `You have seen what the Lord your God has done to those two kings. You will do the same to all the kingdoms on the other side of the Jordan. 22 Don't be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.'
23-25 "At that time I made this plea to God: `O Lord God, please let me cross over into the Promised Land-the good land beyond the Jordan River with its rolling hills-and Lebanon. I want to see the result of all the greatness and power you have been showing us; for what God in all of heaven or earth can do what you have done for us?'
26 "But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not let me cross over. `Speak of it no more,' he ordered, 27 `but go to the top of Mount Pisgah where you can look out in every direction, and there you will see the land in the distance. But you shall not cross the Jordan River. 28 Commission Joshua to replace you, and then encourage him, for he shall lead the people across to conquer the land you will see from the mountaintop.'
29 "So we remained in the valley near Beth-peor.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,319
4,4,7,429
5,5,9,549
6,6,11,674
7,7,13,801
8,8,15,885
9,9,17,1019
10,10,19,1107
11,11,21,1266
12,12,23,1458
13,13,25,1660
14,14,27,1829
15,15,29,2044
16,16,31,2075
17,17,33,2273
18,18,35,2414
19,19,37,2619
20,20,39,2774
21,21,41,3011
22,22,43,3211
23,23,45,3290
24,24,47,3321
25,25,49,3530
26,26,51,3673
27,27,53,3830
28,28,55,3976
29,29,57,4152
1,7,1,1
8,10,3,788
11,11,5,1154
12,17,7,1374
18,18,9,2456
19,20,11,2730
21,22,12,3068
23,25,13,3321
26,28,14,3658
29,29,15,4102
OBSTACLES DEUTE 3:1-3
The Israelites faced a big problem: the well-trained army of Og, king of Bashan. The Israelites hardly stood a chance. But they won because God fought for them. God can help his people regardless of the problems they face. No matter how insurmountable the obstacles may seem, remember that God is in control, and he will keep his promises.
BATTLES DEUTE 3:21-22
Don't be afraid ... God will fight for you. What encouraging news for Joshua, who was to lead his men against the persistent forces of evil in the Promised Land! Since God promised to help him win every battle, he had nothing to fear. Our battles may not be against godless armies, but they are just as real as Joshua's. Whether we are resisting temptation or battling fear, God has promised to fight with and for us as we obey him.
DEUTE004
1 Now, Israel, listen to the laws and commands I will teach you. Obey them so that you will live and so that you will go over and take the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving to you.
2 Don't add to these commands, and don't leave anything out, but obey the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.
3 You have seen for yourselves what the LORD did at Baal Peor, how the LORD your God destroyed everyone among you who followed Baal in Peor.
4 But all of you who continued following the LORD your God are still alive today.
5 Look, I have taught you the laws and rules the LORD my God commanded me. Now you can obey the laws in the land you are entering, in the land you will take.
6 Obey these laws carefully, in order to show the other nations that you have wisdom and understanding. When they hear about these laws, they will say, "This great nation of Israel is wise and understanding."
7 No other nation is as great as we are. Their gods do not come near them, but the LORD our God comes near when we pray to him.
8 And no other nation has such good teachings and commands as those I am giving to you today.
9 But be careful! Watch out and don't forget the things you have seen. Don't forget them as long as you live, but teach them to your children and grandchildren.
10 Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Mount Sinai. He said to me, "Bring the people together so I can tell them what I have to say. Then they will respect me as long as they live in the land, and they will teach these things to their children."
11 When you came and stood at the bottom of the mountain, it blazed with fire that reached to the sky, and black clouds made it very dark.
12 The LORD spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you did not see him; there was only a voice.
13 The LORD told you about his Agreement, the Ten Commandments. He told you to obey them, and he wrote them on two stone tablets.
14 Then the LORD commanded me to teach you the laws and rules that you must obey in the land you will take when you cross the Jordan River.
15 Since the LORD spoke to you from the fire at Mount Sinai, but you did not see him, watch yourselves carefully!
16 Don't sin by making idols of any kind, and don't make statues- of men or women,
17 of animals on earth or birds that fly in the air,
18 of anything that crawls on the ground, or of fish in the water below.
19 When you look up at the sky, you see the sun, moon, and stars, and everything in the sky. But don't bow down and worship them, because the LORD your God has made these things for all people everywhere.
20 But the LORD brought you out of Egypt, which tested you like a furnace for melting iron, and he made you his very own people, as you are now.
21 The LORD was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan River to go into the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your own.
22 I will die here in this land and not cross the Jordan, but you will soon go across and take that good land.
23 Be careful. Don't forget the Agreement of the LORD your God that he made with you, and don't make any idols for yourselves, as the LORD your God has commanded you not to do.
24 The LORD your God is a jealous God, like a fire that burns things up.
25 Even after you have lived in the land a long time and have had children and grandchildren, don't do evil things. Don't make any kind of idol, and don't do what the LORD your God says is evil, because that will make him angry.
26 If you do, I ask heaven and earth to speak against you this day that you will quickly be removed from this land that you are crossing the Jordan River to take. You will not live there long after that, but you will be completely destroyed.
27 The LORD will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will be left alive, and those few will be in other nations where the LORD will send you.
28 There you will worship gods made by people, gods made of wood and stone, that cannot see, hear, eat, or smell.
29 But even there you can look for the LORD your God, and you will find him if you look for him with your whole being.
30 It will be hard when all these things happen to you. But after that you will come back to the LORD your God and obey him,
31 because the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you. He will not forget the Agreement with your ancestors, which he swore to them.
32 Nothing like this has ever happened before! Look at the past, long before you were even born. Go all the way back to when God made humans on the earth, and look from one end of heaven to the other. Nothing like this has ever been heard of! w
33 No other people have ever heard God speak from a fire and have still lived. But you have.
34 No other god has ever taken for himself one nation out of another. But the LORD your God did this for you in Egypt, right before your own eyes. He did it with tests, signs, miracles, war, and great sights, by his great power and strength.
35 He showed you things so you would know that the LORD is God, and there is no other God besides him.
36 He spoke to you from heaven to teach you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard him speak from the fire.
37 Because the LORD loved your ancestors, he chose you, their descendants, and he brought you out of Egypt himself by his great strength.
38 He forced nations out of their land ahead of you, nations that were bigger and stronger than you were. The LORD did this so he could bring you into their land and give it to you as your own, and this land is yours today.
39 Know and believe today that the LORD is God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other god!
40 Obey his laws and commands that I am giving you today so that things will go well for you and your children. Then you will live a long time in the land that the LORD your God is giving to you forever.
41 Moses chose three cities east of the Jordan River,
42 where a person who accidentally killed someone could go. If the person was not killed because of hatred, the murderer's life could be saved by running to one of these cities.
43 These were the cities: Bezer in the desert high plain was for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead was for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan was for the Manassites.
44 These are the teachings Moses gave to the people of Israel.
45 They are the rules, commands, and laws he gave them when they came out of Egypt.
46 They were in the valley near Beth Peor, east of the Jordan River, in the land of Sihon. Sihon king of the Amorites ruled in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt.
47 The Israelites took his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
48 This land went from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Ravine, to Mount Hermon.
49 It included all the Jordan Valley east of the Jordan River, and it went as far as the Dead Sea below Mount Pisgah.
1 "And now, O Israel, listen carefully to these laws I teach you, and obey them if you want to live and enter into and possess the land given you by the Lord God of your ancestors. 2 Do not add other laws or subtract from these; just obey them, for they are from the Lord your God. 3 You have seen what the Lord did to you at Baalpeor, where he destroyed many people for worshiping idols. 4 But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 "These are the laws for you to obey when you arrive in the land where you will live. They are from the Lord our God. He has given them to me to pass on to you. 6 If you obey them, they will give you a reputation for wisdom and intelligence. When the surrounding nations hear these laws, they will exclaim, `What other nation is as wise and prudent as Israel!' 7 For what other nation, great or small, has God among them, as the Lord our God is here among us whenever we call upon him? 8 And what nation, no matter how great, has laws as fair as these I am giving you today?
9 "But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen God doing for you. May his miracles have a deep and permanent effect upon your lives! Tell your children and your grandchildren about the glorious miracles he did. 10 Tell them especially about the day you stood before the Lord at Mount Horeb, and he told me, `Summon the people before me and I will instruct them, so that they will learn always to reverence me, and so that they can teach my laws to their children.' 11 You stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire; flames shot far into the sky, surrounded by black clouds and deep darkness. 12 And the Lord spoke to you from the fire; you heard his words but didn't see him. 13 He proclaimed the laws you must obey-the Ten Commandments-and wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 Yes, it was at that time that the Lord commanded me to issue the laws you must obey when you arrive in the Promised Land.
15 "But beware! You didn't see the form of God that day as he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb, 16-17 so do not defile yourselves by trying to make a statue of God-an idol in any form, whether of a man, woman, animal, bird, 18 a small animal that runs along the ground, or a fish. 19 And do not look up into the sky to worship the sun, moon, or stars. The Lord may permit other nations to get away with this, but not you. 20 The Lord has rescued you from prison-Egypt-to be his special people, his own inheritance; this is what you are today. 21-22 But he was angry with me because of you; he vowed that I could not go over the Jordan River into the good land he has given you as your inheritance. I must die here on this side of the river. 23 Beware lest you break the contract the Lord your God has made with you! You will break it if you make any idols, for the Lord your God has utterly forbidden this. 24 He is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
25 "In the future, when your children and grandchildren are born and you have been in the land a long time, and you have defiled yourselves by making idols, and the Lord your God is very angry because of your sin, 26 heaven and earth are witnesses that you shall be quickly destroyed from the land. Soon now you will cross the Jordan River and conquer that land. But your days there will be brief; you will then be utterly destroyed. 27 For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, and you will be but few in number. 28 There, far away, you will worship idols made from wood and stone, idols that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
29 "But you will also begin to search again for Jehovah your God, and you will find him when you search for him with all your heart and soul. 30 When those bitter days have come upon you in the latter times, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. 31 For the Lord your God is merciful-he will not abandon you nor destroy you nor forget the promises he has made to your ancestors.
32 "In all history, going back to the time when God created man upon the earth, search from one end of the heavens to the other to see if you can find anything like this: 33 An entire nation heard the voice of God speaking to it from fire, as you did, and lived! 34 Where else will you ever find another example of God's removing a nation from its slavery by sending terrible plagues, mighty miracles, war, and terror? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your very eyes. 35 He did these things so you would realize that Jehovah is God, and that there is no one else like him. 36 He let you hear his voice instructing you from heaven, and he let you see his great pillar of fire upon the earth; you even heard his words from the center of the fire.
37 "It was because he loved your ancestors and chose to bless their descendants that he personally brought you out from Egypt with a great display of power. 38 He drove away other nations greater by far than you and gave you their land as an inheritance, as it is today. 39 This is your wonderful thought for the day: Jehovah is God both in heaven and down here upon the earth; and there is no God other than him! 40 You must obey these laws that I will tell you today, so that all will be well with you and your children, and so that you will live forever in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
41 Then Moses instructed the people of Israel to set apart three cities east of the Jordan River, 42 where anyone who accidentally killed someone could flee for safety. 43 These cities were Bezer, on the plateau in the wilderness, for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth, in Gilead, for the tribe of Gad; and Golan, in Bashan, for the tribe of Manasseh.
44-46 Listed below are the laws Moses issued to the people of Israel when they left Egypt, and as they were camped east of the Jordan River near the city of Beth-peor. (This was the land formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon, whose capital was Heshbon; he and his people were destroyed by Moses and the Israelis. 47 Israel conquered his land and that of King Og of Bashan-they were two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48 Israel also conquered all the area from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon River Valley to Mount Sirion, or Mount Hermon, as it is sometimes called; 49 and all the Arabah east of the Jordan River over to the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,204
3,3,5,329
4,4,7,474
5,5,9,560
6,6,11,722
7,7,13,935
8,8,15,1067
9,9,17,1165
10,10,19,1330
11,11,21,1599
12,12,23,1742
13,13,25,1865
14,14,27,1999
15,15,29,2143
16,16,31,2261
17,17,33,2348
18,18,35,2405
19,19,37,2482
20,20,39,2691
21,21,41,2840
22,22,43,3013
23,23,45,3128
24,24,47,3309
25,25,49,3386
26,26,51,3619
27,27,53,3865
28,28,55,4030
29,29,57,4148
30,30,59,4271
31,31,61,4400
32,32,63,4568
33,33,65,4817
34,34,67,4914
35,35,69,5160
36,36,71,5267
37,37,73,5394
38,38,75,5536
39,39,77,5764
40,40,79,5889
41,41,81,6097
42,42,83,6155
43,43,85,6337
44,44,87,6504
45,45,89,6571
46,46,91,6659
47,47,93,6870
48,48,95,6989
49,49,97,7073
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,472
9,14,5,1051
15,24,7,2001
25,28,9,2962
29,31,11,3606
32,36,13,4027
37,40,15,4812
41,43,17,5418
44,49,19,5767
REMEMBER DEUTE 4:9
Moses wanted to make sure that the people did not forget all they had seen God do, so he urged parents to tell their children about God's great miracles. This helped parents remember God's faithfulness, and it provided the way for passing on from one generation to the next the stories of God's great acts. It is easy to forget the wonderful ways God has worked in the lives of his people. But you can remember God's great acts of faithfulness by telling your friends what you have seen him do.
Moral Dilemmas: Astrology ,!page " 17 " of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
DEUTE005
1 Moses called all the people of Israel together and said: Listen, Israel, to the commands and laws I am giving you today. Learn them and obey them carefully.
2 The LORD our God made an Agreement with us at Mount Sinai.
3 He did not make this Agreement with our ancestors, but he made it with us, with all of us who are alive here today.
4 The LORD spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain.
5 (At that time I stood between you and the LORD in order to tell you what the LORD said; you were afraid of the fire, so you would not go up on the mountain.) The LORD said:
6 "I am the LORD your God; I brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.
7 "You must not have any other gods except me.
8 "You must not make for yourselves any idols or anything to worship that looks like something in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land.
9 You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. If people sin against me and hate me, I will punish their children, even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
10 But I will be very kind for a thousand lifetimes to those who love me and obey my commands.
11 "You must not use the name of the LORD your God thoughtlessly, because the LORD will punish anyone who uses his name in this way.
12 "Keep the Sabbath as a holy day, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
13 You may work and get everything done during six days each week,
14 but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the LORD your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, or the foreigners living in your cities. That way your servants may rest as you do.
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there by his great power and strength. So the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.
16 "Honor your father and your mother as the LORD your God has commanded you. Then you will live a long time, and things will go well for you in the land that the LORD your God is going to give you.
17 "You must not murder anyone.
18 "You must not be guilty of adultery.
19 "You must not steal.
20 "You must not tell lies about your neighbor.
21 "You must not want to take your neighbor's wife. You must not want to take your neighbor's house or land, his male or female slaves, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
22 The LORD spoke these commands to all of you on the mountain in a loud voice out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness; he did not say anything else. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets, and he gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice from the darkness, as the mountain was blazing with fire, all your older leaders and leaders of your tribes came to me.
24 And you said, "The LORD our God has shown us his glory and majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks to him.
25 But now, we will die! This great fire will burn us up, and we will die if we hear the LORD our God speak anymore.
26 No human being has ever heard the living God speaking from a fire and still lived, but we have.
27 Moses, you go near and listen to everything the LORD our God says. Then you tell us what the LORD our God tells you, and we will listen and obey."
28 The LORD heard what you said to me, and he said to me, "I have heard what the people said to you. Everything they said was good.
29 I wish their hearts would always respect me and that they would always obey my commands so that things would go well for them and their children forever!
30 "Go and tell the people to return to their tents,
31 but you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, rules, and laws that you must teach the people to obey in the land I am giving them as their own."
32 So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you, and follow the commands exactly.
33 Live the way the LORD your God has commanded you so that you may live and have what is good and have a long life in the land you will take.
1 Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel and said, "Listen carefully now to all these laws God has given you; learn them, and be sure to obey them!
2-3 "The Lord our God made a contract with you at Mount Horeb-not with your ancestors, but with you who are here alive today. 4 He spoke with you face-to-face from the center of the fire, there at the mountain. 5 I stood as an intermediary between you and Jehovah, for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up to him on the mountain. He spoke to me and I passed on his laws to you. This is what he said:
6 " `I am Jehovah your God who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
7 " `Never worship any god but me.
8 " `Never make idols; don't worship images, whether of birds, animals, or fish. 9-10 You shall not bow down to any images nor worship them in any way, for I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God, and I will bring the curse of a father's sins upon even the third and fourth generation of the children of those who hate me; but I will show kindness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 " `You must never use my name to make a vow you don't intend to keep. I will not overlook that.
12 " `Keep the Sabbath day holy. This is my command. 13 Work the other six days, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; no work shall be done that day by you or by any of your household-your sons, daughters, servants, oxen, donkeys, or cattle; even foreigners living among you must obey this law. Everybody must rest as you do. 15 Why should you keep the Sabbath? It is because you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out with a great display of miracles.
16 " `Honor your father and mother (remember, this is a commandment of the Lord your God); if you do so, you shall have a long, prosperous life in the land he is giving you.
17 " `You must not murder.
18 " `You must not commit adultery.
19 " `You must not steal.
20 " `You must not tell lies.
21 " `You must not burn with desire for another man's wife, nor envy him for his home, land, servants, oxen, donkeys, nor anything else he owns.'
22 "The Lord has given these laws to each one of you from the heart of the fire, surrounded by the clouds and thick darkness that engulfed Mount Sinai. Those were the only commandments he gave you at that time, and he wrote them out on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 23 But when you heard the loud voice from the darkness and saw the terrible fire at the top of the mountain, all your tribal leaders came to me 24 and pleaded, `Today the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness; we have even heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Now we know that a man may speak to God and not die; 25 but we will surely die if he speaks to us again. This awesome fire will consume us. 26-27 What man can hear, as we have, the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, and live? You go and listen to all that God says, then come and tell us, and we will listen and obey.'
28 "And the Lord agreed to your request and said to me, `I have heard what the people have said to you, and I agree. 29 Oh, that they would always have such a heart for me, wanting to obey my commandments. Then all would go well with them in the future, and with their children throughout all generations! 30 Go and tell them to return to their tents. 31 Then you come back and stand here beside me, and I will give you all my commandments, and you shall teach them to the people; and they will obey them in the land I am giving to them.' "
32 So Moses told the people, "You must obey all the commandments of the Lord your God, following his directions in every detail, going the whole way he has laid out for you; 33 only then will you live long and prosperous lives in the land you are to enter and possess.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,164
3,3,5,229
4,4,7,351
5,5,9,423
6,6,11,602
7,7,13,695
8,8,15,746
9,9,17,916
10,10,19,1128
11,11,21,1227
12,12,23,1364
13,13,25,1444
14,14,27,1515
15,15,29,1812
16,16,31,2010
17,17,33,2213
18,18,35,2249
19,19,37,2293
20,20,39,2321
21,21,41,2373
22,22,43,2579
23,23,45,2808
24,24,47,2960
25,25,49,3147
26,26,51,3268
27,27,53,3371
28,28,55,3525
29,29,57,3661
30,30,59,3822
31,31,61,3879
32,32,63,4052
33,33,65,4154
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,162
6,6,4,572
7,7,6,641
8,10,8,679
11,11,10,1106
12,15,12,1208
16,16,14,1708
17,17,16,1885
18,18,18,1915
19,19,20,1954
20,20,22,1983
21,21,24,2016
22,27,25,2163
28,31,26,3063
32,33,27,3605
COVENANT DEUTE 5:1
The people had entered into a covenant with God, and Moses commanded them to hear, learn, and keep his statutes. Christians also have entered into a covenant with God (through Jesus Christ) and should be sensitive to what God expects. Moses' threefold command to the Israelites is excellent advice for all God's followers. Listening is absorbing and accepting information about God. Learning is understand-ing its meaning and impli-cations. Obeying is putting into action all we have learned and understood. All three parts are essential to a growing relationship with God.
Scrapbook: "Amy: Honoring parents" ,!page "amy1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
DEUTE006
1 These are the commands, rules, and laws that the LORD your God told me to teach you to obey in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take.
2 You, your children, and your grandchildren must respect the LORD your God as long as you live. Obey all his rules and commands I give you so that you will live a long time.
3 Listen, Israel, and carefully obey these laws. Then all will go well for you, and you will become a great nation in a fertile land, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
4 Listen, people of Israel! The LORD our God is the only LORD.
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
6 Always remember these commands I give you today.
7 Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
8 Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you,
9 and write them on your doors and gates.
10 The LORD your God will bring you into the land he promised to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will give it to you. The land has large, growing cities you did not build,
11 houses full of good things you did not buy, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. You will eat as much as you want.
12 But be careful! Do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.
13 Respect the LORD your God. You must worship him and make your promises only in his name.
14 Do not worship other gods as the people around you do,
15 because the LORD your God is a jealous God. He is present with you, and if you worship other gods, he will become angry with you and destroy you from the earth.
16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah.
17 Be sure to obey the commands of the LORD your God and the rules and laws he has given you.
18 Do what the LORD says is good and right so that things will go well for you. Then you may go in and take the good land the LORD promised to your ancestors.
19 He will force all your enemies out as you go in, as the LORD has said.
20 In the future when your children ask you, "What is the meaning of the laws, commands, and rules the LORD our God gave us?"
21 tell them, "We were slaves to the king of Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt by his great power.
22 The LORD showed us great and terrible signs and miracles, which he did to Egypt, the king, and his whole family.
23 The LORD brought us out of Egypt to lead us here and to give us the land he promised our ancestors.
24 The LORD ordered us to obey all these commands and to respect the LORD our God so that we will always do well and stay alive, as we are today.
25 The right thing for us to do is this: Obey all these rules in the presence of the LORD our God, as he has commanded."
1 "The Lord your God told me to give you all these commandments which you are to obey in the land you will soon be entering, where you will live. 2 The purpose of these laws is to cause you, your sons, and your grandsons to reverence the Lord your God by obeying all of his instructions as long as you live; if you do, you will have long, prosperous years ahead of you. 3 Therefore, O Israel, listen closely to each command and be careful to obey it, so that all will go well with you, and so that you will have many children. If you obey these commands, you will become a great nation in a glorious land `flowing with milk and honey,' even as the God of your fathers promised you.
4 "O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. 5 You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might. 6 And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. 7 You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. 8 Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house!
10-12 "When the Lord your God has brought you into the land he promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when he has given you great cities full of good things-cities you didn't build, wells you didn't dig, and vineyards and olive trees you didn't plant-and when you have eaten until you can hold no more, then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the land of slavery. 13 When you are full, don't forget to be reverent to him and to serve him and to use his name alone to endorse your promises.
14 "You must not worship the gods of the neighboring nations, 15 for Jehovah your God who lives among you is a jealous God, and his anger may rise quickly against you, and wipe you off the face of the earth. 16 You must not provoke him and try his patience as you did when you complained against him at Massah. 17 You must actively obey him in everything he commands. 18 Only then will you be doing what is right and good in the Lord's eyes. If you obey him, all will go well for you, and you will be able to go in and possess the good land that the Lord promised your ancestors. 19 You will also be able to throw out all the enemies living in your land, as the Lord agreed to help you do.
20 "In the years to come when your son asks you, `What is the purpose of these laws which the Lord our God has given us?' 21 you must tell him, `We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power 22 and mighty miracles-with terrible blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. We saw it all with our own eyes. 23 He brought us out of Egypt so that he could give us this land he had promised to our ancestors. 24 And he has commanded us to obey all of these laws and to reverence him so that he can preserve us alive as he has until now. 25 For it always goes well with us when we obey all the laws of the Lord our God.'
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,154
3,3,5,333
4,4,7,534
5,5,9,601
6,6,11,689
7,7,13,744
8,8,15,884
9,9,17,985
10,10,19,1031
11,11,21,1228
12,12,23,1385
13,13,25,1496
14,14,27,1592
15,15,29,1654
16,16,31,1822
17,17,33,1881
18,18,35,1979
19,19,37,2142
20,20,39,2220
21,21,41,2350
22,22,43,2463
23,23,45,2583
24,24,47,2690
25,25,49,2840
1,3,1,1
4,9,3,686
10,13,5,1133
14,19,7,1682
20,25,9,2375
HOME DEUTE 6:4-9
This passage is often said to be the central theme of Deuteronomy. It sets a pattern that helps us relate the word of God to our daily lives. We are to love God, think constantly about his commandments, teach his commandments to our children, and live our daily lives by the guidelines in his word. God emphasized the importance of parents' teaching the Bible to their children. The church and Christian schools cannot be used to escape from this responsibility. The Bible provides so many opportunities for object lessons and practical teaching that it would be a shame to study it only one day a week. Eternal truths are most effectively learned in the loving environment of a God-fearing home.
DEUTE007
1 The LORD your God will bring you into the land that you are entering and that you will have as your own. As you go in, he will force out these nations: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites- seven nations that are stronger than you.
2 The LORD your God will hand these nations over to you, and when you defeat them, you must destroy them completely. Do not make a peace treaty with them or show them any mercy.
3 Do not marry any of them, or let your daughters marry their sons, or let your sons marry their daughters.
4 If you do, those people will turn your children away from me, to begin serving other gods. Then the LORD will be very angry with you, and he will quickly destroy you.
5 This is what you must do to those people: Tear down their altars, smash their holy stone pillars, cut down their Asherah idols, and burn their idols in the fire.
6 You are holy people who belong to the LORD your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth to be his very own.
7 The LORD did not care for you and choose you because there were many of you- you are the smallest nation of all.
8 But the LORD chose you because he loved you, and he kept his promise to your ancestors. So he brought you out of Egypt by his great power and freed you from the land of slavery, from the power of the king of Egypt.
9 So know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God. He will keep his agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love him and obey his commands.
10 But he will pay back those people who hate him. He will destroy them, and he will not be slow to pay back those who hate him.
11 So be careful to obey the commands, rules, and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and obey them carefully, the LORD your God will keep his agreement and show his love to you, as he promised your ancestors.
13 He will love and bless you. He will make the number of your people grow; he will bless you with children. He will bless your fields with good crops and will give you grain, new wine, and oil. He will bless your herds with calves and your flocks with lambs in the land he promised your ancestors he would give you.
14 You will be blessed more than any other people. Every husband and wife will have children, and all your cattle will have calves.
15 The LORD will take away all disease from you; you will not have the terrible diseases that were in Egypt, but he will give them to all the people who hate you.
16 You must destroy all the people the LORD your God hands over to you. Do not feel sorry for them, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.
17 You might say to yourselves, "Because these nations are stronger than we are, we can't force them out."
18 But don't be afraid of them. Remember what the LORD your God did to all of Egypt and its king.
19 You saw for yourselves the troubles, signs, and miracles he did, how the LORD' s great power and strength brought you out of Egypt. The LORD your God will do the same thing to all the nations you now fear.
20 The LORD your God will also send terror among them so that even those who are alive and hiding from you will die.
21 Don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God is with you; he is a great God and people are afraid of him.
22 When the LORD your God forces those nations out of the land, he will do it little by little ahead of you. You won't be able to destroy them all at once; otherwise, the wild animals will grow too many in number.
23 But the LORD your God will hand those nations over to you, confusing them until they are destroyed.
24 The LORD will help you defeat their kings, and the world will forget who they were. No one will be able to stop you; you will destroy them all.
25 Burn up their idols in the fire. Do not wish for the silver and gold they have, and don't take it for yourselves, or you will be trapped by it. The LORD your God hates it.
26 Do not bring one of those hateful things into your house, or you will be completely destroyed along with it. Hate and reject those things; they must be completely destroyed.
1 "When the Lord brings you into the Promised Land, as he soon will, he will destroy the following seven nations, all greater and mightier than you are: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites.
2 "When the Lord your God delivers them over to you to be destroyed, do a complete job of it-don't make any treaties or show them mercy; utterly wipe them out. 3 Do not intermarry with them, nor let your sons and daughters marry their sons and daughters. 4 That would surely result in your young people's beginning to worship their gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be hot against you, and he would surely destroy you.
5 "You must break down the heathen altars and shatter the obelisks and cut up the shameful images and burn the idols.
6 "For you are a holy people, dedicated to the Lord your God. He has chosen you from all the people on the face of the whole earth to be his own chosen ones. 7 He didn't choose you and pour out his love upon you because you were a larger nation than any other, for you were the smallest of all! 8 It was just because he loves you, and because he kept his promise to your ancestors. That is why he brought you out of slavery in Egypt with such amazing power and mighty miracles.
9 "Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is the faithful God who for a thousand generations keeps his promises and constantly loves those who love him and who obey his commands. 10 But those who hate him shall be punished publicly and destroyed. He will deal with them personally. 11 Therefore, obey all these commandments I am giving you today. 12 Because of your obedience, the Lord your God will keep his part of the contract which, in his tender love, he made with your fathers. 13 And he will love you and bless you and make you into a great nation. He will make you fertile and give fertility to your ground and to your animals, so that you will have large crops of grain, grapes, and olives, and great flocks of cattle, sheep, and goats when you arrive in the land he promised your fathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth; not one of you, whether male or female, shall be barren, not even your cattle. 15 And the Lord will take away all your sickness and will not let you suffer any of the diseases of Egypt you remember so well; he will give them all to your enemies!
16 "You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God delivers into your hands. Have no pity, and do not worship their gods; if you do, it will be a sad day for you. 17 Perhaps you will think to yourself, `How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?' 18 But don't be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. 19 Do you remember the terrors the Lord sent upon them-your parents saw it with their own eyes-and the mighty miracles and wonders, and the power and strength of Almighty God that he used to bring you out of Egypt? Well, the Lord your God will use this same might against the people you fear. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets to drive out those who hide from you!
21 "No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. 22 He will cast them out a little at a time; he will not do it all at once, for if he did, the wild animals would multiply too quickly and become dangerous. 23 He will do it gradually, and you will move in against those nations and destroy them. 24 He will deliver their kings into your hands, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you.
25 "Burn their idols and do not touch the silver or gold they are made of. Do not take it or it will be a snare to you, for it is horrible to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring an idol into your home and worship it, for then your doom is sealed. Utterly detest it, for it is a cursed thing.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,286
3,3,5,468
4,4,7,580
5,5,9,753
6,6,11,921
7,7,13,1047
8,8,15,1166
9,9,17,1387
10,10,19,1557
11,11,21,1690
12,12,23,1767
13,13,25,1933
14,14,27,2254
15,15,29,2390
16,16,31,2557
17,17,33,2715
18,18,35,2826
19,19,37,2928
20,20,39,3141
21,21,41,3262
22,22,43,3381
23,23,45,3599
24,24,47,3706
25,25,49,3857
26,26,51,4036
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,262
5,5,5,689
6,8,7,810
9,15,9,1291
16,20,11,2417
21,24,13,3204
25,26,15,3716
CHANGES DEUTE 7:21-24
Moses told the Israelites that God would destroy Israel's enemies, but not all at once. God had the power to destroy those nations instantly, but he chose to do it in stages. In the same way and with the same power, God could miracu-lously and instantaneously change your life. Usually, however, he chooses to help you gradually, teaching you one lesson at a time. Rather than expect instant spiritual maturity and solutions to all your problems, slow down and work one step at a time, trusting God to make up the difference between where you should be and where you are now. You'll soon look back and see that a miraculous transformation has occurred.
DEUTE008
1 Carefully obey every command I give you today. Then you will live and grow in number, and you will enter and take the land the LORD promised your ancestors.
2 Remember how the LORD your God has led you in the desert for these forty years, taking away your pride and testing you, because he wanted to know what was in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands.
3 He took away your pride when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not live by eating only bread, but by everything the LORD says.
4 During these forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell.
5 Know in your heart that the LORD your God corrects you as a parent corrects a child.
6 Obey the commands of the LORD your God, living as he has commanded you and respecting him.
7 The LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with rivers and pools of water, with springs that flow in the valleys and hills,
8 a land that has wheat and barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey.
9 It is a land where you will have plenty of food, where you will have everything you need, where the rocks are iron, and where you can dig copper out of the hills.
10 When you have all you want to eat, then praise the LORD your God for giving you a good land.
11 Be careful not to forget the LORD your God so that you fail to obey his commands, laws, and rules that I am giving to you today.
12 When you eat all you want and build nice houses and live in them,
13 when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase, when you have more of everything,
14 then your heart will become proud. You will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves.
15 He led you through the large and terrible desert that was dry and had no water, and that had poisonous snakes and stinging insects. He gave you water from a solid rock
16 and manna to eat in the desert. Manna was something your ancestors had never seen. He did this to take away your pride and to test you, so things would go well for you in the end.
17 You might say to yourself, "I am rich because of my own power and strength,"
18 but remember the LORD your God! It is he who gives you the power to become rich, keeping the agreement he promised to your ancestors, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship them and bow down to them, I warn you today that you will be destroyed.
20 Just as the LORD destroyed the other nations for you, you can be destroyed if you do not obey the LORD your God.
1 "You must obey all the commandments I give you today. If you do, you will not only live, you will multiply and will go in and take over the land promised to your fathers by the Lord. 2 Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him? 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your ancestors. He did it to help you realize that food isn't everything, and that real life comes by obeying every command of God. 4 For all these forty years your clothes haven't grown old, and your feet haven't been blistered or swollen. 5 So you should realize that, as a man punishes his son, the Lord punishes you to help you.
6 "Obey the laws of the Lord your God. Walk in his ways and fear him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of brooks, pools, gushing springs, valleys, and hills; 8 it is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey; 9 it is a land where food is plentiful, and nothing is lacking; it is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. 10 When you have eaten your fill, bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11 "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you don't forget the Lord your God and begin to disobey him. 12-13 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied, 14 that is the time to watch out that you don't become proud and forget the Lord your God who brought you out of your slavery in the land of Egypt. 15 Beware that you don't forget the God who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with the dangerous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness (it was a kind of bread unknown before) so that you would become humble and so that your trust in him would grow, and he could do you good. 17 He did it so that you would never feel that it was your own power and might that made you wealthy. 18 Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill his promise to your ancestors.
19 "But if you forget about the Lord your God and worship other gods instead, and follow evil ways, you shall certainly perish, 20 just as the Lord has caused other nations in the past to perish. That will be your fate, too, if you don't obey the Lord your God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,164
3,3,5,390
4,4,7,637
5,5,9,729
6,6,11,820
7,7,13,917
8,8,15,1063
9,9,17,1157
10,10,19,1326
11,11,21,1426
12,12,23,1562
13,13,25,1635
14,14,27,1749
15,15,29,1891
16,16,31,2066
17,17,33,2253
18,18,35,2337
19,19,37,2494
20,20,39,2644
1,5,1,1
6,10,3,843
11,18,5,1365
19,20,7,2453
REMINDERS DEUTE 8:10
The Israelites were to bless the Lord after eating their fill in the Promised Land. This verse is traditionally cited as the reason we say grace before or after meals. Its purpose, however, was not just to provide a time for prayer, but to warn the Israelites not to forget God when their needs and wants were satisfied. Let your table prayers serve as a constant reminder of God's goodness to you and your duty to those less fortunate.
Ult. Issues: Covenants ,!page "^covenants" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
DEUTE009
1 Listen, Israel. You will soon cross the Jordan River to go in and force out nations that are bigger and stronger than you. They have large cities with walls up to the sky.
2 The people there are Anakites, who are strong and tall. You know about them, and you have heard it said: "No one can stop the Anakites."
3 But today remember that the LORD your God goes in before you to destroy them like a fire that burns things up. He will defeat them ahead of you, and you will force them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has said.
4 After the LORD your God has forced those nations out ahead of you, don't say to yourself, "The LORD brought me here to take this land because I am so good." No! It is because these nations are evil that the LORD will force them out ahead of you.
5 You are going in to take the land, not because you are good and honest, but because these nations are evil. That is why the LORD your God will force them out ahead of you, to keep his promise to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.of you.
6 The LORD your God is giving you this good land to take as your own. But know this: It is not because you are good; you are a stubborn people.
7 Remember this and do not forget it: You made the LORD your God angry in the desert. You would not obey the LORD from the day you left Egypt until you arrived here.
8 At Mount Sinai you made the LORD angry- angry enough to destroy you.
9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets with the Agreement the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water.
10 The LORD gave me two stone tablets, which God had written on with his own finger. On them were all the commands that the LORD gave to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day you were gathered there.
11 When the forty days and forty nights were over, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets with the Agreement on them.
12 Then the LORD told me, "Get up and go down quickly from here, because the people you brought out from Egypt are ruining themselves. They have quickly turned away from what I commanded and have made an idol for themselves."
13 The LORD said to me, "I have watched these people, and they are very stubborn!
14 Get away so that I may destroy them and make the whole world forget who they are. Then I will make another nation from you that will be bigger and stronger than they are."
15 So I turned and came down the mountain that was burning with fire, and the two stone tablets with the Agreement were in my hands.
16 When I looked, I saw you had sinned against the LORD your God and had made an idol in the shape of a calf. You had quickly turned away from what the LORD had told you to do.
17 So I took the two stone tablets and threw them down, breaking them into pieces right in front of you.
18 Then I again bowed facedown on the ground before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water. You had sinned by doing what the LORD said was evil, and you made him angry.
19 I was afraid of the LORD's anger and rage, because he was angry enough with you to destroy you, but the LORD listened to me again.
20 And the LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but then I prayed for Aaron, too.
21 I took that sinful calf idol you had made and burned it in the fire. I crushed it into a powder like dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.
22 You also made the LORD angry at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah.
23 Then the LORD sent you away from Kadesh Barnea and said, "Go up and take the land I have given you." But you rejected the command of the LORD your God. You did not trust him or obey him.
24 You have refused to obey the LORD as long as I have known you.
25 The LORD had said he would destroy you, so I threw myself down in front of him for those forty days and forty nights.
26 I prayed to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, do not destroy your people, your own people, whom you freed and brought out of Egypt by your great power and strength.
27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don't look at how stubborn these people are, and don't look at their sin and evil.
28 Otherwise, Egypt will say, `It was because the LORD was not able to take his people into the land he promised them, and it was because he hated them that he took them into the desert to kill them.'
29 But they are your people, LORD, your own people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and strength."
1 "O Israel, listen! Today you are to cross the Jordan River and begin to dispossess the nations on the other side. Those nations are much greater and more powerful than you are! They live in high walled cities. Among them are the famed Anak giants, against whom none can stand! 3 But the Lord your God will go before you as a devouring fire to destroy them, so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out.
4 "Then, when the Lord has done this for you, don't say to yourselves, `The Lord has helped us because we are so good!' No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is doing it. 5 It is not at all because you are such fine, upright people that the Lord will drive them out from before you! I say it again, it is only because of the wickedness of the other nations, and because of his promises to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he will do it. 6 I say it yet again: Jehovah your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not-you are a wicked, stubborn people.
7 "Don't you remember (oh, never forget it!) how continually angry you made the Lord your God out in the wilderness, from the day you left Egypt until now? For all this time you have constantly rebelled against him.
8 "Don't you remember how angry you made him at Mount Horeb? He was ready to destroy you. 9 I was on the mountain at the time, receiving the contract which Jehovah had made with you-the stone tablets with the laws inscribed upon them. I was there for forty days and forty nights, and all that time I ate nothing. I didn't even take a drink of water. 10-11 At the end of those forty days and nights the Lord gave me the contract, the tablets on which he had written the commandments he had spoken from the fire-covered mountain while the people had watched below. 12 He told me to go down quickly because the people I had led out of Egypt had defiled themselves, quickly turning away from the laws of God, and had made an idol from molten metal.
13-14 " `Let me alone that I may destroy this evil, stubborn people!' the Lord told me, `and I will blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make a mighty nation of you, mightier and greater than they are.'
15 "I came down from the burning mountain, holding in my hands the two tablets inscribed with the laws of God. 16 There below me I could see the calf you had made in your terrible sin against the Lord your God. How quickly you turned away from him! 17 I lifted the tablets high above my head and dashed them to the ground! I smashed them before your eyes! 18 Then, for another forty days and nights I lay before the Lord, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for you had done what the Lord hated most, thus provoking him to great anger. 19 How I feared for you-for the Lord was ready to destroy you. But that time, too, he listened to me. 20 Aaron was in great danger because the Lord was so angry with him; but I prayed, and the Lord spared him. 21 I took your sin-the calf you had made-and burned it and ground it into fine dust, and threw it into the stream that cascaded out of the mountain.
22 "Again at Taberah and once again at Massah you angered the Lord, and yet again at Kibroth-hattaavah. 23 At Kadesh-barnea, when the Lord told you to enter the land he had given you, you rebelled and wouldn't believe that he would help you; you refused to obey him. 24 Yes, you have been rebellious against the Lord from the first day I knew you. 25 That is why I fell down before him for forty days and nights when the Lord was ready to destroy you.
26 "I prayed to him, `O Lord God, don't destroy your own people. They are your inheritance saved from Egypt by your mighty power and glorious strength. 27 Don't notice the rebellion and stubbornness of these people, but remember instead your promises to your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Oh, please overlook the awful wickedness and sin of these people. 28 For if you destroy them, the Egyptians will say, "It is because the Lord wasn't able to bring them to the land he promised them," or "He destroyed them because he hated them: he brought them into the wilderness to slay them." 29 They are your people and your inheritance that you brought from Egypt by your great power and your mighty arm.'
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,179
3,3,5,322
4,4,7,554
5,5,9,806
6,6,11,1060
7,7,13,1208
8,8,15,1378
9,9,17,1453
10,10,19,1673
11,11,21,1887
12,12,23,2022
13,13,25,2252
14,14,27,2338
15,15,29,2517
16,16,31,2654
17,17,33,2835
18,18,35,2944
19,19,37,3155
20,20,39,3293
21,21,41,3391
22,22,43,3568
23,23,45,3647
24,24,47,3841
25,25,49,3911
26,26,51,4036
27,27,53,4204
28,28,55,4344
29,29,57,4549
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,421
7,7,5,1048
8,12,7,1267
13,14,9,2015
15,21,10,2232
22,25,12,3135
26,29,14,3590
MERCY DEUTE 9:5-6
If the Israelites were so wicked and stubborn, why did God make such wonderful promises to them? There are two good reasons: (1)A bargain is a bargain. God and Israel had made a covenant (Genesis 15; 17; Exodus 19; 20). God promised to be faithful to them and they promised to obey him. The agreement was irrevocable and eternal. Even though the Israelites rarely upheld their end of the bargain, God would always be faithful to his part. (Although he has punished them several times, he has always remained faithful.) (2)God's mercy is unconditional. No matter how many times the people turned from God, he was always there to restore them. It is comforting to know that despite our inconsistencies and sins, God loves us unconditionally. Eternal life is not achieved on the merit system, but on the mercy system. God loves us no matter who we are or what we have done.
DEUTE010
1 At that time the LORD said to me, "Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden Ark.
2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put the new tablets in the Ark."
3 So I made the Ark out of acacia wood, and I cut out two stone tablets like the first ones. Then I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.
4 The LORD wrote the same things on these tablets he had written before- the Ten Commandments that he had told you on the mountain from the fire, on the day you were gathered there. And the LORD gave them to me.
5 Then I turned and came down the mountain; I put the tablets in the Ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded, and they are still there.
6 (The people of Israel went from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried; his son Eleazar became priest in his place.
7 From Moserah they went to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah, a place with streams of water.
8 At that time the LORD chose the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. They were to serve the LORD and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today.
9 That is why the Levites did not receive any land of their own; instead, they received the LORD himself as their gift, as the LORD your God told them.)
10 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the LORD listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you.
11 The LORD said to me, "Go and lead the people so that they will go in and take the land I promised their ancestors."
12 Now, Israel, this is what the LORD your God wants you to do: Respect the LORD your God, and do what he has told you to do. Love him. Serve the LORD your God with your whole being,
13 and obey the LORD' s commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 The LORD owns the world and everything in it- the heavens, even the highest heavens, are his.
15 But the LORD cared for and loved your ancestors, and he chose you, their descendants, over all the other nations, just as it is today.
16 Give yourselves completely to serving him, and do not be stubborn any longer.
17 The LORD your God is God of all gods and Lord of all lords. He is the great God, who is strong and wonderful. He does not take sides, and he will not be talked into doing evil.
18 He helps orphans and widows, and he loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes.
19 You also must love foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
20 Respect the LORD your God and serve him. Be loyal to him and make your promises in his name.
21 He is the one you should praise; he is your God, who has done great and wonderful things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes.
22 There were only seventy of your ancestors when they went down to Egypt, and now the LORD your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky.
1 "At that time the Lord told me to cut two more stone tablets like the first ones, and to make a wooden Ark to keep them in, and to return to God on the mountain. 2 He said he would rewrite on the tablets the same commandments that were on the tablets I had smashed, and that I should place them in the Ark. 3 So I made an Ark of acacia wood and hewed out two stone tablets like the first two, and took the tablets up on the mountain to God. 4 He again wrote the Ten Commandments on them and gave them to me. (They were the same commandments he had given you from the heart of the fire on the mountain as you all watched below.) 5 Then I came down and placed the tablets in the Ark I had made, where they are to this day, just as the Lord commanded me.
6 "The people of Israel then journeyed from Beeroth of Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar became the next priest.
7 "Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land of brooks and water. 8 It was there that Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark containing the Ten Commandments of Jehovah, and to stand before the Lord and to do his work and to bless his name, just as is done today. 9 (That is why the tribe of Levi does not have a portion of land reserved for it in the Promised Land, as their brother tribes do; for as the Lord told them, he himself is their inheritance.)
10 "As I said before, I stayed on the mountain before the Lord for forty days and nights the second time, just as I had the first, and the Lord again yielded to my pleas and didn't destroy you.
11 "But he said to me, `Arise and lead the people to the land I promised their fathers. It is time to go in and possess it.'
12-13 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to listen carefully to all he says to you, and to obey for your own good the commandments I am giving you today, and to love him, and to worship him with all your hearts and souls? 14 Earth and highest heaven belong to the Lord your God. 15 And yet he rejoiced in your fathers and loved them so much that he chose you, their children, to be above every other nation, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, cleanse your sinful hearts and stop your stubbornness.
17 "Jehovah your God is God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great and mighty God, the God of terror who shows no partiality and takes no bribes. 18 He gives justice to the fatherless and widows. He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothing. 19 (You too must love foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.) 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him, and take oaths by his name alone. 21 He is your praise and he is your God, the one who has done mighty miracles you yourselves have seen. 22 When your ancestors went down into Egypt there were only seventy of them, but now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,143
3,3,5,287
4,4,7,449
5,5,9,665
6,6,11,807
7,7,13,962
8,8,15,1077
9,9,17,1270
10,10,19,1427
11,11,21,1589
12,12,23,1712
13,13,25,1899
14,14,27,1991
15,15,29,2092
16,16,31,2234
17,17,33,2319
18,18,35,2503
19,19,37,2596
20,20,39,2672
21,21,41,2772
22,22,43,2917
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,758
7,9,5,913
10,10,7,1412
11,11,9,1609
12,16,10,1735
17,22,12,2269
EXPECTATION DEUTE 10:12-13
Often we ask, What does God expect of me? Here Moses gives a summary that is simple in form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1)Listen carefully to what God says, (2)Obey his commands, (3)Love and worship him with all your heart. How often we complicate faith with man-made rules, regulations, and requirements. Are you frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God? Concentrate on his real requirements-to respect, follow, and love him-and find peace.
DEUTE011
D!\!2#
1 Love the LORD your God and always obey his orders, rules, laws, and commands.
2 Remember today it was not your children who saw and felt the correction of the LORD your God. They did not see his majesty, his power, his strength,
3 or his signs and the things he did in Egypt to the king and his whole country.
4 They did not see what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, when he drowned them in the Red Sea as they were chasing you. The LORD ruined them forever.
5 They did not see what he did for you in the desert until you arrived here.
6 They did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the ground opened up and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and everyone who stood with them in Israel.
7 It was you who saw all these great things the LORD has done.
8 So obey all the commands I am giving you today so that you will be strong and can go in and take the land you are going to take as your own.
9 Then you will live a long time in the land that the LORD promised to give to your ancestors and their descendants, a fertile land.
10 The land you are going to take is not like Egypt, where you were. There you had to plant your seed and water it, like a vegetable garden, by using your feet.
11 But the land that you will soon cross the Jordan River to take is a land of hills and valleys, a land that drinks rain from heaven.
12 It is a land the LORD your God cares for. His eyes are on it continually, and he watches it from the beginning of the year to the end.
13 If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today and love the LORD your God and serve him with your whole being,
14 then he will send rain on your land at the right time, in the fall and spring, and you will be able to gather your grain, new wine, and oil.
15 He will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will have plenty to eat.
16 Be careful, or you will be fooled and will turn away to serve and worship other gods.
17 If you do, the LORD will become angry with you and will shut the heavens so it will not rain. Then the land will not grow crops, and you will soon die in the good land the LORD is giving you.
18 Remember my words with your whole being. Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign; tie them on your foreheads to remind you.
19 Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
20 Write them on your doors and gates
21 so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the LORD promised your ancestors, as long as the skies are above the earth.
22 If you are careful to obey every command I am giving you to follow, and love the LORD your God, and do what he has told you to do, and are loyal to him,
23 then the LORD will force all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will take the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you.
24 Everywhere you step will be yours. Your land will go from the desert to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
25 No one will be able to stop you. The LORD your God will do what he promised and will make the people afraid everywhere you go.
26 See, today I am letting you choose a blessing or a curse.
27 You will be today.
28 But you will be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God. So do not disobey the commands I am giving you today, and do not worship other gods you do not know.
29 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you will take as your own, you are to announce the blessings from Mount Gerizim and the curses from Mount Ebal.
30 (These mountains are on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west, toward the sunset. They are near the great trees of Moreh in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley opposite Gilgal.)
31 You will soon cross the Jordan River to enter and take the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you take it over and live there,
32 be careful to obey all the commands and laws I am giving you today.
1 "You must love the Lord your God and obey every one of his commands. 2 Listen! I am not talking now to your children who have never experienced the Lord's punishments or seen his greatness and his awesome power. 3 They weren't there to see the miracles he did in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land. 4 They didn't see what God did to the armies of Egypt and to their horses and chariots-how he drowned them in the Red Sea as they were chasing you, and how the Lord has kept them powerless against you until this very day! 5 They didn't see how the Lord cared for you time and again through all the years you were wandering in the wilderness, until your arrival here. 6 They weren't there when Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, descendants of Reuben) sinned, and the earth opened up and swallowed them, with their households and tents and all their belongings, as all Israel watched!
7 "But you have seen these mighty miracles! 8 How carefully, then, you should obey these commandments I am going to give you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and possess the land you are about to enter. 9 If you obey the commandments, you will have a long and good life in the land the Lord promised to your ancestors and to you, their descendants-a wonderful land `flowing with milk and honey'! 10 For the land you are about to enter and possess is not like the land of Egypt where you have come from, where irrigation is necessary. 11 It is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain-12 a land that the Lord your God personally cares for! His eyes are always upon it, day after day throughout the year!
13 "And if you will carefully obey all of his commandments that I am going to give you today, and if you will love the Lord your God with all your hearts and souls and will worship him, 14 then he will continue to send both the early and late rains that will produce wonderful crops of grain, grapes for your wine, and olive oil. 15 He will give you lush pastureland for your cattle to graze in, and you yourselves shall have plenty to eat and be fully content.
16 "But beware that your hearts do not turn from God to worship other gods. 17 For if you do, the anger of the Lord will be hot against you, and he will shut the heavens-there will be no rain and no harvest, and you will quickly perish from the good land the Lord has given you. 18 So keep these commandments carefully in mind. Tie them to your hand to remind you to obey them, and tie them to your forehead between your eyes! 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting at home, when you are out walking, at bedtime, and before breakfast! 20 Write them upon the doors of your houses and upon your gates, 21 so that as long as there is sky above the earth, you and your children will enjoy the good life awaiting you in the land the Lord has promised you.
22 "If you carefully obey all the commandments I give you, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and clinging to him, 23 then the Lord will drive out all the nations in your land, no matter how much greater and stronger than you they might be. 24 Wherever you go, the land is yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the southern Negeb to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you, for the Lord your God will send fear and dread ahead of you wherever you go, just as he has promised.
26 "I am giving you the choice today between God's blessing or God's curse! 27 There will be blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, 28 and a curse if you refuse them and worship the gods of these other nations. 29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land to possess it, a blessing shall be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim and a curse from Mount Ebal! 30 (Gerizim and Ebal are mountains west of the Jordan River, where the Canaanites live, in the wasteland near Gilgal, where the oaks of Moreh are.) 31 For you are to cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord is giving you. 32 But you must obey all the laws I am giving you today.
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26,32,11,3440
DEUTE012
1 These are the commands and laws you must carefully obey in the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Obey them as long as you live in the land.
2 When you inherit the lands of these nations, you must completely destroy all the places where they serve their gods, on high mountains and hills and under every green tree.
3 Tear down their altars, smash their holy stone pillars, and burn their Asherah idols in the fire. Cut down their idols and destroy their names from those places.
4 Don't worship the LORD your God that way,
5 but look for the place the LORD your God will choose- a place among your tribes where he is to be worshiped. Go there,
6 and bring to that place your burnt offerings and sacrifices; bring a tenth of what you gain and your special gifts; bring what you have promised and the special gifts you want to give the LORD, and bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks.
7 There you will be together with the LORD your God. There you and your families will eat, and you will enjoy all the good things for which you have worked, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
8 Do not worship the way we have been doing today, each person doing what he thinks is right.
9 You have not yet come to a resting place, to the land the LORD your God will give you as your own.
10 But soon you will cross the Jordan River to live in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own, where he will give you rest from all your enemies and you will live in safety.
11 Then the LORD your God will choose a place where he is to be worshiped. To that place you must bring everything I tell you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your offerings of a tenth of what you gain, your special gifts, and all your best things you promised to the LORD.
12 There rejoice before the LORD your God. Everyone should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns who have no land of their own.
13 Be careful that you don't sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you please.
14 Offer them only in the place the LORD will choose. He will choose a place in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I am commanding you.
15 But you may kill your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were a deer or a gazelle; this is the blessing the LORD your God is giving you. Anyone, clean or unclean, may eat this meat,
16 but do not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.
17 Do not eat in your own towns what belongs to the LORD: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the first animals born to your herds or flocks; whatever you have promised to give; the special gifts you want to give to the LORD, or any other gifts.
18 Eat these things when you are together with the LORD your God, in the place the LORD your God chooses to be worshiped. Everyone must do this: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns. Rejoice in the LORD your God's presence about the things you have worked for.
19 Be careful not to forget the Levites as long as you live in the land.
20 When the LORD your God enlarges your country as he has promised, and you want some meat so you say, "I want some meat," you may eat as much meat as you want.
21 If the LORD your God chooses a place where he is to be worshiped that is too far away from you, you may kill animals from your herds and flocks, which the LORD has given to you. I have commanded that you may do this. You may eat as much of them as you want in your own towns,
22 as you would eat gazelle or deer meat. Both clean and unclean people may eat this meat,
23 but be sure you don't eat the blood, because the life is in the blood. Don't eat the life with the meat.
24 Don't eat the blood, but pour it out on the ground like water.
25 If you don't eat it, things will go well for you and your children, because you will be doing what the LORD says is right.
26 Take your holy things and the things you have promised to give, and go to the place the LORD will choose.
27 Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices should be poured beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.
28 Be careful to obey all the rules I am giving you so that things will always go well for you and your children, and you will be doing what the LORD your God says is good and right.
29 You will enter the land and take it away from the nations that the LORD your God will destroy ahead of you. When you force them out and live in their land,
30 they will be destroyed for you, but be careful not to be trapped by asking about their gods. Don't say, "How do these nations worship? I will do the same."
31 Don't worship the LORD your God that way, because the LORD hates the evil ways they worship their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!
32 Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it.
1 "These are the laws you must obey when you arrive in the land that Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has given you forever:
2 "You must destroy all the heathen altars wherever you find them-high in the mountains, up in the hills, or under the trees. 3 Break the altars, smash the obelisks, burn the shameful images, cut down the metal idols, and leave nothing even to remind you of them!
4-5 "You must not make sacrifices to your God just anywhere, as the heathen sacrifice to their gods. Rather, you must build a sanctuary for him at a place he himself will select as his home. 6 There you shall bring to the Lord your burnt offerings and other sacrifices-your tithes, your offerings presented by the gesture of waving before the altar, your offerings to fulfill your vows, your freewill offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your flocks and herds. 7 There you and your families shall feast before the Lord your God and shall rejoice in all he has done for you.
8 "You will no longer go your own way as you do now, everyone doing whatever he thinks is right; 9 (for these laws don't go into effect until you arrive in the place of rest the Lord will give to you). 10 But when you cross the Jordan River and live in the Promised Land, and the Lord gives you rest and keeps you safe from all your enemies, 11 then you must bring all your burnt sacrifices and other offerings to his sanctuary, the place he will choose as his home. 12 You shall rejoice there before the Lord with your sons and daughters and servants; and remember to invite the Levites to feast with you, for they have no land of their own.
13 "You are not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere; 14 you may only do so in the place the Lord will choose. He will pick a place in the territory allotted to one of the tribes. Only there may you offer your sacrifices and bring your offerings. 15 However, the meat you eat may be butchered anywhere, just as you do now with gazelle and deer. Eat as much of this meat as you wish and as often as you are able to obtain it, because the Lord has prospered you. Those who are ceremonially defiled may eat it too. 16 The only restriction is that you are not to eat the blood-pour it out on the ground, like water.
17 "But none of the offerings may be eaten at home. Neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor anything you have vowed to give the Lord, nor your freewill offerings, nor the offerings to be presented to the Lord by waving them before his altar. 18 All these must be brought to the central altar where you, your children, and the Levites shall eat them before the Lord your God. He will tell you where this altar must be located. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do. 19 (By the way, be very careful not to forget about the Levites. Share with them.)
20-23 "If, when the Lord enlarges your borders, the central altar is too far away from you, then your flocks and herds may be butchered on your own farms, just as you do now with gazelle and deer. And even persons who are ceremonially defiled may eat them. The only restriction is never to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat. 24-25 Instead, pour the blood out upon the earth. If you do, all will be well with you and your children. 26-27 Only your gifts to the Lord, and the offerings you have promised in your vows, and your burnt offerings need be taken to the central altar. These may only be sacrificed upon the altar of the Lord your God. The blood will be poured out upon the altar, and you will eat the meat.
28 "Be careful to obey all of these commandments. If you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God, all will go well with you and your children forever. 29 When he destroys the nations in the land where you will live, 30 don't follow their example in worshiping their gods. Do not ask, `How do these nations worship their gods?' and then go and worship as they do! 31 You must not insult the Lord your God like that! These nations have done horrible things that he hates, all in the name of their religion. They have even roasted their sons and daughters in front of their gods. 32 Obey all the commandments I give you. Do not add to or subtract from them.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,170
3,3,5,349
4,4,7,517
5,5,9,565
6,6,11,690
7,7,13,949
8,8,15,1153
9,9,17,1251
10,10,19,1356
11,11,21,1548
12,12,23,1831
13,13,25,2027
14,14,27,2117
15,15,29,2275
16,16,31,2508
17,17,33,2579
18,18,35,2836
19,19,37,3157
20,20,39,3234
21,21,41,3399
22,22,43,3682
23,23,45,3777
24,24,47,3889
25,25,49,3959
26,26,51,4089
27,27,53,4202
28,28,55,4413
29,29,57,4600
30,30,59,4763
31,31,61,4926
32,32,63,5106
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,128
4,7,4,395
8,12,6,993
13,16,8,1639
17,19,10,2265
20,27,12,2900
28,32,14,3671
WORSHIP DEUTE 12:12
The Hebrews placed great emphasis on family worship. Whether offering a sacrifice or attending a great feast, the family was often together. This gave the children a healthy attitude toward worship, and it put extra meaning into it for the adults. Watching a family member confess his or her sin was just as important as celebrating a great holiday together. Although there are appropriate times to separate people by ages, some of the most meaningful worship can be experienced only when shared by old and young.
DEUTE013
1 Prophets or those who tell the future with dreams might come to you and say they will show you a miracle or a sign.
2 The miracle or sign might even happen, and then they might say, "Let's serve other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let's worship them."
3 But you must not listen to those prophets or dreamers. The LORD your God is testing you, to find out if you love him with your whole being.
4 Serve only the LORD your God. Respect him, keep his commands, and obey him. Serve him and be loyal to him.
5 The prophets or dreamers must be killed, because they said you should turn against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and saved you from the land where you were slaves. They tried to turn you from doing what the LORD your God commanded you to do. You must get rid of the evil among you.
6 Someone might try to lead you to serve other gods- it might be your brother, your son or daughter, the wife you love, or a close friend. The person might say, "Let's go and worship other gods." (These are gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known,
7 gods of the people who live around you, either nearby or far away, from one end of the land to the other.)
8 Do not give in to such people. Do not listen or feel sorry for them, and do not let them go free or protect them.
9 You must put them to death. You must be the first one to start to kill them, and then everyone else must join in.
10 You must throw stones at them until they die, because they tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves.
11 Then everyone in Israel will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.
12 The LORD your God is giving you cities in which to live, and you might hear something about one of them. Someone might say
13 that evil people have moved in among you. And they might lead the people of that city away from God, saying, "Let's go and worship other gods." (These are gods you have not known.)
14 Then you must ask about it, looking into the matter and checking carefully whether it is true. If it is proved that a hateful thing has happened among you,
15 you must kill with a sword everyone who lives in that city. Destroy the city completely and kill everyone in it, as well as the animals, with a sword.
16 Gather up everything those people owned, and put it in the middle of the city square. Then completely burn the city and everything they owned as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That city should never be rebuilt; let it be ruined forever.
17 Don't keep for yourselves any of the things found in that city, so the LORD will not be angry anymore. He will give you mercy and feel sorry for you, and he will make your nation grow larger, as he promised to your ancestors.
18 You will have obeyed the LORD your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving to you today, and you will be doing what the LORD says is right.
1 "If there is a prophet among you, or one who claims to foretell the future by dreams, 2 and if his predictions come true but he says, `Come, let us worship the gods of the other nations,' 3 don't listen to him. For the Lord is testing you to find out whether or not you really love him with all your heart and soul. 4 You must never worship any God but Jehovah; obey only his commands and cling to him.
5 "The prophet who tries to lead you astray must be executed, for he has attempted to foment rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you out of slavery in the land of Egypt. By executing him you will clear out the evil from among you.
6-7 "If your nearest relative or closest friend, even a brother, son, daughter, or beloved wife whispers to you to come and worship these foreign gods, 8 do not consent or listen, and have no pity: Do not spare that person from the penalty; don't conceal his horrible suggestion. 9 Execute him! Your own hand shall be the first upon him to put him to death, then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone him to death because he has tried to draw you away from the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about his evil deed and will fear such wickedness as this among you.
12-14 "If you ever hear it said about one of the cities of Israel that some worthless rabble have led their fellow citizens astray with the suggestion that they worship foreign gods, first check the facts to see if the rumor is true. If you find that it is, that it is certain that such a horrible thing is happening among you in one of the cities the Lord has given you, 15 you must without fail declare war against that city and utterly destroy all of its inhabitants, and even all of the cattle. 16 Afterwards you must pile all the booty into the middle of the street and burn it, then put the entire city to the torch, as a burnt offering to Jehovah your God. That city shall forever remain a lifeless mound and may never be rebuilt. 17 Keep none of the booty! Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you, and have compassion upon you, and make you a great nation just as he promised your ancestors.
18 "Of course, the Lord your God will be merciful only if you have been obedient to him and to his commandments that I am giving you today, and if you have been doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,270
4,4,7,416
5,5,9,529
6,6,11,835
7,7,13,1099
8,8,15,1212
9,9,17,1332
10,10,19,1452
11,11,21,1630
12,12,23,1757
13,13,25,1888
14,14,27,2076
15,15,29,2239
16,16,31,2397
17,17,33,2649
18,18,35,2882
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,409
6,11,5,655
12,17,7,1293
18,18,9,2225
WHISPERS DEUTE 13:5-11
The Israelites were warned not to listen to false prophets or to anyone else who tried to get them to worship other gods-even if this person was a close friend or family member. The temptation to abandon God's commands often sneaks up on us. It may come not witha loud shout, but in a whispering doubt. Whispers can be very persuasive, especially if they come from loved ones. But love for relatives should not take precedence over devotion to God. We can overcome whispered temptations by pouring out our feelings to God in prayer and by studying his word.
DEUTE014
1 You are the children of the LORD your God. When someone dies, do not cut yourselves or shave your heads to show your sadness.
2 You are holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth to be his very own.
3 Do not eat anything the LORD hates.
4 These are the animals you may eat: oxen, sheep, goats,
6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof and chews the cud,
7 but you may not eat camels, rabbits, or rock badgers. These animals chew the cud, but they do not have split hoofs, so they are unclean for you.
8 Pigs are also unclean for you; they have split hoofs, but they do not chew the cud. Do not eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.
9 There are many things that live in the water. You may eat anything that has fins and scales,
10 but do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you.
11 You may eat any clean bird.
12 But do not eat these birds: eagles, vultures, black vultures,
13 red kites, falcons, any kind of kite,
14 any kind of raven,
15 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk,
16 little owls, great owls, white owls,
17 desert owls, ospreys, cormorants,
18 storks, any kind of heron, the hoopoes, or bats.
19 All insects with wings are unclean for you; do not eat them.
20 Other things with wings are clean, and you may eat them.
21 Do not eat anything you find that is already dead. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Do not cook a baby goat in its mother's milk.
22 Be sure to save one-tenth of all your crops each year.
23 Take it to the place the LORD your God will choose where he is to be worshiped. There, where you will be together with the LORD, eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and eat the animals born first to your herds and flocks. Do this so that you will learn to respect the LORD your God always.
24 But if the place the LORD will choose to be worshiped is too far away and he has blessed you so much you cannot carry a tenth,
25 exchange your one-tenth for silver. Then take the silver with you to the place the LORD your God shall choose.
26 Use the silver to buy anything you wish- cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you wish. Then you and your family will eat and celebrate there before the LORD your God.
27 Do not forget the Levites in your town, because they have no land of their own among you.
28 At the end of every third year, everyone should bring one-tenth of that year's crop and store it in your towns.
29 This is for the Levites so they may eat and be full. (They have no land of their own among you.) It is also for strangers, orphans, and widows who live in your towns so that all of them may eat and be full. Then the LORD your God will bless you and all the work you do.
1 "Since you are the people of God, never cut yourselves as the heathen do when they worship their idols nor shave the front halves of your heads for funerals. 2 You belong exclusively to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you to be his own possession, more so than any other nation on the face of the earth.
3-5 "You are not to eat any animal I have declared to be ceremonially defiled. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
6 "Any animal that has cloven hooves and chews the cud may be eaten, 7 but if the animal doesn't have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the coney. They chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves. 8 Pigs may not be eaten because, although they have cloven hooves, they don't chew the cud. You may not even touch the dead bodies of such animals.
9 "Only sea animals with fins and scales may be eaten; 10 all other kinds are ceremonially defiled.
11-18 "You may eat any bird except the following: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the falcon (any variety), the raven (any variety), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk (any variety), the screech owl, the great owl, the horned owl, the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, the stork, the heron (any variety), the hoopoe, the bat.
19-20 "With certain exceptions, insects are a defilement to you and may not be eaten.
21 "Don't eat anything that has died a natural death. However, a foreigner among you may eat it. You may give it or sell it to him, but don't eat it yourself, for you are holy to the Lord your God.
"You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
22 "You must tithe all of your crops every year. 23 Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. 24 If the place the Lord chooses for his sanctuary is so far away that it isn't convenient to carry your tithes to that place, 25 then you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds and take the money to the Lord's sanctuary. 26 When you arrive, use the money to buy an ox, a sheep, some wine, or beer, to feast there before the Lord your God, and to rejoice with your household.
27 "Don't forget to share your income with the Levites in your community, for they have no property or crops as you do.
28 "Every third year you are to use your entire tithe for local welfare programs: 29 Give it to the Levites who have no inheritance among you, or to foreigners, or to widows and orphans within your city, so that they can eat and be satisfied; and then Jehovah your God will bless you and your work.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,133
3,3,5,260
4,4,7,302
5,5,9,363
6,6,11,442
7,7,13,512
8,8,15,663
9,9,17,803
10,10,19,902
11,11,21,992
12,12,23,1027
13,13,25,1096
14,14,27,1141
15,15,29,1167
16,16,31,1230
17,17,33,1274
18,18,35,1315
19,19,37,1371
20,20,39,1439
21,21,41,1503
22,22,43,1771
23,23,45,1833
24,24,47,2142
25,25,49,2276
26,26,51,2394
27,27,53,2571
28,28,55,2668
29,29,57,2787
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,315
6,8,5,560
9,10,7,943
11,18,9,1046
19,20,11,1411
21,21,13,1500
22,26,16,1756
27,27,18,2476
28,29,20,2599
DEUTE015
1 At the end of every seven years, you must tell those who owe you anything that they do not have to pay you back.
2 This is how you must do it: Everyone who has loaned money must cancel the loan and not make a neighbor or relative pay it back. This is the LORD' s time for canceling what people owe.
3 You may make a foreigner pay what is owed to you, but you must not collect what another Israelite owes you.
4 But there should be no poor people among you, because the LORD your God will richly bless you in the land he is giving you as your own.
5 He will bless you if you obey the LORD your God completely, but you must be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today.
6 The LORD your God will bless you as he promised, and you will lend to other nations, but you will not need to borrow from them. You will rule over many nations, but none will rule over you.
7 If there are poor among you, in one of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be selfish or greedy toward them.
8 But give freely to them, and freely lend them whatever they need.
9 Beware of evil thoughts. Don't think, "The seventh year is near, the year to cancel what people owe." You might be mean to the needy and not give them anything. Then they will complain to the LORD about you, and he will find you guilty of sin.
10 Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didn't have to give. The LORD your God will bless your work and everything you touch.
11 There will always be poor people in the land, so I command you to give freely to your neighbors and to the poor and needy in your land.
12 If one of your own people sells himself to you as a slave, whether it is a Hebrew man or woman, that person will serve you for six years. But in the seventh year you must let the slave go free.
13 When you let slaves go, don't send them away without anything.
14 Give them some of your flock, your grain, and your wine, giving to them as the LORD has given to you.
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God saved you. That is why I am commanding this to you today.
16 But if your slave says to you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you,
17 stick an awl through his ear into the door; he will be your slave for life. Also do this to a female slave.
18 Do not think of it as a hard thing when you let your slaves go free. After all, they served you six years and did twice the work of a hired person. The LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
19 Save all the first male animals born to your herds and flocks. They are for the LORD your God. Do not work the first calf born to your oxen, and do not cut off the wool from the first lamb born to your sheep.
20 Each year you and your family are to eat these animals in the presence of the LORD your God, in the place he will choose to be worshiped.
21 If an animal is crippled or blind or has something else wrong, do not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
22 But you may eat that animal in your own town. Both clean and unclean people may eat it, as they would eat a gazelle or a deer.
23 But don't eat its blood; pour it out on the ground like water.
1 "At the end of every seventh year there is to be a canceling of all debts! 2 Every creditor shall write `Paid in full' on any promissory note he holds against a fellow Israelite, for the Lord has released everyone from his obligation. 3 (This release does not apply to foreigners.) 4-5 No one will become poor because of this, for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you if you obey this command. The only prerequisite for his blessing is that you carefully heed all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 6 He will bless you as he has promised. You shall lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow! You shall rule many nations, but they shall not rule over you!
7 "But if, when you arrive in the land the Lord will give you, there are any among you who are poor, you must not shut your heart or hand against them; 8 you must lend them as much as they need. 9 Beware! Don't refuse a loan because the year of debt cancellation is close at hand! If you refuse to make the loan and the needy man cries out to the Lord, it will be counted against you as a sin. 10 You must lend him what he needs, and don't moan about it either! For the Lord will prosper you in everything you do because of this! 11 There will always be some among you who are poor; that is why this commandment is necessary. You must lend to them liberally.
12 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, whether a man or woman, you must free him at the end of the sixth year you have owned him, 13 and don't send him away empty-handed! 14 Give him a large farewell present from your flock, your olive press, and your winepress. Share with him in proportion as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God rescued you! That is why I am giving you this command.
16 "But if your Hebrew slave doesn't want to leave-if he says he loves you and enjoys your pleasant home and gets along well with you-17 then take an awl and pierce his ear into the door, and after that he shall be your slave forever. Do the same with your women slaves. 18 But when you free a slave you must not feel bad, for remember that for six years he has cost you less than half the price of a hired hand! And the Lord your God will prosper all you do because you have released him!
19 "You shall set aside for God all the firstborn males from your flocks and herds. Do not use the firstborn of your herds to work your fields, and do not shear the firstborn of your flocks of sheep and goats. 20 Instead, you and your family shall eat these animals before the Lord your God each year at his sanctuary. 21 However, if this firstborn animal has any defect such as being lame or blind, or if anything else is wrong with it, you shall not sacrifice it. 22 Instead, use it for food for your family at home. Anyone, even if ceremonially defiled at the time, may eat it, just as anyone may eat a gazelle or deer. 23 But don't eat the blood; pour it out upon the ground like water.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,120
3,3,5,310
4,4,7,424
5,5,9,566
6,6,11,704
7,7,13,900
8,8,15,1041
9,9,17,1113
10,10,19,1363
11,11,21,1513
12,12,23,1656
13,13,25,1857
14,14,27,1927
15,15,29,2036
16,16,31,2163
17,17,33,2297
18,18,35,2412
19,19,37,2622
20,20,39,2838
21,21,41,2983
22,22,43,3095
23,23,45,3229
1,6,1,1
7,11,3,727
12,15,5,1389
16,18,7,1845
19,23,9,2338
POVERTY DEUTE 15:7-11
God told the Israelites to help the poor among them when they arrived in the Promised Land. This was an important part of possessing the land. Many people conclude that people are poor through some fault of their own. This kind of reasoning makes it easy to close their hearts and hands against them. But we are not to invent reasons for ignoring the care of the poor. We are to respond to their needs no matter who or what was responsible for their condition. Who are the poor in your community? How could you help them?
DEUTE016
1 Celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God during the month of Abib, because it was during Abib that he brought you out of Egypt at night.
2 As the sacrifice for the Passover to the LORD your God, offer an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose to be worshiped.
3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast. But for seven days eat bread made without yeast, the bread of suffering, because you left Egypt in a hurry. So all your life you will remember the time you left Egypt.
4 There must be no yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. Offer the sacrifice on the evening of the first day, and eat all the meat before morning; do not leave it overnight.
5 Do not offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town the LORD your God gives you,
6 but offer it in the place he will choose to be worshiped. Offer it in the evening as the sun goes down, which is when you left Egypt.
7 Roast the meat and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. The next morning go back to your tents.
8 Eat bread made without yeast for six days. On the seventh day have a special meeting for the LORD your God, and do not work that day.
9 Count seven weeks from the time you begin to harvest the grain,
10 and then celebrate the Feast of Weeks for the LORD your God. Bring an offering as a special gift to him, giving to him just as he has blessed you.
11 Rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose to be worshiped. Everybody should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your town, the strangers, orphans, and widows living among you. w
12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and carefully obey all these laws.
13 Celebrate the Feast of Shelters for seven days, after you have gathered your harvest from the threshing floor and winepress.
14 Everybody should rejoice at your Feast: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows who live in your towns.
15 Celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God for seven days at the place he will choose, because the LORD your God will bless all your harvest and all the work you do, and you will be completely happy.
16 All your men must come before the LORD three times a year to the place he will choose. They must come at these times: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters. No man should come before the LORD without a gift.
17 Each of you must bring a gift that will show how much the LORD your God has blessed you.
18 Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you; they must judge the people fairly.
19 Do not judge unfairly or take sides. Do not let people pay you to make wrong decisions, because that kind of payment makes wise people seem blind, and it changes the words of good people.
20 Always do what is right so that you will live and always have the land the LORD your God is giving you.
21 Do not set up a wooden Asherah idol next to the altar you build for the LORD your God,
22 and do not set up holy stone pillars. The LORD your God hates them.
1 "Always remember to celebrate the Passover during the month of April for that was when Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Your Passover sacrifice shall be either a lamb or an ox, sacrificed to the Lord your God at his sanctuary. 3 Eat the sacrifice with unleavened bread. Eat unleavened bread for seven days as a reminder of the bread you ate as you escaped from Egypt. This is to remind you that you left Egypt in such a hurry that there was no time for the bread to rise. Remember that day all the rest of your lives! 4 For seven days no trace of yeast shall be in your homes, and none of the Passover lamb shall be left until the next morning.
5 "The Passover is not to be eaten in your homes. 6 It must be eaten at the place the Lord shall choose as his sanctuary. Sacrifice it there on the anniversary evening just as the sun goes down. 7 Roast the lamb and eat it, then start back to your homes the next morning. 8 For the following six days you shall eat no bread made with yeast. On the seventh day there shall be a quiet gathering of the people of each city before the Lord your God. Don't do any work that day.
9 "Seven weeks after the harvest begins, 10 there shall be another festival before the Lord your God called the Festival of Weeks. At that time bring to him a freewill offering proportionate in size to his blessing upon you as judged by the amount of your harvest. 11 It is a time to rejoice before the Lord with your family and household. And don't forget to include the local Levites, foreigners, widows, and orphans. Invite them to accompany you to the celebration at the sanctuary. 12 Remember! You were a slave in Egypt, so be sure to carry out this command.
13 "Another celebration, the Festival of Shelters, must be observed for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain is threshed and the grapes have been pressed. 14 This will be a happy time of rejoicing together with your family and servants. And don't forget to include the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows of your town.
15 "This feast will be held at the sanctuary, which will be located at the place the Lord will designate. It is a time of deep thanksgiving to the Lord for blessing you with a good harvest and in so many other ways; it shall be a time of great joy.
16 "Every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord your God three times a year at the sanctuary for these festivals:
The Festival of Unleavened Bread,
The Festival of Weeks,
The Festival of Shelters.
"On each of these occasions bring a gift to the Lord. 17 Give as you are able, according as the Lord has blessed you.
18 "Appoint judges and administrative officials for all the cities the Lord your God is giving you. They will administer justice in every part of the land. 19 Never twist justice to benefit a rich man, and never accept bribes. For bribes blind the eyes of the wisest and corrupt their decisions. 20 Justice must prevail.
"That is the only way you will be successful in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
21 "Never, under any circumstances, are you to erect shameful images beside the altar of the Lord your God. 22 And never set up stone pillars to worship them, for the Lord hates them!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,147
3,3,5,300
4,4,7,516
5,5,9,700
6,6,11,788
7,7,13,928
8,8,15,1044
9,9,17,1184
10,10,19,1254
11,11,21,1408
12,12,23,1661
13,13,25,1743
14,14,27,1875
15,15,29,2051
16,16,31,2256
17,17,33,2510
18,18,35,2606
19,19,37,2739
20,20,39,2934
21,21,41,3045
22,22,43,3139
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,672
9,12,5,1149
13,14,7,1716
15,15,9,2067
16,17,11,2319
18,20,17,2652
21,22,20,3072
DEUTE017
1 If an ox or sheep has something wrong with it, do not offer it as a sacrifice to the LORD your God. He would hate that.
2 A man or woman in one of the towns the LORD gave you might be found doing something evil and breaking the Agreement.
3 That person may have served other gods and bowed down to them or to the sun or moon or stars of the sky, which I have commanded should not be done.
4 If someone has told you about it, you must look into the matter carefully. If it is true that such a hateful thing has happened in Israel,
5 take the man or woman who has done the evil thing to the city gates and throw stones at that person until he dies.
6 There must be two or three witnesses that it is true before the person is put to death; if there is only one witness, the person should not be put to death.
7 The witnesses must be the first to throw stones at the person, and then everyone else will follow. You must get rid of the evil among you.
8 Some cases that come before you, such as murder, quarreling, or attack, may be too difficult to judge. Take these cases to the place the LORD your God will choose.
9 Go to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who is on duty at that time. Ask them about the case, and they will decide.
10 You must follow the decision they give you at the place the LORD your God will choose. Be careful to do everything they tell you.
11 Follow the teachings they give you, and do whatever they decide, exactly as they tell you.
12 The person who does not show respect for the judge or priest who is there serving the LORD your God must be put to death. You must get rid of that evil from Israel.
13 Then everyone will hear about this and will be afraid, and they will not show disrespect anymore.
14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, taking it as your own and living in it, you will say, "Let's appoint a king over us like the nations all around us."
15 Be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be one of your own people. Do not appoint as your king a foreigner who is not a fellow Israelite.
16 The king must not have too many horses for himself, and he must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because the LORD has told you, "Don't return that way again."
17 The king must not have many wives, or his heart will be led away from God. He must not have too much silver and gold.
18 When he becomes king, he should write a copy of the teachings on a scroll for himself, a copy taken from the priests and Levites.
19 He should keep it with him all the time and read from it every day of his life. Then he will learn to respect the LORD his God, and he will obey all the teachings and commands.
20 He should not think he is better than his fellow Israelites, and he must not stop obeying the law in any way so that he and his descendants may rule the kingdom for a long time.
1 "Never sacrifice a sick or defective ox or sheep to the Lord your God. He doesn't feel honored by such gifts!
2-3 "If anyone, whether man or woman, in any village throughout your land violates your covenant with God by worshiping other gods, the sun, moon, or stars-which I have strictly forbidden-4 first check the rumor very carefully; if there is no doubt it is true, 5 then that man or woman shall be taken outside the city and shall be stoned to death. 6 However, never put a man to death on the testimony of only one witness; there must be at least two or three. 7 The witnesses shall throw the first stones, and then all the people shall join in. In this way you will purge all evil from among you.
8 "If a case arises that is too hard for you to decide-for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder when there is insufficient evidence, or whether someone's rights have been violated-you shall take the case to the sanctuary of the Lord your God, 9 to the priests and Levites, and the chief judge on duty at the time will make the decision. 10 His decision is without appeal and is to be followed to the letter. 11 The sentence he imposes is to be fully executed. 12 If the defendant refuses to accept the decision of the priest or judge appointed by God for this purpose, the penalty is death. Such sinners must be purged from Israel. 13 Then everyone will hear about what happened to the man who refused God's verdict, and they will be afraid to defy a court's judgment.
14 "When you arrive in the land the Lord your God will give you, and have conquered it, and begin to think, `We ought to have a king like the other nations around us'-15 be sure that you select as king the man the Lord your God shall choose. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner. 16 Be sure that he doesn't build up a large stable of horses for himself, nor send his men to Egypt to raise horses for him there, for the Lord has told you, `Never return to Egypt again.' 17 He must not have too many wives, lest his heart be turned away from the Lord, neither shall he be excessively rich.
18 "And when he has been crowned and sits upon his throne as king, then he must copy these laws from the book kept by the Levite-priests. 19 That copy of the laws shall be his constant companion. He must read from it every day of his life so that he will learn to respect the Lord his God by obeying all of his commands. 20 This regular reading of God's laws will prevent him from feeling that he is better than his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from God's laws in the slightest respect and will ensure his having a long, good reign. His sons will then follow him upon the throne.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,127
3,3,5,250
4,4,7,404
5,5,9,549
6,6,11,670
7,7,13,833
8,8,15,978
9,9,17,1148
10,10,19,1281
11,11,21,1418
12,12,23,1516
13,13,25,1688
14,14,27,1793
15,15,29,1974
16,16,31,2151
17,17,33,2329
18,18,35,2454
19,19,37,2591
20,20,39,2775
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,116
8,13,5,715
14,17,7,1496
18,20,9,2091
WITNESSES DEUTE 17:6-7
A person was not put to death on the testimony of only one witness. On the witness of two or three, a person could be condemned and then sentenced to death by stoning. The condemned person was taken outside the city gates, and the witnesses were the first to throw heavy stones down on him or her. Bystanders would then pelt the dying person with stones. This system would purge all evil by putting the idolater to death. At the same time, it protected the rights of accused persons two ways. First, by requiring several witnesses, it prevented any angry individual from bearing false witness. Second, by requiring the accusers to throw the first stones, it made them think twice about accusing unjustly. They were responsible to finish what they had started.
DEUTE018
1 The priests are from the tribe of Levi, and that tribe will not receive a share of the land with the Israelites. They will eat the offerings made to the LORD by fire, which is their share.
2 They will not inherit any of the land like their brothers, but they will inherit the LORD himself, as he has promised them.
3 When you offer a bull or sheep as a sacrifice, you must share with the priests, giving them the shoulder, the cheeks, and the inner organs.
4 Give them the first of your grain, new wine, and oil, as well as the first wool you cut from your sheep.
5 The LORD your God has chosen the priests and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and serve the LORD always.
6 If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he lives and comes to the place the LORD will choose, because he wants to serve the LORD there,
7 he may serve the LORD his God. He will be like his fellow Levites who serve there before the LORD.
8 They all will have an equal share of the food. That is separate from what he has received from the sale of family possessions.
9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, don't learn to do the hateful things the other nations do.
10 Don't let anyone among you offer a son or daughter as a sacrifice in the fire. Don't let anyone use magic or witchcraft, or try to explain the meaning of signs.
11 Don't let anyone try to control others with magic, and don't let them be mediums or try to talk with the spirits of dead people.
12 The LORD hates anyone who does these things. Because the other nations do these things, the LORD your God will force them out of the land ahead of you.
13 But you must be innocent in the presence of the LORD your God.
14 The nations you will force out listen to people who use magic and witchcraft, but the LORD your God will not let you do those things.
15 The LORD your God will give you a prophet like me, who is one of your own people. Listen to him.
16 This is what you asked the LORD your God to do when you were gathered at Mount Sinai. You said, "Don't make us listen to the voice of the LORD our God again, and don't make us look at this terrible fir anymore, or we will die."
17 So the LORD said to me, "What they have said is good.
18 So I will give them a prophet like you, who is one of their own people. I will tell him what to say, and he will tell them everything I command.
19 This prophet will speak for me; anyone who does not listen when he speaks will answer to me.
20 But if a prophet says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me, or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed."
21 You might be thinking, "How can we know if a message is not from the LORD?"
22 If what a prophet says in the name of the LORD does not happen, it is not the LORD' s message. That prophet was speaking his own ideas. Don't be afraid of him.
1 "Remember that the priests and all the other members of the Levite tribe will not be given property like the other tribes. So the priests and Levites are to be supported by the sacrifices brought to the altar of the Lord and by the other offerings the people bring to him. 2 They don't need to own property, for the Lord is their property! That is what he promised them! 3 The shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach of every ox or sheep brought for sacrifice must be given to the priests. 4 In addition, the priests shall receive the harvest samples brought in thanksgiving to the Lord-the first of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and of the fleece at shearing time. 5 For the Lord your God has chosen the tribe of Levi, of all the tribes, to minister to the Lord from generation to generation.
6-7 "Any Levite, no matter where he lives in the land of Israel, has the right to come to the sanctuary at any time and minister in the name of the Lord, just like his brother Levites who work there regularly. 8 He shall be given his share of the sacrifices and offerings as his right, not just if he is in need.
9 "When you arrive in the Promised Land you must be very careful lest you be corrupted by the horrible customs of the nations now living there. 10 For example, any Israeli who presents his child to be burned to death as a sacrifice to heathen gods must be killed. No Israeli may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, or be a fortune-teller, 11 or be a serpent charmer, medium, or wizard, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone doing these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord, and it is because the nations do these things that the Lord your God will displace them. 13 You must walk blamelessly before the Lord your God. 14 The nations you replace all do these evil things, but the Lord your God will not permit you to do such things.
15 "Instead, he will raise up for you a prophet like me, an Israeli, a man to whom you must listen and whom you must obey. 16 For this is what you yourselves begged of God at Mount Horeb. There at the foot of the mountain you begged that you might not have to listen to the terrifying voice of God again, or see the awesome fire on the mountain, lest you die.
17 " `All right,' the Lord said to me, `I will do as they have requested. 18 I will raise up from among them a prophet, an Israeli like you. I will tell him what to say, and he shall be my spokesman to the people. 19 I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to him and heed his messages from me. 20 But any prophet who falsely claims that his message is from me shall die. And any prophet who claims to give a message from other gods must die.' 21 If you wonder, `How shall we know whether the prophecy is from the Lord or not?' 22 this is the way to know: If the thing he prophesies doesn't happen, it is not the Lord who has given him the message; he has made it up himself. You have nothing to fear from him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,196
3,3,5,326
4,4,7,472
5,5,9,583
6,6,11,711
7,7,13,879
8,8,15,984
9,9,17,1117
10,10,19,1239
11,11,21,1407
12,12,23,1543
13,13,25,1702
14,14,27,1772
15,15,29,1913
16,16,31,2017
17,17,33,2252
18,18,35,2313
19,19,37,2465
20,20,39,2565
21,21,41,2745
22,22,43,2828
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,808
9,14,5,1124
15,16,7,1910
17,22,9,2273
OCCULT DEUTE 18:10-13
Just as most of us are naturally curious about a magician's trick, the Israelites were curious about the occult practices of the Canaanite religions. But Satan is behind the occult, and God flatly forbade Israel to have anything to do with it. People today are still fascinated by horoscopes, fortune-telling, witchcraft, and bizarre cults. Often their interest comes from a desire to know and control the future. But Satan is no less dangerous today than he was in Moses' time. In the Bible, God tells us all we need to know about what is going to happen. The information Satan offers is likely to be distorted or completely false. With the trustworthy guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures and the church, we don't need to turn to occult sources for information-especially since the information from such sources is faulty.
Scrapbook: "Carolyn: Horoscopes,Ouija boards,and Satan " ,!page "Carolyn1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
DEUTE019
1 When the LORD your God gives you land that belongs to the other nations, nations that he will destroy, you will force them out and live in their cities and houses.
2 Then choose three cities in the middle of the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own.
3 Build roads to these cities, and divide the land the LORD is giving you into three parts so that someone who kills another person may run to these cities.
4 This is the rule for someone who kills another person and runs to one of these cities in order to save his life. But the person must have killed a neighbor without meaning to, not out of hatred.
5 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood and swings an ax to cut down a tree. If the ax head flies off the handle, hitting and killing the neighbor, the one who killed him may run to one of these cities to save his life.% |
6 Otherwise, the dead person's relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer might be angry and chase him. If the city is far away, the relative might catch and kill the person, even though he should not be killed because there was no intent to kill his neighbor.
7 This is why I command you to choose these three cities.
8 Carefully obey all these laws I'm giving you today. Love the LORD your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the LORD your God will enlarge your land as he promised your ancestors, giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, choose three more cities of safety
9 [see verse 8]
10 so that innocent people will not be killed in your land, the land that the LORD your God is giving you as your own. By doing this you will not be guilty of allowing the death of innocent people.
11 But if a person hates his neighbor and, after hiding and waiting, attacks and kills him and then runs to one of these cities for safety,
12 the older leaders of his own city should send for the murderer. They should bring the person back from the city of safety and hand him over to the relative who has the duty of punishing the murderer.
13 Show no mercy. You must remove from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people so that things will go well for you.
14 Do not move the stone that marks the border of your neighbor's land, which people long ago set in place. It marks what you inherit in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own.
15 One witness is not enough to accuse a person of a crime or sin. A case must be proved by two or three witnesses.
16 If a witness lies and accuses a person of a crime,
17 the two people who are arguing must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and judges who are on duty.
18 The judges must check the matter carefully. The witness who is a liar, lying about a fellow Israelite,
19 must be punished. He must be punished in the same way the other person would have been punished. You must get rid of the evil among you.
20 The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.
21 Show no mercy. A life must be paid for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.
1 "When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations you will displace, and when you are living in their cities and homes, 2-3 you must set apart three Cities of Refuge so that anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee to safety. Divide the country into three districts, with one of these cities in each district; and keep the roads to these cities in good repair.
4 "Here is an example of the purpose of these cities: 5 If a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and the axhead flies off the handle and kills the man's neighbor, he may flee to one of those cities and be safe. 6-7 Anyone seeking to avenge the death will not be able to. These cities must be scattered so that one of them will be reasonably close to everyone; otherwise the angry avenger might catch and kill the innocent slayer, even though he should not have died since he had not killed deliberately.
8 "If the Lord enlarges your boundaries as he promised your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised 9 (whether he does this depends on your obedience to all these commandments I am giving you today-loving the Lord your God and walking his paths), then you must designate three additional Cities of Refuge. 10 In this way you will be able to avoid the death of innocent people, and you will not be held responsible for unjustified bloodshed.
11 "But if anyone hates his neighbor and springs out of hiding and kills him, and then flees into one of the Cities of Refuge, 12 the elders of his hometown shall send for him and shall bring him home and deliver him over to the dead man's avenger, to kill him. 13 Don't pity him! Purge all murderers from Israel! Only then will all go well with you.
14 "When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, remember that you must never steal a man's land by moving the boundary marker.
15 "Never convict anyone on the testimony of one witness. There must be at least two, and three is even better. 16 If anyone gives false witness, claiming he has seen someone do wrong when he hasn't, 17 both men shall be brought before the priests and judges on duty before the Lord at the time. 18 They must be closely questioned, and if the witness is lying, 19 his penalty shall be the punishment he thought the other man would get. In this way you will purge out evil from among you. 20 Then those who hear about it will be afraid to tell lies on the witness stand. 21 You shall not show pity to a false witness. Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; this is your rule in such cases.
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2,2,3,171
3,3,5,273
4,4,7,434
5,5,9,635
6,6,11,902
7,7,13,1174
8,8,15,1236
9,9,17,1528
10,10,19,1548
11,11,21,1750
12,12,23,1894
13,13,25,2101
14,14,27,2227
15,15,29,2422
16,16,31,2542
17,17,33,2600
18,18,35,2724
19,19,37,2834
20,20,39,2978
21,21,41,3104
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,373
8,10,5,901
11,13,7,1355
14,14,9,1709
15,21,11,1856
DEUTE020
1 When you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an army that is bigger than yours, don't be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.
2 The priest must come and speak to the army before you go into battle.
3 He will say, "Listen, Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Don't lose your courage or be afraid. Don't panic or be frightened,
4 because the LORD your God goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies and to save you."
5 The officers should say to the army, "Has anyone built a new house but not given it to God? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would get to give his house to God.
6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would enjoy his vineyard.
7 Is any man engaged to a woman and not yet married to her? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would marry her."
8 Then the officers should also say, "Is anyone here afraid? Has anyone lost his courage? He may go home so that he will not cause others to lose their courage, too."
9 When the officers finish speaking to the army, they should appoint commanders to lead it.
10 When you march up to attack a city, first make them an offer of peace.
11 If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people of that city will become your slaves and work for you.
12 But if they do not make peace with you and fight you in battle, you should surround that city.
13 The LORD your God will give it to you. Then kill all the men with your swords,
14 and you may take everything else in the city for yourselves. Take the women, children, and animals, and you may use these things the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.
15 Do this to all the cities that are far away, that do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 But leave nothing alive in the cities of the land the LORD your God is giving you.
17 Completely destroy these people: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded.
18 Otherwise, they will teach you what they do for their gods, and if you do these hateful things, you will sin against the LORD your God.
19 If you surround and attack a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not destroy its trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit from the trees, but do not cut them down. These trees are not the enemy, so don't make war against them.
20 But you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build devices to attack the city walls, until the city is captured.
1 "When you go to war and see before you vast numbers of horses and chariots, an army far greater than yours, don't be frightened! The Lord your God is with you-the same God who brought you safely out of Egypt! 2 Before you begin the battle, a priest shall stand before the Israeli army and say,
3 " `Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Don't be afraid as you go out to fight today! 4 For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you the victory!'
5 "Then the officers of the army shall address the men in this manner: `Has anyone just built a new house but not yet dedicated it? If so, go home! For you might be killed in the battle, and someone else would dedicate it! 6 Has anyone just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit? If so, go home! You might die in battle and someone else would eat it! 7 Has anyone just become engaged? Well, go home and get married! For you might die in the battle, and someone else would marry your fianc
e. 8 And now, is anyone afraid? If you are, go home before you frighten the rest of us!' 9 When the officers have finished saying this to their men, they will announce the names of the battalion leaders.
10 "As you approach a city to fight against it, first offer it a truce. 11 If it accepts the truce and opens its gates to you, then all its people shall become your servants. 12 But if it refuses and won't make peace with you, you must besiege it. 13 When the Lord your God has given it to you, kill every male in the city; 14 but you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, cattle, and booty. 15 These instructions apply only to distant cities, not to those in the Promised Land itself.
16 "For in the cities within the boundaries of the Promised Land you are to save no one; destroy every living thing. 17 Utterly destroy the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. This is the commandment of the Lord your God. 18 The purpose of this command is to prevent the people of the land from luring you into idol worship and into participation in their loathsome customs, thus sinning deeply against the Lord your God.
19 "When you besiege a city, don't destroy the fruit trees. Eat all the fruit you wish; just don't cut down the trees. They aren't enemies who need to be slaughtered! 20 But you may cut down trees that aren't valuable for food. Use them for the siege to make ladders, portable towers, and battering rams.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,210
3,3,5,286
4,4,7,444
5,5,9,547
6,6,11,745
7,7,13,898
8,8,15,1044
9,9,17,1215
10,10,19,1311
11,11,21,1389
12,12,23,1521
13,13,25,1623
14,14,27,1709
15,15,29,1892
16,16,31,1986
17,17,33,2076
18,18,35,2224
19,19,37,2367
20,20,39,2611
1,2,1,1
3,4,2,298
5,9,3,509
10,15,5,1221
16,18,7,1721
19,20,9,2198
OPPOSITION DEUTE 20:1
Just like the Israelites, we sometimes face overwhelming opposition. Whether at school, at work, or even at home, we can feel outnumbered and helpless. God bolstered the Israelites' confidence by reminding them that he was always with them and that he had already saved them from the potential danger. We, too, can feel secure when we consider that God is able to overcome even the most difficult odds.
DEUTE021
1 Suppose someone is found murdered, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own, and no one knows who killed the person.
2 Your older leaders and judges should go to where the body was found, and they should measure how far it is to the nearby cities.
3 The older leaders of the city nearest the body must take a young cow that has never worked or worn a yoke,
4 and they must lead her down to a valley that has never been plowed or planted, with a stream flowing through it. There they must break the young cow's neck.
5 The priests, the sons of Levi, should come forward, because they have been chosen by the LORD your God to serve him and to give blessings in the LORD' s name. They are the ones who decide cases of quarreling and attacks.
6 Then all the older leaders of the city nearest the murdered person should wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.
7 They should declare: "We did not kill this person, and we did not see it happen.
8 LORD, remove this sin from your people Israel, whom you have saved. Don't blame your people, the Israelites, for the murder of this innocent person." And so the murder will be paid for.
9 Then you will have removed from yourselves the guilt of murdering an innocent person, because you will be doing what the LORD says is right.
10 When you go to war against your enemies, the LORD will help you defeat them so that you will take them captive.
11 If you see a beautiful woman among the captives and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.
12 Bring her into your home, where she must shave her head and cut her nails
13 and change the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. After she has lived in your house and cried for her parents for a month, you may marry her. You will be her husband, and she will be your wife.
14 But if you are not pleased with her, you must let her go anywhere she wants. You must not sell her for money or make her a slave, because you have taken away her honor.
15 A man might have two wives, one he loves and one he doesn't. Both wives might have sons by him. If the older son belongs to the wife he does not love,
16 when that man wills his property to his sons he must not give the son of the wife he loves what belongs to the older son, the son of the wife he does not love.
17 He must agree to give the older son two shares of everything he owns, even though the older son is from the wife he does not love. That son was the first to prove his father could have children, so he has the rights that belong to the older son.
18 If someone has a son who is stubborn, who turns against his father and mother and doesn't obey them or listen when they correct him,
19 his parents must take him to the older leaders at the city gate.
20 They will say to the leaders, "Our son is stubborn and turns against us. He will not obey us. He eats too much, and he is always drunk."
21 Then all the men in his town must throw stones at him until he dies. Get rid of the evil among you, because then all the people of Israel will hear about this and be afraid.
22 If someone is guilty of a sin worthy of death, he must be put to death and his body displayed on a tree.
23 But don't leave his body hanging on the tree overnight; be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed by God. You must not ruin the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own.
1 "If, when you arrive in the Promised Land, a murder victim is found lying in a field and no one has seen the murder, 2 the elders and judges shall measure from the body to the nearest city. 3 Then the elders of that city shall take a heifer that has never been yoked, 4 and lead it to a valley where there is running water-a valley neither plowed nor sowed-and there break its neck.
5 "Then the priests shall come (for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce his blessings and decide lawsuits and punishments), 6 and shall wash their hands over the heifer, 7 and say, `Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 O Lord, forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed, and do not charge them with murdering an innocent man. Forgive us the guilt of this man's blood.' 9 In this way you will put away the guilt from among you by following the Lord's directions.
10 "When you go to war and the Lord your God delivers your enemies to you, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful girl you want as your wife, 12 take her home with you. She must shave her head and pare her nails 13 and change her clothing, laying aside that which she was wearing when she was captured, then remain in your home in mourning for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may marry her. 14 However, if after marrying her you decide you don't like her, you must let her go free-you may not sell her or treat her as a slave, for you have humiliated her.
15 "If a man has two wives but loves one and not the other, and both have borne him children, and the mother of his oldest son is the wife he doesn't love, 16 he may not give a larger inheritance to his younger son, the son of the wife he loves. 17 He must give the customary double portion to his oldest son, who is the beginning of his strength and who owns the rights of a firstborn son, even though he is the son of the wife his father doesn't love.
18 "If a man has a stubborn, rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they punish him, 19 then his father and mother shall take him before the elders of the city 20 and declare, `This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and won't obey; he is a worthless drunkard.' 21 Then the men of the city shall stone him to death. In this way you shall put away this evil from among you, and all the young men of Israel will hear about what happened and will be afraid.
22 "If a man has committed a crime worthy of death, and is executed and then hanged on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain on the tree overnight. You must bury him the same day, for anyone hanging on a tree is cursed of God. Don't defile the land the Lord your God has given you.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,156
3,3,5,291
4,4,7,404
5,5,9,567
6,6,11,794
7,7,13,947
8,8,15,1034
9,9,17,1227
10,10,19,1374
11,11,21,1493
12,12,23,1605
13,13,25,1686
14,14,27,1899
15,15,29,2075
16,16,31,2233
17,17,33,2400
18,18,35,2653
19,19,37,2793
20,20,39,2865
21,21,41,3009
22,22,43,3190
23,23,45,3302
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,389
10,14,5,931
15,17,7,1520
18,21,9,1977
22,23,11,2467
DEUTE022
1 If you see your fellow Israelite's ox or sheep wandering away, don't ignore it. Take it back to its owner.
2 If the owner does not live close to you, or if you do not know who the owner is, take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it; then give it back.
3 Do the same thing if you find a donkey or coat or anything someone lost. Don't just ignore it.
4 If you see your fellow Israelite's donkey or ox fallen on the road, don't ignore it. Help the owner get it up.
5 A woman must not wear men's clothes, and a man must not wear women's clothes. The LORD your God hates anyone who does that.
6 If you find a bird's nest by the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting on the young birds or eggs, do not take the mother bird with the young birds.
7 You may take the young birds, but you must let the mother bird go free. Then things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.
8 When you build a new house, build a low wall around the edge of the roof so you will not be guilty if someone falls off the roof.
9 Don't plant two different kinds of seeds in your vineyard. Otherwise, both crops will be ruined.
10 Don't plow with an ox and a donkey tied together.
11 Don't wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together.
12 Tie several pieces of thread together; then put these tassels on the four corners of your coat.
13 If a man marries a girl and has sexual relations with her but then decides he does not like her,
14 he might talk badly about her and give her a bad name. He might say, "I married this woman, but when I had sexual relations with her, I did not find that she was a virgin."
15 Then the girl's parents must bring proof that she was a virgin to the older leaders at the city gate.
16 The girl's father will say to the leaders, "I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, but now he does not want her.
17 This man has told lies about my daughter. He has said, `I did not find your daughter to be a virgin,' but here is the proof that my daughter was a virgin." Then her parents are to show the sheet to the city leaders,
18 and the leaders must take the man and punish him.
19 They must make him pay about two and one-half pounds of silver to the girl's father, because the man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. The girl will continue to be the man's wife, and he may not divorce her as long as he lives.
20 But if the things the husband said about his wife are true, and there is no proof that she was a virgin,
21 the girl must be brought to the door of her father's house. Then the men of the town must put her to death by throwing stones at her. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by having sexual relations before she was married. You must get rid of the evil among you.
22 If a man is found having sexual relations with another man's wife, both the woman and the man who had sexual relations with her must die. Get rid of this evil from Israel.
23 If a man meets a virgin in a city and has sexual relations with her, but she is engaged to another man,
24 you must take both of them to the city gate and put them to death by throwing stones at them. Kill the girl, because she was in a city and did not scream for help. And kill the man for having sexual relations with another man's wife. You must get rid of the evil among you.
25 But if a man meets an engaged girl out in the country and forces her to have sexual relations with him, only the man who had sexual relations with her must be put to death.
26 Don't do anything to the girl, because she has not done a sin worthy of death. This is like the person who attacks and murders a neighbor;
27 the man found the engaged girl in the country and she screamed, but no one was there to save her.
28 If a man meets a virgin who is not engaged to be married and forces her to have sexual relations with him and people find out about it,
29 the man must pay the girl's father about one and one-fourth pounds of silver. He must also marry the girl, because he has dishonored her, and he may never divorce her for as long as he lives.
30 A man must not marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor his father in this way.
1 "If you see someone's ox or sheep wandering away, don't pretend you didn't see it; take it back to its owner. 2 If you don't know who the owner is, take it to your farm and keep it there until the owner comes looking for it, and then give it to him. 3 The same applies to donkeys, clothing, or anything else you find. Keep it for its owner.
4 "If you see someone trying to get an ox or donkey onto its feet when it has slipped beneath its load, don't look the other way. Go and help!
5 "A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing. This is abhorrent to the Lord your God.
6 "If a bird's nest is lying on the ground, or if you spy one in a tree, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, don't take the mother with the young. 7 Let her go, and take only the young. The Lord will bless you for it.
8 "Every new house must have a guardrail around the edge of the flat rooftop to prevent anyone from falling off and bringing guilt to both the house and its owner.
9 "Do not sow other crops in the rows of your vineyard. If you do, both the crops and the grapes shall be confiscated by the priests.
10 "Don't plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.
11 "Don't wear clothing woven from two kinds of thread: for instance, wool and linen.
12 "You must sew tassels on the four corners of your cloaks.
13-14 "If a man marries a girl, then after sleeping with her accuses her of having had premarital intercourse with another man, saying, `She was not a virgin when I married her,' 15 then the girl's father and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city judges.
16 "Her father shall tell them, `I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he despises her 17-18 and has accused her of shameful things, claiming that she was not a virgin when she married; yet here is the proof.' And they shall spread before the judges the blood-stained sheet from her marriage bed. The judges shall sentence the man to be whipped, 19 and fine him one hundred dollars to be given to the girl's father, for he has falsely accused a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife and he may never divorce her. 20 But if the man's accusations are true, and she was not a virgin, 21 the judges shall take the girl to the door of her father's home where the men of the city shall stone her to death. She has defiled Israel by flagrant crime, being a prostitute while living at home with her parents; and such evil must be cleansed from among you.
22 "If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the other man's wife must be killed; in this way evil will be cleansed from Israel. 23-24 If a girl who is engaged is seduced within the walls of a city, both she and the man who seduced her shall be taken outside the gates and stoned to death-the girl because she didn't scream for help, and the man because he has violated the virginity of another man's fianc
e. 25-27 In this way you will reduce crime among you. But if this deed takes place out in the country, only the man shall die. The girl is as innocent as a murder victim; for it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to hear and rescue her out in the field. 28-29 If a man rapes a girl who is not engaged and is caught in the act, he must pay a fine to the girl's father and marry her; he may never divorce her. 30 A man shall not sleep with his father's widow since she belonged to his father.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,114
3,3,5,297
4,4,7,398
5,5,9,515
6,6,11,645
7,7,13,834
8,8,15,977
9,9,17,1113
10,10,19,1216
11,11,21,1273
12,12,23,1338
13,13,25,1441
14,14,27,1545
15,15,29,1725
16,16,31,1834
17,17,33,1962
18,18,35,2185
19,19,37,2242
20,20,39,2485
21,21,41,2597
22,22,43,2872
23,23,45,3051
24,24,47,3162
25,25,49,3443
26,26,51,3623
27,27,53,3769
28,28,55,3874
29,29,57,4017
30,30,59,4216
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,347
5,5,5,493
6,7,7,619
8,8,9,880
9,9,11,1047
10,10,13,1184
11,11,15,1246
12,12,17,1335
13,15,19,1399
16,21,21,1677
22,30,23,2550
RETURNS DEUTE 22:1-3
The Hebrews were to care for and return lost animals or possessions to their rightful owners. The way of the world, by contrast, is Finders keepers, losers weepers. To go beyond the finders-keepers rule by protecting and returning the property of others keeps us from being envious and greedy.
ROLES DEUTE 22:5
This verse commands men and women not to reverse their sexual roles. It is not a statement about clothing styles. Today role rejections are common-there are men who want to become women and women who want to become men. It's not the clothing style that offends God, but using the style to act out a different sex role. God had a purpose in making us uniquely maleand female.
DEUTE023
1 No man who has had part of his sex organ cut off may come into the meeting to worship the LORD.
2 No one born to parents who were forbidden by law to marry may come into the meeting to worship the LORD. The descendants for ten generations may not come in either.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite may come into the meeting to worship the LORD, and none of their descendants for ten generations may come in.
4 This is because the Ammonites and Moabites did not give you bread and water when you came out of Egypt. And they hired Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor in Northwest Mesopotamia, to put a curse on you.
5 But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam. He turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
6 Don't wish for their peace or success as long as you live.
7 Don't hate Edomites; they are your close relatives. Don't hate Egyptians, because you were foreigners in their country.
8 The great-grandchildren of these two peoples may come into the meeting to worship the LORD.
9 When you are camped in time of war, keep away from unclean things.
10 If a man becomes unclean during the night, he must go outside the camp and not come back.
11 But when evening comes, he must wash himself, and at sunset he may come back into the camp.
12 Choose a place outside the camp where people may go to relieve themselves.
13 Carry a tent peg with you, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your dung.
14 The LORD your God moves around through your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies for you, so the camp must be holy. He must not see anything unclean among you so that he will not leave you.
15 If an escaped slave comes to you, do not hand over the slave to his master.
16 Let the slave live with you anywhere he likes, in any town he chooses. Do not mistreat him.
17 No Israelite man or woman must ever become a temple prostitute.
18 Do not bring a male or female prostitute's pay to the Temple of the LORD your God to pay what you have promised to the LORD, because the LORD your God hates prostitution.
19 If you loan your fellow Israelites money or food or anything else, don't make them pay back more than you loaned them.
20 You may charge foreigners, but not fellow Israelites. Then the LORD your God will bless everything you do in the land you are entering to take as your own.
21 If you make a promise to give something to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, because the LORD your God demands it from you. Do not be guilty of sin.
22 But if you do not make the promise, you will not be guilty.
23 You must do whatever you say you will do, because you chose to make the promise to the LORD your God.
24 If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you wish, but do not put any grapes into your basket.
25 If you go into your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick grain with your hands, but you must not cut down your neighbor's grain with your sickle.
1 "If a man's testicles are crushed or his penis cut off, he shall not enter the sanctuary. 2 A bastard may not enter the sanctuary, nor any of his descendants for ten generations.
3 "No Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the sanctuary, even after the tenth generation. 4 The reason for this law is that these nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt; they even tried to hire Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor, Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord wouldn't listen to Balaam; instead, he turned the intended curse into a blessing for you because the Lord loves you. 6 You must never, as long as you live, try to help the Ammonites or the Moabites in any way. 7 But don't look down on the Edomites and the Egyptians; the Edomites are your brothers and you lived among the Egyptians. 8 The grandchildren of the Egyptians who came with you from Egypt may enter the sanctuary of the Lord.
9-10 "When you are at war, the men in the camps must stay away from all evil. Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a seminal emission during the night must leave the camp 11 and stay outside until the evening; then he shall bathe himself and return at sunset. 12 The toilet area shall be outside the camp. 13 Each man must have a spade as part of his equipment; after every bowel movement he must dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement. 14 The camp must be holy, for the Lord walks among you to protect you and to cause your enemies to fall before you; and the Lord does not want to see anything indecent lest he turn away from you.
15-16 "If a slave escapes from his master, you must not force him to return; let him live among you in whatever town he shall choose, and do not oppress him.
17-18 "No prostitutes are permitted in Israel, either men or women; you must not bring to the Lord any offering from the earnings of a prostitute or a homosexual, for both are detestable to the Lord your God.
19 "Don't demand interest on loans you make to a brother Israelite, whether it is in the form of money, food, or anything else. 20 You may take interest from a foreigner, but not from an Israeli. For if you take interest from a brother, an Israeli, the Lord your God won't bless you when you arrive in the Promised Land.
21 "When you make a vow to the Lord, be prompt in doing whatever it is you promised him, for the Lord demands that you promptly fulfill your vows; it is a sin if you don't. 22 (But it is not a sin if you refrain from vowing!) 23 Once you make the vow, you must be careful to do as you have said, for it was your own choice, and you have vowed to the Lord your God.
24 "You may eat your fill of the grapes from another man's vineyard, but do not take any away in a container. 25 It is the same with someone else's grain-you may eat a few handfuls of it, but don't use a sickle.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,274
4,4,7,413
5,5,9,619
6,6,11,757
7,7,13,822
8,8,15,948
9,9,17,1046
10,10,19,1119
11,11,21,1216
12,12,23,1315
13,13,25,1397
14,14,27,1497
15,15,29,1704
16,16,31,1787
17,17,33,1886
18,18,35,1957
19,19,37,2135
20,20,39,2261
21,21,41,2424
22,22,43,2591
23,23,45,2658
24,24,47,2767
25,25,49,2899
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,185
9,14,5,932
15,16,7,1594
17,18,9,1755
19,20,11,1967
21,23,13,2291
24,25,15,2659
SEX DEUTE 23:17-18
Prostitution was strictly forbidden. To forbid this practice may seem obvious to us, but it may not have been so obvious to the Israelites. Almost every other religion known to them included prostitution as an important part of its worship services. Prostitution makes a mockery of God's original idea for sex. It treats sex as an isolated physical act rather than an act of commitment to another person. Outside of marriage, sex destroys relationships. Within marriage, if approached with the right attitude, it can be a relationship builder. God frequently had to warn the people against the practice of extramarital sex. Today we still need to hear his warnings; young people need to be reminded about premarital sex and adults need to be reminded about sexual fidelity.
DEUTE024
1 A man might marry a woman but later decide she doesn't please him because he has found something bad about her. He writes out divorce papers for her, gives them to her, and sends her away from his house.
2 After she leaves his house, she goes and marries another man,
3 but her second husband does not like her either. So he writes out divorce papers for her, gives them to her, and sends her away from his house. Or the second husband might die.
4 In either case, her first husband who divorced her must not marry her again, because she has become unclean. The LORD would hate this. Don't bring this sin into the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own.
5 A man who has just married must not be sent to war or be given any other duty. He should be free to stay home for a year to make his new wife happy.
6 If someone owes you something, do not take his two stones for grinding grain- not even the upper one- in place of what he owes, because this is how the person makes a living.
7 If someone kidnaps a fellow Israelite, either to make him a slave or sell him, the kidnapper must be killed. You must get rid of the evil among you.
8 Be careful when someone has a skin disease. Do exactly what the priests, the Levites, teach you, being careful to do what I have commanded them.
9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on your way out of Egypt.
10 When you make a loan to your neighbors, don't go into their homes to get something in place of it.
11 Stay outside and let them go in and get what they promised you.
12 If a poor person gives you a coat to show he will pay the loan back, don't keep it overnight.
13 Give the coat back at sunset, because your neighbor needs that coat to sleep in, and he will be grateful to you. And the LORD your God will see that you have done a good thing.
14 Don't cheat hired servants who are poor and needy, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in one of your towns.
15 Pay them each day before sunset, because they are poor and need the money. Otherwise, they may complain to the LORD about you, and you will be guilty of sin.
16 Parents must not be put to death if their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death if their parents do wrong. Each person must die for his own sin.
17 Do not be unfair to a foreigner or an orphan. Don't take a widow's coat to make sure she pays you back.
18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God saved you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this.
19 When you are gathering your harvest in the field and leave behind a bundle of grain, don't go back and get it. Leave it there for foreigners, orphans, and widows so that the LORD your God can bless everything you do.
20 When you beat your olive trees to knock the olives off, don't beat the trees a second time. Leave what is left for foreigners, orphans, and widows.
21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don't pick the vines a second time. Leave what is left for foreigners, orphans, and widows.
22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; that is why I am commanding you to do this.
1 "If a man doesn't like something about his wife, he may write a letter stating that he has divorced her, give her the letter, and send her away. 2 If she then remarries 3 and the second husband also divorces her or dies, 4 the former husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled; this would bring guilt upon the land the Lord your God is giving you.
5 "A newly married man is not to be drafted into the army nor given any other special responsibilities; for a year he shall be free to be at home, happy with his wife.
6 "It is illegal to take a millstone as a pledge, for it is a tool by which its owner gains his livelihood. 7 If anyone kidnaps a brother Israelite and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die, in order to purge the evil from among you.
8 "Be very careful to follow the instructions of the priest in cases of leprosy, for I have given him rules and guidelines you must obey to the letter: 9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam as you were coming from Egypt.
10 "If you lend anything to another man, you must not enter his house to get his security. 11 Stand outside! The owner will bring it out to you. 12-13 If the man is poor and gives you his cloak as security, you are not to sleep in it. Take it back to him at sundown so that he can use it through the night and bless you; and the Lord your God will count it as righteousness for you.
14-15 "Never oppress a poor hired man, whether a fellow Israelite or a foreigner living in your town. Pay him his wage each day before sunset, for since he is poor he needs it right away; otherwise he may cry out to the Lord against you and it would be counted as a sin against you.
16 "Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of their sons nor the sons for the sins of their fathers; every man worthy of death shall be executed for his own crime.
17 "Justice must be given to migrants and orphans, and you must never accept a widow's garment in pledge of her debt. 18 Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God rescued you; that is why I have given you this command. 19 If, when reaping your harvest, you forget to bring in a sheaf from the field, don't go back after it. Leave it for the migrants, orphans, and widows; then the Lord your God will bless and prosper all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don't go over the boughs twice; leave anything remaining for the migrants, orphans, and widows. 21 It is the same for the grapes in your vineyard; don't glean the vines after they are picked, but leave what's left for those in need. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt-that is why I am giving you this command.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,211
3,3,5,279
4,4,7,462
5,5,9,683
6,6,11,838
7,7,13,1019
8,8,15,1174
9,9,17,1325
10,10,19,1403
11,11,21,1509
12,12,23,1580
13,13,25,1681
14,14,27,1865
15,15,29,2001
16,16,31,2166
17,17,33,2337
18,18,35,2448
19,19,37,2583
20,20,39,2807
21,21,41,2962
22,22,43,3107
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,369
6,7,5,540
8,9,7,798
10,13,9,1032
14,15,11,1418
16,16,13,1704
17,22,15,1879
JUSTICE DEUTE 24:10-22
God told his people to treat the poor with justice. The powerless and poverty-stricken are often looked upon as incompetent or lazy when, in fact, they may be victims of oppression and circumstance. God says we must do all we can to help these needy ones. His justice did not permit the Israelites to insist on profits or quick payment from those who were less fortunate. Instead, his laws gave the poor every opportunity to better their situation, while providing humane options for those who couldn't. We are called to treat the poor fairly and to see that their needs are met.
DEUTE025
1 If two people have an argument and go to court, the judges will decide the case. They will declare one person right and the other guilty.
2 If the guilty person has to be punished with a beating, the judge will make that person lie down and be beaten in front of him. The number of lashes should match the crime.
3 But don't hit a person more than forty times, because more than that would disgrace him before others.
4 When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.
5 If two brothers are living together, and one of them dies without having a son, his widow must not marry someone outside her husband's family. Her husband's brother must marry her, which is his duty to her as a brother-in-law.
6 The first son she has counts as the son of the dead brother so that his name will not be forgotten in Israel.
7 But if a man does not want to marry his brother's widow, she should go to the older leaders at the town gate. She should say, "My brother-in-law will not carry on his brother's name in Israel. He refuses to do his duty for me."
8 Then the older leaders of the town must call for the man and talk to him. But if he is stubborn and says, "I don't want to marry her,"
9 the woman must go up to him in front of the leaders. She must take off one of his sandals and spit in his face and say, "This is for the man who won't continue his brother's family!"
10 Then that man's family shall be known in Israel as the Family of the Unsandaled.
11 If two men are fighting and one man's wife comes to save her husband from his attacker, grabbing the attacker by his sex organs,
12 you must cut off her hand. Show her no mercy.
13 Don't carry two sets of weights with you, one heavy and one light.
14 Don't have two different sets of measures in your house, one large and one small.
15 You must have true and honest weights and measures so that you will live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
16 The LORD your God hates anyone who is dishonest and uses dishonest measures.
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you when you came out of Egypt.
18 When you were tired and worn out, they met you on the road and attacked all those lagging behind. They were not afraid of God.
19 When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you as your own, you shall destroy any memory of the Amalekites on the earth. Do not forget!
1 "If a man is guilty of a crime and the penalty is a beating, the judge shall command him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with up to forty stripes in proportion to the seriousness of the crime; but no more than forty stripes may be given lest the punishment seem too severe, and your brother be degraded in your eyes.
4 "Don't muzzle an ox as it treads out the grain.
5 "If a man's brother dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family; instead, her husband's brother must marry her and sleep with her. 6 The first son she bears to him shall be counted as the son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten. 7 But if the dead man's brother refuses to do his duty in this matter, refusing to marry the widow, then she shall go to the city elders and say to them, `My husband's brother refuses to let his brother's name continue-he refuses to marry me.' 8 The elders of the city will then summon him and talk it over with him, and if he still refuses, 9 the widow shall walk over to him in the presence of the elders, pull his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She shall then say, `This is what happens to a man who refuses to build his brother's house.' 10 And ever afterwards his house shall be referred to as `the home of the man who had his sandal pulled off'!
11 "If two men are fighting and the wife of one intervenes to help her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man, 12 her hand shall be cut off without pity.
13-15 "In all your transactions you must use accurate scales and honest measurements, so that you will have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 All who cheat with unjust weights and measurements are detestable to the Lord your God.
17 "You must never forget what the people of Amalek did to you as you came from Egypt. 18 Remember that they fought with you and struck down those who were faint and weary and lagging behind, with no respect or fear of God. 19 Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the Promised Land, you are utterly to destroy the name of Amalek from under heaven. Never forget this.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,145
3,3,5,324
4,4,7,433
5,5,9,522
6,6,11,755
7,7,13,871
8,8,15,1105
9,9,17,1246
10,10,19,1435
11,11,21,1523
12,12,23,1659
13,13,25,1712
14,14,27,1786
15,15,29,1875
16,16,31,2012
17,17,33,2096
18,18,35,2171
19,19,37,2305
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,333
5,10,5,386
11,12,7,1329
13,16,9,1498
17,19,11,1763
DEUTE026
JOURNEY
1 When you go into the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own, to take it over and live in it,
2 you must take some of the first harvest of crops that grow from the land the LORD your God is giving you. Put the food in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God will choose to be worshiped.
3 Say to the priest on duty at that time, "Today I declare before the LORD your God that I have come into the land the LORD promised our ancestors that he would give us."
4 The priest will take your basket and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God.
5 Then you shall announce before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with only a few people, but they became a great, powerful, and large nation there.
6 But the Egyptians were cruel to us, making us suffer and work very hard.
7 So we prayed to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us. When he saw our trouble, hard work, and suffering,
8 the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his great power and strength, using great terrors, signs, and miracles.
9 Then he brought us to this place and gave us this fertile land.
10 Now I bring part of the first harvest from this land that you, LORD, have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.
11 Then you and the Levites and foreigners among you should rejoice, because the LORD your God has given good things to you and your family.
12 Bring a tenth of all your harvest the third year (the year to give a tenth of your harvest). Give it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows so that they may eat in your towns and be full.
13 Then say to the LORD your God, "I have taken out of my house the part of my harvest that belongs to God, and I have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. I have done everything you commanded me; I have not broken your commands, and I have not forgotten any of them.
14 I have not eaten any of the holy part while I was in sorrow. I have not removed any of it while I was unclean, and I have not offered it for dead people. I have obeyed you, the LORD my God, and have done everything you commanded me.
15 So look down from heaven, your holy home. Bless your people Israel and bless the land you have given us, which you promised to our ancestors- a fertile land."
16 Today the LORD your God commands you to obey all these rules and laws; be careful to obey them with your whole being.
17 Today you have said that the LORD is your God, and you have promised to do what he wants you to do- to keep his rules, commands, and laws. You have said you will obey him.
18 And today the LORD has said that you are his very own people, as he has promised you. But you must obey his commands.
19 He will make you greater than all the other nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor, and you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as he has said.
1 "When you arrive in the land and have conquered it and are living there, 2-3 you must present to the Lord at his sanctuary the first sample from each annual harvest. Bring it in a basket and hand it to the priest on duty and say to him, `This gift is my acknowledgment that the Lord my God has brought me to the land he promised our ancestors.' 4 The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar. 5 You shall then say before the Lord your God, `My ancestors were migrant Arameans who went to Egypt for refuge. They were few in number, but in Egypt they became a mighty nation. 6-7 The Egyptians mistreated us and we cried to the Lord God. He heard us and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression, 8 and brought us out of Egypt with mighty miracles and a powerful hand. He did great and awesome miracles before the Egyptians 9 and has brought us to this place and given us this land "flowing with milk and honey"! 10 And now, O Lord, see, I have brought you a token of the first of the crops from the ground you have given me.' Then place the samples before the Lord your God, and worship him. 11 Afterwards, go and feast on all the good things he has given you. Celebrate with your family and with any Levites or migrants living among you.
12 "Every third year is a year of special tithing. That year you are to give all your tithes to the Levites, migrants, orphans, and widows, so that they will be well fed. 13 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God, `I have given all of my tithes to the Levites, the migrants, the orphans, and the widows, just as you commanded me; I have not violated or forgotten any of your rules. 14 I have not touched the tithe while I was ceremonially defiled (for instance, while I was in mourning), nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy home in heaven and bless your people and the land you have given us, as you promised our ancestors; make it a land "flowing with milk and honey"!'
16 "You must wholeheartedly obey all of these commandments and ordinances that the Lord your God is giving you today. 17 You have declared today that he is your God, and you have promised to obey and keep his laws and ordinances, and to heed all he tells you to do. 18 And the Lord has declared today that you are his very own people, just as he promised, and that you must obey all of his laws. 19 If you do, he will make you greater than any other nation, allowing you to receive praise, honor, and renown; but to attain this honor and renown you must be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he requires."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,320
4,4,7,495
5,5,9,594
6,6,11,791
7,7,13,870
8,8,15,996
9,9,17,1112
10,10,19,1182
11,11,21,1341
12,12,23,1486
13,13,25,1690
14,14,27,1983
15,15,29,2223
16,16,31,2389
17,17,33,2514
18,18,35,2693
19,19,37,2818
1,11,1,1
12,15,3,1276
16,19,4,2064
JOURNEY DEUTE 26:5-10
In Israelite tradition, each person was required to recite the history of God's dealings with his people. What is the history of your relationship with God? Can you put into clear and concise words what God has done for you? Find a friend with whom you can share your spiritual journey. Take turns telling your stories. This will help you clearly understand your personal spiritual history, as well as encourage and inspire you both.
DEUTE027
1 Then Moses, along with the older leaders of Israel, commanded the people, saying, "Keep all the commands I have given you today.
2 Soon you will cross the Jordan River to go into the land the LORD your God is giving you. On that day set up some large stones and cover them with plaster.
3 When you cross over, write all the words of these teachings on them. Then you may enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a fertile land, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised.
4 After you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and cover them with plaster.
5 Build an altar of stones there to the LORD your God, but don't use any iron tool to cut the stones;
6 build the altar of the LORD your God with stones from the field. Offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God,
7 and offer fellowship offerings there, and eat them and rejoice before the LORD your God.
8 Then write clearly all the words of these teachings on the stones."
9 Then Moses and the Levites who were priests spoke to all Israel and said, "Be quiet, Israel. Listen! Today you have become the people of the LORD your God.
10 Obey the LORD your God, and keep his commands and laws that I give you today."
11 That day Moses also gave the people this command:
12 When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes must stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
13 And these tribes must stand on Mount Ebal to announce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 The Levites will say to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:
15 "Anyone will be cursed who makes an idol or statue and secretly sets it up, because the LORD hates the idols people make." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
16 "Anyone will be cursed who dishonors his father or mother." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
17 "Anyone will be cursed who moves the stone that marks a neighbor's border." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
18 "Anyone will be cursed who sends a blind person down the wrong road." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
19 "Anyone will be cursed who is unfair to foreigners, orphans, or widows." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
20 "A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his father's wife, because it is a dishonor to his father." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
21 "Anyone will be cursed who has sexual relations with an animal." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
22 "A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his sister, whether she is his father's daughter or his mother's daughter." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
23 "A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
24 "Anyone will be cursed who kills a neighbor secretly." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
25 "Anyone will be cursed who takes money to murder an innocent person." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
26 "Anyone will be cursed who does not agree with the words of these teachings and does not obey them." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel gave the people these further instructions to obey: 2-4 "When you cross the Jordan River and go into the Promised Land-a land `flowing with milk and honey'-take out boulders from the river bottom and immediately pile them into a monument on the other side, at Mount Ebal. Face the stones with a coating of lime and then write the laws of God in the lime. 5-6 And build an altar there to the Lord your God. Use uncut boulders, and on the altar offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God. 7 Sacrifice peace offerings upon it also, and feast there with great joy before the Lord your God. 8 Write all of these laws plainly upon the monument."
9 Then Moses and the Levite-priests addressed all Israel as follows: "O Israel, listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God, 10 so today you must begin to obey all of these commandments I have given you."
11 That same day Moses gave this charge to the people:
12 "When you cross into the Promised Land, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing, 13 and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali shall stand upon Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse. 14 Then the Levites standing between them shall shout to all Israel,
15 " `The curse of God be upon anyone who makes and worships an idol, even in secret, whether carved of wood or made from molten metal-for these handmade gods are hated by the Lord.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
16 " `Cursed is anyone who despises his father or mother.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
17 " `Cursed is he who moves the boundary marker between his land and his neighbor's.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
18 " `Cursed is he who takes advantage of a blind man.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
19 " `Cursed is he who is unjust to the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
20 " `Cursed is he who commits adultery with one of his father's wives, for she belongs to his father.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
21 " `Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with an animal.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
22 " `Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with his sister, whether she be a full sister or a half sister.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
23 " `Cursed is he who has sexual intercourse with his widowed mother-in-law.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
24 " `Cursed is he who secretly slays another.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
25 " `Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
26 " `Cursed is anyone who does not obey these laws.' And all the people shall reply, `Amen.'
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,136
3,3,5,298
4,4,7,505
5,5,9,640
6,6,11,746
7,7,13,867
8,8,15,962
9,9,17,1036
10,10,19,1198
11,11,21,1284
12,12,23,1341
13,13,25,1495
14,14,27,1616
15,15,29,1689
16,16,31,1857
17,17,33,1962
18,18,35,2083
19,19,37,2198
20,20,39,2316
21,21,41,2473
22,22,43,2583
23,23,45,2756
24,24,47,2873
25,25,49,2973
26,26,51,3088
1,8,1,1
9,10,3,683
11,11,5,909
12,14,6,965
15,15,7,1318
16,16,8,1542
17,17,9,1642
18,18,10,1770
19,19,11,1867
20,20,12,1987
21,21,13,2132
22,22,14,2236
23,23,15,2388
24,24,16,2508
25,25,17,2597
26,26,18,2706
PLAIN FACTS DEUTE 27:15-26
These curses were a series of oaths, spoken by the priests and affirmed by the people, by which the people promised to stay away from wrong actions. By saying Amen, So be it, the people took responsibility for their actions. Sometimes looking at a list of curses like this gives us the idea that God has a bad temper and is out to crush anyone who steps out of line. But we need to see these restrictions not as threats, but as loving warnings about the plain facts of life. Just as we warn children to stay away from hot stoves and busy streets, God warns us to stay away from dangerous actions. But God does not leave us with only curses or consequences. Immediately following these curses, we discover the great blessings (positive consequences) that come from living for God (28:1-14). These give us extra incentive to obey God's laws. While all these blessings may not come in our lifetime on earth, those who obey God will experience the fullness of his blessing when he establishes the new heavens and the new earth.
DEUTE028
%\HtH*K
G%G%1 You must completely obey the LORD your God, and you must carefully follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the LORD your God will make you greater than any other nation on earth.
2 Obey the LORD your God so that all these blessings will come and stay with you:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 Your children will be blessed, as well as your crops; your herds will be blessed with calves and your flocks with lambs.
5 Your basket and your kitchen will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out.
7 The LORD will help you defeat the enemies that come to fight you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will run from you in seven directions.
8 The LORD your God will bless you with full barns, and he will bless everything you do. He will bless the land he is giving you.
9 The LORD will make you his holy people, as he promised. But you must obey his commands and do what he wants you to do.
10 Then everyone on earth will see that you are the LORD' s people, and they will be afraid of you.
11 The LORD will make you rich: You will have many children, your animals will have many young, and your land will give good crops. It is the land that the LORD promised your ancestors he would give to you.
12 The LORD will open up his heavenly storehouse so that the skies send rain on your land at the right time, and he will bless everything you do. You will lend to other nations, but you will not need to borrow from them.
13 The LORD will make you like the head and not like the tail; you will be on top and not on bottom. But you must obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, being careful to keep them.
14 Do not disobey anything I command you today. Do exactly as I command, and do not follow other gods or serve them.
15 But if you do not obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands and laws I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and stay:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kitchen will be cursed.
18 Your children will be cursed, as well as your crops; the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks will be cursed.
19 You will be cursed when you go in and when you go out.
20 The LORD will send you curses, confusion, and punishment in everything you do. You will be destroyed and suddenly ruined because you did wrong when you left him.
21 The LORD will give you terrible diseases and destroy you from the land you are going to take.
22 The LORD will punish you with disease, fever, swelling, heat, lack of rain, plant diseases, and mildew until you die.
23 The sky above will be like bronze, and the ground below will be like iron.
24 The LORD will turn the rain into dust and sand, which will fall from the skies until you are destroyed.
25 The LORD will help your enemies defeat you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in seven directions. And you will become a thing of horror among all the kingdoms on earth.
26 Your dead bodies will be food for all the birds and wild animals, and there will be no one to scare them away.
27 The LORD will punish you with boils like those the Egyptians had. You will have bad growths, sores, and itches that can't be cured.
28 The LORD will give you madness, blindness, and a confused mind.
29 You will have to feel around in the daylight like a blind person. You will fail in everything you do. People will hurt you and steal from you every day, and no one will save you.
30 You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will force her to have sexual relations with him. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not get its grapes.
31 Your ox will be killed before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away from you, and it will not be brought back. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you.
32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will grow tired looking for them every day, but there will be nothing you can do.
33 People you don't know will eat the crops your land and hard work have produced. You will be mistreated and abused all your life.
34 The things you see will cause you to go mad.
35 The LORD will give you sore boils on your knees and legs that cannot be cured, and they will go from the soles of your feet to the tops of your heads.
36 The LORD will send you and your king away to a nation neither you nor your ancestors know, where you will serve other gods made of wood and stone.
37 You will become a hated thing to the nations where the LORD sends you; they will laugh at you and make fun of you.
38 You will plant much seed in your field, but your harvest will be small, because locusts will eat the crop.
39 You will plant vineyards and work hard in them, but you will not pick the grapes or drink the wine, because the worms will eat them.
40 You will have olive trees in all your land, but you will not get any olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees.
41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will not be able to keep them, because they will be taken captive.
42 Locusts will destroy all your trees and crops.
43 The foreigners who live among you will get stronger and stronger, and you will get weaker and weaker.
44 Foreigners will lend money to you, but you will not be able to lend to them. They will be like the head, and you will be like the tail.
45 All these curses will come upon you. They will chase you and catch you and destroy you, because you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commands and laws he gave you. The curses will be signs and miracles to you and your descendants forever. 47 You had plenty of everything, but you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a pure heart, 48 so you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and poor, and the LORD will put a load on you until he has destroyed you. 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the world, and it will swoop down like an eagle. You won't understand their language, 50 and they will look mean. They will not respect old people or feel sorry for the young. 51 They will eat the calves from your herds and the harvest of your field, and you will be destroyed. They will not leave you any grain, new wine or oil, or any calves from your herds or lambs from your flocks. You will be ruined. 52 That nation will surround and attack all your cities. You trust in your high, strong walls, but they will fall down. That nation will surround all your cities everywhere in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 53 Your enemy will surround you. Those people will make you starve so that you will eat your own babies, the bodies of the sons and daughters the LORD your God gave you. 54 Even the most gentle and kind man among you will become cruel to his brother, his wife whom he loves, and his children who are still alive. 55 He will not even give them any of the flesh of his children he is eating, because it will be all he has left. Your enemy will surround you and make you starve in all your cities. 56 The most gentle and kind woman among you, so gentle and kind she would hardly even walk on the ground, will be cruel to her husband whom she loves and to her son and daughter. 57 She will give birth to a baby, but she will plan to eat the baby and what comes after the birth itself. She will eat them secretly while the enemy surrounds the city. Those people will make you starve in all your cities. 58 Be careful to obey everything in these teachings that are written in this book. You must respect the glorious and wonderful name of the LORD your God, 59 or the LORD will give terrible diseases to you and your descendants. You will have long and serious diseases, and long and miserable sicknesses. 60 He will give you all the diseases of Egypt that you dread, and the diseases will stay with you. 61 The LORD will also give you every disease and sickness not written in this Book of the Teachings, until you are destroyed. 62 You people may have outnumbered the stars, but only a few of you will be left, because you did not obey the LORD your God. 63 Just as the LORD was once happy with you and gave you good things and made you grow in number, so then the LORD will be happy to ruin and destroy you, and you will be removed from the land you are entering to take as your own. 64 Then the LORD will scatter you among the nations- from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. 65 You will have no rest among those nations and no place that is yours. The LORD will make your mind worried, your sight weak, and your soul sad. 66 You will live with danger and be afraid night and day. You will not be sure that you will live. 67 In the morning you will say, "I wish it were evening," and in the evening you will say, "I wish it were morning." Terror will be in your heart, and the things you have seen will scare you. 68 The LORD will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though I, Moses, said you would never go back to Egypt. And there you will try to sell yourselves as slaves to your enemies, but no one will buy you.
O"O"1 "If you fully obey all of these commandments of the Lord your God, the laws I am declaring to you today, God will transform you into the greatest nation in the world. 2-6 These are the blessings that will come upon you:
Blessings in the city,
Blessings in the field;
Many children,
Ample crops,
Large flocks and herds;
Blessings of fruit and bread;
Blessings when you come in,
Blessings when you go out.
7 "The Lord will defeat your enemies before you; they will march out together against you but scatter before you in seven directions! 8 The Lord will bless you with good crops and healthy cattle, and prosper everything you do when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 9 He will change you into a holy people dedicated to himself; this he has promised to do if you will only obey him and walk in his ways. 10 All the nations in the world shall see that you belong to the Lord, and they will stand in awe.
11 "The Lord will give you an abundance of good things in the land, just as he promised: many children, many cattle, and abundant crops. 12 He will open to you his wonderful treasury of rain in the heavens, to give you fine crops every season. He will bless everything you do; and you shall lend to many nations, but shall not borrow from them. 13 If you will only listen and obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, he will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall always have the upper hand. 14 But each of these blessings depends on your not turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must never worship other gods.
15-19 "If you won't listen to the Lord your God and won't obey these laws I am giving you today, then all of these curses shall come upon you:
Curses in the city,
Curses in the fields,
Curses on your fruit and bread,
The curse of barren wombs,
Curses upon your crops,
Curses upon the fertility of your cattle and flocks,
Curses when you come in,
Curses when you go out.
20 "For the Lord himself will send his personal curse upon you. You will be confused and a failure in everything you do, until at last you are destroyed because of the sin of forsaking him. 21 He will send disease among you until you are destroyed from the face of the land you are about to enter and possess. 22 He will send tuberculosis, fever, infections, plague, and war. He will blight your crops, covering them with mildew. All these devastations shall pursue you until you perish.
23 "The heavens above you will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as iron. 24 The land will become as dry as dust for lack of rain, and dust storms shall destroy you.
25 "The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will march out to battle gloriously, but flee before your enemies in utter confusion; and you will be tossed to and fro among all the nations of the earth. 26 Your dead bodies will be food to the birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away.
27 "He will send upon you Egyptian boils, tumors, scurvy, and itch, for none of which will there be a remedy. 28 He will send madness, blindness, fear, and panic upon you. 29 You shall grope in the bright sunlight just as the blind man gropes in darkness. You shall not prosper in anything you do; you will be oppressed and robbed continually, and nothing will save you.
30 "Someone else will marry your fianc
e; someone else will live in the house you build; someone else will eat the fruit of the vineyard you plant. 31 Your oxen shall be butchered before your eyes, but you won't get a single bite of the meat. Your donkeys will be driven away as you watch and will never return to you again. Your sheep will be given to your enemies. And there will be no one to protect you. 32 You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break with longing for them, but you will not be able to help them. 33 A foreign nation you have not even heard of will eat the crops you will have worked so hard to grow. You will always be oppressed and crushed. 34 You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. 35 The Lord will cover you with boils from head to foot.
36 "He will exile you and the king you will choose to a nation to which neither you nor your ancestors gave a second thought; and while in exile you shall worship gods of wood and stone! 37 You will become an object of horror, a proverb and a byword among all the nations, for the Lord will thrust you away.
38 "You will sow much but reap little, for the locusts will eat your crops. 39 You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you won't eat the grapes or drink the wine, for worms will destroy the vines. 40 Olive trees will be growing everywhere, but there won't be enough olive oil to anoint yourselves! For the trees will drop their fruit before it is matured. 41 Your sons and daughters will be snatched away from you as slaves. 42 The locusts shall destroy your trees and vines. 43 Foreigners living among you shall become richer and richer while you become poorer and poorer. 44 They shall lend to you, not you to them! They shall be the head and you shall be the tail!
45 "All these curses shall pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed-all because you refuse to listen to the Lord your God. 46 These horrors shall befall you and your descendants as a warning: 47-48 You will become slaves to your enemies because of your failure to praise God for all that he has given you. The Lord will send your enemies against you, and you will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and in want of everything. A yoke of iron shall be placed around your neck until you are destroyed!
49 "The Lord will bring a distant nation against you, swooping down upon you like an eagle; a nation whose language you don't understand-50 a nation of fierce and angry men who will have no mercy upon young or old. 51 They will eat you out of house and home until your cattle and crops are gone. Your grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, and lambs will all disappear. 52 That nation will lay siege to your cities and knock down your highest walls-the walls you will trust to protect you. 53 You will even eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters in the terrible days of siege that lie ahead. 54 The most tenderhearted man among you will be utterly callous toward his own brother and his beloved wife and his children who are still alive. 55 He will refuse to give them a share of the flesh he is devouring-the flesh of his own children-because he is starving in the midst of the siege of your cities. 56-57 The most tender and delicate woman among you-the one who would not so much as touch her feet to the ground-will refuse to share with her beloved husband, son, and daughter. She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can eat them: so terrible will be the hunger during the siege and the awful distress caused by your enemies at your gates.
58-59 "If you refuse to obey all the laws written in this book, thus refusing reverence to the glorious and fearful name of Jehovah your God, then Jehovah will send perpetual plagues upon you and upon your children. 60 He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and they shall plague the land. 61 And that is not all! The Lord will bring upon you every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this book, until you are destroyed. 62 There will be few of you left, though before you were as numerous as stars. All this if you do not listen to the Lord your God.
63 "Just as the Lord has rejoiced over you and has done such wonderful things for you and has multiplied you, so the Lord at that time will rejoice in destroying you; and you shall disappear from the land. 64 For the Lord will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship heathen gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! 65 There among those nations you shall find no rest, but the Lord will give you trembling hearts, darkness, and bodies wasted from sorrow and fear. 66 Your lives will hang in doubt. You will live night and day in fear, and will have no reason to believe that you will see the morning light. 67 In the morning you will say, `Oh, that night were here!' And in the evening you will say, `Oh, that morning were here!' You will say this because of the awesome horrors surrounding you. 68 Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, a journey I promised you would never need to make again; and there you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves-but no one will even want to buy you."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,198
3,3,5,284
4,4,7,350
5,5,9,477
6,6,11,529
7,7,13,593
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9,9,17,888
10,10,19,1013
11,11,21,1117
12,12,23,1328
13,13,25,1553
14,14,27,1766
15,15,29,1887
16,16,31,2051
17,17,33,2116
18,18,35,2168
19,19,37,2298
20,20,39,2360
21,21,41,2529
22,22,43,2630
23,23,45,2755
24,24,47,2837
25,25,49,2948
26,26,51,3159
27,27,53,3277
28,28,55,3416
29,29,57,3487
30,30,59,3673
31,31,61,3891
32,32,63,4113
33,33,65,4267
34,34,67,4403
35,35,69,4455
36,36,71,4613
37,37,73,4767
38,38,75,4889
39,39,77,5003
40,40,79,5143
41,41,81,5274
42,42,83,5390
43,43,85,5444
44,44,87,5553
45,68,89,5696
1,6,1,1
7,10,11,434
11,14,13,960
15,19,15,1643
20,22,25,2040
23,24,27,2531
25,26,29,2724
27,29,31,3056
30,35,33,3430
36,37,35,4265
38,44,37,4576
45,48,39,5255
49,57,41,5756
58,62,43,7056
63,68,45,7668
DEUTE029
1 The LORD commanded Moses to make an agreement with the Israelites in Moab in addition to the agreement he had made with them at Mount Sinai. These are the words of that agreement.
2 Moses called all the Israelites together and said to them: You have seen everything the LORD did before your own eyes to the king of Egypt and to the king's leaders and to the whole country.
3 With your own eyes you saw the great troubles, signs, and miracles.
4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands; you don't really understand what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears.
5 I led you through the desert for forty years, and during that time neither your clothes nor sandals wore out.
6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or beer. This was so you would understand that I am the LORD your God.
7 When you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight us, but we defeated them.
8 We captured their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh to be their own.
9 You must carefully obey everything in this agreement so that you will succeed in everything you do.
10 Today you are all standing here before the LORD your God- your leaders and important men, your older leaders, officers, and all the other men of Israel,
11 your wives and children and the foreigners who live among you, who chop your wood and carry your water.
12 You are all here to enter into an agreement and a promise with the LORD your God, an agreement the LORD your God is making with you today.
13 This will make you today his own people. He will be your God, as he told you and as he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 But I am not just making this agreement and its promises with you
15 who are standing here before the LORD your God today, but also with those who are not here today.
16 You know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries when we came here.
17 You saw their hateful idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold.
18 Make sure no man, woman, family group, or tribe among you leaves the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. They would be to you like a plant that grows bitter, poisonous fruit.
19 These are the kind of people who hear these curses but bless themselves, thinking, "We will be safe even though we continue doing what we want to do." Those people may destroy all of your land, both wet and dry.
20 The LORD will not forgive them. His anger will be like a burning fire against those people, and all the curses written in this book will come on them. The LORD will destroy any memory of them on the earth.
21 He will separate them from all the tribes of Israel for punishment. All the curses of the Agreement that are written in this Book of the Teachings will happen to them.
22 Your children who will come after you, as well as foreigners from faraway lands, will see the disasters that come to this land and the diseases the LORD will send on it. They will say,
23 "The land is nothing but burning cinders and salt. Nothing is planted, nothing grows, and nothing blooms. It is like Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD destroyed because he was very angry."
24 All the other nations will ask, "Why has the LORD done this to the land? Why is he so angry?"
25 And the answer will be, "It is because the people broke the Agreement of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.
26 They went and served other gods and bowed down to gods they did not even know. The LORD did not allow that,
27 so he became very angry at the land and brought all the curses on it that are written in this book.
28 Since the LORD became angry and furious with them, he took them out of their land and put them in another land where they are today."
29 There are some things the LORD our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know. These things belong to us and our children forever so that we will do everything in these teachings.
1 It was on the plains of Moab that Moses restated the covenant that the Lord had made with the people of Israel at Mount Horeb. 2-3 He summoned all Israel before him and told them, "You have seen with your own eyes the great plagues and mighty miracles that the Lord brought upon Pharaoh and his people in the land of Egypt. 4 But even yet the Lord hasn't given you hearts that understand or eyes that see or ears that hear! 5 For forty years God has led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes haven't become old, and your shoes haven't worn out! 6 The reason he hasn't let you settle down to grow grain for bread or grapes for wine and strong drink is so that you would realize that it is the Lord your God who has been caring for you.
7 "When we came here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we destroyed them, 8 and took their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh as their inheritance. 9 Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do. 10 All of you-your leaders, the people, your judges, and your administrative officers-are standing today before the Lord your God, 11 along with your little ones and your wives and the foreigners that are among you-those who chop your wood and carry your water. 12 You are standing here to enter into a contract with Jehovah your God, a contract he is making with you today. 13 He wants to confirm you today as his people, and to confirm that he is your God, just as he promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14-15 This contract is not with you alone as you stand before him today, but with all future generations of Israel as well.
16 "Surely you remember how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how as we left, we came safely through the territory of enemy nations. 17 And you have seen their heathen idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold. 18 The day that any of you-man or woman, family or tribe of Israel-begins to turn away from the Lord our God and desires to worship these gods of other nations, that day a root will be planted that will grow bitter and poisonous fruit.
19 "Let no one blithely think, when he hears the warnings of this curse, `I shall prosper even though I walk in my own stubborn way!' 20 For the Lord will not pardon! His anger and jealousy will be hot against that man. And all the curses written in this book shall lie heavily upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. 21 The Lord will separate that man from all the tribes of Israel, to pour out upon him all the curses (which are recorded in this book) that befall those who break this contract. 22 Then your children and the generations to come and the foreigners that pass by from distant lands shall see the devastation of the land and the diseases the Lord will have sent upon it. 23 They will see that the whole land is alkali and salt, a burned over wasteland, unsown, without crops, without a shred of vegetation-just like Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, destroyed by the Lord in his anger.
24 " `Why has the Lord done this to his land?' the nations will ask. `Why was he so angry?'
25 "And they will be told, `Because the people of the land broke the contract made with them by Jehovah, the God of their ancestors, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 For they worshiped other gods, violating his express command. 27 That is why the anger of the Lord was hot against this land, so that all his curses (which are recorded in this book) broke forth upon them. 28 In great anger the Lord rooted them out of their land and threw them away into another land, where they still live today!'
29 "There are secrets the Lord your God has not revealed to us, but these words that he has revealed are for us and our children to obey forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,187
3,3,5,384
4,4,7,458
5,5,9,612
6,6,11,728
7,7,13,840
8,8,15,963
9,9,17,1069
10,10,19,1175
11,11,21,1335
12,12,23,1446
13,13,25,1592
14,14,27,1737
15,15,29,1810
16,16,31,1915
17,17,33,2012
18,18,35,2086
19,19,37,2288
20,20,39,2507
21,21,41,2720
22,22,43,2895
23,23,45,3087
24,24,47,3307
25,25,49,3408
26,26,51,3585
27,27,53,3700
28,28,55,3807
29,29,57,3948
1,6,1,1
7,15,3,748
16,18,5,1731
19,23,7,2184
24,24,9,3121
25,28,10,3214
29,29,11,3730
CONFESSION DEUTE 29:18
Moses cautioned that the day the Hebrews chose to turn from God, a root would be planted that would produce bitter fruit. When we decide to do what we know is wrong, we plant an evil seed that begins to grow out of control-eventually yielding a crop of sorrow and pain. But we can prevent those seeds of sin from taking root. If you have done something wrong, confess it to God and others immediately. If the seed never finds fertile soil, its bitter fruit will never ripen.
DEUTE030
1 When all these blessings and curses I have described happen to you, and the LORD your God has sent you away to other nations, think about these things.
2 Then you and your children will return to the LORD your God, and you will obey him with your whole being in everything I am commanding you today.
3 Then the LORD your God will give you back your freedom. He will feel sorry for you, and he will bring you back again from the nations where he scattered you.
4 He may send you to the ends of the earth, but he will gather you and bring you back from there,
5 back to the land that belonged to your ancestors. It will be yours. He will give you success, and there will be more of you than there were of your ancestors.
6 The LORD your God will prepare you and your descendants to love him with your whole being so that you will live.
7 The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies, who hate you and are cruel to you.
8 And you will again obey the LORD, keeping all his commands that I give you today.
9 The LORD your God will make you successful in everything you do. You will have many children, your cattle will have many calves, and your fields will produce good crops, because the LORD will again be happy with you, just as he was with your ancestors.
10 But you must obey the LORD your God by keeping all his commands and rules that are written in this Book of the Teachings. You must return to the LORD your God with your whole being.
11 This command I give you today is not too hard for you; it is not beyond what you can do.
12 It is not up in heaven. You do not have to ask, "Who will go up to heaven and get it for us so we can obey it and keep it?"
13 It is not on the other side of the sea. You do not have to ask, "Who will go across the sea and get it? Who will tell it to us so we can keep it?"
14 No, the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 Look, today I offer you life and success, death and destruction.
16 I command you today to love the LORD your God, to do what he wants you to do, and to keep his commands, his rules, and his laws. Then you will live and grow in number, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own.wt
17 But if you turn away from the LORD and do not obey him, if you are led to bow and serve other gods,
18 I tell you today that you will surely be destroyed. And you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and take as your own.
19 Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Then you and your children may live.
20 To choose life is to love the LORD your God, obey him, and stay close to him. He is your life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1 "When all these things have happened to you-the blessings and the curses I have listed-you will meditate upon them as you are living among the nations where the Lord your God will have driven you. 2 If at that time you want to return to the Lord your God, and you and your children have begun wholeheartedly to obey all of the commandments I have given you today, 3 then the Lord your God will rescue you from your captivity! He will have mercy upon you and come and gather you out of all the nations where he will have scattered you. 4 Though you are at the ends of the earth, he will go and find you and bring you back again 5 to the land of your ancestors. You shall possess the land again, and he will do you good and bless you even more than he did your ancestors! 6 He will cleanse your hearts and the hearts of your children and of your children's children so that you will love the Lord your God with all your hearts and souls, and Israel shall come alive again!
7-8 "If you return to the Lord and obey all the commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will take his curses and turn them against your enemies-against those who hate you and persecute you. 9 The Lord your God will prosper everything you do and give you many children and much cattle and wonderful crops; for the Lord will again rejoice over you as he did over your fathers. 10 He will rejoice if you but obey the commandments written in this book of the law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
11 "Obeying these commandments is not something beyond your strength and reach; 12 for these laws are not in the far heavens, so distant that you can't hear and obey them, and with no one to bring them down to you; 13 nor are they beyond the ocean, so far that no one can bring you their message; 14 but they are very close at hand-in your hearts and on your lips-so obey them.
15 "Look, today I have set before you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. 16 I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow his paths and to keep his laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess. 17 But if your hearts turn away and you won't listen-if you are drawn away to worship other gods-18 then I declare to you this day that you shall surely perish; you will not have a long, good life in the land you are going in to possess.
19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live! 20 Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. You will then be able to live safely in the land the Lord promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,159
3,3,5,311
4,4,7,475
5,5,9,577
6,6,11,742
7,7,13,861
8,8,15,963
9,9,17,1051
10,10,19,1310
11,11,21,1499
12,12,23,1595
13,13,25,1726
14,14,27,1880
15,15,29,1976
16,16,31,2048
17,17,33,2312
18,18,35,2419
19,19,37,2582
20,20,39,2744
1,6,1,1
7,10,3,977
11,14,5,1524
15,18,7,1905
19,20,9,2477
FRESH START DEUTE 30:1-6
Moses told the Hebrews that when they were ready to return to God, he would be ready to receive them. God's mercy is unbelievable. It goes far beyond what we can imagine. Even if the Jews deliberately walked away from him and ruined their lives, God would still take them back. God wants to forgive us, too, and bring us back to himself. Some people will not learn this until their world has crashed in around them. Then the sorrow and pain seem to open their eyes to what God has been saying all along. Are you separated from God by sin? No matter how far you have wandered, God promises a fresh start if only you will turn to him.
DEUTE031
1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all the Israelites:
2 "I am now one hundred twenty years old, and I cannot lead you anymore. The LORD told me I would not cross the Jordan River;
3 the LORD your God will lead you across himself. He will destroy those nations for you, and you will take over their land. Joshua will also lead you across, as the LORD has said.
4 The LORD will do to those nations what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when he destroyed them and their land.
5 The LORD will give those nations to you; do to them everything I told you.
6 Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid of them and don't be frightened, because the LORD your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you."
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in front of the people, "Be strong and brave, because you will lead these people into the land the LORD promised to give their ancestors, and help them take it as their own.
8 The LORD himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you. Don't be afraid and don't worry."
9 So Moses wrote down these teachings and gave them to the priests and all the older leaders of Israel. (The priests are the sons of Levi, who carry the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD.)
10 Then Moses commanded them: "Read these teachings for all Israel to hear at the end of every seven years, which is the year to cancel what people owe. Do it during the Feast of Shelters, when all the Israelites will come to appear before the LORD your God and stand at the place he will choose.
11 [see verse 10]
12 Gather all the people: the men, women, children, and foreigners living in your towns so that they can listen and learn to respect the LORD your God and carefully obey everything in this law.
13 Since their children do not know this law, they must hear it. They must learn to respect the LORD your God for as long as they live in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take for your own."
14 The LORD said to Moses, "Soon you will die. Get Joshua and come to the Meeting Tent so that I may command him." So Moses and Joshua went to the Meeting Tent.
15 The LORD appeared at the Meeting Tent in a cloud; the cloud stood over the entrance of the Tent.
16 And the LORD said to Moses, "You will soon die. Then these people will not be loyal to me but will worship the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will leave me, breaking the Agreement I made with them.
17 Then I will become very angry at them, and I will leave them. I will turn away from them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible things will happen to them. Then they will say, `It is because God is not with us that these terrible things are happening.'
18 I will surely turn away from them then, because they have done wrong and have turned to other gods.
19 "Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites. Then have them sing it, because it will be my witness against them.
20 When I bring them into the land I promised to their ancestors, a fertile land, they will eat as much as they want and get fat. Then they will turn to other gods and serve them. They will reject me and break my Agreement.
21 Then when many troubles and terrible things happen to them, this song will testify against them, because the song will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they plan to do, even before I take them into the land I promised them." them.
22 So Moses wrote down the song that day, and he taught it to the Israelites.
23 Then the LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and brave, because you will lead the people of Israel to the land I promised them, and I will be with you."
24 After Moses finished writing all the words of the teachings in a book,
25 he gave a command to the Levites, who carried the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD.
26 He said, "Take this Book of the Teachings and put it beside the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD your God. It must stay there as a witness against you.
27 I know how stubborn and disobedient you are. You have disobeyed the LORD while I am alive and with you, and you will disobey even more after I die!
28 Gather all the older leaders of your tribes and all your officers to me so that I may say these things for them to hear, and so that I may ask heaven and earth to testify against them.
29 I know that after I die you will become completely evil. You will turn away from the commands I have given you. Terrible things will happen to you in the future when you do what the LORD says is evil, and you will make him angry with the idols you have made."
30 And Moses spoke this whole song for all the people of Israel to hear:
1 After Moses had said all these things to the people of Israel, 2 he told them, "I am now 120 years old! I am no longer able to lead you, for the Lord has told me that I shall not cross the Jordan River. 3 But the Lord himself will lead you and will destroy the nations living there, and you shall overcome them. Joshua is your new commander, as the Lord has instructed. 4 The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land, just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. 5 The Lord will deliver over to you the people living there, and you shall destroy them as I have commanded you. 6 Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid of them! For the Lord your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you."
7 Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him, as all Israel watched, "Be strong! Be courageous! For you shall lead these people into the land promised by the Lord to their ancestors; see to it that they conquer it. 8 Don't be afraid, for the Lord will go before you and will be with you; he will not fail nor forsake you."
9 Then Moses wrote out the laws he had already delivered to the people and gave them to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the Ark containing the Ten Commandments of the Lord. Moses also gave copies of the laws to the elders of Israel. 10-11 The Lord commanded that these laws be read to all the people at the end of every seventh year-the Year of Release-at the Festival of Tabernacles, when all Israel would assemble before the Lord at the sanctuary.
12 "Call them all together," the Lord instructed, "-men, women, children, and foreigners living among you-to hear the laws of God and to learn his will, so that you will reverence the Lord your God and obey his laws. 13 Do this so that your little children who have not known these laws will hear them and learn how to revere the Lord your God as long as you live in the Promised Land."
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The time has come when you must die. Summon Joshua and come into the Tabernacle where I can give him his instructions." So Moses and Joshua came and stood before the Lord.
15 He appeared to them in a great cloud at the Tabernacle entrance, 16 and said to Moses, "You shall die and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin worshiping foreign gods in the Promised Land. They will forget about me and break the contract I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will flame out against them and I will abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they shall be destroyed. Terrible trouble will come upon them, so that they will say, `God is no longer among us!' 18 I will turn away from them because of their sins in worshiping other gods.
19 "Now write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel as my warning to them. 20 When I have brought them into the land I promised their ancestors-a land `flowing with milk and honey'-and when they have become fat and prosperous, and worship other gods and despise me and break my contract, 21 and great disasters come upon them, then this song will remind them of the reason for their woes. (For this song will live from generation to generation.) I know now, even before they enter the land, what these people are like."
22 So, on that very day, Moses wrote down the words of the song and taught it to the Israelites. 23 Then he charged Joshua (son of Nun) to be strong and courageous and said to him, "You must bring the people of Israel into the land the Lord promised them; for the Lord says, `I will be with you.' "
24 When Moses had finished writing down all the laws that are recorded in this book, 25 he instructed the Levites who carried the Ark containing the Ten Commandments 26 to put this book of the law beside the Ark, as a solemn warning to the people of Israel.
27 "For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are," Moses told them. "If even today, while I am still here with you, you are defiant rebels against the Lord, how much more rebellious will you be after my death! 28 Now summon all the elders and officers of your tribes so that I can speak to them, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 I know that after my death you will utterly defile yourselves and turn away from God and his commands; and in the days to come evil will crush you for you will do what the Lord says is evil, making him very angry."
30 So Moses recited this entire song to the whole assembly of Israel:
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,68
3,3,5,198
4,4,7,382
5,5,9,517
6,6,11,598
7,7,13,756
8,8,15,977
9,9,17,1112
10,10,19,1306
11,11,21,1607
12,12,23,1629
13,13,25,1827
14,14,27,2035
15,15,29,2200
16,16,31,2304
17,17,33,2527
18,18,35,2791
19,19,37,2898
20,20,39,3031
21,21,41,3259
22,22,43,3515
23,23,45,3597
24,24,47,3777
25,25,49,3855
26,26,51,3948
27,27,53,4109
28,28,55,4264
29,29,57,4456
30,30,59,4723
1,6,1,1
7,8,3,744
9,11,5,1072
12,13,7,1536
14,14,9,1926
15,18,11,2134
19,21,13,2722
22,23,15,3273
24,26,16,3573
27,29,18,3834
30,30,20,4404
REPENTANCE DEUTE 31:27-29
Moses knew that the Israelites, in spite of all they had seen of God's work, were rebellious at heart. They deserved God's punishment, although they often received his mercy instead. We, too, are stubborn and rebellious by nature. Throughout our lives we struggle with sin. Repentance once a month or once a week is not enough. We must constantly turn from our sins to God and let his mercy save us.
DEUTE032
2,2B5
1 Hear, heavens, and I will speak. Listen, earth, to what I say.
2 My teaching will ddrop like rain; my words will fall like dew. They will be like showers on the grass; they will pour down like rain on young plants.
3 I will announce the name of the LORD. Praise God because he is great!
4 He is like a rock; what he does is perfect, and he is always fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is right and fair.
5 They have done evil against him. To their shame they are no longer his children; they are an evil and lying people.
6 This is not the way to repay the LORD, you foolish and unwise people. He is your Father and Maker, who made you and formed you.
7 Remember the old days. Think of the years already passed. Ask your father and he will tell you; ask your older leaders and they will inform you.
8 God Most High gave the nations their lands, dividing up the human race. He set up borders for the people and even numbered the Israelites.
9 The LORD took his people as his share, the people of Jacob as his very own.
10 He found them in a desert, a windy, empty land. He surrounded them and brought them up, guarding them as those he loved very much.
11 He was like an eagle building its nest that flutters over its young. It spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its feathers.
12 The LORD alone led them, and there was no foreign god helping him.
13 The LORD brought them to the heights of the land and fed them the fruit of the fields. He gave them honey from the rocks, bringing oil from the solid rock.
14 There were milk curds from the cows and milk from the flock; there were fat sheep and goats. There were sheep and goats from Bashan and the best of the wheat. You drank the juice of grapes.
15 Israel grew fat and kicked; they were fat and full and firm. They left the God who made them and rejected the Rock who saved them.
16 They made God jealous with foreign gods and angry with hateful idols.
17 They made sacrifices to demons, not God, to gods they had never known, new gods from nearby, gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You left God who is the Rock, your Father, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 The LORD saw this and rejected them; his sons and daughters had made him angry.
20 He said, "I will turn away from them and see what will happen to them. They are evil people, unfaithful children.
21 They used things that are not gods to make me jealous and worthless idols to make me angry. So I will use those who are not a nation to make them jealous; I will use a nation that does not understand to make them angry.
22 My anger has started a fire that burns down to the place of the dead. It will burn up the ground and its crops, and it will set fire to the base of the mountains.
23 "I will pile troubles upon them and shoot my arrows at them.
24 They will be starved and sick, destroyed by terrible diseases. I will send them vicious animals and gliding, poisonous snakes.
25 In the streets the sword will kill; in their homes there will be terror. Young men and women will die, and so will babies and gray-haired men.
26 I will scatter them as I said, and no one will remember them.
27 But I didn't want their enemy to brag; their enemy might misunderstand and say, `We have won! The LORD has done none of this.' "
28 Israel has no sense; they do not understand.
29 I wish they were wise and understood this; I wish they could see what will happen to them.
30 One person cannot chase a thousand people, and two people cannot fight ten thousand unless their Rock has sold them, unless the LORD has given them up.
31 The rock of these people is not like our Rock; our enemies agree to that.
32 Their vine comes from Sodom, and their fields are like Gomorrah. Their grapes are full of poison; their bunches of grapes are bitter.
33 Their wine is like snake poison, like the deadly poison of cobras.
34 "I have been saving this, and I have it locked in my storehouses.
35 I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them. Soon their foot will slip, because their day of trouble is near, and their punishment will come quickly."
36 The LORD will defend his people and have mercy on his servants. He will see that their strength is gone, that nobody is left, slaves or free.
37 Then he will say, "Where are their gods? Where is the rock they trusted?
38 Who ate the fat from their sacrifices, and who drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let those gods come to help you! Let them protect you!
39 "Now you will see that I am the one God! There is no god but me. I send life and death; I can hurt, and I can heal. No one can escape from me.
40 I raise my hand toward heaven and make this promise: As surely as I live forever,
41 I will sharpen my flashing sword, and I will take it in my hand to judge. I will punish my enemies and pay back those who hate me.
42 My arrows will be covered with their blood; my sword will eat their flesh. The blood will flow from those who are killed and the captives. The heads of the enemy leaders will be cut off."
43 Be happy, nations, with his people, because he will repay you for the blood of his servants. He will punish his enemies, and he will remove the sin of his land and people.
44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun, and they spoke all the words of this song for the people to hear.
45 When Moses finished speaking these words to all Israel,
46 he said to them: "Pay careful attention to all the words I have said to you today, and command your children to obey carefully everything in these teachings.
47 These should not be unimportant words for you, but rather they mean life for you! By these words you will live a long time in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your own."
48 The LORD spoke to Moses again that same day and said,
49 "Go up the Abarim Mountains, to Mount Nebo in the country of Moab, across from Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites as their own.
50 On that mountain that you climb, you will die and join your ancestors, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors.
51 You both sinned against me at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin, and you did not honor me as holy there among the Israelites.
52 So now you will only look at the land from far away. You will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel."
1 "Listen, O heavens and earth!
Listen to what I say!
2 My words shall fall upon you
Like the gentle rain and dew,
Like rain upon the tender grass,
Like showers on the hillside.
3 I will proclaim the greatness of the Lord.
How glorious he is! 4 He is the Rock. His work is perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is faithful, without sin.
5 But Israel has become corrupt,
Smeared with sin. They are no longer his;
They are a stubborn, twisted generation.
6 Is this the way you treat Jehovah?
O foolish people,
Is not God your Father?
Has he not created you?
Has he not established you and made you strong?
7 Remember the days of long ago!
(Ask your father and the aged men;
They will tell you all about it.)
8 When God divided up the world among the nations,
He gave each of them a supervising angel!
9 But he appointed none for Israel;
For Israel was God's own personal possession!
10 God protected them in the howling wilderness
As though they were the apple of his eye.
11 He spreads his wings over them,
Even as an eagle overspreads her young.
She carries them upon her wings-
As does the Lord his people!
12 When the Lord alone was leading them,
And they lived without foreign gods,
13 God gave them fertile hilltops,
Rolling, fertile fields,
Honey from the rock,
And olive oil from stony ground!
14 He gave them milk and meat-
Choice Bashan rams, and goats-
And the finest of the wheat;
They drank the sparkling wine.
15 But Israel was soon overfed;
Yes, fat and bloated;
Then, in plenty, they forsook their God.
They shrugged away the Rock of their salvation.
16 Israel began to follow foreign gods,
And Jehovah was very angry;
He was jealous of his people.
17 They sacrificed to heathen gods,
To new gods never before worshiped.
18 They spurned the Rock who had made them,
Forgetting it was God who had given them birth.
19 God saw what they were doing,
And detested them!
His sons and daughters were insulting him.
20 He said, `I will abandon them;
See what happens to them then!
For they are a stubborn, faithless generation.
21 They have made me very jealous of their idols,
Which are not gods at all.
Now I, in turn, will make them jealous
By giving my affections
To the foolish Gentile nations of the world.
22 For my anger has kindled a fire
That burns to the depths of the underworld,
Consuming the earth and all of its crops,
And setting its mountains on fire.
23 I will heap evils upon them
And shoot them down with my arrows.
24 I will waste them with hunger,
Burning fever, and fatal disease.
I will devour them! I will set wild beasts upon them,
To rip them apart with their teeth;
And deadly serpents
Crawling in the dust.
25 Outside, the enemies' sword-
Inside, the plague
Shall terrorize young men and girls alike;
The baby nursing at the breast,
And aged men.
26 I had decided to scatter them to distant lands,
So that even the memory of them
Would disappear.
27 But then I thought,
"My enemies will boast,
`Israel is destroyed by our own might;
It was not the Lord
Who did it!' " '
28 Israel is a stupid nation;
Foolish, without understanding.
29 Oh, that they were wise!
Oh, that they could understand!
Oh, that they would know what they are getting into!
30 How could one single enemy chase a thousand of them,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock had abandoned them,
Unless the Lord had destroyed them?
31 But the rock of other nations
Is not like our Rock;
Prayers to their gods are valueless.
32 They act like men of Sodom and Gomorrah:
Their deeds are bitter with poison;
33 They drink the wine of serpent venom.
34 But Israel is my special people,
Sealed as jewels within my treasury.
35 Vengeance is mine,
And I decree the punishment of all her enemies:
Their doom is sealed.
36 The Lord will see his people righted,
And will have compassion on them when they slip.
He will watch their power ebb away,
Both slave and free.
37 Then God will ask,
`Where are their gods-
The rocks they claimed to be their refuge?
38 Where are these gods now,
To whom they sacrificed their fat and wine?
Let those gods arise,
And help them!
39 Don't you see that I alone am God?
I kill and make live.
I wound and heal-
No one delivers from my power.
40-41 I raise my hand to heaven
And vow by my existence,
That I will whet the lightning of my sword!
And hurl my punishments upon my enemies!
42 My arrows shall be drunk with blood!
My sword devours the flesh and blood
Of all the slain and captives.
The heads of the enemy
Are gory with blood.'
43 Praise his people,
Gentile nations,
For he will avenge his people,
Taking vengeance on his enemies,
Purifying his land
And his people."
44-45 When Moses and Joshua had recited all the words of this song to the people, 46 Moses made these comments:
"Meditate upon all the laws I have given you today, and pass them on to your children. 47 These laws are not mere words-they are your life! Through obeying them you will live long, plentiful lives in the land you are going to possess across the Jordan River."
48 That same day, the Lord said to Moses, 49 "Go to Mount Nebo in the mountains of Abarim, in the land of Moab across from Jericho. Climb to its heights and look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel. 50 After you see the land, you must die and join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died in Mount Hor and joined them. 51 For you dishonored me among the people of Israel at the springs of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin. 52 You will see spread out before you the land I am giving the people of Israel, but you will not enter it."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,226
4,4,7,302
5,5,9,438
6,6,11,560
7,7,13,694
8,8,15,845
9,9,17,990
10,10,19,1072
11,11,21,1210
12,12,23,1355
13,13,25,1429
14,14,27,1592
15,15,29,1789
16,16,31,1927
17,17,33,2004
18,18,35,2138
19,19,37,2231
20,20,39,2318
21,21,41,2439
22,22,43,2666
23,23,45,2836
24,24,47,2904
25,25,49,3038
26,26,51,3188
27,27,53,3257
28,28,55,3393
29,29,57,3445
30,30,59,3543
31,31,61,3702
32,32,63,3783
33,33,65,3924
34,34,67,3998
35,35,69,4071
36,36,71,4237
37,37,73,4386
38,38,75,4466
39,39,77,4616
40,40,79,4766
41,41,81,4855
42,42,83,4993
43,43,85,5188
44,44,87,5367
45,45,89,5475
46,46,91,5538
47,47,93,5703
48,48,95,5901
49,49,97,5962
50,50,99,6133
51,51,101,6282
52,52,103,6431
1,1,1,1
2,2,4,59
3,4,9,197
5,5,14,381
6,6,18,508
7,7,24,676
8,8,28,789
9,9,31,890
10,10,34,980
11,11,37,1078
12,12,42,1229
13,13,44,1313
14,14,49,1441
15,15,54,1575
16,16,59,1732
17,17,63,1841
18,18,66,1921
19,19,69,2021
20,20,73,2127
21,21,77,2250
22,22,83,2452
23,23,88,2622
24,24,91,2697
25,25,98,2917
26,26,104,3074
27,27,108,3185
28,28,113,3323
29,29,116,3393
30,30,120,3517
31,31,125,3697
32,32,129,3800
33,33,131,3886
34,34,133,3932
35,35,136,4013
36,36,140,4116
37,37,145,4277
38,38,149,4376
39,41,154,4500
42,42,164,4779
43,43,169,4947
44,47,176,5106
48,52,179,5482
DEUTE033
1 Moses, the man of God, gave this blessing to the Israelites before he died.
2 He said: "The LORD came from Mount Sinai and rose like the sun from Edom; he showed his greatness from Mount Paran. He came with thousands of angels from the southern mountains.
3 The LORD surely loves his people and takes care of all those who belong to him. They bow down at his feet, and they are taught by him.
4 Moses gave us the teachings that belong to the people of Jacob.
5 The LORD became king of Israel when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.
6 "Let the people of Reuben live and not die, but let the people be few."
7 Moses said this about the people of Judah: "LORD, listen to Judah's prayer; bring them back to their people. They defend themselves with their hands. Help them fight their enemies!"
8 Moses said this about the people of Levi: "LORD, your Thummim and Urim belong to Levi, whom you love. LORD, you tested him at Massah and argued with him at the waters of Meribah.
9 He said about his father and mother, `I don't care about them.' He did not treat his brothers as favorites or give special favors to his children, but he protected your word and guarded your agreement.
10 He teaches your laws to the people of Jacob and your teachings to the people of Israel. He burns incense before you and makes whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 LORD, make them strong; be pleased with the work they do. Defeat those who attack them, and don't let their enemies rise up again."
12 Moses said this about the people of Benjamin: "The LORD' s loved ones will lie down in safety, because he protects them all day long. The ones he loves rest with him."
13 Moses said this about the people of Joseph: "May the LORD bless their land with wonderful dew from heaven, with water from the springs below,
14 with the best fruits that the sun brings, and with the best fruits that the moon brings.
15 Let the old mountains give the finest crops, and let the everlasting hills give the best fruits.
16 Let the full earth give the best fruits, and let the LORD who lived in the burning bush be pleased. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the one who was blessed among his brothers.
17 Joseph has the majesty of a firstborn bull; he is as strong as a wild ox. He will stab other nations, even those nations far away. These are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 Moses said this about the people of Zebulun: "Be happy when you go out, Zebulun, and be happy in your tents, Issachar.
19 They will call the people to the mountain, and there they will offer the right sacrifices. They will do well from all that is in the sea, and they will do well from the treasures hidden in the sand on the shore."
20 Moses said this about the people of Gad: "Praise God who gives Gad more land! Gad lives there like a lion, who tears off arms and heads.
21 They chose the best land for themselves. They received a large share, like that given to an officer. When the leaders of the people gathered, the people of Gad did what the LORD said was right, and they judged Israel fairly."
22 Moses said this about the people of Dan: "Dan is like a lion's cub, who jumps out of Bashan."
23 Moses said this about the people of Naphtali: "Naphtali enjoys special kindnesses, and they are full of the LORD' s blessings. Take as your own the west and south."
24 Moses said this about the people of Asher: "Asher is the most blessed of the sons; let him be his brothers' favorite. Let him bathe his feet in olive oil.
25 Your gates will have locks of iron and bronze, and you will be strong as long as you live.
26 "There is no one like the God of Israel, who rides through the skies to help you, who rides on the clouds in his majesty.
27 The everlasting God is your place of safety, and his arms will hold you up forever. He will force your enemy out ahead of you, saying, `Destroy the enemy!'
28 The people of Israel will lie down in safety. Jacob's spring is theirs alone. Theirs is a land full of grain and new wine, where the skies drop their dew.
29 Israel, you are blessed! No one else is like you, because you are a people saved by the LORD. He is your shield and helper, your glorious sword. Your enemies will be afraid of you, and you will walk all over their holy places."
1 This is the blessing Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:
2 "The Lord came to us at Mount Sinai,
And dawned upon us from Mount Seir;
He shone from Mount Paran,
Surrounded by ten thousands of holy angels,
And with flaming fire at his right hand.
3 How he loves his people-
His holy ones are in his hands.
They followed in your steps, O Lord.
They have received their directions from you.
4 The laws I have given
Are your precious possession.
5 The Lord became king in Jerusalem,
Elected by a convocation of the leaders of the tribes!
6 Let Reuben live forever
And may his tribe increase!"
7 And Moses said of Judah:
"O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
And unite him with Israel;
Fight for him against his enemies."
8 Then Moses said concerning the tribe of Levi:
"Give to godly Levi
Your Urim and your Thummim.
You tested Levi at Massah and at Meribah;
9 He obeyed your instructions
and destroyed many sinners,
Even his own children, brothers, fathers, and mothers.
10 The Levites shall teach God's laws to Israel
And shall work before you at the incense altar
And the altar of burnt offering.
11 O Lord, prosper the Levites
And accept the work they do for you.
Crush those who are their enemies;
Don't let them rise again."
12 Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said:
"He is beloved of God
And lives in safety beside him.
God surrounds him with his loving care,
And preserves him from every harm."
13 Concerning the tribe of Joseph, he said:
"May his land be blessed by God
With the choicest gifts of heaven
And of the earth that lies below.
14 May he be blessed
With the best of what the sun makes grow;
Growing richly month by month,
15 With the finest of mountain crops
And of the everlasting hills.
16 May he be blessed with the best gifts
Of the earth and its fullness,
And with the favor of God who appeared
In the burning bush.
Let all these blessings come upon Joseph,
The prince among his brothers.
17 He is a young bull in strength and splendor,
With the strong horns of a wild ox
To push against the nations everywhere;
This is my blessing on the multitudes of Ephraim
And the thousands of Manasseh."
18 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Moses said:
"Rejoice, O Zebulun, you outdoorsmen,
And Issachar, you lovers of your tents;
19 They shall summon the people
To celebrate their sacrifices with them.
Lo, they taste the riches of the sea
And the treasures of the sand."
20 Concerning the tribe of Gad, Moses said:
"A blessing upon those who help Gad.
He crouches like a lion,
With savage arm and face and head.
21 He chose the best of the land for himself
Because it is reserved for a leader.
He led the people
Because he carried out God's penalties for Israel."
22 Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said:
"Dan is like a lion's cub
Leaping out from Bashan."
23 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Moses said:
"O Naphtali, you are satisfied
With all the blessings of the Lord;
The Mediterranean coast and the Negeb
Are your home."
24 Of the tribe of Asher:
"Asher is a favorite son,
Esteemed above his brothers;
He bathes his feet in oil.
25 May you be protected with strong bolts
Of iron and bronze,
And may your strength match the length of your days!
26 There is none like the God of Jerusalem-
He descends from the heavens
In majestic splendor to help you.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrusts out your enemies before you;
It is he who cries, `Destroy them!'
28 So Israel dwells safely,
Prospering in a land of corn and wine,
While the gentle rains descend from heaven.
29 What blessings are yours, O Israel!
Who else has been saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and your helper!
He is your excellent sword!
Your enemies shall bow low before you,
And you shall trample on their backs!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,267
4,4,7,408
5,5,9,478
6,6,11,597
7,7,13,675
8,8,15,863
9,9,17,1048
10,10,19,1256
11,11,21,1426
12,12,23,1565
13,13,25,1740
14,14,27,1889
15,15,29,1985
16,16,31,2089
17,17,33,2307
18,18,35,2527
19,19,37,2653
20,20,39,2873
21,21,41,3017
22,22,43,3250
23,23,45,3351
24,24,47,3523
25,25,49,3685
26,26,51,3783
27,27,53,3912
28,28,55,4075
29,29,57,4237
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,95
3,3,8,297
4,4,13,453
5,5,16,515
6,6,19,615
7,7,22,678
8,8,27,811
9,9,31,959
10,10,35,1081
11,11,39,1220
12,12,44,1365
13,13,50,1559
14,14,55,1715
15,15,58,1818
16,16,61,1893
17,17,68,2118
18,18,74,2339
19,19,77,2464
20,20,82,2620
21,21,87,2773
22,22,92,2939
23,23,96,3036
24,24,102,3213
25,25,107,3333
26,26,111,3459
27,27,115,3577
28,28,119,3741
29,29,123,3863
TALENTS DEUTE 33:6-25
Note the difference in blessings God gave each tribe. To one he gave the best land, to another strength, to another safety. Too often we see someone with a particular blessing and think that God must love that person more than others. Think rather that God draws out in all people their unique talents. All these gifts are needed to complete his plan. Don't be envious of the gifts others have. Instead, look for the gifts God has given you, and do the tasks he has uniquely qualified you to do.
DEUTE034
1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Mount Pisgah, across from Jericho. From there the LORD showed him all the land from Gilead to Dan,
2 all of Naphtali and the lands of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,
3 as well as the southern desert and the whole Valley of Jericho up to Zoar. (Jericho is called the city of palm trees.)
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said to them, `I will give this land to your descendants.' I have let you look at it, Moses, but you will not cross over there."
5 Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.
6 He buried Moses in Moab in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but even today no one knows where his grave is.
7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not weak, and he was still strong.
8 The Israelites cried for Moses for thirty days, staying in the plains of Moab until the time of sadness was over.
9 Joshua son of Nun was then filled with wisdom, because Moses had put his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to Joshua, and they did what the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses. The LORD knew Moses face to face
11 and sent him to do signs and miracles in Egypt- to the king, to all his officers, and to the whole land of Egypt.
1 Then Moses climbed from the plains of Moab to Pisgah Peak in Mount Nebo, across from Jericho. And the Lord pointed out to him the Promised Land, as they gazed out across Gilead as far as Dan:
2 "There is Naphtali; and there is Ephraim and Manasseh; and across there, Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; 3 there is the Negeb; and the Jordan Valley; and Jericho, the city of palm trees; and Zoar," the Lord told him.
4 "It is the Promised Land," the Lord told Moses. "I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give it to their descendants. Now you have seen it, but you will not enter it."
5 So Moses, the disciple of the Lord, died in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but no one knows the exact place.
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was perfect and he was as strong as a young man. 8 The people of Israel mourned for him for thirty days on the plains of Moab.
9 Joshua (son of Nun) was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him and followed the commandments the Lord had given to Moses.
10 There has never been another prophet like Moses, for the Lord talked to him face-to-face. 11-12 And at God's command he performed amazing miracles that have never been equaled.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,174
3,3,5,290
4,4,7,415
5,5,9,644
6,6,11,729
7,7,13,841
8,8,15,949
9,9,17,1069
10,10,19,1248
11,11,21,1347
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,196
4,4,4,429
5,6,6,613
7,8,8,793
9,9,10,980
10,12,12,1172
SUCCESS DEUTE 34:10
Moses, the man who did not want to be sent to Egypt because he had a speech impediment (Exodus 4:10), delivered the three addresses to Israel that make up the book of Deuteronomy. God gave him the power to develop from a stuttering shepherd into a national leader and powerful orator. His courage, humility, and wisdom molded the Hebrew slaves into a nation. But Moses was one person who did not let success go to his head. In the end, God was still Moses' best friend. His love, respect, and awe for God had grown daily throughout his life. Moses knew that it was not any greatness in himself that made him successful; it was the greatness of the all-powerful God in whom he trusted.
VJOSHU
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To give the history of Israel's conquest of the Promised Land
AUTHOR:
Joshua, except for the ending, which may have been written by the high priest Phinehas, an eyewitness to the events recounted there
SETTING:
Canaan, also called the Promised Land, which occupied the same general geographical territory of modern-day Israel
KEY PEOPLE:
Joshua, Rahab, Achan, Phinehas, Eleazor
KEY PLACES:
Jericho, Ai, Mount Ebal, Mount Gerizim, Gibeon, Gilgal, Shiloh, Shechem
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Out of over a million people, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who left Egypt and entered the Promised Land
What characteristics are important in a leader? If you were chosen captain of the football team, head cheerleader, or student body president, what would you need to be like? Strong? Smart? Clever? Good with people? Good-looking? Enthusiastic? Devoted? God called Joshua to be the leader of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land. Joshua was unsure about his own leadership capabilities. But God told him: "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" (1:5). Then God explained the qualities Joshua needed in order to be a good leader for his people. The first quality was obedience to God's law: "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left . . . For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (1:7-8) The second was total dependence on God for the victory. God had taken care of Israel in the past. Joshua continued to depend on him. Listen to the wisdom of this book. God does not demand that you be strong, clever, efficient, or even good-looking to be an effective leader. Instead, God wants you to obey his Word and depend on his power. Then, if God has called you, he will use you.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
JOSHU001
1 After Moses, the servant of the LORD, died, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant.
2 The LORD said, "My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people go across the Jordan River into the land I am giving to the Israelites.
3 I promised Moses I would give you this land, so I will give you every place you go in the land.
4 All the land from the desert in the south to Lebanon in the north will be yours. All the land from the great river, the Euphrates, in the east, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west will be yours, too, including the land of the Hittites.
5 No one will be able to defeat you all your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you.
6 "Joshua, be strong and brave! You must lead these people so they can take the land that I promised their fathers I would give them.
7 Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do.
8 Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything.
9 Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't be afraid, because the LORD your God will be with you everywhere you go."
10 Then Joshua gave orders to the officers of the people:
11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, `Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan River and take the land the LORD your God is giving you.' "
12 Then Joshua said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh,
13 "Remember what Moses, the servant of the LORD, told you. He said the LORD your God would give you rest and would give you this land.
14 Now the LORD has given you this land east of the Jordan River. Your wives, children, and animals may stay here, but your fighting men must dress for war and cross the Jordan River ahead of your brothers to help them.
15 The LORD has given you a place to rest and will do the same for your brothers. But you must help them until they take the land the LORD their God is giving them. Then you may return to your own land east of the Jordan River, the land that Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you."
16 Then the people answered Joshua, "Anything you command us to do, we will do. Any place you send us, we will go.
17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, we will obey you. We ask only that the LORD your God be with you just as he was with Moses.
18 Whoever refuses to obey your commands or turns against you will be put to death. Just be strong and brave!"
1 After the death of Moses, the Lord's disciple, God spoke to Moses' assistant, whose name was Joshua (the son of Nun), and said to him,
2 "Now that my disciple is dead, you are the new leader of Israel.
Lead my people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. 3 I say to you what I said to Moses: `Wherever you go will be part of the land of Israel-4 all the way from the Negeb Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Euphrates River in the east, including all the land of the Hittites.' 5 No one will be able to oppose you as long as you live, for I will be with you just as I was with Moses; I will not abandon you or fail to help you.
6 "Be strong and brave, for you will be a successful leader of my people; and they shall conquer all the land I promised to their ancestors. 7 You need only to be strong and courageous and to obey to the letter every law Moses gave you, for if you are careful to obey every one of them, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed. 9 Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
10-11 Then Joshua issued instructions to the leaders of Israel to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan River. "In three days we will go across and conquer and live in the land which God has given us!" he told them.
12-13 Then he summoned the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and reminded them of their agreement with Moses: "The Lord your God has given you a homeland here on the east side of the Jordan River," Moses had told them, 14 "so your wives and children and cattle may remain here, but your troops, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan River to help them conquer their territory on the other side; 15 stay with them until they complete the conquest. Only then may you settle down here on the east side of the Jordan."
16 To this they fully agreed and pledged themselves to obey Joshua as their commander-in-chief.
17-18 "We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses," they assured him, "and may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. If anyone, no matter who, rebels against your commands, he shall die. So lead on with courage and strength!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,106
3,3,5,255
4,4,7,357
5,5,9,600
6,6,11,740
7,7,13,878
8,8,15,1039
9,9,17,1246
10,10,19,1386
11,11,21,1448
12,12,23,1629
13,13,25,1702
14,14,27,1842
15,15,29,2066
16,16,31,2355
17,17,33,2474
18,18,35,2604
1,1,1,1
2,5,2,139
6,9,5,720
10,11,7,1359
12,15,9,1589
16,16,11,2162
17,18,13,2261
CHALLENGE JOSHU 1:5
Joshua's new job consisted of leading more than two million people into a strange new land and conquering it. What a challenge-even for a man of Joshua's caliber! Every new job is a challenge. Without God it can be frightening. With God it can be a great adventure. Just as God assured Joshua he would be with him, so he is with us as we face our new challenges. We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations, difficult people, and temptations. However, God promises that he will never abandon us or fail to help us, regardless of how we feel. By asking God to direct us we can conquer many of life's problems.
Moral Dilemmas: Responsibility ,!page "^M0056" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Scrapbook: "Steve: When you're afraid " ,!page "steve1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
JOSHU002
1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from Acacia and said to them, "Go and look at the land, particularly at the city of Jericho." So the men went to Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.
2 Someone told the king of Jericho, "Some men from Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land."
3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land."
4 But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, "They did come here, but I didn't know where they came from.
5 In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don't know where they went, but if you go quickly, maybe you can catch them."
6 (The woman had taken the men up to the roof and had hidden them there under stalks of flax that she had spread out.)
7 So the king's men went out looking for the spies on the road that leads to the crossings of the Jordan River. The city gate was closed just after the king's men left the city.
8 Before the spies went to sleep for the night, Rahab went up to the roof.
9 She said to them, "I know the LORD has given this land to your people. You frighten us very much. Everyone living in this land is terribly afraid of you
10 because we have heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt. We have heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, two Amorite kings who lived east of the Jordan.
11 When we heard this, we were very frightened. Now our men are afraid to fight you because the LORD your God rules the heavens above and the earth below!
12 So now, promise me before the LORD that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed kindness to you. Give me some proof that you will do this.
13 Allow my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all of their families to live. Save us from death."
14 The men agreed and said, "It will be our lives for your lives if you don't tell anyone what we are doing. When the LORD gives us the land, we will be kind and true to you."
15 The house Rahab lived in was built on the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window.
16 She said to them, "Go into the hills so the king's men will not find you. Hide there for three days. After the king's men return, you may go on your way."
17 The men said to her, "You must do as we say. If not, we cannot be responsible for keeping this oath you have made us swear.
18 When we return to this land, you must tie this red rope in the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your family into your house.
19 If anyone leaves your house and is killed, it is his own fault. We cannot be responsible for him. If anyone in your house is hurt, we will be responsible.
20 But if you tell anyone about this, we will be free from the oath you made us swear."
21 Rahab answered, "I agree to this." So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the red rope in the window.
22 The men left and went into the hills where they stayed for three days. The king's men looked for them all along the road, but after three days, they returned to the city without finding them.
23 Then the two men started back. They left the hills and crossed the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.
24 They said, "The LORD surely has given us all of the land. All the people in that land are terribly afraid of us."
1 Then Joshua sent two spies from the Israeli camp at Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other side, especially at Jericho. They arrived at an inn operated by a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute. They were planning to spend the night there, 2 but someone informed the king of Jericho that two Israelis who were suspected of being spies had arrived in the city that evening. 3 He dispatched a police squadron to Rahab's home, demanding that she surrender them.
"They are spies," he explained. "They have been sent by the Israeli leaders to discover the best way to attack us."
4 But she had hidden them, so she told the officer in charge, "The men were here earlier, but I didn't know they were spies. 5 They left the city at dusk as the city gates were about to close, and I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them!"
6 But actually she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax that were drying there. 7 So the constable and his men went all the way to the Jordan River looking for them; meanwhile, the city gates were kept shut. 8 Rahab went up to talk to the men before they retired for the night.
9 "I know perfectly well that your God is going to give my country to you," she told them. "We are all afraid of you; everyone is terrified if the word Israel is even mentioned. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a path through the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt! And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, and how you ruined their land and completely destroyed their people. 11 No wonder we are afraid of you! No one has any fight left in him after hearing things like that, for your God is the supreme God of heaven, not just an ordinary god. 12-13 Now I beg for this one thing: Swear to me by the sacred name of your God that when Jericho is conquered you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families. This is only fair after the way I have helped you."
14 The men agreed. "If you won't betray us, we'll see to it that you and your family aren't harmed," they promised. 15 "We'll defend you with our lives." Then, since her house was on top of the city wall, she let them down by a rope from a window.
16 "Escape to the mountains," she told them. "Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way."
17-18 But before they left, the men had said to her, "We cannot be responsible for what happens to you unless this rope is hanging from this window and unless all your relatives-your father, mother, brothers, and anyone else-are here inside the house. 19 If they go out into the street, we assume no responsibility whatsoever; but we swear that no one inside this house will be killed or injured. 20 However, if you betray us, then this oath will no longer bind us in any way."
21 "I accept your terms," she replied. And she left the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22 The spies went up into the mountains and stayed there three days, until the men who were chasing them had returned to the city after searching everywhere along the road without success. 23 Then the two spies came down from the mountains and crossed the river and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them.
24 "The Lord will certainly give us the entire land," they said, "for all the people over there are scared to death of us."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,227
3,3,5,334
4,4,7,493
5,5,9,608
6,6,11,762
7,7,13,885
8,8,15,1067
9,9,17,1146
10,10,19,1305
11,11,21,1490
12,12,23,1649
13,13,25,1808
14,14,27,1915
15,15,29,2095
16,16,31,2212
17,17,33,2374
18,18,35,2505
19,19,37,2687
20,20,39,2849
21,21,41,2941
22,22,43,3063
23,23,45,3262
24,24,47,3423
1,3,1,1
4,5,4,613
6,8,6,895
9,13,8,1207
14,15,10,2071
16,16,12,2322
17,20,14,2474
21,21,16,2955
22,23,18,3052
24,24,20,3371
THE PAST JOSHU 2:1
Why would the spies stop at the house of Rahab the prostitute? Several reasons: (1)It was a good place to gather information and have no questions asked in return; (2)Rahab's house was in an ideal location for a quick escape because it was built into the city wall; (3)God directed the spies to Rahab's house because he knew her heart was open to him and that she would be instrumental in the Israelite victory over Jericho. God often uses people with simple faith to accomplish his great purposes, no matter what kind of past they have had or how insignificant they seem to be. Rahab didn't allow her past to keep her from the new role God had for her.
JOSHU003
1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia. They traveled to the Jordan River and camped there before crossing it.
2 After three days the officers went through the camp
3 and gave orders to the people: "When you see the priests and Levites carrying the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD your God, leave where you are and follow it.
4 That way you will know which way to go since you have never been here before. But do not follow too closely. Stay about a thousand yards behind the Ark."
5 Then Joshua told the people, "Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
6 Joshua said to the priests, "Take the Ark of the Agreement and go ahead of the people." So the priests lifted the Ark and carried it ahead of the people.
7 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you great in the opinion of all the Israelites so the people will know I am with you just as I was with Moses.
8 Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Agreement to go to the edge of the Jordan River and stand in the water."
9 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.
10 Here is proof that the living God is with you and that he will force out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
11 The Ark of the Agreement with the Lord of the whole world will go ahead of you into the Jordan River.
12 Now choose twelve men from among you, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 The priests will carry the Ark of the LORD, the Master of the whole world, into the Jordan ahead of you. When they step into the water, it will stop. The river will stop flowing and will stand up in a heap."
14 So the people left the place where they had camped, and they followed the priests who carried the Ark of the Agreement across the Jordan River.
15 During harvest the Jordan overflows its banks. When the priests carrying the Ark came to the edge of the river and stepped into the water,
16 the water upstream stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river near Jericho.
17 The priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while all the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land.
? ? 1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the people of Israel left Acacia and arrived that evening at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped for a few days before crossing.
2-4 On the third day officers went through the camp giving these instructions: "When you see the priests carrying the Ark of God, follow them. You have never before been where we are going now, so they will guide you. However, stay about a half mile behind, with a clear space between you and the Ark; be sure that you don't get any closer."
5 Then Joshua told the people to purify themselves. "For tomorrow," he said, "the Lord will do a great miracle."
6 In the morning Joshua ordered the priests, "Take up the Ark and lead us across the river!" And so they started out.
7 "Today," the Lord told Joshua, "I will give you great honor, so that all Israel will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Instruct the priests who are carrying the Ark to stop at the edge of the river."
9 Then Joshua summoned all the people and told them, "Come and listen to what the Lord your God has said. 10 Today you are going to know for sure that the living God is among you and that he will, without fail, drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites-all the people who now live in the land you will soon occupy. 11 Think of it! The Ark of God, who is Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the river!
12 "Now select twelve men, one from each tribe, for a special task.
13-14 When the priests who are carrying the Ark touch the water with their feet, the river will stop flowing as though held back by a dam, and will pile up as though against an invisible wall!" Now it was the harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing all its banks; but as the people set out to cross the river and as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge, 15-16 suddenly, far up the river at the city of Adam, near Zarethan, the water began piling up as though against a dam! And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was empty. Then all the people crossed at a spot where the river was close to the city of Jericho, 17 and the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan and waited as all the people passed by.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,144
3,3,5,202
4,4,7,370
5,5,9,530
6,6,11,649
7,7,13,809
8,8,15,984
9,9,17,1105
10,10,19,1204
11,11,21,1369
12,12,23,1478
13,13,25,1569
14,14,27,1784
15,15,29,1935
16,16,31,2081
17,17,33,2328
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,186
5,5,5,531
6,6,7,647
7,8,9,768
9,11,11,991
12,12,13,1457
13,17,15,1528
JOSHU004
1 After all the people had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe.
3 Tell them to get twelve rocks from the middle of the river, from where the priests stood. Carry the rocks and put them down where you stay tonight."
4 So Joshua chose one man from each tribe. Then he called the twelve men together
5 and said to them, "Go out into the river where the Ark of the LORD your God is. Each of you bring back one rock, one for each tribe of Israel, and carry it on your shoulder.
6 They will be a sign among you. In the future stopped flowing in the Jordan when the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD crossed the river. These rocks will always remind the Israelites of this." 8 So the Israelites obeyed Joshua and carried twelve rocks from the middle of the Jordan River, one rock for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Joshua. They carried the rocks with them and put them down where they made their camp. 9 Joshua also put twelve rocks in the middle of the Jordan River where the priests had stood while carrying the Ark of the Agreement. These rocks are still there today. 10 The priests carrying the Ark continued standing in the middle of the river until everything was done that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried across the river. 11 After they finished crossing the river, the priests carried the Ark of the LORD to the other side as the people watched. 12 The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh obeyed what Moses had told them. They were dressed for war, and they crossed the river ahead of the other people. 13 About forty thousand soldiers prepared for war passed before the LORD as they marched across the river, going toward the plains of Jericho. 14 That day the LORD made Joshua great in the opinion of all the Israelites. They respected Joshua all his life, just as they had respected Moses. 15 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16 "Command the priests to bring the Ark of the Agreement out of the river." 1
7 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." 1
8 Then the priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD out of the river. As soon as their feet touched dry land, the water began flowing again. The river again overflowed its banks, just as it had before they crossed. 1
9 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, east of Jericho. 20 They carried with them the twelve rocks taken from the Jordan, and Joshua set them up at Gilgal. 21 Then he spoke to the Israelites: "In the future your children will ask you, `What do these rocks mean?' 22 Tell them, `Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry land. 23 The LORD your God caused the water to stop flowing until you finished crossing it, just as the LORD did to the Red Sea. He stopped the water until we crossed it. 24 The LORD did this so all people would know he has great power and so you would always respect the LORD your God.' "
1 When all the people were safely across, the Lord said to Joshua, 2-3 "Tell the twelve men chosen for a special task, one from each tribe, each to take a stone from where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan, and to carry them out and pile them up as a monument at the place where you camp tonight."
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men 5 and told them, "Go out into the middle of the Jordan where the Ark is. Each of you is to carry out a stone on your shoulder-twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. 6 We will use them to build a monument so that in the future, when your children ask, `What is this monument for?' 7 you can tell them, `It is to remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of God went across!' The monument will be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel of this amazing miracle."
8 So the men did as Joshua told them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River-one for each tribe, just as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried them to the place where they were camped for the night and constructed a monument there. 9 Joshua also built another monument of twelve stones in the middle of the river, at the place where the priests were standing; and it is there to this day. 10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all these instructions of the Lord, which had been given to Joshua by Moses, had been carried out. Meanwhile, the people had hurried across the riverbed, 11 and when everyone was over, the people watched the priests carry the Ark up out of the riverbed.
12-13 The troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh-fully armed as Moses had instructed, and forty thousand strong-led the other tribes of the Lord's army across to the plains of Jericho.
14 It was a tremendous day for Joshua! The Lord made him great in the eyes of all the people of Israel, and they revered him as much as they had Moses and respected him deeply all the rest of his life. 15-16 For it was Joshua who, at the Lord's command, issued the orders to the priests carrying the Ark.
"Come up from the riverbed," the Lord now told him to command them.
17 So Joshua issued the order. 18 And as soon as the priests came out, the water poured down again as usual and overflowed the banks of the river as before! 19 This miracle occurred on the 25th of March.
That day the entire nation crossed the Jordan River and camped in Gilgal at the eastern edge of the city of Jericho; 20 and there the twelve stones from the Jordan were piled up as a monument.
21 Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the stones: "In the future," he said, "when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean, 22 you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle-that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground! 23 Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea! 24 He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will worship him forever."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,87
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,311
5,5,9,397
6,6,11,577
7,7,13,2137
8,8,15,2206
9,9,17,2440
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,321
8,11,5,863
12,13,7,1616
14,16,9,1819
17,20,12,2196
21,24,15,2597
JOSHU005
1 All the kings of the Amorites west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings living by the Mediterranean Sea heard that the LORD dried up the Jordan River until the Israelites had crossed it. After that they were scared and too afraid to face the Israelites.
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make knives from flint stones and circumcise the Israelites."
3 So Joshua made knives from flint stones and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
4 This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men old enough to serve in the army died in the desert on the way out of Egypt.
5 The men who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but none of those who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised.
6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert for forty years. During that time all the fighting men who had left Egypt had died because they had not obeyed the LORD. So the LORD swore they would not see the land he had promised their ancestors to give them, a fertile land.
7 Their sons took their places. But none of the sons born on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised, so Joshua circumcised them.
8 After all the Israelites had been circumcised, they stayed in camp until they were healed.
9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "As slaves in Egypt you were ashamed, but today I have removed that shame." So Joshua named that place Gilgal, which it is still named today.
10 The people of Israel were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho. It was there, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, they celebrated the Passover Feast.
11 The day after the Passover, the people ate food grown on that land: bread made without yeast and roasted grain.
12 The day they ate this food, the manna stopped coming. The Israelites no longer got the manna from heaven. They ate the food grown in the land of Canaan that year.
13 Joshua was near Jericho when he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and asked, "Are you a friend or an enemy?"
14 The man answered, "I am neither. I have come as the commander of the LORD' s army." Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground and asked, "Does my master have a command for me, his servant?"
15 The commander of the LORD' s army answered, "Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy." So Joshua did.
t t 1 When the nations west of the Jordan River-the Amorites and Canaanites who lived along the Mediterranean coast-heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, their courage melted away completely and they were paralyzed with fear.
2-3 The Lord then told Joshua to set aside a day to circumcise the entire male population of Israel. (It was the second time in Israel's history that this was done.) The Lord instructed them to manufacture flint knives for this purpose. The place where the circumcision rite took place was named "The Hill of the Foreskins." 4-5 The reason for this second circumcision ceremony was that although when Israel left Egypt all of the men who had been old enough to bear arms had been circumcised, that entire generation had died during the years in the wilderness, and none of the boys born since that time had been circumcised. 6 For the nation of Israel had traveled back and forth across the wilderness for forty years until all the men who had been old enough to bear arms when they left Egypt were dead; they had not obeyed the Lord, and he vowed that he wouldn't let them enter the land he had promised to Israel-a land that "flowed with milk and honey." 7 So now Joshua circumcised their children-the men who had grown up to take their fathers' places.
8-9 And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have ended your shame of not being circumcised." So the place where this was done was called Gilgal (meaning, "to end"), and is still called that today. After the ceremony the entire nation rested in camp until the raw flesh of their wounds had been healed.
10 While they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover during the evening of April first.
11-12 The next day they began to eat from the gardens and grain fields which they invaded, and they made unleavened bread. The following day no manna fell, and it was never seen again! So from that time on they lived on the crops of Canaan.
13 As Joshua was sizing up the city of Jericho, a man appeared nearby with a drawn sword. Joshua strode over to him and demanded, "Are you friend or foe?"
14 "I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Lord's army," he replied.
Joshua fell to the ground before him and worshiped him and said, "Give me your commands."
15 "Take off your shoes," the Commander told him, "for this is holy ground." And Joshua did.
1,1,1,1
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8,9,5,1334
10,10,7,1637
11,12,9,1766
13,13,11,2010
14,14,13,2168
15,15,16,2327
JOSHU006
1 The people of Jericho were afraid because the Israelites were near. They closed the city gates and guarded them. No one went into the city, and no one came out.
2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Look, I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its fighting men.
3 March around the city with your army once a day for six days.
4 Have seven priests carry trumpets made from horns of male sheep and have them march in front of the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets as they march.
5 They will make one long blast on the trumpets. When you hear that sound, have all the people give a loud shout. Then the walls of the city will fall so the people can go straight into the city."
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together and said to them, "Carry the Ark of the Agreement. Tell seven priests to carry trumpets and march in front of it."
7 Then Joshua ordered the people, "Now go! March around the city. The soldiers with weapons should march in front of the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD."
8 When Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests began marching before the LORD. They carried the seven trumpets and blew them as they marched. The priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD followed them.
9 Soldiers with weapons marched in front of the priests, and armed men walked behind the Ark. The priests were blowing their trumpets.
10 But Joshua had told the people not to give a war cry. He said, "Don't shout. Don't say a word until the day I tell you. Then shout."
11 So Joshua had the Ark of the LORD carried around the city one time. Then they went back to camp for the night.
12 Early the next morning Joshua got up, and the priests carried the Ark of the LORD again.
13 The seven priests carried the seven trumpets and marched in front of the Ark of the LORD, blowing their trumpets. Soldiers with weapons marched in front of them, and other soldiers walked behind the Ark of the LORD. All this time the priests were blowing their trumpets.
14 So on the second day they marched around the city one time and then went back to camp. They did this every day for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city, just as they had on the days before. But on that day they marched around the city seven times.
16 The seventh time around the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: "Now, shout! The LORD has given you this city!
17 The city and everything in it are to be destroyed as an offering to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house should remain alive. They must not be killed, because Rahab hid the two spies we sent out.
18 Don't take any of the things that are to be destroyed as an offering to the LORD. If you take them and bring them into our camp, you yourselves will be destroyed, and you will bring trouble to all of Israel.
19 All the silver and gold and things made from bronze and iron belong to the LORD and must be saved for him."
20 When the priests blew the trumpets, the people shouted. At the sound of the trumpets and the people's shout, the walls fell, and everyone ran straight into the city. So the Israelites defeated that city.
21 They completely destroyed with the sword every living thing in the city- men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house. Bring her out and bring out those who are with her, because of the promise you made to her."
23 So the two men went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all those with her. They put all of her family in a safe place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then Israel burned the whole city and everything in it, but they did not burn the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron. These were saved for the LORD.
25 Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute, her family, and all who were with her, because Rahab had helped the men he had sent to spy out Jericho. Rahab still lives among the Israelites today.
26 Then Joshua made this oath: "Anyone who tries to rebuild this city of Jericho will be cursed by the LORD. The one who lays the foundation of this city will lose his oldest son, and the one who sets up the gates will lose his youngest son."!
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and Joshua became famous through all the land.
1 The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelis; no one was allowed to go in or out.
2 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to you! 3-4 Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day for six days, followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. 5 Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the people are to give a mighty shout, and the walls of the city will fall down; then move in upon the city from every direction."
6-9 So Joshua summoned the priests and gave them their instructions: the armed men would lead the procession, followed by seven priests blowing continually on their trumpets. Behind them would come the priests carrying the Ark, followed by a rear guard.
10 "Let there be complete silence except for the trumpets," Joshua commanded. "Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout; then shout!"
11 The Ark was carried around the city once that day, after which everyone returned to the camp again and spent the night there. 12-14 At dawn the next morning they went around again and returned again to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.
15 At dawn of the seventh day they started out again, but this time they went around the city not once, but seven times. 16 The seventh time, as the priests blew a long, loud trumpet blast, Joshua yelled to the people, "Shout! The Lord has given us the city!"
17 (He had told them previously, "Kill everyone except Rahab the prostitute and anyone in her house, for she protected our spies. 18 Don't take any loot, for everything is to be destroyed. If it isn't, disaster will fall upon the entire nation of Israel. 19 But all the silver and gold and the utensils of bronze and iron will be dedicated to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.")
20 So when the people heard the trumpet blast, they shouted as loud as they could. And suddenly the walls of Jericho crumbled and fell before them, and the people of Israel poured into the city from every side and captured it! 21 They destroyed everything in it-men and women, young and old; oxen; sheep; donkeys-everything.
22 Meanwhile Joshua had said to the two spies, "Keep your promise. Go and rescue the prostitute and everyone with her."
23 The young men found her and rescued her, along with her father, mother, brothers, and other relatives who were with her. Arrangements were made for them to live outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then the Israelis burned the city and everything in it except that the silver and gold and the bronze and iron utensils were kept for the Lord's treasury. 25 Thus Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, and they still live among the Israelites because she hid the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua.
26 Then Joshua declared a terrible curse upon anyone who might rebuild Jericho, warning that when the foundation was laid, the builder's oldest son would die, and when the gates were set up, his youngest son would die.
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his name became famous everywhere.
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6,6,11,760
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9,9,17,1331
10,10,19,1470
11,11,21,1610
12,12,23,1728
13,13,25,1824
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15,15,29,2234
16,16,31,2404
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20,21,14,2057
22,22,16,2385
23,25,18,2508
26,26,20,3047
27,27,22,3269
VICTORY JOSHU 6:2-5
God told Joshua that the enemy was already defeated! What confidence Joshua must have had as he went into battle! Christians also fight against a defeated enemy. Our enemy, Satan, has been defeated by Christ (Romans 8:37-39; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8). Although we still fight battles every day and sin runs rampant in the world, we have the assurance that the war has already been won. We do not have to be paralyzed by the power of a defeated enemy; we can overcome temptation through Christ's power.
JOSHU007
1 But the Israelites did not obey the LORD. There was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan. (He was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.) Because Achan kept some of the things that were to be given to the LORD, the LORD became very angry at the Israelites.
2 Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He told them, "Go to Ai and spy out the area." So the men went to spy on Ai.
3 Later they came back to Joshua and said, "There are only a few people in Ai, so we will not need all our people to defeat them. Send only two or three thousand men to fight. There is no need to send all of our people."
4 So about three thousand men went up to Ai, but the people of Ai beat them badly.
5 The people of Ai killed about thirty-six Israelites and then chased the rest from the city gate all the way down to the canyon, killing them as they went down the hill. When the Israelites saw this, they lost their courage.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes in sorrow. He bowed facedown on the ground before the Ark of the LORD and stayed there until evening. The leaders of Israel did the same thing. They also threw dirt on their heads to show their sorrow.
7 Then Joshua said, "Lord GOD, you brought our people across the Jordan River. Why did you bring us this far and then let the Amorites destroy us? We would have been happy to stay on the other side of the Jordan.
8 Lord, there is nothing I can say now. Israel has been beaten by the enemy.
9 The Canaanites and all the other people in this country will hear about this and will surround and kill us all! Then what will you do for your own great name?"
10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! Why are you down on your face?
11 The Israelites have sinned; they have broken the agreement I commanded them to obey. They took some of the things I commanded them to destroy. They have stolen and lied and have taken those things for themselves.
12 That is why the Israelites cannot face their enemies. They turn away from the fight and run, because I have commanded that they be destroyed. I will not help you anymore unless you destroy everything as I commanded you.
13 "Now go! Make the people holy. Tell them, `Set yourselves apart to the LORD for tomorrow. The LORD, the God of Israel, says some of you are keeping things he commanded you to destroy. You will never defeat your enemies until you throw away those things.
14 "`Tomorrow morning you must be present with your tribes. The LORD will choose one tribe to stand alone before him. Then the LORD will choose one family group from that tribe to stand before him. Then the LORD will choose one family from that family group to stand before him, person by person.
15 The one who is keeping what should have been destroyed will himself be destroyed by fire. Everything he owns will be destroyed with him. He has broken the agreement with the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing among the people of Israel!' ".
16 Early the next morning Joshua led all of Israel to present themselves in their tribes, and the LORD chose the tribe of Judah.
17 So the family groups of Judah presented themselves, and the LORD then chose the family group of Zerah. When all the families of Zerah presented themselves, the family of Zabdi was chosen.
18 And Joshua told all the men in that family to present themselves. The LORD chose Achan son of Carmi. (Carmi was the son of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.)
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, tell the truth. Confess to the LORD, the God of Israel. Tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything from me."
20 Achan answered, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did:
21 Among the things I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia and about five pounds of silver and more than one and one-fourth pounds of gold. I wanted these things very much for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent, with the silver underneath."
22 So Joshua sent men who ran to the tent and found the things hidden there, with the silver.
23 The men brought them out of the tent, took them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out on the ground before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua and all the people led Achan son of Zerah to the Valley of Trouble. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold, Achan's sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, tent, and everything he owned.
25 Joshua said, "I don't know why you caused so much trouble for us, but now the LORD will bring trouble to you." Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they died. Then the people burned them.
26 They piled rocks over Achan's body, and they are still there today. That is why it is called the Valley of Trouble. After this the LORD was no longer angry.
1 But there was sin among the Israelis. God's command to destroy everything except that which was reserved for the Lord's treasury was disobeyed. For Achan (the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah) took some loot for himself, and the Lord was very angry with the entire nation of Israel because of this.
2 Soon after Jericho's defeat, Joshua sent some of his men to spy on the city of Ai, east of Bethel.
3 Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; there's no point in all of us going there."
4 So approximately three thousand soldiers were sent-and they were soundly defeated. 5 About thirty-six of the Israelis were killed during the attack, and many others died while being chased by the men of Ai as far as the quarries. The Israeli army was paralyzed with fear at this turn of events. 6 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing and lay prostrate before the Ark of the Lord until evening, with dust on their heads.
7 Joshua cried out to the Lord, "O Jehovah, why have you brought us over the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? Why weren't we content with what we had? Why didn't we stay on the other side? 8 O Lord, what am I to do now that Israel has fled from her enemies! 9 For when the Canaanites and the other nearby nations hear about it, they will surround us and attack us and wipe us out. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?"
10-11 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up off your face! Israel has sinned and disobeyed my commandment and has taken loot when I said it was not to be taken; and they have not only taken it, they have lied about it and have hidden it among their belongings. 12 That is why the people of Israel are being defeated. That is why your men are running from their enemies-for they are cursed. I will not stay with you any longer unless you completely rid yourselves of this sin.
13 "Get up! Tell the people, `Each of you must undergo purification rites in preparation for tomorrow, for the Lord your God of Israel says that someone has stolen from him, and you cannot defeat your enemies until you deal with this sin. 14 In the morning you must come by tribes, and the Lord will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. And that tribe must come by its clans and the Lord will point out the guilty clan; and the clan must come by its families, and then each member of the guilty family must come one by one. 15 And the one who has stolen that which belongs to the Lord shall be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has violated the covenant of the Lord and has brought calamity upon all of Israel." '
16 So, early the next morning, Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was indicated. 17 Then he brought the clans of Judah, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of that clan were brought before the Lord and the family of Zabdi was indicated. 18 Zabdi's family was brought man by man, and his grandson Achan was found to be the guilty one.
19 Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the God of Israel and make your confession. Tell me what you have done."
20 Achan replied, "I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 For I saw a beautiful robe imported from Babylon, and some silver worth $200, and a bar of gold worth $500. I wanted them so much that I took them, and they are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest."
22 So Joshua sent some men to search for the loot. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest. 23 They brought it all to Joshua and laid it on the ground in front of him. 24 Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and everything he had, and brought them to the valley of Achor.
25 Then Joshua said to Achan, "Why have you brought calamity upon us? The Lord will now bring calamity upon you."
And the men of Israel stoned them to death and burned their bodies, 26 and piled a great heap of stones upon them. The stones are still there to this day, and even today that place is called "The Valley of Calamity." And so the fierce anger of the Lord was ended.
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21,21,41,3800
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25,25,49,4543
26,26,51,4764
1,1,1,1
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3,3,5,460
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16,18,14,2775
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25,26,22,4091
LESSONS JOSHU 7:7
When Joshua first went against Ai (7:3), he did not consult God but relied on the strength of his army to defeat the small city. Only after Israel was defeated did they turn to God and ask, What happened? Too often we rely on our own skills and strength, especially when the task before us seems easy. We go to God only when the obstacles seem too great. However, only God knows what lies ahead. Consulting him, even when we are on a winning streak, may save us from grave mistakes or misjudgments. God may want us to learn lessons, remove pride, or consult others before he will work through us.
EFFECTS JOSHU 7:24-25
Achan underestimated God and didn't take his commands seriously (6:18). It may have seemed a small thing to Achan, but the effects of his sin were felt by the entire nation, especially his family. Like Achan, our actions affect more people than just ourselves. Beware of the temptation to rationalize your sins by saying they are too small or too personal to hurt anyone but you.
Profile: Rahab ,!page "^rahab" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOSHU008
REVIEW
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or give up. Lead all your fighting men to Ai. I will help you defeat the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
2 You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may take all the wealth and keep it for yourselves. Now tell some of your soldiers to set up an ambush behind the city."
3 So Joshua led his whole army toward Ai. Then he chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night.
4 Joshua gave them these orders: "Listen carefully. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don't go far from it, but continue to watch and be ready.
5 I and the men who are with me will march toward the city, and the men in the city will come out to fight us, just as they did before. Then we will turn and run away from them.
6 They will chase us away from the city, thinking we are running away from them as we did before. When we run away,
7 come out from your ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give you the power to win.
8 After you take the city, burn it. See to it! You have your orders."
9 Then Joshua sent them to wait in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed the night with his people.
10 Early the next morning Joshua gathered his men together. He and the older leaders of Israel led them up to Ai.
11 All of the soldiers who were with Joshua marched up to Ai and stopped in front of the city and made camp north of it. There was a valley between them and the city.
12 Then Joshua chose about five thousand men and set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai.
13 So the people took their positions; the main camp was north of the city, and the other men were hiding to the west. That night Joshua went down into the valley.
14 Now when the king of Ai saw the army of Israel, he and his people got up early the next morning and hurried out to fight them. They went out to a place east of the city, but the king did not know soldiers were waiting in ambush behind the city.
15 Joshua and all the men of Israel let the army of Ai push them back. Then they ran toward the desert.
16 The men in Ai were called to chase Joshua and his men, so they left the city and went after them.
17 All the men of Ai and Bethel chased the army of Israel. The city was left open; not a man stayed to protect it.
18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold your spear toward Ai, because I will give you that city." So Joshua held his spear toward the city of Ai.
19 When the Israelites who were in ambush saw this, they quickly came out of their hiding place and hurried toward the city. They entered the city, took control of it, and quickly set it on fire.
20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw smoke rising from their city. At the same time the Israelites stopped running and turned against the men of Ai, who could not escape in any direction.
21 When Joshua and all his men saw that the army had taken control of the city and saw the smoke rising from it, they stopped running and turned to fight the men of Ai.
22 The men who were in ambush also came out of the city to help with the fight. So the men of Ai were caught between the armies of Israel. None of the enemy escaped. The Israelites fought until not one of the men of Ai was left alive, except
23 the king of Ai, and they brought him to Joshua.
24 During the fighting the army of Israel chased the men of Ai into the fields and desert and killed all of them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there.
25 All the people of Ai died that day, twelve thousand men and women.
26 Joshua had held his spear toward Ai, as a sign to destroy the city, and did not draw it back until all the people of Ai were destroyed.
27 The people of Israel kept for themselves the animals and the other things the people of Ai had owned, as the LORD had commanded Joshua to do.
28 Then Joshua burned the city of Ai and made it a pile of ruins. And it is still like that today.
29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king's body down from the tree and to throw it down at the city gate. Then they covered it with a pile of rocks, which is still there today.
30 Joshua built an altar for the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, as
31 Moses, the LORD' s servant, had commanded. Joshua built the altar as it was explained in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. It was made from uncut stones; no tool was ever used on them. On that altar the Israelites offered burnt offerings to the LORD and fellowship offerings.
32 There Joshua wrote the teachings of Moses on stones for all the people of Israel to see.
33 The older leaders, officers, judges, and all the Israelites were there; Israelites and Non-israelites were all standing around the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD in front of the priests, the Levites who had carried the Ark. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Ebal, and half stood in front of Mount Gerizim. This was the way the LORD' s servant Moses had earlier commanded the people to be blessed.
34 Then Joshua read all the words of the teachings, the blessings and the curses, exactly as they were written in the Book of the Teachings.
35 All the Israelites were gathered together- men, women, and children- along with the Non-israelites who lived among them. Joshua read every command that Moses had given.
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or discouraged; take the entire army and go to Ai, for it is now yours to conquer. I have given the king of Ai and all of his people to you. 2 You shall do to them as you did to Jericho and her king; but this time you may keep the loot and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."
3-4 Before the main army left for Ai, Joshua sent thirty thousand of his bravest troops to hide in ambush close behind the city, alert for action.
5 "This is the plan," he explained to them. "When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away. 6 We will let them chase us until they have all left the city; for they will say, `The Israelis are running away again just as they did before!' 7 Then you will jump up from your ambush and enter the city, for the Lord will give it to you. 8 Set the city on fire, as the Lord has commanded. You now have your instructions."
9 So they left that night and lay in ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai; but Joshua and the rest of the army remained in the camp at Jericho. 10 Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel, 11-13 and stopped at the edge of a valley north of the city. That night Joshua sent another five thousand men to join the troops in ambush on the west side of the city. He himself spent the night in the valley.
14 The king of Ai, seeing the Israelis across the valley, went out early the next morning and attacked at the plain of the Arabah. But of course he didn't realize that there was an ambush behind the city. 15 Joshua and the Israeli army fled across the wilderness as though badly beaten, 16 and all the soldiers in the city were called out to chase after them; so the city was left defenseless; 17 there was not a soldier left in Ai or Bethel, and the city gates were left wide open.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Point your spear toward Ai, for I will give you the city." Joshua did. 19 And when the men in ambush saw his signal, they jumped up and poured into the city and set it on fire. 20-21 When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the city was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go. When Joshua and the troops who were with him saw the smoke, they knew that their men who had been in ambush were inside the city, so they turned upon their pursuers and began killing them. 22 Then the Israelis who were inside the city came out and began destroying the enemy from the rear. So the men of Ai were caught in a trap and all of them died; not one man survived or escaped, 23 except for the king of Ai, who was captured and brought to Joshua.
24 When the army of Israel had finished slaughtering all the men outside the city, they went back and finished off everyone left inside. 25 So the entire population of Ai, twelve thousand in all, was wiped out that day. 26 For Joshua kept his spear pointed toward Ai until the last person was dead. 27 Only the cattle and the loot were not destroyed, for the armies of Israel kept these for themselves. (The Lord had told Joshua they could.) 28 So Ai became a desolate mound of refuse, as it still is today.
29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, but as the sun was going down, he took down the body and threw it in front of the city gate. There he piled a great heap of stones over it, which can still be seen.
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel at Mount Ebal, 31 as Moses had commanded in the book of his laws: "Make me an altar of boulders that have neither been broken nor carved," the Lord had said concerning Mount Ebal. Then the priests offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings to the Lord on the altar. 32 And as the people of Israel watched, Joshua carved upon the stones of the altar each of the Ten Commandments.
33 Then all the people of Israel-including the elders, officers, judges, and the foreigners living among them-divided into two groups, half of them standing at the foot of Mount Gerizim and half at the foot of Mount Ebal. Between them stood the priests with the Ark, ready to pronounce their blessing. (This was all done in accordance with the instructions given long before by Moses.) 34 Joshua then read to them all of the statements of blessing and curses that Moses had written in the book of God's laws. 35 Every commandment Moses had ever given was read before the entire assembly, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among the Israelis.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,175
3,3,5,390
4,4,7,519
5,5,9,676
6,6,11,858
7,7,13,978
8,8,15,1079
9,9,17,1153
10,10,19,1286
11,11,21,1404
12,12,23,1575
13,13,25,1699
14,14,27,1867
15,15,29,2119
16,16,31,2227
17,17,33,2332
18,18,35,2451
19,19,37,2600
20,20,39,2800
21,21,41,2999
22,22,43,3172
23,23,45,3418
24,24,47,3473
25,25,49,3644
26,26,51,3718
27,27,53,3861
28,28,55,4010
29,29,57,4113
30,30,59,4376
31,31,61,4456
32,32,63,4741
33,33,65,4837
34,34,67,5254
35,35,69,5399
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,352
5,8,5,502
9,13,7,981
14,17,9,1456
18,23,11,1942
24,28,13,2724
29,29,15,3235
30,32,17,3460
33,35,19,3900
REVIEW JOSHU 8:33
After Israel's military victory, Joshua obeyed God's command by gathering the people together and reminding them of God's laws (1:8). God knows how easily we forget. We, like the Israelites, constantly need to review what God says. We should not read the Bible as we do most other books-once through quickly. We should read it daily as a constant reminder of who God is and what we can become.
JOSHU009
1 All the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these things: the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They lived in the mountains and on the western hills and along the whole Mediterranean Sea coast.
2 So all these kings gathered to fight Joshua and the Israelites.
3 When the people of Gibeon heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai,
4 they decided to trick the Israelites. They gathered old sacks and old leather wine bags that were cracked and mended, and they put them on the backs of their donkeys.
5 They put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes, and they took some dry, moldy bread.
6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp near Gilgal. The men said to Joshua and the Israelites, "We have traveled from a faraway country. Make a peace agreement with us."
7 The Israelites said to these Hivites, "Maybe you live near us. How can we make a peace agreement with you?"
8 The Hivites said to Joshua, "We are your servants." But Joshua asked, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"
9 The men answered, "We are your servants who have come from a far country, because we heard of the fame of the LORD your God. We heard about what he has done and everything he did in Egypt.
10 We heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites from the east side of the Jordan River- Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan who ruled in Ashtaroth.
11 So our older leaders and our people said to us, `Take food for your journey and go and meet the Israelites. Tell them, "We are your servants. Make a peace agreement with us."'
12 "Look at our bread. On the day we left home to come to you it was warm and fresh, but now it is dry and moldy.
13 Look at our leather wine bags. They were new and filled with wine, but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and sandals are worn out from the long journey."
14 The men of Israel tasted the bread, but they did not ask the LORD what to do.
15 So Joshua agreed to make peace with the Gibeonites and to let them live. And the leaders of the Israelites swore an oath to keep the agreement.
16 Three days after they had made the agreement, the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites lived nearby.
17 So the Israelites went to where they lived and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
18 But the Israelites did not attack those cities, because they had made a promise to them before the LORD, the God of Israel. All the Israelites grumbled against the leaders.
19 But the leaders answered, "We have given our promise before the LORD, the God of Israel, so we cannot attack them now.
20 This is what we must do. We must let them live. Otherwise, God's anger will be against us for breaking the oath we swore to them.
21 So let them live, but they will cut wood and carry water for our people." So the leaders kept their promise to them.
22 Joshua called for the Gibeonites and asked, "Why did you lie to us? Your land was near our camp, but you told us you were from a far country.
23 Now, you will be placed under a curse to be our slaves. You will have to cut wood and carry water for the house of my God."
24 The Gibeonites answered Joshua, "We lied to you because we were afraid you would kill us. We heard that the LORD your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all of this land and to kill all the people who lived in it. That is why we did this.D
25 Now you can decide what to do with us, whatever you think is right."
26 So Joshua saved their lives by not allowing the Israelites to kill them,
27 but he made the Gibeonites slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelites, and they did it for the altar of the LORD- wherever he chose it to be. They are still doing this today.
1 When the kings of the surrounding area heard what had happened to Jericho, they quickly combined their armies to fight for their lives against Joshua and the Israelis. These were the kings of the nations west of the Jordan River, along the shores of the Mediterranean as far north as the Lebanon mountains-the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
3-5 But when the people of Gibeon heard what had happened to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to trickery to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua wearing worn-out clothing, as though from a long journey, with patched shoes, weatherworn saddlebags on their donkeys, old, patched wineskins and dry, moldy bread. 6 When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land to ask for a peace treaty with you."
7 The Israelis replied to these Hivites, "How do we know you don't live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you."
8 They replied, "We will be your slaves."
"But who are you?" Joshua demanded. "Where do you come from?"
9 And they told him, "We are from a very distant country; we have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all that he did in Egypt, 10 and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites-Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan. 11 So our elders and our people instructed us, `Prepare for a long journey; go to the people of Israel and declare our nation to be their servants, and ask for peace.' 12 This bread was hot from the ovens when we left, but now as you see, it is dry and moldy; 13 these wineskins were new, but now they are old and cracked; our clothing and shoes have become worn out from our long, hard trip."
14-15 Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them. They did not bother to ask the Lord but went ahead and signed a peace treaty. And the leaders of Israel ratified the agreement with a binding oath.
16 Three days later the facts came out-these men were close neighbors. 17 The Israeli army set out at once to investigate and reached their cities in three days. (The names of the cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.) 18 But the cities were not harmed because of the vow which the leaders of Israel had made before the Lord God. The people of Israel were angry with their leaders because of the peace treaty.
19 But the leaders replied, "We have sworn before the Lord God of Israel that we will not touch them, and we won't. 20 We must let them live, for if we break our oath, the wrath of Jehovah will be upon us."
21 So they became servants of the Israelis, chopping their wood and carrying their water.
22 Joshua summoned their leaders and demanded, "Why have you lied to us by saying that you lived in a distant land, when you were actually living right here among us? 23 Now a curse shall be upon you! From this moment you must always furnish us with servants to chop wood and carry water for the service of our God."
24 They replied, "We did it because we were told that Jehovah instructed his disciple Moses to conquer this entire land and destroy all the people living in it. So we feared for our lives because of you; that is why we have done it. 25 But now we are in your hands; you may do with us as you wish."
26 So Joshua would not allow the people of Israel to kill them, 27 but they became woodchoppers and water-carriers for the people of Israel and for the altar of the Lord-wherever it would be built (for the Lord hadn't yet told them where to build it). This arrangement is still in force at the time of this writing.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,255
3,3,5,325
4,4,7,403
5,5,9,576
6,6,11,676
7,7,13,850
8,8,15,964
9,9,17,1079
10,10,19,1274
11,11,21,1445
12,12,23,1628
13,13,25,1746
14,14,27,1915
15,15,29,2000
16,16,31,2151
17,17,33,2261
18,18,35,2401
19,19,37,2581
20,20,39,2707
21,21,41,2844
22,22,43,2968
23,23,45,3117
24,24,47,3248
25,25,49,3504
26,26,51,3580
27,27,53,3660
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,384
7,7,5,870
8,8,7,1003
9,13,10,1111
14,15,12,1748
16,18,14,1957
19,20,16,2392
21,21,18,2602
22,23,20,2695
24,25,22,3015
26,27,24,3317
JOSHU010
1 At this time ADONI-ZEDEK king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it, as he had also done to Jericho and its king. The king also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace agreement with Israel and that they lived nearby.of Mo
2 ADONI-ZEDEK and his people were very afraid because of this. Gibeon was not a little town like Ai; it was a large city, as big as a city that had a king, and all its men were good fighters.
3 So ADONI-ZEDEK king of Jerusalem sent a message to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon. He begged them,
4 "Come with me and help me attack Gibeon, which has made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites."
5 Then these five Amorite kings- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon- gathered their armies, went to Gibeon, surrounded it, and attacked it.
6 The Gibeonites sent this message to Joshua in his camp at Gilgal: "Don't let us, your servants, be destroyed. Come quickly and help us! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the mountains have joined their armies and are fighting against us."
7 So Joshua marched out of Gilgal with his whole army, including his best fighting men.
8 The LORD said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of those armies, because I will hand them over to you. None of them will be able to stand against you."
9 Joshua and his army marched all night from Gilgal for a surprise attack.
10 The LORD confused those armies when Israel attacked, so Israel defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. They chased them along the road going up to Beth Horon and killed men all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they chased the enemy down the Beth Horon Pass to Azekah, the LORD threw large hailstones on them from the sky and killed them. More people were killed by the hailstones than by the Israelites' swords.
12 On the day that the LORD gave up the Amorites to the Israelites, Joshua stood before all the people of Israel and said to the LORD: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon. Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. These words are written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and waited to go down for a full day.
14 That has never happened at any time before that day or since. That was the day the LORD listened to a human being. Truly the LORD was fighting for Israel!
15 After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.
16 During the fight the five kings ran away and hid in a cave near Makkedah,
17 but someone found them hiding in the cave at Makkedah and told Joshua.
18 So he said, "Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks. Put some men there to guard it,
19 but don't stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don't let them get to their cities, because the LORD your God will hand them over to you."
20 So Joshua and the Israelites killed the enemy, but a few were able to get back to their strong, walled cities.
21 After the fighting, Joshua's men came back safely to him at Makkedah. No one was brave enough to say a word against the Israelites.
22 Joshua said, "Move the rocks that are covering the opening of the cave and bring those five kings out to me."
23 So Joshua's men brought the five kings out of the cave- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 When they brought the five kings out to Joshua, he called for all his men. He said to the commanders of his army, "Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came close and put their feet on their necks.
25 Joshua said to his men, "Be strong and brave! Don't be afraid, because I will show you what the LORD will do to the enemies you will fight in the future."
26 Then Joshua killed the five kings and hung their bodies on five trees, where he left them until evening.
27 At sunset Joshua told his men to take the bodies down from the trees. Then they threw them into the same cave where they had been hiding and covered the opening of the cave with large rocks, which are still there today.
28 That day Joshua defeated Makkedah. He killed the king and completely destroyed all the people in that city as an offering to the LORD; no one was left alive. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.
30 The LORD handed over the city and its king. They killed every person in the city; no one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king that they had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Then Joshua and all the Israelites left Libnah and went to Lachish, which they surrounded and attacked.
32 The LORD handed over Lachish on the second day. The Israelites killed everyone in that city just as they had done to Libnah.
33 During this same time Horam king of Gezer came to help Lachish, but Joshua also defeated him and his army; no one was left alive.
34 Then Joshua and all the Israelites went from Lachish to Eglon. They surrounded Eglon, attacked it, and
35 captured it the same day. They killed all its people and completely destroyed everything in it as an offering to the LORD, just as they had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua and the Israelites went from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it,
37 capturing it and all the little towns near it. The Israelites killed everyone in Hebron; no one was left alive there. Just as they had done to Eglon, they completely destroyed the city and all its people as an offering to the LORD.
38 Then Joshua and the Israelites went back to Debir and attacked it.
39 They captured that city, its king, and all the little towns near it, completely destroying everyone in Debir as an offering to the LORD; no one was left alive there. Israel did to Debir and its king just as they had done to Libnah and its king, just as they had done to Hebron.
40 So Joshua defeated all the kings of the cities of these areas: the mountains, southern Canaan, the western hills, and the slopes. The LORD, the God of Israel, had told Joshua to completely destroy all the people as an offering to the LORD, so he left no one alive in those places.
41 Joshua captured all the cities from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and from Goshen to Gibeon.
42 He captured all these cities and their kings on one trip, because the LORD, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel.
43 Then Joshua and all the Israelites returned to their camp at Gilgal.
1 When Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured and destroyed Ai and had killed its king, the same as he had done at Jericho, and how the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were now their allies, 2 he was very frightened. For Gibeon was a great city-as great as the royal cities and much larger than Ai-and its men were known as hard fighters. 3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, King Debir of Eglon.
4 "Come and help me destroy Gibeon," he urged them, "for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel."
5 So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack on Gibeon. 6 The men of Gibeon hurriedly sent messengers to Joshua at Gilgal.
"Come and help your servants!" they demanded. "Come quickly and save us! For all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hills are here with their armies."
7 So Joshua and the Israeli army left Gilgal and went to rescue Gibeon.
8 "Don't be afraid of them," the Lord said to Joshua, "for they are already defeated! I have given them to you to destroy. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you."
9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the enemy armies by surprise. 10 Then the Lord threw them into a panic so that the army of Israel slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon and chased the others all the way to Beth-horon and Azekah and Makkedah, killing them along the way. 11 And as the enemy was racing down the hill to Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a great hailstorm that continued all the way to Azekah; in fact, more men died from the hail than by the swords of the Israelis.
12 As the men of Israel were pursuing and harassing the foe, Joshua prayed aloud, "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and let the moon stand in its place over the valley of Aijalon!"
13 And the sun and the moon didn't move until the Israeli army had finished the destruction of its enemies! This is described in greater detail in The Book of Jashar. So the sun stopped in the heavens and stayed there for almost twenty-four hours! 14 There had never been such a day before, and there has never been another since, when the Lord stopped the sun and moon-all because of the prayer of one man. But the Lord was fighting for Israel. 15 (Afterwards Joshua and the Israeli army returned to Gilgal.)
16 During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah. 17 When the news was brought to Joshua that they had been found, 18 he issued a command that a great stone be rolled against the mouth of the cave and that guards be placed there to keep the kings inside.
19 Then Joshua commanded the rest of the army, "Go on chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don't let them get back to their cities, for the Lord will help you to completely destroy them."
20 So Joshua and the Israeli army continued the slaughter and wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified cities. 21 Then the Israelis returned to their camp at Makkedah without having lost a single man! And after that no one dared to attack Israel.
22-23 Joshua now instructed his men to remove the stone from the mouth of the cave and to bring out the five kings-of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 Joshua told the captains of his army to put their feet on the kings' necks.
25 "Don't ever be afraid or discouraged," Joshua said to his men. "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies."
26 With that, Joshua plunged his sword into each of the five kings, killing them. He then hanged them on five trees until evening.
27 As the sun was going down, Joshua instructed that their bodies be taken down and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding; and a great pile of stones was placed at the mouth of the cave. (The pile is still there today.)
28 On that same day Joshua destroyed the city of Makkedah and killed its king and everyone in it. Not one person in the entire city was left alive. 29 Then the Israelis went to Libnah. 30 There, too, the Lord gave them the city and its king. Every last person was slaughtered, just as at Jericho.
31 From Libnah they went to Lachish and attacked it. 32 And the Lord gave it to them on the second day; here, too, the entire population was slaughtered, just as at Libnah.
33 During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to try to help defend the city, but Joshua's men killed him and destroyed his entire army.
34-35 The Israeli army then captured Eglon on the first day and, as at Lachish, they killed everyone in the city. 36 After leaving Eglon they went to Hebron 37 and captured it and all of its surrounding villages, slaughtering the entire population. Not one person was left alive. 38 Then they turned back to Debir, 39 which they quickly captured with all of its outlying villages. And they killed everyone just as they had at Libnah.
40 So Joshua and his army conquered the whole country-the nations and kings of the hill country, the Negeb, the lowlands, and the mountain slopes. They destroyed everyone in the land, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded, 41 slaughtering them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and from Goshen to Gibeon. 42 This was all accomplished in one campaign, for the Lord God of Israel was fighting for his people. 43 Then Joshua and his army returned to their camp at Gilgal.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,272
3,3,5,468
4,4,7,635
5,5,9,748
6,6,11,917
7,7,13,1164
8,8,15,1256
9,9,17,1408
10,10,19,1487
11,11,21,1707
12,12,23,1919
13,13,25,2136
14,14,27,2355
15,15,29,2517
16,16,31,2589
17,17,33,2670
18,18,35,2748
19,19,37,2848
20,20,39,3038
21,21,41,3156
22,22,43,3295
23,23,45,3412
24,24,47,3536
25,25,49,3767
26,26,51,3929
27,27,53,4041
28,28,55,4268
29,29,57,4520
30,30,59,4607
31,31,61,4803
32,32,63,4914
33,33,65,5046
34,34,67,5183
35,35,69,5293
36,36,71,5457
37,37,73,5538
38,38,75,5777
39,39,77,5851
40,40,79,6136
41,41,81,6424
42,42,83,6517
43,43,85,6644
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,551
5,6,5,671
7,7,8,983
8,8,10,1058
9,11,12,1243
12,12,14,1756
13,15,16,1944
16,18,18,2457
19,19,20,2740
20,21,22,2945
22,24,24,3244
25,25,26,3492
26,26,28,3646
27,27,30,3780
28,30,32,4013
31,32,34,4313
33,33,36,4489
34,39,38,4658
40,43,40,5095
HOPE JOSHU 10:25
With God's help, Israel won the battle against five armies. Such a triumph was part of God's daily business as he worked with his people for victory. Joshua told his men never to be afraid, because God would give them similar victories over all their enemies. God has often protected us and won victories in our lives. The same God who empowered Joshua and who has led us in the past will help us with our present and future needs. Reminding ourselves of his help in the past will give us hope for the struggles that lie ahead.
RUTHLESS JOSHU 10:40-43
God had commanded Joshua to take the leadership in ridding the land of sin so God's people could occupy it. Joshua did his part thoroughly-leading the united army to weaken the inhabitants. When God orders us to eliminate sin from our lives, we must not pause to debate, consider the options, negotiate a compromise, or rationalize. Instead, like Joshua, our response must be swift and complete. We must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives.
Ult. Issues: Other Religions ,!page "^other" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOSHU011
1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard about all that had happened, he sent messages to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Acshaph.
2 He sent messages to the kings in the northern mountains and also to the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Lake Galilee and in the western hills. He sent a message to the king of Naphoth Dor in the west
3 and to the kings of the Canaanites in the east and in the west. He sent messages to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the mountains. Jabin also sent one to the Hivites, who lived below Mount Hermon in the area of Mizpah.
4 So the armies of all these kings came together with their horses and chariots. There were as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore.
5 All of these kings met together at the waters of Merom, joined their armies together into one camp, and made plans to fight against the Israelites.
6 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will cripple their horses and burn all their chariots."
7 So Joshua and his whole army surprised the enemy by attacking them at the waters of Merom.
8 The LORD handed them over to Israel. They chased them to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Valley of Mizpah in the east. Israel fought until none of the enemy was left alive.
9 Joshua did what the LORD said to do; he crippled their horses and burned their chariots.
10 Then Joshua went back and captured the city of Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had been the leader of all the kingdoms that fought against Israel.)
11 Israel killed everyone in Hazor, completely destroying them; no one was left alive. Then they burned Hazor itself.
12 Joshua captured all of these cities, killed all of their kings, and completely destroyed everything in these cities. He did this just as Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded.
13 But the Israelites did not burn any cities that were built on their mounds, except Hazor; only that city was burned by Joshua.
14 The people of Israel kept for themselves everything they found in the cities, including all the animals. But they killed all the people there; they left no one alive.
15 Long ago the LORD had commanded his servant Moses to do this, and then Moses had commanded Joshua to do it. Joshua did everything the LORD had commanded Moses.
16 So Joshua defeated all the people in the land. He had control of the mountains and the area of southern Canaan, all the areas of Goshen, the western hills, and the Jordan Valley. He controlled the mountains of Israel and all the hills near them.
17 Joshua controlled all the land from Mount Halak near Edom to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon, below Mount Hermon. Joshua also captured all the kings in the land and killed them.
18 He fought against them for many years.
19 The people of only one city in all the land had made a peace agreement with Israel- the Hivites living in Gibeon. All the other cities were defeated in war.
20 The LORD made those people stubborn so they would fight against Israel and he could completely destroy them without mercy. This is what the LORD had commanded Moses to do.
21 Now Joshua fought the Anakites who lived in the mountains of Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel, and he completely destroyed them and their towns.
22 There were no Anakites left living in the land of the Israelites and only a few were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
23 Joshua took control of all the land of Israel as the LORD had told Moses to do long ago. He gave the land to Israel, because he had promised it to them. Then Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel, and there was peace in the land.P
1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent urgent messages to the following kings:
King Jobab of Madon;
The king of Shimron;
The king of Achshaph;
All the kings of the northern hill country;
The kings in the Arabah, south of Chinneroth;
Those in the lowland;
The kings in the mountain areas of Dor, on the west;
The kings of Canaan, both east and west;
The kings of the Amorites;
The kings of the Hittites;
The kings of the Perizzites;
The kings in the Jebusite hill country;
The Hivite kings in the cities on the slopes of Mount Hermon, in the land of Mizpah.
4 All these kings responded by mobilizing their armies and uniting to crush Israel. Their combined troops, along with a vast array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape around the springs of Merom as far as one could see; 5 for they established their camp at the springs of Merom.
6 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow they will all be dead! Hamstring their horses and burn their chariots." 7 Joshua and his troops arrived suddenly at the springs of Merom and attacked. 8 And the Lord gave all that vast army to the Israelis, who chased them as far as Great Sidon and a place called the Salt Pits, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah; so not one enemy troop survived the battle. 9 Then Joshua and his men did as the Lord had instructed, for they hamstrung the horses and burned all the chariots.
10 On the way back, Joshua captured Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had at one time been the capital of the federation of all those kingdoms.) 11 Every person there was killed and the city was burned.
12 Then he attacked and destroyed all the other cities of those kings. All the people were slaughtered, just as Moses had commanded long before. 13 (However, Joshua did not burn any of the cities built on mounds except for Hazor.) 14 All the loot and cattle of the ravaged cities were taken by the Israelis for themselves, but they killed all the people. 15 For so the Lord had commanded his disciple Moses; and Moses had passed the commandment on to Joshua, who did as he had been told: he carefully obeyed all of the Lord's instructions to Moses.
16 So Joshua conquered the entire land-the hill country, the Negeb, the land of Goshen, the lowlands, the Arabah, and the hills and lowlands of Israel. 17 The Israeli territory now extended all the way from Mount Halak, near Seir, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, at the foot of Mount Hermon. And Joshua killed all the kings of those territories. 18 It took seven years of war to accomplish all of this. 19 None of the cities was given a peace treaty except the Hivites of Gibeon; all of the others were destroyed. 20 For the Lord made the enemy kings want to fight the Israelis instead of asking for peace; so they were mercilessly killed, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
21 During this period Joshua routed all of the giants-the descendants of Anak who lived in the hill country in Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel; he killed them all and completely destroyed their cities. 22 None was left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
23 So Joshua took the entire land just as the Lord had instructed Moses; and he gave it to the people of Israel as their inheritance, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally rested from its war.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,160
3,3,5,370
4,4,7,616
5,5,9,764
6,6,11,918
7,7,13,1095
8,8,15,1192
9,9,17,1379
10,10,19,1474
11,11,21,1631
12,12,23,1754
13,13,25,1945
14,14,27,2079
15,15,29,2253
16,16,31,2420
17,17,33,2673
18,18,35,2860
19,19,37,2906
20,20,39,3070
21,21,41,3249
22,22,43,3407
23,23,45,3531
1,3,1,1
4,5,16,621
6,9,18,913
10,11,20,1479
12,15,22,1685
16,20,24,2237
21,22,26,2919
23,23,28,3229
OBEDIENCE JOSHU 11:15
Joshua carefully obeyed all the instructions given by God. This theme of obedience is repeated frequently in the book of Joshua, partly because obedience is one aspect of life the individual believer can control. We can't always control understanding because we may not have all the facts. We can't control what other people do or how they treat us. However, we can choose to obey God. Whatever new challenges we may face, the Bible contains relevant instructions that we can choose to ignore or choose to follow.
PROGRESS JOSHU 11:18
The conquest of much of the land of Canaan seems to have happened quickly (we can read about it in one sitting), but it actually took seven years. We often expect quick changes in our lives and quick victories over sin. But our journey with God is a lifelong process, and the changes and victories may take time. It is easy to grow impatient with God and feel like giving up hope because things are moving too slowly. When we are close to a situation, it is difficult to see progress. But when we look back, we can see that God never stops working.
JOSHU012
1 The Israelites took control of the land east of the Jordan River from the Arnon Ravine to Mount Hermon and all the land along the eastern side of the Jordan Valley. These lands belonged to the kings whom the Israelites defeated.
2 Sihon king of the Amorites lived in the city of Heshbon and ruled the land from Aroer at the Arnon Ravine to the Jabbok River. His land started in the middle of the ravine, which was their border with the Ammonites. Sihon ruled over half the land of Gilead
3 and over the eastern side of the Jordan Valley from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea. And he ruled from Beth Jeshimoth south to the slopes of Pisgah.
4 Og king of Bashan was one of the last of the Rephaites. He ruled the land in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, and all the area of Bashan up to where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived. Og also ruled half the land of Gilead up to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 The LORD' s servant Moses and the Israelites defeated all these kings, and Moses gave that land to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to East Manasseh as their own.
7 Joshua and the Israelites also defeated kings in the land west of the Jordan River. He gave the people the land and divided it among the twelve tribes to be their own. It was between Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon and Mount Halak near Edom.
8 This included the mountains, the western hills, the Jordan Valley, the slopes, the desert, and southern Canaan. This was the land where the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had lived. The Israelites defeated the king of each of the following cities:
9 Jericho, Ai (near Bethel),
10 Jerusalem, Hebron,
11 Jarmuth, Lachish,
12 Eglon, Gezer,
13 Debir, Geder,
14 Hormah, Arad,
15 Libnah, Adullam,
16 Makkedah, Bethel,
17 Tappuah, Hepher,
18 Aphek, Lasharon,
19 Madon, Hazor,
20 Shimron Meron, Acshaph,
21 Taanach, Megiddo,
22 Kedesh, Jokneam in Carmel,
23 Dor (in Naphoth Dor), Goyim in Gilgal, and
24 Tirzah. The total number of kings was thirty-one.
1 Here is the list of the kings on the east side of the Jordan River whose cities were destroyed by the Israelis: (The area involved stretched all the way from the valley of the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, including the cities of the eastern desert.)
2 King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. His kingdom extended from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and from the middle of the valley of the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, which is the boundary of the Ammonites. This includes half of the present area of Gilead, which lies north of the Jabbok River. 3 Sihon also controlled the Jordan River Valley as far north as the western shores of the Lake of Galilee; and as far south as the Dead Sea and the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
4 King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei: 5 He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon in the north to Salecah on Mount Bashan in the east, and on the west, extending to the boundary of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. His kingdom also stretched south to include the northern half of Gilead where the boundary touched the border of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon. 6 Moses and the people of Israel had destroyed these people, and Moses gave the land to the tribes of Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
7 Here is a list of the kings destroyed by Joshua and the armies of Israel on the west side of the Jordan. (This land which lay between Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon and Mount Halak, west of Mount Seir, was allotted by Joshua to the other tribes of Israel. 8-24 The area included the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the Judean Desert, and the Negeb.
The people who lived there were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): the king of Jericho; the king of Ai, near Bethel; the king of Jerusalem; the king of Hebron; the king of Jarmuth; the king of Lachish; the king of Eglon; the king of Gezer; the king of Debir; the king of Geder; the king of Hormah; the king of Arad; the king of Libnah; the king of Adullam; the king of Makkedah; the king of Bethel; the king of Tappuah; the king of Hepher; the king of Aphek; the king of Lasharon; the king of Madon; the king of Hazor; the king of Shimron-meron; the king of Achshaph; the king of Taanach; the king of Megiddo; the king of Kedesh; the king of Jokneam, in Carmel; the king of Dor in the city of Naphathdor; the king of Goiim in Gilgal; the king of Tirzah. So in all, thirty-one kings and their cities were destroyed.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,236
3,3,5,499
4,4,7,651
5,5,9,755
6,6,11,957
7,7,13,1126
8,8,15,1376
9,9,17,1666
10,10,19,1699
11,11,21,1725
12,12,23,1750
13,13,25,1771
14,14,27,1792
15,15,29,1813
16,16,31,1837
17,17,33,1862
18,18,35,1886
19,19,37,1910
20,20,39,1931
21,21,41,1962
22,22,43,1987
23,23,45,2021
24,24,47,2071
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,256
4,6,5,751
7,7,7,1313
JOSHU013
1 When Joshua was very old, the LORD said to him, "Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to take.
2 This is what is left: the regions of Geshur and of the Philistines;
3 the area from the Shihor River at the border of Egypt to Ekron in the north, which belongs to the Canaanites; the five Philistine leaders at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites,
4 who live south of the Canaanite land;
5 the Gebalites, and the area of Lebanon east of Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 "The Sidonians are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, but I will force all of them out ahead of the Israelites. Be sure to remember this land when you divide the land among the Israelites, as I told you.
7 "Now divide the land among the nine tribes and West Manasseh."
8 East Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had received their land. The LORD' s servant Moses had given them the land east of the Jordan River.
9 Their land started at Aroer at the Arnon Ravine and continued to the town in the middle of the ravine, and it included the whole plain from Medeba to Dibon.
10 All the towns ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in the city of Heshbon, were in that land. The land continued to the area where the Ammonites lived.
11 Gilead was also there, as well as the area where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived, and all of Mount Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah.
12 All the kingdom of Og king of Bashan was in the land. Og was one of the last of the Rephaites, and in the past he ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had defeated them and had taken their land.
13 Because the Israelites did not force out the people of Geshur and Maacah, they still live among the Israelites today.
14 The tribe of Levi was the only one that did not get any land. Instead, they were given all the burned sacrifices made to the LORD, the God of Israel, as he had promised them.
15 Moses had given each family group from the tribe of Reuben some land:
16 Theirs was the land from Aroer near the Arnon Ravine to the town of Medeba, including the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ravine;
17 Heshbon and all the towns on the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon,
18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,
20 Beth Peor, the hills of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth.
21 So that land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that Sihon king of the Amorites had ruled from the town of Heshbon. Moses had defeated him along with the leaders of the Midianites, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All these leaders fought together with Sihon and lived in that country.
22 The Israelites killed many people during the fighting, including Balaam of Beor, who tried to use magic to tell the future.
23 The land given to Reuben stopped at the shore of the Jordan River. So the land given to the family groups of Reuben included all these towns and their villages that were listed.
24 This is the land Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to all its family groups:
25 the land of Jazar and all the towns of Gilead; half the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near Rabbah;
26 the area from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim; the area from Mahanaim to the land of Debir;
27 in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the other land Sihon king of Heshbon had ruled east of the Jordan River and continuing to the end of Lake Galilee.
28 All this land went to the family groups of Gad, including all these towns and their villages.
29 This is the land Moses had given to East Manassah. Half of all the family groups in the tribe of Manasseh were given this land:
30 The land started at Mahanaim and included all of Bashan and the land ruled by Og king of Bashan; all the towns of Jair in Bashan, sixty cities in all;
31 half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities where Og king of Bashan had ruled. All this went to the family of Makir son of Manasseh, and half of all his sons were given this land.
32 Moses had given this land to these tribes on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River east of Jericho.
33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi because the LORD, the God of Israel, promised that he himself would be the gift for the Levites.
1 Joshua was now an old man. "You are growing old," the Lord said to him, "and there are still many nations to be conquered. 2-7 Here is a list of the areas still to be occupied:
All the land of the Philistines;
The land of the Geshurites;
The territory now belonging to the Canaanites from the brook of Egypt to the southern boundary of Ekron;
Five cities of the Philistines: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron;
The land of the Avvim in the south;
In the north, all the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah (which belongs to the Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek at the boundary of the Amorites;
The land of the Gebalites on the coast and all of the Lebanon mountain area from Baal-gad beneath Mount Hermon in the south to the entrance of Hamath in the north;
All the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, including all the land of the Sidonians.
"I am ready to drive these people out from before the nation of Israel, so include all this territory when you divide the land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh as I have commanded you."
8 The other half of the tribe of Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, for Moses had previously assigned this land to them. 9 Their territory ran from Aroer, on the edge of the valley of the Arnon River, included the city in the valley, and crossed the tableland of Medeba to Dibon; 10 it also included all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and extended as far as the borders of Ammon. 11 It included Gilead; the territory of the Geshurites and the Maacathites; all of Mount Hermon; Mount Bashan with its city of Salecah; 12 and all the territory of King Og of Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the last of the Rephaim, for Moses had attacked them and driven them out. 13 However, the people of Israel had not driven out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, who still live there among the Israelites to this day.)
14 The Territorial Assignments
The Land Given to the Tribe of Levi: Moses hadn't assigned any land to the tribe of Levi: instead, they were given the offerings brought to the Lord.
15 The Land Given to the Tribe of Reuben: Fitting the size of its territory to the size of its population, Moses had assigned the following area to the tribe of Reuben: 16 Their land extended from Aroer on the edge of the valley of the Arnon River, past the city of Arnon in the middle of the valley, to beyond the tableland near Medeba. 17 It included Heshbon and the other cities on the plain-Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the mountain above the valley, 20 Beth-peor, Beth-jeshimoth, and the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
21 The land of Reuben also included the cities of the tableland and the kingdom of Sihon. Sihon was the king who had lived in Heshbon and was killed by Moses along with the other chiefs of Midian-Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. 22 The people of Israel also killed Balaam the magician, the son of Beor. 23 The Jordan River was the western boundary of the tribe of Reuben.
24 The Land Given to the Tribe of Gad: Moses also assigned land to the tribe of Gad in proportion to its population.
25 This territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of the land of Ammon as far as Aroer near Rabbah. 26 It also extended from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to Lodebar. 27-28 In the valley were Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The Jordan River was the western border, extending as far as the Lake of Galilee; then the border turned east from the Jordan River.
29 The Land Given to the Half-Tribe of Manasseh: Moses had assigned the following territory to the half-tribe of Manasseh in proportion to its needs:
30 Their territory extended north from Mahanaim, included all of Bashan, the former kingdom of King Og, and the sixty cities of Jair in Bashan. 31 Half of Gilead and King Og's royal cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei were given to half of the clan Machir, who was Manasseh's son.
32 That was how Moses divided the land east of the Jordan River where the people were camped at that time across from Jericho. 33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi for, as he had explained to them, the Lord God was their inheritance. He was all they needed. He would take care of them in other ways.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,204
4,4,7,405
5,5,9,449
6,6,11,546
7,7,13,781
8,8,15,850
9,9,17,1004
10,10,19,1167
11,11,21,1336
12,12,23,1485
13,13,25,1686
14,14,27,1811
15,15,29,1993
16,16,31,2070
17,17,33,2221
18,18,35,2308
19,19,37,2342
20,20,39,2410
21,21,41,2469
22,22,43,2789
23,23,45,2920
24,24,47,3105
25,25,49,3187
26,26,51,3311
27,27,53,3415
28,28,55,3598
29,29,57,3700
30,30,59,3835
31,31,61,3993
32,32,63,4185
33,33,65,4297
1,7,1,1
8,13,12,1102
14,14,14,2046
15,20,17,2233
21,23,19,2830
24,24,21,3204
25,28,23,3324
29,29,25,3797
30,31,26,3948
32,33,28,4226
EXPERIENCE JOSHU 13:1
Joshua was getting old-he was between 85 and 100 years of age at this time. God, however, still had work for him to do. Our culture often glorifies the young and strong and sets aside those who are older. Yet older people are filled with the wisdom that comes with experience. They are capable of serving if given the chance and should be encouraged to do so. How do you treat older people?
JOSHU014
1 Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of all the tribes of Israel decided what land to give to the people in the land of Canaan.
2 The LORD had commanded Moses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine-and-a-half tribes threw lots to decide which land they would receive.
3 Moses had already given the two-and-a-half tribes their land east of the Jordan River. But the tribe of Levi was not given any land like the others.
4 The sons of Joseph had divided into two tribes- Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was not given any land. It was given only some towns in which to live and pastures for its animals.
5 The LORD had told Moses how to give the land to the tribes of Israel, and the Israelites divided the land.
6 One day some men from the tribe of Judah went to Joshua at Gilgal. Among them was Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. He said to Joshua, "You remember what the LORD said at Kadesh Barnea when he was speaking to the prophet Moses about you and me.
7 Moses, the LORD' s servant, sent me to look at the land where we were going. I was forty years old then. When I came back, I told Moses what I thought about the land.
8 The other men who went with me frightened the people, but I fully believed the LORD would allow us to take the land.
9 So that day Moses promised me, `The land where you went will become your land, and your children will own it forever. I will give you that land because you fully believed in the LORD, my God.'
10 "Now then, the LORD has kept his promise. He has kept me alive for forty-five years from the time he said this to Moses during the time we all wandered in the desert. Now here I am, eighty-five years old.
11 I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then.
12 So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that the Anakite people lived there and the cities were large and well protected. But now with the LORD helping me, I will force them out, just as the LORD said."
13 Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him the city of Hebron as his own.
14 Hebron still belongs to the family of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he had faith and obeyed the LORD, the God of Israel.
15 (In the past it was called Kiriath Arba, named for Arba, the greatest man among the Anakites.) After this there was peace in the land.
1 The conquered lands of Canaan were allotted to the remaining nine and a half tribes of Israel. The decision as to which tribe would receive which area was decided by throwing before the Lord, and he caused them to turn up in the ways he wanted. Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the tribal leaders supervised the lottery.
3-4 (Moses had already given land to the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River. The tribe of Joseph had become two separate tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and the Levites were given no land at all, except cities in which to live and the surrounding pasturelands for their cattle. 5 So the distribution of the land was in strict accordance with the Lord's directions to Moses.)
6 The Land Given to Caleb: A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb, came to Joshua in Gilgal.
"Remember what the Lord said to Moses about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea?" Caleb asked Joshua. 7 "I was forty years old at the time, and Moses had sent us from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I reported what I felt was the truth, 8 but our brothers who went with us frightened the people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. But since I had followed the Lord my God, 9 Moses told me, `The section of Canaan you were just in shall belong to you and your descendants forever.'
10 "Now, as you see, from that time until now the Lord has kept me alive and well for all these forty-five years since crisscrossing the wilderness, and today I am eighty-five years old. 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent us on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then! 12 So I'm asking that you give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as spies we found the Anakim living there in great, walled cities, but if the Lord is with me, I shall drive them out of the land."
13-14 So Joshua blessed him and gave him Hebron as a permanent inheritance because he had followed the Lord God of Israel. 15 (Before that time Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba, after a great hero of the Anakim.)
And there was no resistance from the local populations as the Israelis resettled the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,153
3,3,5,337
4,4,7,492
5,5,9,686
6,6,11,799
7,7,13,1054
8,8,15,1227
9,9,17,1350
10,10,19,1549
11,11,21,1761
12,12,23,1882
13,13,25,2144
14,14,27,2233
15,15,29,2376
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,326
6,9,5,726
10,12,7,1350
13,15,9,1898
PRECISELY JOSHU 14:5
The land was divided exactly as God had instructed Moses years before. Joshua did not change a word. He followed God's commands precisely. Often we believe that almost is close enough, and this idea can carry over into our spiritual lives. For example, we may follow God's word as long as we agree with it, but ignore it when the demands seem difficult. But God is looking for leaders who follow instructions precisely.
INTEGRITY JOSHU 14:6-12
When Joshua gave Caleb his land, he fulfilled a promise God had made to Caleb 45 years earlier. We expect such integrity and reliability from God, but do we expect the same from his followers? How about you? Is your word this reliable? Would you honor a 45-year-old promise? God would-and does. Even today he is honoring promises he made thousands of years ago. In fact, some of his greatest promises are yet to be fulfilled. This gives us much to look forward to. Let your faith grow as you realize how God keeps his word.
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JOSHU015
1 The land that was given to the tribe of Judah was divided among all the family groups. It went all the way to the Desert of Zin in the far south, at the border of Edom.
2 The southern border of Judah's land started at the south end of the Dead Sea
3 and went south of Scorpion Pass to Zin. From there it passed to the south of Kadesh Barnea and continued past Hezron to Addar. From Addar it turned and went to Karka.
4 It continued to Azmon, the brook of Egypt, and then to the Mediterranean Sea. This was the southern border.
5 The eastern border was the shore of the Dead Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border started at the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River.
6 Then it went to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
7 Then the northern border went through the Valley of Achor to Debir where it turned toward the north and went to Gilgal. Gilgal is across from the road that goes through Adummim Pass, on the south side of the ravine. The border continued to the waters of En Shemesh and stopped at En Rogel.
8 Then it went through the Valley of Ben Hinnom, next to the southern side of the Jebusite city (which is called Jerusalem). There the border went to the top of the hill on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of the Valley of Giants.
9 From there it went to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and then it went to the cities near Mount Ephron. There it turned and went toward Baalah, which is called Kiriath Jearim.
10 At Baalah the border turned west and went toward Mount Seir. It continued along the north side of Mount Jearim (also called Kesalon) and came to Beth Shemesh. From there it went past Timnah
11 to the hill north of Ekron. Then it turned toward Shikkeron and went past Mount Baalah and continued on to Jabneel, ending at the sea.
12 The Mediterranean Sea was the western border. Inside these borders lived the family groups of Judah.
13 The LORD had commanded Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh part of the land in Judah, so he gave Caleb the town of Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
14 Caleb forced out the three Anakite families living in Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.
15 Then he left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.)
16 Caleb said, "I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher."
17 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife.
18 When Acsah came to Othniel, she told him to ask her father for a field. So Acsah went to her father. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"
19 Acsah answered, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in southern Canaan, also give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 The tribe of Judah got the land God had promised them. Each family group got part of the land.
21 The tribe of Judah got all these towns in the southern part of Canaan near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (also called Hazor),
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet,
28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. There were twenty-nine towns and their villages.
33 The tribe of Judah got these towns in the western hills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (also called Gederothaim). There were fourteen towns and their villages.
37 Judah was also given these towns in the western hills: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,
38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish,
41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
42 Judah was also given these towns in the western hills: Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah. There were nine towns and their villages.
45 The tribe of Judah was also given these towns: Ekron and all the small towns and villages near it;
46 the area west of Ekron and all the villages and small towns near Ashdod;
47 Ashdod and the small towns and villages around it; the villages and small towns around Gaza as far as the brook of Egypt and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
48 The tribe of Judah was also given these towns in the mountains: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (also called Debir),
50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. There were eleven towns and their villages.
52 They were also given these towns in the mountains: Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), and Zior. There were nine towns and their villages.
55 Judah was also given these towns in the mountains: Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. There were ten towns and their villages.
58 They were also given these towns in the mountains: Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. There were six towns and their villages.
60 The people of Judah were also given the two towns of Rabbah and Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim) and their villages.
61 Judah was given these towns in the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. There were six towns and all their villages.
63 The army of Judah was not able to force out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites still live among the people of Judah to this day.
1 The Land Given to the Tribe of Judah (as assigned by sacred lot): Judah's southern boundary began at the northern border of Edom, crossed the wilderness of Zin, and ended at the northern edge of the Negeb. 2-4 More specifically, this boundary began at the south bay of the Dead Sea, ran along the road going south of Mount Akrabbim, on into the wilderness of Zin to Hezron (south of Kadesh-barnea), and then up through Karka and Azmon, until it finally reached the brook of Egypt, and along that to the Mediterranean Sea.
5 The eastern boundary extended along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River.
The northern boundary began at the bay where the Jordan River empties into the Salt Sea, 6 crossed to Beth-hoglah, then proceeded north of Beth-arabah to the stone of Bohan (son of Reuben). 7 From that point it went through the valley of Achor to Debir, where it turned northwest toward Gilgal, opposite the slopes of Adummim on the south side of the valley. From there the border extended to the springs at En-shemesh and on to En-rogel. 8 The boundary then passed through the valley of Hinnom, along the southern shoulder of Jebus (where the city of Jerusalem is located), then west to the top of the mountain above the valley of Hinnom, and on up to the northern end of the valley of Rephaim. 9 From there the border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron before it turned northward to circle around Baalah (which is another name for Kiriath-jearim). 10-11 Then the border circled west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passed along to the town of Chesalon on the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim, and went down to Beth-shemesh. Turning northwest again, the boundary line proceeded past the south of Timnah to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, where it bent to the left, passing south of Shikkeron and Mount Baalah. Turning again to the north, it passed Jabneel and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
12 The western border was the shoreline of the Mediterranean.
13 The Land Given to Caleb: The Lord instructed Joshua to assign some of Judah's territory to Caleb (son of Jephunneh), so he was given the city of Arba (also called Hebron), which had been named after Anak's father. 14 Caleb drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak: Talmai, Sheshai, and Ahiman. 15 Then he fought against the people living in the city of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).
16 Caleb said that he would give his daughter Achsah to be the wife of anyone who would go and capture Kiriath-sepher. 17 Othniel (son of Kenaz), Caleb's nephew, was the one who conquered it, so Achsah became Othniel's wife. 18-19 As she was leaving with him, she urged him to ask her father for an additional field as a wedding present. She got off her donkey to speak to Caleb about this.
"What is it? What can I do for you?" he asked.
And she replied, "Give me another present! For the land you gave me is a desert. Give us some springs too!" Then he gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 So this was the assignment of land to the tribe of Judah:
21-32 The cities of Judah which were situated along the borders of Edom in the Negeb, namely: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (or, Hazor), Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. In all, there were twenty-nine of these cities with their surrounding villages.
33-36 The following cities situated in the lowlands were also given to Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim. In all, there were fourteen of these cities with their surrounding villages.
37-44 The tribe of Judah also inherited twenty-five other cities with their villages: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, Makkedah, Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah.
45 The territory of the tribe of Judah also included all the towns and villages of Ekron. 46 From Ekron the boundary extended to the Mediterranean and included the cities along the borders of Ashdod with their nearby villages; 47 also the city of Ashdod with its villages, and Gaza with its villages as far as the brook of Egypt; also the entire Mediterranean coast from the mouth of the brook of Egypt on the south to Tyre on the north.
48-62 Judah also received these forty-four cities in the hill country with their surrounding villages:
Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (or Debir), Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, Giloh, Arab, Dumah, Eshan, Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath-arba (or, Hebron), Zior, Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah, Timnah, Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon, Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim), Rabbah, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, The City of Salt, and En-gedi.
63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,176
3,3,5,259
4,4,7,432
5,5,9,546
6,6,11,727
7,7,13,833
8,8,15,1129
9,9,17,1383
10,10,19,1570
11,11,21,1767
12,12,23,1909
13,13,25,2017
14,14,27,2206
15,15,29,2329
16,16,31,2461
17,17,33,2588
18,18,35,2713
19,19,37,2893
20,20,39,3068
21,21,41,3170
22,22,43,3294
23,23,45,3325
24,24,47,3355
25,25,49,3384
26,26,51,3443
27,27,53,3472
28,28,55,3514
29,29,57,3557
30,30,59,3583
31,31,61,3614
32,32,63,3651
33,33,65,3742
34,34,67,3830
35,35,69,3871
36,36,71,3911
37,37,73,4023
38,38,75,4114
39,39,77,4147
40,40,79,4179
41,41,81,4211
42,42,83,4307
43,43,85,4391
44,44,87,4421
45,45,89,4499
46,46,91,4605
47,47,93,4685
48,48,95,4859
49,49,97,4953
50,50,99,5004
51,51,101,5033
52,52,103,5110
53,53,105,5188
54,54,107,5225
55,55,109,5327
56,56,111,5413
57,57,113,5446
58,58,115,5520
59,59,117,5603
60,60,119,5685
61,61,121,5818
62,62,123,5898
63,63,125,5990
1,4,1,1
5,11,3,528
12,12,6,1988
13,15,8,2053
16,19,10,2463
20,20,14,3060
21,32,15,3122
33,36,17,3637
37,44,19,3932
45,47,21,4242
48,62,23,4683
63,63,26,5237
JOSHU016
1 This is the land the tribe of Joseph received. It started at the Jordan River near Jericho and continued to the waters of Jericho, just east of the city. The border went up from Jericho to the mountains of Bethel.
2 Then it continued from Bethel (also called Luz) to the Arkite border at Ataroth.
3 From there it went west to the border of the Japhletites and continued to the area of the Lower Beth Horon. Then it went to Gezer and ended at the sea.
4 So Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, received their land.
5 This is the land that was given to the family groups of Ephraim: Their border started at Ataroth Addar in the east, went to Upper Beth Horon,
6 and then to the sea. From Micmethath it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and continued eastward to Janoah.
7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah. It continued until it touched Jericho and stopped at the Jordan River.
8 The border went from Tappuah west to Kanah Ravine and ended at the sea. This is all the land that was given to each family group in the tribe of the Ephraimites.
9 Many of the towns were actually within Manasseh's borders, but the people of Ephraim got those towns and their villages.
10 The Ephraimites could not force the Canaanites to leave Gezer, so the Canaanites still live among the Ephraimites today, but they became slaves of the Ephraimites.
1 The Southern Boundary of the Tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh): This boundary extended from the Jordan River at Jericho through the wilderness and the hill country to Bethel. It then went from Bethel to Luz, then on to Ataroth, in the territory of the Archites; and west to the border of the Japhletites as far as Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer and on over to the Mediterranean.
5-6 The Land Given to the Tribe of Ephraim: The eastern boundary began at Ataroth-addar. From there it ran to Upper Beth-horon, then on to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern boundary began at the Sea, ran east past Michmethath, then continued on past Taanath-shiloh and Janoah. 7 From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River. 8 The western half of the northern boundary went from Tappuah and followed along Kanah Brook to the Mediterranean Sea. 9 Ephraim was also given some of the cities in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh. 10 The Canaanites living in Gezer were never driven out, so they still live as slaves among the people of Ephraim.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,221
3,3,5,308
4,4,7,466
5,5,9,534
6,6,11,682
7,7,13,800
8,8,15,933
9,9,17,1101
10,10,19,1228
1,4,1,1
5,10,3,410
JOSHU017
1 Then land was given to the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's first son. Manasseh's first son was Makir, the father of Gilead. Makir was a great soldier, so the lands of Gilead and Bashan were given to his family.
2 Land was also given to the other family groups of Manasseh- Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were all the other sons of Manasseh son of Joseph.
3 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, who was the son of Gilead, who was the son of Makir, who was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad had no sons, but he had five daughters, named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 They went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua son of Nun and all the leaders. They said, "The LORD told Moses to give us land like the men received." So Eleazar obeyed the LORD and gave the daughters some land, just like the brothers of their father.D
5 So the tribe of Manasseh had ten sections of land west of the Jordan River and two more sections, Gilead and Bashan, on the east side of the Jordan River.
6 The daughters of Manasseh received land just as the sons did. Gilead was given to the rest of the families of Manasseh.
7 The lands of Manasseh were in the area between Asher and Micmethath, near Shechem. The border went south to the En Tappuah area,
8 which belonged to Manasseh, except for the town of Tappuah. It was along the border of Manasseh's land and belonged to the sons of Ephraim.
9 The border of Manasseh continued south to Kanah Ravine. The cities in this area of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. Manasseh's border was on the north side of the ravine and went to the sea.
10 The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north belonged to Manasseh. The Mediterranean Sea was the western border. The border touched Asher's land on the north and Issachar's land on the east.
11 In the areas of Issachar and Asher, the people of Manasseh owned these towns: Beth Shan and its small towns; Ibleam and its small towns; the people who lived in Dor and its small towns; the people in Naphoth Dor and its small towns; the people who lived in Taanach and its small towns; the people in Megiddo and its small towns.
12 Manasseh was not able to defeat those cities, so the Canaanites continued to live there.
13 When the Israelites grew strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, although they did not force them to leave the land.
14 The people from the tribes of Joseph said to Joshua, "You gave us only one area of land, but we are many people. Why did you give us only one part of all the land the LORD gave his people?"
15 And Joshua answered them, "If you have too many people, go up to the forest and make a place for yourselves to live there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaites. The mountain country of Ephraim is too small for you."
16 The people of Joseph said, "It is true. The mountain country of Ephraim is not enough for us, but the land where the Canaanites live is dangerous. They are skilled fighters. They have powerful weapons in Beth Shan and all the small towns in that area, and they are also in the Valley of Jezreel."
17 Then Joshua said to the people of Joseph- to Ephraim and Manasseh, "There are many of you, and you have great power. You should be given more than one share of land.
18 You also will have the mountain country. It is a forest, but you can cut down the trees and make it a good place to live. You will own all of it because you will force the Canaanites to leave the land even though they have powerful weapons and are strong."
1 The Land Given to the Half-Tribe of Manasseh (Joseph's oldest son): The clan of Machir (Manasseh's oldest son who was the father of Gilead) had already been given the land of Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan River, for they were great warriors. 2 So now, land on the west side of the Jordan was given to the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher.
3 However, Hepher's son Zelophehad (grandson of Gilead, great-grandson of Machir, and great-great-grandson of Manasseh) had no sons. He had only five daughters whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 These women came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua and the Israeli leaders and reminded them, "The Lord told Moses that we were to receive as much property as the men of our tribe."
5-6 So, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, these five women were given an inheritance along with their five great-uncles, and the total inheritance came to ten sections of land (in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan River).
7 The northern boundary of the tribe of Manasseh extended southward from the border of Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. On the south the boundary went from Michmethath to the spring of Tappuah. 8 (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the city of Tappuah, on the border of Manasseh's land, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.) 9 From the spring of Tappuah the border of Manasseh followed the north bank of Kanah Brook to the Mediterranean Sea. (Several cities south of the brook belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, though they were located in Manasseh's territory.) 10 The land south of the brook and as far west as the Mediterranean Sea was assigned to Ephraim, and the land north of the brook and east of the sea went to Manasseh. Manasseh's northern boundary was the territory of Asher, and the eastern boundary was the territory of Issachar.
11 The half-tribe of Manasseh was also given the following cities, which were situated in the areas assigned to Issachar and Asher: Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor, En-dor, Taanach, Megiddo (where there are the three cliffs), with their respective villages. 12 But since the descendants of Manasseh could not drive out the people who lived in those cities, the Canaanites remained. 13 Later on, however, when the Israelis became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves.
14 Then the two tribes of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land when the Lord has given us such large populations?"
15 "If the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you," Joshua replied, "and if you are able to do it, you may clear out the forest land where the Perizzites and Rephaim live."
16-18 "Fine," said the tribes of Joseph, "for the Canaanites in the lowlands around Beth-shean and the valley of Jezreel have iron chariots and are too strong for us."
"Then you shall have the mountain forests," Joshua replied, "and since you are such a large, strong tribe you will surely be able to clear it all and live there. And I'm sure you can drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,214
3,3,5,391
4,4,7,612
5,5,9,870
6,6,11,1031
7,7,13,1157
8,8,15,1292
9,9,17,1438
10,10,19,1632
11,11,21,1854
12,12,23,2190
13,13,25,2286
14,14,27,2423
15,15,29,2620
16,16,31,2853
17,17,33,3157
18,18,35,3330
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,393
5,6,5,801
7,10,7,1059
11,13,9,1927
14,14,11,2412
15,15,13,2574
16,18,15,2763
JOSHU018
1 All of the Israelites gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent. The land was now under their control.
2 But there were still seven tribes of Israel that had not yet received their land.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: "Why do you wait so long to take your land? The LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you.
4 Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to study the land. They will describe in writing the land their tribe wants as its share, and then they will come back to me.
5 They will divide the land into seven parts. The people of Judah will keep their land in the south, and the people of Joseph will keep their land in the north.
6 You should describe the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will throw lots in the presence of the LORD our God.
7 But the Levites do not get any part of these lands, because they are priests, and their work is to serve the LORD. Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh have received the land promised to them, which is east of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave it to them."
8 So the men who were chosen to map the land started out. Joshua told them, "Go and study the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me, and I will throw lots in the presence of the LORD here in Shiloh."
9 So the men left and went into the land. They described in a scroll each town in the seven parts of the land. Then they came back to Joshua, who was still at the camp at Shiloh.
10 There Joshua threw lots in the presence of the LORD to choose the lands that should be given to each tribe.
11 The first part of the land was given to the tribe of Benjamin. Each family group received some land between the land of Judah and the land of Joseph. This is the land chosen for Benjamin:
12 The northern border started at the Jordan River and went along the northern edge of Jericho, and then it went west into the mountains. That boundary continued until it was just east of Beth Aven.
13 From there it went south to Luz (also called Bethel) and then down to Ataroth Addar, which is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 At the hill to the south of Beth Horon, the border turned and went south near the western side of the hill. It went to Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a town where people of Judah lived. This was the western border.
15 The southern border started near Kiriath Jearim and went west to the waters of Nephtoah.
16 Then it went down to the bottom of the hill, which was near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley just south of the Jebusite city to En Rogel.
17 There it turned north and went to En Shemesh. It continued to Geliloth near the Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the great Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
18 The border continued to the northern part of Beth Arabah and went down into the Jordan Valley.
19 From there it went to the northern part of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north shore of the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River flows into the sea. This was the southern border.
20 The Jordan River was the border on the eastern side. So this was the land given to the family groups of Benjamin with the borders on all sides.
21 The family groups of Benjamin received these cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve towns and all their villages.
25 The tribe of Benjamin also received Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen towns and their villages. All these areas are the lands the family groups of Benjamin were given.
1 After the conquest-although seven of the tribes of Israel had not yet entered and conquered the land God had given them-all Israel gathered at Shiloh to set up the Tabernacle.
3 Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to wait before clearing out the people living in the land that the Lord your God has given to you? 4 Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them to scout the unconquered territory and bring back a report of its size and natural divisions so that I can divide it for you. 5-6 The scouts will map it into seven sections, and then I will throw the sacred dice to decide which section will be assigned to each tribe. 7 However, remember that the Levites won't receive any land; they are priests of the Lord. That is their wonderful heritage. And of course the tribes of Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh won't receive any more, for they already have land on the east side of the Jordan where Moses promised them that they could settle."
8 So the scouts went out to map the country and to bring back their report to Joshua. Then the Lord could assign the sections of land to the tribes by the throw of the sacred dice. 9 The men did as they were told and divided the entire territory into seven sections, listing the cities in each section. Then they returned to Joshua and the camp at Shiloh. 10 There at the Tabernacle at Shiloh the Lord showed Joshua by the sacred lottery which tribe should have each section:
11 The Land Given to the Tribe of Benjamin:
The section of land assigned to the families of the tribe of Benjamin lay between the territory previously assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 The northern boundary began at the Jordan River, went north of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary went south to Luz (also called Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar in the hill country south of Lower Beth-horon. 14 There the border turned south, passing the mountain near Beth-horon and ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (sometimes called Kiriath-jearim), one of the cities of the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.
15 The southern border ran from the edge of Kiriath-baal, over Mount Ephron to the spring of Naphtoah, 16 and down to the base of the mountain beside the valley of Hinnom, north of the valley of Rephaim. From there it continued across the valley of Hinnom, crossed south of the old city of Jerusalem where the Jebusites lived, and continued down to En-rogel. 17 From En-rogel the boundary proceeded northeast to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth (which is opposite the slope of Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan (who was a son of Reuben), 18 where it passed along the north edge of the Arabah. The border then went down into the Arabah, 19 ran south past Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea-which is the southern end of the Jordan River.
20 The eastern border was the Jordan River. This was the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin. 21-28 These twenty-six cities were included in the land given to the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, Beth-arabah, Zimaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba, Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim. All of these cities and their surrounding villages were given to the tribe of Benjamin.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,131
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,368
5,5,9,559
6,6,11,724
7,7,13,884
8,8,15,1162
9,9,17,1382
10,10,19,1565
11,11,21,1680
12,12,23,1875
13,13,25,2078
14,14,27,2218
15,15,29,2452
16,16,31,2548
17,17,33,2774
18,18,35,2936
19,19,37,3038
20,20,39,3219
21,21,41,3370
22,22,43,3464
23,23,45,3502
24,24,47,3531
25,25,49,3618
26,26,51,3685
27,27,53,3717
28,28,55,3748
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,182
8,10,5,991
11,11,6,1468
12,14,9,1667
15,19,11,2182
20,28,13,2955
PUTTING OFF JOSHU 18:3-6
Joshua asked why some of the tribes were putting off the job of possessing the land. Often we delay doing jobs that seem large, difficult, boring, or disagreeable. But to continue putting them off shows lack of discipline, poor stewardship of time, and-in some cases-disobedience to God. Jobs we don't enjoy require concentration, teamwork, twice as much time, lots of encouragement, and accountability. Remember this when you are tempted to procrastinate.
JOSHU019
FAITH
1 The second part of the land was given to the tribe of Simeon. Each family group received some of the land inside the area of Judah.
2 They received Beersheba (also called Sheba), Moladah,
3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen. There were thirteen towns and their villages.
7 They received the towns of Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, four towns and their villages.
8 They also received all the very small areas with people living in them as far as Baalath Beer (this is the same as Ramah in southern Canaan). So these were the lands given to the family groups in the tribe of Simeon.
9 The land of the Simeonites was taken from part of the land of Judah. Since Judah had much more land than they needed, the Simeonites received part of their land.
10 The third part of the land was given to the tribe of Zebulun. Each family group of Zebulun received some of the land. The border of Zebulun went as far as Sarid.
11 Then it went west to Maralah and came near Dabbesheth and then near Jokneam.
12 Then it turned to the east. It went from Sarid to the area of Kisloth Tabor and on to Daberath and to Japhia.
13 It continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin, ending at Rimmon. There the border turned and went toward Neah.
14 At Neah it turned again and went to the north to Hannathon and continued to the Valley of Iphtah El.
15 Inside this border were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.
16 So these are the towns and the villages that were given to the family groups of Zebulun.
17 The fourth part of the land was given to the tribe of Issachar. Each family group of Issachar received some of the land.
18 Their land included Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,
19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border of their land touched the area called Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh and stopped at the Jordan River. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23 These cities and towns were part of the land that was given to the family groups of Issachar.
24 The fifth part of the land was given to the tribe of Asher. Each family group of Asher received some of the land.
25 Their land included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,
26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. The western border touched Mount Carmel and Shihor Libnath.
27 Then it turned east and went to Beth Dagon, touching Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. Then it went north of Beth Emek and Neiel and passed north to Cabul.
28 From there it went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah and continued to Greater Sidon.
29 Then the border went back south toward Ramah and continued to the strong, walled city of Tyre. There it turned and went toward Hosah, ending at the sea. This was in the area of Aczib,
30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31 These cities and their villages were part of the land that was given to the family groups of Asher.
32 The sixth part of the land was given to the tribe of Naphtali. Each family group of Naphtali received some of the land.
33 The border of their land started at the large tree in Zaanannim, which is near Heleph. Then it went through Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan River.
34 Then it went to the west through Aznoth Tabor and stopped at Hukkok. It went to the area of Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah, at the Jordan River, on the east.
35 The strong, walled cities inside these borders were called Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,
36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,
38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and all their villages.
39 The towns and the villages around them were in the land that was given to the family groups of Naphtali.
40 The seventh part of the land was given to the tribe of Dan. Each family group of Dan received some of the land.
41 Their land included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,
42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,
46 Me Jarkon, Rakkon, and the area near Joppa.
47 (But the Danites had trouble taking their land. They went and fought against Leshem, defeated it, and killed the people who lived there. So the Danites moved into the town of Leshem and changed its name to Dan, because he was the father of their tribe.)
48 All of these towns and villages were given to the family groups of Dan.
49 After the leaders finished dividing the land and giving it to the different tribes, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun his land also.
50 They gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim, just as the LORD commanded. He built up the town and lived there.
51 So these lands were given to the different tribes of Israel. Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of each tribe divided up the land by lots at Shiloh. They met in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. Now they were finished dividing the land.
1 The Land Given to the Tribe of Simeon: The tribe of Simeon received the next assignment of land-including part of the land previously assigned to Judah. 2-7 Their inheritance included these seventeen cities with their respective villages: Beer-sheba, Sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, Beth-lebaoth, Sharuhen, En-rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. 8 The cities as far south as Baalath-beer (also known as Ramah-in-the-Negeb) were also given to the tribe of Simeon. 9 So the Simeon tribe's inheritance came from what had earlier been given to Judah, for Judah's section had been too large for them.
10 The Land Given to the Tribe of Zebulun: The third tribe to receive its assignment of land was Zebulun. Its boundary started on the south side of Sarid. 11 From there it circled to the west, going near Mareal and Dabbesheth until it reached the brook east of Jokneam. 12 In the other direction, the boundary line went east to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and from there to Daberath and Japhia; 13 then it continued east of Gath-hepher, Ethkazin, and Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 The northern boundary of Zebulun passed Hannathon and ended at the valley of Iphtahel. 15-16 The cities in these areas, besides those already mentioned, included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, Bethlehem, and each of their surrounding villages. Altogether there were twelve of these cities.
17-23 The Land Given to the Tribe of Issachar: The fourth tribe to be assigned its land was Issachar. Its boundaries included the following cities: Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez, Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh-sixteen cities in all, each with its surrounding villages. The boundary of Issachar ended at the Jordan River.
24-26 The Land Given to the Tribe of Asher: The fifth tribe to be assigned its land was Asher. The boundaries included these cities: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal.
The boundary on the west side went from Carmel to Shihor-libnath, 27 turned east toward Beth-dagon, and ran as far as Zebulun in the valley of Iphtahel, running north of Beth-emek and Neiel. It then passed to the east of Kabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, and Greater Sidon. 29 Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre and came to the Mediterranean Sea at Hosah. The territory also included Mahalab, Achzib, 30-31 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob-an overall total of twenty-two cities and their surrounding villages.
32 The Land Given to the Tribe of Naphtali: The sixth tribe to receive its assignment was the tribe of Naphtali. 33 Its boundary began at Judah, at the oak in Zaanannim, and extended across to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, and Lakkum, ending at the Jordan River. 34 The western boundary began near Heleph and ran past Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok, and coincided with the Zebulun boundary in the south, and with the boundary of Asher on the west, and with the Jordan River at the east. 35-39 The fortified cities included in this territory were: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor, Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. So altogether the territory included nineteen cities with their surrounding villages.
40 The Land Given to the Tribe of Dan: The last tribe to be assigned its land was Dan. 41-46 The cities within its area included: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, Elon, Timnah, Ekron, Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, also the territory near Joppa. 47-48 But some of this territory proved impossible to conquer, so the tribe of Dan captured the city of Leshem, slaughtered its people, and lived there; and they called the city "Dan," naming it after their ancestor.
49 So all the land was divided among the tribes, with the boundaries indicated; and the nation of Israel gave a special piece of land to Joshua, 50 for the Lord had said that he could have any city he wanted. He chose Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim; he rebuilt it and lived there.
51 Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel supervised the sacred lottery to divide the land among the tribes. This was done in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the Tabernacle at Shiloh.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,139
3,3,5,199
4,4,7,231
5,5,9,262
6,6,11,305
7,7,13,385
8,8,15,480
9,9,17,703
10,10,19,871
11,11,21,1040
12,12,23,1124
13,13,25,1241
14,14,27,1364
15,15,29,1472
16,16,31,1611
17,17,33,1707
18,18,35,1835
19,19,37,1890
20,20,39,1926
21,21,41,1957
22,22,43,2011
23,23,45,2181
24,24,47,2282
25,25,49,2403
26,26,51,2461
27,27,53,2559
28,28,55,2725
29,29,57,2818
30,30,59,3009
31,31,61,3089
32,32,63,3196
33,33,65,3323
34,34,67,3512
35,35,69,3697
36,36,71,3805
37,37,73,3834
38,38,75,3866
39,39,77,3977
40,40,79,4089
41,41,81,4208
42,42,83,4263
43,43,85,4299
44,44,87,4327
45,45,89,4363
46,46,91,4402
47,47,93,4453
48,48,95,4714
49,49,97,4793
50,50,99,4937
51,51,101,5093
1,9,1,1
10,16,3,664
17,23,5,1448
24,31,7,1871
32,39,10,2611
40,48,12,3381
49,50,14,3924
51,51,16,4222
$'<'2*
FAITH JOSHU 19:47-48
The tribe of Dan thought that some of their land looked difficult to conquer, so they chose to migrate to Leshem where they knew victory would be easier. Anyone can trust God when the going is easy. It is when everything looks impossible that our faith and courage are put to the test. Have faith that God is great enough to tackle your most difficult situations.
JOSHU020
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua:
2 "Tell the Israelites to choose the special cities of safety, as I had Moses command you to do.
3 If a person kills someone accidentally and without meaning to kill him, that person may go to a city of safety to hide. There the killer will be safe from the relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer.
4 "When the killer runs to one of those cities, he must stop at the entrance gate, stand there, and tell the leaders of the people what happened. Then that person will be allowed to enter the city and will be given a place to live among them.
5 But if the one who is chasing him follows him to that city, the leaders of the city must not hand over the killer. It was an accident. He did not hate him beforehand or kill him on purpose.
6 The killer must stay in the city until a court comes to a decision and until the high priest dies. Then he may go back home to the town from which he ran away."
7 So the Israelites chose these cities to be cities of safety: Kedesh in Galilee in the mountains of Naphtali; Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the mountains of Judah;
8 Bezer on the east side of the Jordan River near Jericho in the desert in the land of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead in the land of Gad; and Golan in Bashan in the land of Manasseh.
9 Any Israelite or anyone living among them who killed someone accidentally was to be allowed to run to one of these cities of safety. There he would not be killed, before he was judged, by the relative who had the duty of punishing a murderer.
1 The Lord said to Joshua,
2 "Tell the people of Israel to designate now the Cities of Refuge, as I instructed Moses.
3 If a man is guilty of killing someone unintentionally, he can run to one of these cities and be protected from the relatives of the dead man, who may try to kill him in revenge. 4 When the innocent killer reaches any of these cities, he will meet with the city council and explain what happened, and they must let him come in and must give him a place to live among them. 5 If a relative of the dead man comes to kill him in revenge, the innocent slayer must not be released to him for the death was accidental. 6 The man who caused the accidental death must stay in that city until he has been tried by the judges and found innocent, and must live there until the death of the High Priest who was in office at the time of the accident. But then he is free to return to his own city and home."
7 The cities chosen as Cities of Refuge were Kedesh of Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 The Lord also instructed that three cities be set aside for this purpose on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They were Bezer, in the wilderness of the land of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth of Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Golan of Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These Cities of Refuge were for foreigners living in Israel as well as for the Israelis themselves, so that anyone who accidentally killed another man could run to that place for a trial and not be killed in revenge.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,37
3,3,5,138
4,4,7,354
5,5,9,601
6,6,11,797
7,7,13,964
8,8,15,1177
9,9,17,1358
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,29
3,6,4,123
7,7,6,922
JOSHU021
1 The heads of the Levite families went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel.
2 At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, the heads of the Levite families said to them, "The LORD commanded Moses that you give us towns where we may live and pastures for our animals."
3 So the Israelites obeyed this command of the LORD and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures for their own land:
4 The Kohath family groups were part of the tribe of Levi. Some of the Levites in the Kohath family groups were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were given thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The other family groups of Kohath were given ten towns in the areas of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.
6 The people from the Gershon family groups were given thirteen towns in the land of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the East Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The family groups of Merari were given twelve towns in the areas of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns and the pastures around them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
9 These are the names of the towns that came from the lands of Judah and Simeon.
10 The first choice of towns was given to the Kohath family groups of the Levites.
11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, and all its pastures in the mountains of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
12 But the fields and the villages around Kiriath Arba had been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.
13 So they gave the city of Hebron to the descendants of Aaron (Hebron was a city of safety). They also gave them the towns of Libnah,
14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15 Holon, Debir,
16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, and all the pastures around them. Nine towns were given from these two tribes.
17 They also gave the people of Aaron these cities that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba,
18 Anathoth, and Almon. They gave them these four towns and the pastures around them.
19 So these thirteen towns with their pastures were given to the priests, who were from the family of Aaron.
20 The other Kohathite family groups of the Levites were given these towns from the tribe of Ephraim:
21 Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim (which was a city of safety), Gezer,
22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon. There were four towns and their pastures.
23 The tribe of Dan gave them Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. There were four towns and their pastures.
25 West Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon and the pastures around these two towns.
26 So these ten towns and the pastures around them were given to the rest of the Kohathite family groups.
27 The Gershonite family groups of the Levite tribe were given these towns: East Manasseh gave them Golan in Bashan, which was a city of safety, and Be Eshtarah, and the pastures around these two towns.
28 The tribe of Issachar gave them Kishion, Daberath,
29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, and the pastures around these four towns.
30 The tribe of Asher gave them Mishal, Abdon,
31 Helkath, and Rehob, and the pastures around these four towns.
32 The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee (a city of safety), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, and the pastures around these three towns.
33 So the Gershonite family groups received thirteen towns and the pastures around them.
34 The Merarite family groups (the rest of the Levites) were given these towns: The tribe of Zebulun gave them Jokneam, Kartah,
35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, and the pastures around these four towns.
36 The tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer, Jahaz,
37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the pastures around these four towns. 39 Heshbon, and Jazer, and the pastures around these four towns. 40 So the total number of towns given to the Merarite family groups was twelve. 41 A total of forty-eight towns with their pastures in the land of Israel were given to the Levites. 42 Each town had pastures around it. 43 So the LORD gave the people all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there. 44 The LORD gave them peace on all sides, as he had promised their ancestors. None of their enemies defeated them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. 45 He kept every promise he had made to the Israelites; each one came true.
1 Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to Shiloh to consult with Eleazar the priest and with Joshua and the leaders of the various tribes.
2 "The Lord instructed Moses to give cities to us Levites for our homes, and pastureland for our cattle," they said.
3 So they were given some of the recently conquered cities with their pasturelands. 4 Thirteen of these cities had been assigned originally to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. These were given to some of the priests of the Kohath division (of the tribe of Levi, descendants of Aaron). 5 The other families of the Kohath division were given ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 6 The Gershon division received thirteen cities, selected by sacred lot in the area of Bashan. These cities were given by the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 7 The Merari division received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8 So the Lord's command to Moses was obeyed, and the cities and pasturelands were assigned by the toss of the sacred dice.
9-16 First to receive their assignment were the priests-the descendants of Aaron, who was a member of the Kohath division of the Levites. The tribes of Judah and Simeon gave them the nine cities listed below, with their surrounding pasturelands:
Hebron, in the Judean hills, as a City of Refuge-it was also called Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak)-although the fields beyond the city and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh.
17-18 The tribe of Benjamin gave them these four cities and their pasturelands: Gibeon, Gaba, Anathoth, and Almon. 19 So in all, thirteen cities were given to the priests-the descendants of Aaron.
20-22 The other families of the Kohath division received four cities and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim: Shechem (a City of Refuge), Gezer, Kibza-im, and Beth-horon.
23-24 The following four cities and pasturelands were given by the tribe of Dan: Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon.
25 The half-tribe of Manasseh gave the cities of Taanach and Gath-rimmon with their surrounding pasturelands.
26 So the total number of cities and pasturelands given to the remainder of the Kohath division was ten.
27 The descendants of Gershon, another division of the Levites, received two cities and pasturelands from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan, in Bashan (a City of Refuge), and Beeshterah.
28-29 The tribe of Issachar gave four cities: Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and Engannim.
30-31 The tribe of Asher gave four cities and pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob.
32 The tribe of Naphtali gave: Kedesh, in Galilee (a City of Refuge), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan.
33 So thirteen cities with their pasturelands were assigned to the division of Gershon.
34-35 The remainder of the Levites-the Merari division-were given four cities by the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal.
36-37 Reuben gave them: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath. 38-39 Gad gave them four cities with pasturelands: Ramoth (a City of Refuge), Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.
40 So the Merari division of the Levites was given twelve cities in all.
41-42 The total number of cities and pasturelands given to the Levites came to forty-eight.
43 So in this way the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had promised to their ancestors, and they went in and conquered it and lived there. 44 And the Lord gave them peace, just as he had promised, and no one could stand against them; the Lord helped them destroy all their enemies. 45 Every good thing the Lord had promised them came true.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,160
3,3,5,344
4,4,7,472
5,5,9,713
6,6,11,823
7,7,13,972
8,8,15,1072
9,9,17,1193
10,10,19,1278
11,11,21,1365
12,12,23,1500
13,13,25,1601
14,14,27,1740
15,15,29,1765
16,16,31,1786
17,17,33,1903
18,18,35,2012
19,19,37,2102
20,20,39,2215
21,21,41,2321
22,22,43,2401
23,23,45,2475
24,24,47,2529
25,25,49,2604
26,26,51,2700
27,27,53,2810
28,28,55,3017
29,29,57,3075
30,30,59,3148
31,31,61,3199
32,32,63,3268
33,33,65,3413
34,34,67,3506
35,35,69,3638
36,36,71,3708
37,45,73,3759
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,149
3,8,5,269
9,16,7,1111
17,19,10,1651
20,22,12,1851
23,24,14,2028
25,25,16,2157
26,26,18,2270
27,27,20,2378
28,29,22,2568
30,31,24,2659
32,32,26,2757
33,33,28,2855
34,35,30,2946
36,39,32,3090
40,40,34,3263
41,42,36,3339
43,45,38,3434
JOSHU022
1 Then Joshua called a meeting of all the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.
2 He said to them, "You have done everything Moses, the LORD' s servant, told you to do. You have also obeyed all my commands.
3 For a long time you have supported the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commands the LORD your God gave you.
4 The LORD your God promised to give the Israelites peace, and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the LORD' s servant, gave you, on the east side of the Jordan River.
5 But be careful to obey the teachings and laws Moses, the LORD' s servant, gave you: to love the LORD your God and obey his commands, to continue to follow him and serve him the very best you can."
6 Then Joshua said good-bye to them, and they left and went away to their homes.
7 Moses had given the land of Bashan to East Manasseh. Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan River to West Manasseh. And he sent them to their homes and he blessed them.
8 He said, "Go back to your homes and your riches. You have many animals, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and many beautiful clothes. Also, you have taken many things from your enemies that you should divide among yourselves."
9 So the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan and went back to Gilead. It was their own land, given to them by Moses as the LORD had commanded.
10 The people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a beautiful altar.
11 The other Israelites still at Shiloh heard about the altar these three tribes built at the border of Canaan at Geliloth, near the Jordan River on Israel's side.
12 All the Israelites became very angry at these three tribes, so they met together and decided to fight them.
13 The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.
14 They also sent one leader from each of the ten tribes at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader of his family group of Israelites.
15 These leaders went to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
16 "All the Israelites ask you: `Why did you turn against the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is against God's law.
17 Remember what happened at Peor? We still suffer today because of that sin, for which God made many Israelites very sick.
18 And now are you turning against the LORD and refusing to follow him? "`If you don't stop what you're doing today, the LORD will be angry with everyone in Israel tomorrow.
19 If your land is unclean, come over into our land where the LORD' s Tent is. Share it with us. But don't turn against the LORD and us by building another altar for the LORD our God.
20 Remember how Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about what must be completely destroyed. That one man broke God's law, but all the Israelites were punished. Achan died because of his sin, but others also died.' "
21 The people from Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered,
22 "The LORD is God of gods! The LORD is God of gods! God knows, and we want you to know also. If we have done something wrong, you may kill us.
23 If we broke God's law, we ask the LORD himself to punish us. We did not build this altar to offer burnt offerings or grain and fellowship offerings.
24 "We did not build it for that reason. We feared that some day your people would not accept us as part of your nation. Then they might say, `You cannot worship the LORD, the God of Israel.
25 The LORD made the Jordan River a border between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You cannot worship the LORD.' So we feared that your children might make our children stop worshiping the LORD.
26 "That is why we decided to build this altar. But it is not for burnt offerings and sacrifices.
27 This altar is proof to you and us and to all our children who will come after us that we worship the LORD with our whole burnt offerings, grain, and fellowship offerings. This was so your children would not say to our children, `You are not the LORD' s.'
28 "In the future if your children say that, our children can say, `See the altar made by our ancestors. It is exactly like the LORD' s altar, but we do not use it for sacrifices. It shows that we are part of Israel.'
29 "Truly, we don't want to be against the LORD or to stop following him by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. We know the only true altar to the LORD our God is in front of the Holy Tent. "
30 When Phinehas the priest and the ten leaders heard the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, they were pleased.
31 So Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said, "Now we know the LORD is with us and that you didn't turn against him. Now the Israelites will not be punished by the LORD."
32 Then Phinehas and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and went back to Canaan where they told the Israelites what had happened.
33 They were pleased and thanked God. So they decided not to fight the people of Reuben and Gad and destroy those lands.
34 And the people of Reuben and Gad named the altar Proof That We Believe the LORD Is God.
1 Joshua now called together the troops from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2-3 and addressed them as follows:
"You have done as the Lord's disciple Moses commanded you, and have obeyed every order I have given you-every order of the Lord your God. You have not deserted your brother tribes, even though the campaign has lasted for such a long time. 4 And now the Lord our God has given us success and rest as he promised he would. So go home now to the land given you by the Lord's servant Moses, on the other side of the Jordan River. 5 Be sure to continue to obey all of the commandments Moses gave you. Love the Lord and follow his plan for your lives. Cling to him and serve him enthusiastically."
6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them home. 7-8 (Moses had assigned the land of Bashan to the half-tribe of Manasseh, although the other half of the tribe was given land on the west side of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent away these troops, he blessed them and told them to share their great wealth with their relatives back home-their loot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing.
9 So the troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the army of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and crossed the Jordan River to their own homeland of Gilead. 10 Before they went across, while they were still in Canaan, they built a large monument for everyone to see, in the shape of an altar.
11 But when the rest of Israel heard about what they had done, 12 they mustered an army at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against their brother tribes. 13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest. They crossed the river and talked to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. 14 In this delegation were ten high officials of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each a clan leader. 15 When they arrived in the land of Gilead they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
16 "The whole congregation of the Lord demands to know why you are sinning against the God of Israel by turning away from him and building an altar of rebellion against the Lord. 17-18 Was our guilt at Peor-from which we have not even yet been cleansed despite the plague that tormented us-so little that you must rebel again? For you know that if you rebel today the Lord will be angry with all of us tomorrow. 19 If you need the altar because your land is defiled, then join us on our side of the river where the Lord lives among us in his Tabernacle, and we will share our land with you. But do not rebel against the Lord by building another altar in addition to the only true altar of our God. 20 Don't you remember that when Achan, the son of Zerah, sinned against the Lord, the entire nation was punished in addition to the one man who had sinned?"
21 This was the reply of the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to these high officials:
22-23 "We swear by Jehovah, the God of gods, that we have not built the altar in rebellion against the Lord. He knows (and let all Israel know it too) that we have not built the altar to sacrifice burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings-may the curse of God be on us if we did. 24-25 We have done it because we love the Lord and because we fear that in the future your children will say to ours, `What right do you have to worship the Lord God of Israel? The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and your people! You have no part in the Lord.' And your children may make our children stop worshiping him. 26-27 So we decided to build the altar as a symbol to show our children and your children that we, too, may worship the Lord with our burnt offerings and peace offerings and sacrifices, and your children will not be able to say to ours, `You have no part in the Lord our God.' 28 If they say this, our children can reply, `Look at the altar of the Lord that our fathers made, patterned after the altar of Jehovah. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices but is a symbol of the relationship with God that both of us have.' 29 Far be it from us to turn away from the Lord or to rebel against him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that."
30 When Phinehas the priest and the high officials heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, they were very happy.
31 Phinehas replied to them, "Today we know that the Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we thought; instead, you have saved us from destruction!"
32 Then Phinehas and the ten ambassadors went back to the people of Israel and told them what had happened, 33 and all Israel rejoiced and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad. 34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "The Altar of Witness," for they said, "It is a witness between us and them that Jehovah is our God too."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,236
4,4,7,370
5,5,9,590
6,6,11,793
7,7,13,878
8,8,15,1062
9,9,17,1293
10,10,19,1507
11,11,21,1658
12,12,23,1826
13,13,25,1941
14,14,27,2070
15,15,29,2203
16,16,31,2307
17,17,33,2465
18,18,35,2593
19,19,37,2771
20,20,39,2959
21,21,41,3191
22,22,43,3255
23,23,45,3404
24,24,47,3560
25,25,49,3755
26,26,51,3959
27,27,53,4061
28,28,55,4323
29,29,57,4545
30,30,59,4776
31,31,61,4899
32,32,63,5077
33,33,65,5232
34,34,67,5357
1,5,1,1
6,8,4,736
9,10,6,1130
11,15,8,1438
16,20,9,1990
21,21,11,2848
22,29,12,2957
30,30,14,4349
31,31,16,4482
32,34,18,4661
REACTIONS JOSHU 22:11-34
When the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar at the Jordan River, the rest of Israel feared that these tribes were starting their own religion and rebelling against God. But before beginning an all-out war, Phinehas led a delegation to learn the truth. He was prepared to negotiate rather than fight if a battle was not necessary. When he learned that the altar was for a memorial rather than for heathen sacrifice, war was averted and unity restored.
We would benefit from a similar approach to resolving conflicts. Assuming the worst about the intentions of others only brings trouble. Israel averted the threat of civil war by asking before assaulting. Beware of reacting before you hear the whole story.
Profile: Joshua ,!page "^joshua" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOSHU023
+ + 1 The LORD gave Israel peace from their enemies around them. Many years passed, and Joshua grew very old.
2 He called a meeting of all the older leaders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, "I am now very old.
3 You have seen what the LORD has done to our enemies to help us. The LORD your God fought for you.
4 Remember that your people have been given their land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the land I promised to give you.
5 The LORD your God will force out the people living there. The LORD will push them out ahead of you. And you will own the land, as he has promised you.
6 "Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything commanded in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. Do exactly as it says.
7 Don't become friends with the people living among us who are not Israelites. Don't say the names of their gods or make anyone swear by them. Don't serve or worship them.
8 You must continue to follow the LORD your God, as you have done in the past.
9 "The LORD has forced many great and powerful nations to leave ahead of you. No nation has been able to defeat you.
10 With his help, one Israelite could defeat a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, as he promised to do.
11 So you must be careful to love the LORD your God.
12 "If you turn away from the way of the LORD and become friends with these people who are not part of Israel and marry them,
13 the LORD your God will not help you defeat your enemies. They will be like traps for you, like whips on your back and thorns in your eyes, and none of you will be left in this good land the LORD your God has given you.
14 "It's almost time for me to die. You know and fully believe that the LORD has done great things for you. You know that he has not failed to keep any of his promises.
15 Every good promise that the LORD your God made has come true, and in the same way, his other promises will come true. He promised that evil will come to you and that he will destroy you from this good land that he gave you.
16 This will happen if you don't keep your agreement with the LORD your God. If you go and serve other gods and worship them, the LORD will become very angry with you. Then none of you will be left in this good land he has given you."
1 Long after this, when the Lord had given success to the people of Israel against their enemies and when Joshua was very old, 2 he called for the leaders of Israel-the elders, judges, and officers-and said to them, "I am an old man now, 3 and you have seen all that the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. He has fought for you against your enemies and has given you their land. 4-5 And I have divided to you the land of the nations yet unconquered as well as the land of those you have already destroyed. All the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea shall be yours, for the Lord your God will drive out all the people living there now, and you will live there instead, just as he has promised you.
6 "But be very sure to follow all the instructions written in the book of the laws of Moses; do not deviate from them the least little bit. 7 Be sure that you do not mix with the heathen people still remaining in the land; do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or worship them. 8 But follow the Lord your God just as you have until now. 9 He has driven out great, strong nations from before you, and no one has been able to defeat you. 10 Each one of you has put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. 11 So be very careful to keep on loving him.
12 "If you don't, and if you begin to intermarry with the nations around you, 13 then know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no longer chase those nations from your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a pain in your side and a thorn in your eyes, and you will disappear from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
14 "Soon I will be going the way of all the earth-I am going to die.
"You know very well that God's promises to you have all come true. 15-16 But as certainly as the Lord has given you the good things he promised, just as certainly he will bring evil upon you if you disobey him. For if you worship other gods, he will completely wipe you out from this good land that the Lord has given you. His anger will rise hot against you, and you will quickly perish."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,243
4,4,7,347
5,5,9,503
6,6,11,660
7,7,13,789
8,8,15,965
9,9,17,1048
10,10,19,1169
11,11,21,1294
12,12,23,1351
13,13,25,1481
14,14,27,1707
15,15,29,1880
16,16,31,2111
1,5,1,1
6,11,3,734
12,13,5,1374
14,16,7,1735
REALITY JOSHU 23:12-14
This chilling prediction about the consequences of intermarriage with the Canaanite nations eventually became a reality. Numerous stories in the book of Judges show what Israel had to suffer because of failure to follow God wholeheartedly. God was supremely loving and patient with Israel, just as he is today with us. But we must not confuse his patience with approval. Beware of demanding your own way, because eventually you may get it-along with all its painful consequences.
JOSHU024
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the older leaders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to stand before God.
2 Then Joshua said to all the people, "Here's what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you: `A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods.
3 But I, the LORD, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan. And I gave him many children, including his son Isaac.
4 I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau. I gave the land around the mountains of Edom to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I brought many disasters on the Egyptians. Afterwards I brought you out.
6 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea, and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses.
7 So the people called out to the LORD. And I brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them. You yourselves saw what I did to the army of Egypt. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 "`Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took control of that land.
9 But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, prepared to fight against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10 but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he asked for good things to happen to you! I saved you and brought you out of his power.
11 "`Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the people of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I handed them over to you.
12 I sent terror ahead of you to force out two Amorite kings. You took the land without using swords and bows.
13 I gave you that land where you did not have to work. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.' "
14 Then Joshua said to the people, "Now respect the LORD and serve him fully and sincerely. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD.
15 But if you don't want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."
16 Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the LORD to serve other gods!
17 It was the LORD our God who brought our ancestors out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but the LORD did great things for us there. He brought us out and protected us while we traveled through other lands.
18 Then he forced out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the LORD, because he is our God."
19 Then Joshua said, "You are not able to serve the LORD, because he is a holy God and a jealous God. If you turn against him and sin, he will not forgive you.
20 If you leave the LORD and serve other gods, he will send you great trouble. The LORD may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you."
21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."
22 Then Joshua said, "You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD." The people said, "Yes, we are."
23 Then Joshua said, "Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the LORD, the God of Israel, with all your heart."
24 Then the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God, and we will obey him."
25 On that day at Shechem Joshua made an agreement for the people. He made rules and laws for them to follow.
26 Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the Teachings of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the LORD' s Holy Tent.
27 Joshua said to all the people, "See this stone! It will remind you of what we did today. It was here the LORD spoke to us today. It will remind you of what happened so you will not turn against your God."
28 Then Joshua sent the people back to their land.
29 After that, Joshua son of Nun died at the age of one hundred ten.
30 They buried him in his own land at Timnath Serah, in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 The Israelites served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the older leaders who lived after Joshua who had seen what the LORD had done for Israel.
32 When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them. They buried them at Shechem, in the land Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem). This land now belonged to Joseph's children.
1 Then Joshua summoned all the people of Israel to him at Shechem, along with their leaders-the elders, officers, and judges. So they came and presented themselves before God.
2 Then Joshua addressed them as follows: "The Lord God of Israel says, `Your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived east of the Euphrates River; and they worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from that land across the river and led him into the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants through Isaac, his son. 4 Isaac's children, whom I gave him, were Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the area around Mount Seir while Jacob and his children went into Egypt.
5 " `Then I sent Moses and Aaron to bring terrible plagues upon Egypt; and afterwards I brought my people out as free men. 6 But when they arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after them with chariots and cavalry. 7 Then Israel cried out to me and I put darkness between them and the Egyptians; and I brought the sea crashing in upon the Egyptians, drowning them. You saw what I did. Then Israel lived in the wilderness for many years.
8 " `Finally I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan; and they fought against you, but I destroyed them and gave you their land. 9 Then King Balak of Moab started a war against Israel, and he asked Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you. 10 But I wouldn't listen to him. Instead I made him bless you; and so I delivered Israel from him.
11 " `Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you, and so did many others-the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Each in turn fought against you, but I destroyed them all. 12 And I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites and their people. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory! 13 I gave you land you had not worked for and cities you did not build-these cities where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.'
14 "So revere Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and truth. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Worship the Lord alone. 15 But if you are unwilling to obey the Lord, then decide today whom you will obey. Will it be the gods of your ancestors beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites here in this land? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."
16 And the people replied, "We would never forsake the Lord and worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God is the one who rescued our fathers from their slavery in the land of Egypt. He is the God who did mighty miracles before the eyes of Israel, as we traveled through the wilderness, and preserved us from our enemies when we passed through their land. 18 It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. Yes, we choose the Lord, for he alone is our God."
19 But Joshua replied to the people, "You can't worship the Lord God, for he is holy and jealous; he will not forgive your rebellion and sins. 20 If you forsake him and worship other gods, he will turn upon you and destroy you, even though he has taken care of you for such a long time."
21 But the people answered, "We choose the Lord!"
22 "You have heard yourselves say it," Joshua said. "You have chosen to obey the Lord."
"Yes," they replied, "we are witnesses."
23 "All right," he said, "then you must destroy all the idols you now own, and you must obey the Lord God of Israel."
24 The people replied to Joshua, "Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord alone."
25 So Joshua made a covenant with them that day at Shechem, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between themselves and God. 26 Joshua recorded the people's reply in the book of the laws of God and took a huge stone as a reminder and rolled it beneath the oak tree that was beside the Tabernacle.
27 Then Joshua said to all the people, "This stone has heard everything the Lord said, so it will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word."
28 Then Joshua sent the people away to their own sections of the country.
29 Soon after this he died at the age of 110. 30 He was buried on his own estate at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of the mountains of Gaash.
31 Israel obeyed the Lord throughout the lifetimes of Joshua and the other old men who had personally witnessed the amazing deeds the Lord had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought along when they left Egypt, were buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor. (The land was located in the territory assigned to the tribes of Joseph.)
33 Eleazar, the son of Aaron, also died; he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, at Gibeah, the city that had been given to his son Phinehas.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,169
3,3,5,408
4,4,7,586
5,5,9,733
6,6,11,856
7,7,13,995
8,8,15,1229
9,9,17,1431
10,10,19,1573
11,11,21,1707
12,12,23,1960
13,13,25,2075
14,14,27,2306
15,15,29,2523
16,16,31,2857
17,17,33,2955
18,18,35,3173
19,19,37,3307
20,20,39,3471
21,21,41,3641
22,22,43,3709
23,23,45,3835
24,24,47,3956
25,25,49,4051
26,26,51,4165
27,27,53,4323
28,28,55,4535
29,29,57,4590
30,30,59,4663
31,31,61,4771
32,32,63,4956
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,180
5,7,5,687
8,10,7,1134
11,13,9,1509
14,15,10,2130
16,18,12,2570
19,20,14,3074
21,21,16,3365
22,22,18,3418
23,23,21,3551
24,24,23,3672
25,26,25,3756
27,27,27,4071
28,28,29,4238
29,30,31,4315
31,31,33,4494
32,32,35,4657
33,33,37,4914
CHOICE JOSHU 24:15
The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven his trustworthiness, or obey he local gods, which were only man-made idols. It's easy to slip into a quiet rebellion-going about life in your own way. But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours. Will it be God, or your own limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once you have chosen to be controlled by God's Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day.
I Wonder: Freedom of choice ,!page "^W006" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
VJUDGE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To show that God's judgment against sin is certain, and his forgiveness of sin and restoration of fellowship is just as certain as those who repent
AUTHOR:
Probably Samuel
SETTING:
The land of Canaan, later called Israel. God had helped the Israelites conquer Canaan, which had been inhabited by a host of wicked nations. But they were in danger of losing this Promised Land because they compromised their convictions and disobeyed God.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman. Superheroes. The world longs for them. Always arriving in the nick of time to ward off evil, beat up bad guys, prevent corruption, and promote truth and justice and goodness. Unfortunately, there are no superheroes. And, eventually, every human being will let us down. The book of Judges is about heroes-12 men and women God used to deliver Israel from its enemies. No way were they superheroes. Some didn't want the job. One was even a murderer. But God used them to rescue Israel. Judges also talks about the horrible results of sin, but also about God's mercy. The people of Israel had become evil. Judges describes them this way: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (17:6) They intermarried with wicked people and worshipped strange gods. When the stench of their actions became unbearable to God, he would raise up a neighboring nation to conquer them. Then the people would repent and turn back to God . . . and he would send a "judge" to rescue them. Let the book of Judges remind you that God uses normal people to do his work; let it remind you of the effects of sin; and let it remind you that, above all, God is merciful to sinful children when they ask for forgiveness.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
caused the acc
JUDGE001
1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who will be first to go and fight for us against the Canaanites?"
2 The LORD said to them, "The tribe of Judah will go. I have handed the land over to them."
3 The men of Judah said to the men of Simeon, their relatives, "Come and help us fight the Canaanites for our land. If you do, we will go and help you fight for your land." So the men of Simeon went with them.
4 When Judah attacked, the LORD handed over the Canaanites and the Perizzites to them, and they defeated ten thousand men at the city of Bezek.
5 There they found ADONI-BEZEK, the ruler of the city, and fought him. The men of Judah defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites,
6 but ADONI-BEZEK ran away. The men of Judah chased him, and when they caught him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 ADONI-BEZEK said, "Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes had been cut off used to eat scraps that fell from my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." The men of Judah took ADONI-BEZEK to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They attacked with their swords and burned the city.
9 Later, they went down to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, in the dry country to the south, and in the western hills.
10 The men of Judah went to fight against the Canaanites in the city of Hebron (which used to be called Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 Then they left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.)
12 Before attacking the city, Caleb said, "I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher."
13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife.
14 When Acsah came to Othniel, she told him to ask her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"
15 Acsah answered him, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in southern Canaan, also give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 The Kenite people, who were from the family of Moses' father-in-law, left Jericho, the city of palm trees. They went with the men of Judah to the Desert of Judah to live with them there in southern Judah near the city of Arad.
17 The men of Judah and the men of Simeon, their relatives, defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They completely destroyed the city, so they called it Hormah.
18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the lands around them.
19 The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took the land in the mountains, but they could not force out the people living on the plain, because they had iron chariots.
20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, and Caleb forced out the three sons of Anak.
21 But the people of Benjamin could not make the Jebusite people leave Jerusalem. Since that time the Jebusites have lived with the Benjaminites in Jerusalem.
22 The men of Joseph went to fight against the city of Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
23 They sent some spies to Bethel (which used to be called Luz).
24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, "Show us a way into the city, and we will be kind to you."
25 So the man showed them the way into the city. The men of Joseph attacked with swords the people in Bethel, but they let the man and his family go free.
26 He went to the land where the Hittites lived and built a city. He named it Luz, which it is called even today.
27 There were Canaanites living in the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and the small towns around them. The people of Manasseh did not force those people out of their towns, because the Canaanites were determined to stay there.
28 Later, the Israelites grew strong and forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they did not make all the Canaanites leave their land.
29 The people of Ephraim did not force out all of the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer with the people of Ephraim.
30 The people of Zebulun did not force out the Canaanites living in the cities of Kitron and Nahalol. They stayed and lived with the people of Zebulun, but Zebulun made them work as slaves.
31 The people of Asher did not force the Canaanites from the cities of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, and Rehob.
32 Since the people of Asher did not force them out, the Canaanites continued to live with them.
33 The people of Naphtali did not force out the people of the cities of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath. So they continued to live with the Canaanites in those cities, and the Canaanites worked as slaves.
34 The Amorites forced the Danites back into the mountains and would not let them come down to live in the plain.
35 The Amorites were determined to stay in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Amorites work as slaves.
36 The land of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.
1 After Joshua died, the nation of Israel went to the Lord to receive his instructions.
"Which of our tribes should be the first to go to war against the Canaanites?" they inquired.
2 God's answer came, "Judah. And I will give them a great victory."
3 The leaders of the tribe of Judah, however, asked help from the tribe of Simeon. "Join us in clearing out the people living in the territory allotted to us," they said, "and then we will help you conquer yours." So the army of Simeon went with the army of Judah. 4-6 And the Lord helped them defeat the Canaanites and Perizzites, so that ten thousand of the enemy were slain at Bezek. King Adoni-bezek escaped, but the Israeli army soon captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 "I have treated seventy kings in this same manner and have fed them the scraps under my table!" King Adoni-bezek said. "Now God has paid me back." He was taken to Jerusalem and died there.
8 (Judah had conquered Jerusalem and massacred its people, setting the city on fire.) 9 Afterward the army of Judah fought the Canaanites in the hill country and in the Negeb, as well as on the coastal plains. 10 Then Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath-arba), destroying the cities of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 Later they attacked the city of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).
12 "Who will lead the attack against Debir?" Caleb challenged them. "Whoever conquers it shall have my daughter Achsah as his wife!"
13 Caleb's nephew, Othniel, son of his younger brother Kenaz, volunteered to lead the attack; and he conquered the city and won Achsah as his bride. 14 As they were leaving for their new home, she urged him to ask her father for an additional piece of land. She dismounted from her donkey to speak to Caleb about it.
"What do you wish?" he asked.
15 And she replied, "You have been kind enough to give me land in the Negeb, but please give us springs of water too."
So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 When the tribe of Judah moved into its new land in the Negeb Desert south of Arad, the descendants of Moses' father-in-law-members of the Kenite tribe-accompanied them. They left their homes in Jericho, "The City of Palm Trees," and the two tribes lived together after that. 17 Afterwards the army of Judah joined Simeon's, and they fought the Canaanites at the city of Zephath and massacred all its people. So now the city is named Hormah (meaning, "massacred"). 18 The army of Judah also conquered the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, with their surrounding villages. 19 The Lord helped the tribe of Judah exterminate the people of the hill country, though they failed in their attempt to conquer the people of the valley, who had iron chariots.
20 The city of Hebron was given to Caleb as the Lord had promised; so Caleb drove out the inhabitants of the city; they were descendants of the three sons of Anak.
21 The tribe of Benjamin failed to exterminate the Jebusites living in their part of the city of Jerusalem, so they still live there today, mingled with the Israelis.
22-23 As for the tribe of Joseph, they attacked the city of Bethel, formerly known as Luz, and the Lord was with them. First they sent scouts, 24 who captured a man coming out of the city. They offered to spare his life and that of his family if he would show them the entrance passage through the wall.
25 So he showed them how to get in, and they massacred the entire population except for this man and his family. 26 Later the man moved to Syria and founded a city there, naming it Luz, too, as it is still known today.
27 The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, with their surrounding towns; so the Canaanites stayed there. 28 In later years when the Israelis were stronger, they put the Canaanites to work as slaves, but never did force them to leave the country. 29 This was also true of the Canaanites living in Gezer; they still live among the tribe of Ephraim.
30 And the tribe of Zebulun did not massacre the people of Kitron or Nahalol, but made them their slaves; 31-32 nor did the tribe of Asher drive out the residents of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob; so the Israelis still live among the Canaanites, who were the original people of that land. 33 And the tribe of Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or of Beth-anath, so these people continue to live among them as servants.
34 As for the tribe of Dan, the Amorites forced them into the hill country and wouldn't let them come down into the valley; 35 but when the Amorites later spread into Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, the tribe of Joseph conquered them and made them their slaves. 36 The boundary of the Amorites begins at the ascent of Scorpion Pass, runs to a spot called The Rock, and continues upward from there.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,220
4,4,7,434
5,5,9,582
6,6,11,718
7,7,13,843
8,8,15,1086
9,9,17,1209
10,10,19,1348
11,11,21,1518
12,12,23,1652
13,13,25,1806
14,14,27,1939
15,15,29,2090
16,16,31,2269
17,17,33,2503
18,18,35,2675
19,19,37,2758
20,20,39,2931
21,21,41,3033
22,22,43,3196
23,23,45,3291
24,24,47,3360
25,25,49,3486
26,26,51,3645
27,27,53,3763
28,28,55,4015
29,29,57,4160
30,30,59,4319
31,31,61,4513
32,32,63,4641
33,33,65,4742
34,34,67,4947
35,35,69,5065
36,36,71,5226
1,1,1,1
2,2,4,187
3,6,6,258
7,7,8,750
8,11,10,944
12,12,12,1373
13,14,14,1509
15,15,17,1860
16,19,20,2030
20,20,22,2788
21,21,24,2955
22,24,26,3125
25,26,28,3432
27,29,30,3654
30,33,32,4070
34,36,34,4533
COEXISTENCE JUDGE 1:1
The Canaanites were all the people who lived in Canaan (the Promised Land). They lived in city-states where each city had its own government, army, and laws. One reason Canaan was so difficult to conquer was that each city had to be defeated individually. There was no single king who could surrender the entire country into the hands of the Israelites.
However, Canaan's greatest threat to Israel was not its military, but its religion. Canaanite religion idealized evil traits: cruelty in war, sexual immorality, selfish greed, and materialism. It was a me first, anything goes society. Obviously, the religions of Israel and Canaan could not coexist.
PROMISES JUDGE 1:20
Caleb was given land as the Lord had promised. In a world where promises are often broken, it is encouraging to know that God keeps his. The Bible is filled with promises from God, and to discover them is an exciting adventure. As you discover God's promises, don't be worried when one seems slow in being fulfilled. God will keep his every promise to you, just as he did to Caleb.
JUDGE002
1 The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land I promised to give your ancestors. I said, `I will never break my agreement with you.
2 But you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You must destroy their altars.' But you did not obey me. How could you do this?
3 Now I tell you, `I will not force out the people in this land. They will be your enemies, and their gods will be a trap for you.' "
4 After the angel gave Israel this message from the LORD, they cried loudly.
5 So they named the place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the LORD.
6 Then Joshua sent the people back to their land.
7 The people served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the older leaders who lived after Joshua and who had seen what great things the LORD had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred ten.
9 They buried him in his own land at Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After those people had died, their children grew up and did not know the LORD or what he had done for Israel.
11 So they did what the LORD said was wrong, and they worshiped the Baal idols.
12 They quit following the LORD, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They began to worship the gods of the people who lived around them, and that made the LORD angry.
13 The Israelites quit following the LORD and worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth.
14 The LORD was angry with the people of Israel, so he handed them over to robbers who took their possessions. He let their enemies who lived around them defeat them; they could not protect themselves.
15 When the Israelites went out to fight, they always lost, because the LORD was not with them. The LORD had sworn to them this would happen. So the Israelites suffered very much.
16 Then the LORD chose leaders called judges, who saved the Israelites from the robbers.
17 But the Israelites did not listen to their judges. They were not faithful to God but worshiped other gods instead. Their ancestors had obeyed the LORD' s commands, but they quickly turned away and did not obey.
18 When their enemies hurt them, the Israelites cried for help. So the LORD felt sorry for them and sent judges to save them from their enemies. The LORD was with those judges all their lives.
19 But when the judges died, the Israelites again sinned and worshiped other gods. They became worse than their ancestors. The Israelites were very stubborn and refused to change their evil ways.
20 So the LORD became angry with the Israelites. He said, "These people have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me.
21 I will no longer defeat the nations who were left when Joshua died.
22 I will use them to test Israel, to see if Israel will keep the LORD's commands as their ancestors did."
23 In the past the LORD had permitted those nations to stay in the land. He did not quickly force them out or help Joshua's army defeat them.
1 One day the Angel of the Lord arrived at Bochim, coming from Gilgal, and announced to the people of Israel, "I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I promised to your ancestors, and I said that I would never break my covenant with you, 2 if you, on your part, would make no peace treaties with the people living in this land; I told you to destroy their heathen altars. Why have you not obeyed? 3 And now since you have broken the contract, it is no longer in effect, and I no longer promise to destroy the nations living in your land; rather, they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you."
4 The people broke into tears as the Angel finished speaking; 5 so the name of that place was called "Bochim" (meaning, "the place where people wept"). Then they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
6 When Joshua finally disbanded the armies of Israel, the tribes moved into their new territories and took possession of the land. 7-9 Joshua, the man of God, died at the age of 110 and was buried at the edge of his property in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. The people had remained true to the Lord throughout Joshua's lifetime, and as long afterward as the old men of his generation were still living-those who had seen the mighty miracles the Lord had done for Israel.
10 But finally all that generation died; and the next generation did not worship Jehovah as their God and did not care about the mighty miracles he had done for Israel. 11 They did many things that the Lord had expressly forbidden, including the worshiping of heathen gods. 12-14 They abandoned Jehovah, the God loved and worshiped by their ancestors-the God who had brought them out of Egypt. Instead, they were worshiping and bowing low before the idols of the neighboring nations. So the anger of the Lord flamed out against all Israel. He left them to the mercy of their enemies, for they had departed from Jehovah and were worshiping Baal and the Ashtaroth idols.
15 So now when the nation of Israel went out to battle against its enemies, the Lord blocked their path. He had warned them about this, and in fact had vowed that he would do it. But when the people were in this terrible plight, 16 the Lord raised up judges to save them from their enemies.
17 Yet even then Israel would not listen to the judges, but broke faith with Jehovah by worshiping other gods instead. How quickly they turned away from the true faith of their ancestors, for they refused to obey God's commands. 18 Each judge rescued the people of Israel from their enemies throughout his lifetime, for the Lord was moved to pity by the groaning of his people under their crushing oppressions; so he helped them as long as that judge lived. 19 But when the judge died, the people turned from doing right and behaved even worse than their ancestors had. They prayed to heathen gods again, throwing themselves to the ground in humble worship. They stubbornly returned to the evil customs of the nations around them.
20 Then the anger of the Lord would flame out against Israel again. He declared, "Because these people have violated the treaty I made with their ancestors, 21 I will no longer drive out the nations left unconquered by Joshua when he died. 22 Instead, I will use these nations to test my people, to see whether or not they will obey the Lord as their ancestors did."
23 So the Lord left those nations in the land and did not drive them out, nor let Israel destroy them.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,207
3,3,5,367
4,4,7,505
5,5,9,586
6,6,11,666
7,7,13,720
8,8,15,917
9,9,17,1003
10,10,19,1109
11,11,21,1226
12,12,23,1310
13,13,25,1507
14,14,27,1587
15,15,29,1793
16,16,31,1977
17,17,33,2070
18,18,35,2288
19,19,37,2485
20,20,39,2685
21,21,41,2846
22,22,43,2921
23,23,45,3032
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,648
6,9,5,845
10,14,7,1358
15,16,9,2030
17,19,11,2324
20,22,13,3058
23,23,15,3428
PRESSURE JUDGE 2:11-14
This generation of Israelites abandoned the faith of their parents and began worshiping the gods of their neighbors. Many things can tempt us to abandon what we know is right. The desire to be accepted by others can lead us into behavior that is unacceptable to God. Don't be pressured into disobedience.
Ult. Issues: Why the Jews? ,!page "^jews" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JUDGE003
1 These are the nations the LORD did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan.
2 (The only reason the LORD left those nations in the land was to teach the descendants of the Israelites who had not fought in those wars how to fight.)
3 These are the nations: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
4 Those nations were in the land to test the Israelites- to see if they would obey the commands the LORD had given to their ancestors by Moses.
5 The people of Israel lived with the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
6 The Israelites began to marry the daughters of those people, and they allowed their daughters to marry the sons of those people. Israel also served their gods.
7 The Israelites did what the LORD said was wrong. They forgot about the LORD their God and served the idols of Baal and Asherah.
8 so the LORD was angry with Israel and allowed CUSHAN-RISHATHAIM king of Northwest Mesopotamia to rule over the Israelites for eight years.
9 When Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD sent someone to save them. Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, saved the Israelites.
10 The Spirit of the LORD entered Othniel, and he became Israel's judge. When he went to war, the LORD handed over to him CUSHAN-RISHATHAIM king of Northwest Mesopotamia.
11 So the land was at peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
12 Again the people of Israel did what the LORD said was wrong. So the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power to defeat Israel because of the evil Israel did.
13 Eglon got the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join him. Then he attacked Israel and took Jericho, the city of palm trees.
14 So the people of Israel were ruled by Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15 When the people cried to the LORD, he sent someone to save them. He was Ehud, son of Gera from the people of Benjamin, who was left-handed. Israel sent Ehud to give Eglon king of Moab the payment he demanded.
16 Ehud made himself a sword with two edges, about eighteen inches long, and he tied it to his right hip under his clothes.
17 Ehud gave Eglon king of Moab the payment he demanded. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
18 After he had given Eglon the payment, Ehud sent away the people who had carried it.
19 When he passed the statues near Gilgal, he turned around and said to Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, King Eglon." The king said, "Be quiet!" Then he sent all of his servants out of the room.
20 Ehud went to King Eglon, as he was sitting alone in the room above his summer palace. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king stood up from his chair,
21 Ehud reached with his left hand and took out the sword that was tied to his right hip. Then he stabbed the sword deep into the king's belly!
22 Even the handle sank in, and the blade came out his back. The king's fat covered the whole sword, so Ehud left the sword in Eglon.
23 Then he went out of the room and closed and locked the doors behind him.
24 When the servants returned just after Ehud left, they found the doors to the room locked. So they thought the king was relieving himself.
25 They waited for a long time. Finally they became worried because he still had not opened the doors. So they got the key and unlocked them and saw their king lying dead on the floor!
26 While the servants were waiting, Ehud had escaped. He passed by the statues and went to Seirah.
27 When he reached the mountains of Ephraim he blew the trumpet. The people of Israel heard it and went down from the hills with Ehud leading them.
28 He said to them, "Follow me! The LORD has helped you to defeat your enemies, the Moabites." So Israel followed Ehud and captured the crossings of the Jordan River. They did not allow the Moabites to cross the Jordan River.
29 Israel killed about ten thousand strong and able men from Moab; not one escaped.
30 So that day Moab was forced to be under the rule of Israel, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
31 After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath saved Israel. Shamgar killed six hundred Philistines with a sharp stick used to guide oxen.
1 Here is a list of the nations the Lord left in the land to test the new generation of Israel who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. For God wanted to give opportunity to the youth of Israel to exercise faith and obedience in conquering their enemies: the Philistines (five cities), the Canaanites, the Sidonians, the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 These people were a test to the new generation of Israel, to see whether they would obey the commandments the Lord had given to them through Moses.
5 So Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 6 But instead of destroying them, the people of Israel intermarried with them. The young men of Israel took their girls as wives, and the Israeli girls married their men. And soon Israel was worshiping their gods. 7 So the people of Israel were very evil in God's sight, for they turned against Jehovah their God and worshiped Baal and the Asheroth idols.
8 Then the anger of the Lord flamed out against Israel, and he let King Cushan-rishathaim of eastern Syria conquer them. They were under his rule for eight years. 9 But when Israel cried out to the Lord, he gave them Caleb's nephew, Othniel (son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother) to save them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord took control of him, and he reformed and purged Israel so that when he led the forces of Israel against the army of King Cushan-rishathaim, the Lord helped Israel conquer him completely.
11 Then, for forty years under Othniel, there was peace in the land. But when Othniel died, 12 the people of Israel turned once again to their sinful ways, so God helped King Eglon of Moab to conquer part of Israel at that time. 13 Allied with him were the armies of the Ammonites and the Amalekites. These forces defeated the Israelis and took possession of Jericho, often called "The City of Palm Trees." 14 For the next eighteen years the people of Israel were required to pay crushing taxes to King Eglon.
15 But when they cried to the Lord, he sent them a savior, Ehud (son of Gera, a Benjaminite), who was left-handed. Ehud was the man chosen to carry Israel's annual tax money to the Moabite capital. 16 Before he went on this journey, he made himself a double-edged dagger eighteen inches long and hid it in his clothing, strapped against his right thigh. 17-19 After delivering the money to King Eglon (who, by the way, was very fat!), he started home again. But outside the city, at the quarries of Gilgal, he sent his companions on and returned alone to the king.
"I have a secret message for you," he told him.
The king immediately dismissed all those who were with him so that he could have a private interview. 20 Ehud walked over to him as he was sitting in a cool upstairs room and said to him, "It is a message from God!"
King Eglon stood up at once to receive it, 21 whereupon Ehud reached beneath his robe with his strong left hand, pulled out the double-bladed dagger strapped against his right thigh, and plunged it deep into the king's belly. 22-23 The hilt of the dagger disappeared beneath the flesh, and the fat closed over it as the entrails oozed out. Leaving the dagger there, Ehud locked the doors behind him and escaped across an upstairs porch.
24 When the king's servants returned and saw that the doors were locked, they waited, thinking that perhaps he was using the bathroom. 25 But when, after a long time, he still didn't come out, they became concerned and got a key. And when they opened the door, they found their master dead on the floor.
26 Meanwhile Ehud had escaped past the quarries to Seirah. 27 When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet as a call to arms and mustered an army under his own command.
28 "Follow me," he told them, "for the Lord has put your enemies, the Moabites, at your mercy!"
The army then proceeded to seize the fords of the Jordan River near Moab, preventing anyone from crossing. 29 Then they attacked the Moabites and killed about ten thousand of the strongest and most skillful of their fighting men, letting not one escape. 30 So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and the land was at peace for the next eighty years.
31 The next judge after Ehud was Shamgar (son of Anath). He once killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad, thereby saving Israel from disaster.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,137
3,3,5,295
4,4,7,491
5,5,9,639
6,6,11,749
7,7,13,915
8,8,15,1049
9,9,17,1194
10,10,19,1336
11,11,21,1511
12,12,23,1592
13,13,25,1751
14,14,27,1880
15,15,29,1964
16,16,31,2180
17,17,33,2308
18,18,35,2399
19,19,37,2490
20,20,39,2697
21,21,41,2875
22,22,43,3023
23,23,45,3161
24,24,47,3241
25,25,49,3386
26,26,51,3575
27,27,53,3678
28,28,55,3830
29,29,57,4060
30,30,59,4148
31,31,61,4265
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,555
8,10,5,1010
11,14,7,1521
15,23,9,2034
24,25,14,3306
26,27,16,3613
28,30,18,3806
31,31,21,4258
JUDGE004
1 After Ehud died, the Israelites again did what the LORD said was wrong.
2 So he let Jabin, a king of Canaan who ruled in the city of Hazor, defeat Israel. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of Jabin's army.
3 Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and was very cruel to the people of Israel for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.
4 A prophetess named Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was judge of Israel at that time.
5 Deborah would sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah, which was between the cities of Ramah and Bethel, in the mountains of Ephraim. And the people of Israel would come to her to settle their arguments.
6 Deborah sent a message to Barak son of Abinoam. Barak lived in the city of Kedesh, which is in the area of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: `Go and gather ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor.
7 I will make Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, and his chariots, and his army meet you at the Kishon River. I will hand Sisera over to you.' "
8 Then Barak said to Deborah, "I will go if you will go with me, but if you won't go with me, I won't go."
9 "Of course I will go with you," Deborah answered, "but you will not get credit for the victory. The LORD will let a woman defeat Sisera." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 At Kedesh, Barak called the people of Zebulun and Naphtali together. From them, he gathered ten thousand men to follow him, and Deborah went with him also.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law. Heber had put up his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone to Mount Tabor,
13 Sisera gathered his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get up! Today is the day the LORD will hand over Sisera. The LORD has already cleared the way for you." So Barak led ten thousand men down Mount Tabor.
15 As Barak approached, the LORD confused Sisera and his army and chariots. The LORD defeated them with the sword, but Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot.
16 Barak and his men chased Sisera's chariots and army to Harosheth Haggoyim. With their swords they killed all of Sisera's men; not one of them was left alive.
17 But Sisera himself ran away to the tent where Jael lived. She was the wife of Heber, one of the Kenite family groups. Heber's family was at peace with Jabin king of Hazor.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come into my tent, master! Come in. Don't be afraid." So Sisera went into Jael's tent, and she covered him with a rug.
19 Sisera said to Jael, "I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink." So she opened a leather bag of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up.
20 He said to her, "Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, `Is anyone here?' say, `No.' "
21 But Jael, the wife of Heber, took a tent peg and a hammer and quietly went to Sisera. Since he was very tired, he was in a deep sleep. She hammered the tent peg through the side of Sisera's head and into the ground. And so Sisera died.
22 At that very moment Barak came by Jael's tent, chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, "Come. I will show you the man you are looking for." So Barak entered her tent, and there Sisera lay dead, with the tent peg in his head.
23 On that day God defeated Jabin king of Canaan in the sight of Israel.
24 Israel became stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until finally they destroyed him.
1 After Ehud's death the people of Israel again sinned against the Lord, 2-3 so the Lord let them be conquered by King Jabin of Hazor, in Canaan. The commander-in-chief of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoiim. He had nine hundred iron chariots and made life unbearable for the Israelis for twenty years. But finally they begged the Lord for help.
4 Israel's leader at that time, the one who was responsible for bringing the people back to God, was Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth. 5 She held court at a place now called "Deborah's Palm Tree," between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came to her to decide their disputes.
6 One day she summoned Barak (son of Abinoam), who lived in Kedesh, in the land of Naphtali, and said to him, "The Lord God of Israel has commanded you to mobilize ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Lead them to Mount Tabor 7 to fight King Jabin's mighty army with all his chariots, under General Sisera's command. The Lord says, `I will draw them to the Kishon River, and you will defeat them there.' "
8 "I'll go, but only if you go with me!" Barak told her.
9 "All right," she replied, "I'll go with you; but I'm warning you now that the honor of conquering Sisera will go to a woman instead of to you!" So she went with him to Kedesh.
10 When Barak summoned the men of Zebulun and Naphtali to mobilize at Kedesh, ten thousand men volunteered. And Deborah marched with them. 11 (Heber, the Kenite-the Kenites were the descendants of Moses' father-in-law Hobab-had moved away from the rest of his clan, and had been living in various places as far away as the Oak of Zaanannim, near Kedesh.) 12 When General Sisera was told that Barak and his army were camped at Mount Tabor, 13 he mobilized his entire army, including the nine hundred iron chariots, and marched from Harosheth-hagoiim to the Kishon River.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Now is the time for action! The Lord leads on! He has already delivered Sisera into your hand!"
So Barak led his ten thousand men down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
15 Then the Lord threw the enemy into a panic, both the soldiers and the charioteers, and Sisera leaped from his chariot and escaped on foot. 16 Barak and his men chased the enemy and the chariots as far as Harosheth-hagoiim, until all of Sisera's army was destroyed; not one man was left alive. 17 Meanwhile, Sisera had escaped to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was a mutual-assistance agreement between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come into my tent, sir. You will be safe here in our protection. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19 "Please give me some water," he said, "for I am very thirsty." So she gave him some milk and covered him again.
20 "Stand in the door of the tent," he told her, "and if anyone comes by, looking for me, tell them that no one is here."
21 Then Jael took a sharp tent peg and a hammer and, quietly creeping up to him as he slept, she drove the peg through his temples and into the ground; and so he died, for he was fast asleep from weariness.
22 When Barak came by looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said, "Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for."
So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his temples. 23 So that day the Lord used Israel to subdue King Jabin of Canaan. 24 And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin, until he and all his people were destroyed.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,242
4,4,7,384
5,5,9,475
6,6,11,680
7,7,13,956
8,8,15,1109
9,9,17,1220
10,10,19,1402
11,11,21,1565
12,12,23,1741
13,13,25,1820
14,14,27,1945
15,15,29,2133
16,16,31,2302
17,17,33,2467
18,18,35,2646
19,19,37,2819
20,20,39,2982
21,21,41,3105
22,22,43,3348
23,23,45,3592
24,24,47,3669
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,366
6,7,5,693
8,8,6,1121
9,9,8,1181
10,13,10,1362
14,14,12,1935
15,17,15,2145
18,18,17,2623
19,19,19,2821
20,20,21,2939
21,21,23,3064
22,24,25,3274
SIN JUDGE 4:1
Israel's sin was also against the Lord. Our sins harm both ourselves and others, but all sin is ultimately against God because it disregards his commands and his authority over our lives. When confessing his sin, David prayed, It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing (Psalm 51:4). Recognizing the seriousness of sin is the first step toward removing it from our lives.
RESPECT JUDGE 4:9
How did Deborah command such respect? She was responsible for leading the people into battle. But more than that, she influenced them to live for God after the battle was over. Her personality drew people together and commanded the respect of even Barak, a military general. She was also a prophetess, whose main role was to encourage the people to obey God. Those who lead must not forget about the spiritual condition of those being led. A true leader is concerned for people, not just success.
JUDGE005
SONGS
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 "The leaders led Israel. The people volunteered to go to battle. Praise the LORD!
3 Listen, kings. Pay attention, rulers! I myself will sing to the LORD. I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.
4 "LORD, when you came from Edom, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the skies rained, and the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains shook before the LORD, the God of Mount Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel!
6 "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were empty. Travelers went on the back roads.
7 There were no warriors in Israel until I, Deborah arose, until I arose to be a mother to Israel.
8 At that time they chose to follow new gods. Because of this, enemies fought us at our city gates. No one could find a shield or a spear among the forty thousand people of Israel.
9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel. They volunteered freely from among the people. Praise the LORD!
10 "You who ride on white donkeys and sit on saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, listen!
11 Listen to the sound of the singers at the watering holes. There they tell about the victories of the LORD, the victories of the LORD' s warriors in Israel. Then the LORD' s people went down to the city gates.
12 "Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak! Go capture your enemies, son of Abinoam!
13 "Then those who were left came down to the important leaders. The LORD' s people came down to me with strong men.
14 They came from Ephraim in the mountains of Amalek. Benjamin was among the people who followed you. From the family group of Makir, the commanders came down. And from Zebulun came those who lead.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. The people of Issachar were loyal to Barak and followed him into the valley. The Reubenites thought hard about what they would do.
16 Why did you stay by the sheepfold? Was it to hear the music played for your sheep? The Reubenites thought hard about what they would do.
17 The people of Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River. People of Dan, why did you stay by the ships? The people of Asher stayed at the seashore, at their safe harbors.
18 But the people of Zebulun risked their lives, as did the people of Naphtali on the battlefield.
19 "The kings came, and they fought. At that time the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo. But they took away no silver or possessions of Israel.
20 The stars fought from heaven; from their paths, they fought Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept Sisera's men away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on, my soul, with strength!
22 Then the horses' hoofs beat the ground. Galloping, galloping go Sisera's mighty horses.
23 `May the town of Meroz be cursed,' said the angel of the LORD. `Bitterly curse its people, because they did not come to help the LORD. They did not fight the strong enemy.'
24 "May Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, be blessed above all women who live in tents.
25 Sisera asked for water, but Jael gave him milk. In a bowl fit for a ruler, she brought him cream.
26 Jael reached out and took the tent peg. Her right hand reached for the workman's hammer. She hit Sisera! She smashed his head! She crushed and pierced the side of his head!
27 At Jael's feet he sank. He fell, and he lay there. At her feet he sank. He fell. Where Sisera sank, there he fell, dead!
28 "Sisera's mother looked out through the window. She looked through the curtains and cried out, `Why is Sisera's chariot so late in coming? Why are sounds of his chariots' horses delayed?'
29 The wisest of her servant ladies answer her, and Sisera's mother says to herself,
30 `Surely they are robbing the people they defeated! Surely they are dividing those things among themselves! Each soldier is given a girl or two. Maybe Sisera is taking pieces of dyed cloth. Maybe they are even taking pieces of dyed, embroidered cloth for the necks of the victors!'
31 "Let all your enemies die this way, LORD! But let all the people who love you be as strong as the rising sun!" Then there was peace in the land for forty years.
1 Then Deborah and Barak sang this song about the wonderful victory:
2 "Praise the Lord!
Israel's leaders bravely led;
The people gladly followed!
Yes, bless the Lord!
3 Listen, O you kings and princes,
For I shall sing about the Lord,
The God of Israel.
4 When you led us out from Seir,
Out across the fields of Edom,
The earth trembled
And the sky poured down its rain.
5 Yes, even Mount Sinai quaked
At the presence of the God of Israel!
6 In the days of Shamgar and of Jael,
The main roads were deserted.
Travelers used the narrow, crooked side paths.
7 Israel's population dwindled,
Until Deborah became a mother to Israel.
8 When Israel chose new gods,
Everything collapsed.
Our masters would not let us have
A shield or spear.
Among forty thousand men of Israel,
Not a weapon could be found!
9 How I rejoice
In the leaders of Israel
Who offered themselves so willingly!
Praise the Lord!
10 Let all Israel, rich and poor,
Join in his praises-
Those who ride on white donkeys
And sit on rich carpets,
And those who are poor and must walk.
11 The village musicians
Gather at the village well
To sing of the triumphs of the Lord.
Again and again they sing the ballad
Of how the Lord saved Israel
With an army of peasants!
The people of the Lord
Marched through the gates!
12 Awake, O Deborah, and sing!
Arise, O Barak!
O son of Abinoam, lead away your captives!
13-14 Down from Mount Tabor marched the noble remnant.
The people of the Lord
Marched down against great odds.
They came from Ephraim and Benjamin,
From Machir and from Zebulun.
15 Down into the valley
Went the princes of Issachar
With Deborah and Barak.
At God's command they rushed into the valley.
(But the tribe of Reuben didn't go.
16 Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds,
Playing your shepherd pipes?
Yes, the tribe of Reuben has an uneasy conscience.
17 Why did Gilead remain across the Jordan,
And why did Dan remain with his ships?
And why did Asher sit unmoved
Upon the seashore,
At ease beside his harbors?)
18 But the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali
Dared to die upon the fields of battle.
19 The kings of Canaan fought in Taanach
By Megiddo's springs,
But did not win the victory.
20 The very stars of heaven
Fought Sisera.
21 The rushing Kishon River
Swept them away.
March on, my soul, with strength!
22 Hear the stamping
Of the horsehoofs of the enemy!
See the prancing of his steeds!
23 But the Angel of Jehovah
Put a curse on Meroz.
`Curse them bitterly,' he said,
`Because they did not come to help the Lord
Against his enemies.'
24 Blessed be Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite-
Yes, may she be blessed
Above all women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water
And she gave him milk in a beautiful cup!
26 Then she took a tent pin and a workman's hammer
And pierced Sisera's temples,
Crushing his head.
She pounded the tent pin through his head.
27 He sank, he fell, he lay dead at her feet.
28 The mother of Sisera watched through the window
For his return.
`Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don't we hear the sound of the wheels?'
29 But her ladies-in-waiting-and she herself-replied,
30 `There is much loot to be divided,
And it takes time.
Each man receives a girl or two;
And Sisera will get gorgeous robes,
And he will bring home
Many gifts for me.'
31 O Lord, may all your enemies
Perish as Sisera did,
But may those who love the Lord
Shine as the sun!"
After that there was peace in the land for forty years.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,68
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,282
5,5,9,425
6,6,11,528
7,7,13,654
8,8,15,758
9,9,17,943
10,10,19,1056
11,11,21,1163
12,12,23,1379
13,13,25,1501
14,14,27,1622
15,15,29,1824
16,16,31,2005
17,17,33,2149
18,18,35,2323
19,19,37,2426
20,20,39,2600
21,21,41,2675
22,22,43,2792
23,23,45,2887
24,24,47,3067
25,25,49,3161
26,26,51,3266
27,27,53,3446
28,28,55,3574
29,29,57,3769
30,30,59,3858
31,31,61,4146
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,71
3,3,7,184
4,4,11,282
5,5,16,413
6,6,19,490
7,7,23,616
8,8,26,697
9,9,33,887
10,10,38,996
11,11,44,1163
12,14,53,1420
15,15,63,1716
16,16,69,1892
17,17,73,2032
18,18,79,2210
19,19,82,2300
20,20,86,2403
21,21,89,2454
22,22,93,2544
23,23,97,2640
24,24,102,2803
25,25,107,2926
26,26,110,2998
27,27,115,3155
28,28,117,3206
29,29,121,3368
30,30,122,3425
31,31,128,3612
f ~ T"
SONGS JUDGE 5:1
In victory, Barak and Deborah sang praises to God. Songs of praise focus our attention on God, give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and remind us of God's faithfulness and character. Whether you are in the middle of a great victory or a difficult problem, singing praises to God can have a positive effect on your attitude.
JUDGE006
1 Again the Israelites did what the LORD said was wrong. So for seven years the LORD handed them over to Midian.
2 Because the Midianites were very powerful and were cruel to Israel, the Israelites made hiding places in the mountains, in caves, and in safe places.
3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples from the east would come and attack them.
4 They camped in the land and destroyed the crops that the Israelites had planted as far away as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, and no sheep, cattle, or donkeys.
5 The Midianites came with their tents and their animals like swarms of locusts to ruin the land. There were so many people and camels they could not be counted.
6 Israel became very poor because of the Midianites, so they cried out to the LORD.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD against the Midianites,
8 the LORD sent a prophet to them. He said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery.
9 I saved you from the Egyptians and from all those who were against you. I forced the Canaanites out of their land and gave it to you.
10 Then I said to you, `I am the LORD your God. Live in the land of the Amorites, but do not worship their gods.' But you did not obey me."
11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak tree at Ophrah that belonged to Joash, one of the Abiezrite people. Gideon, Joash's son, was separating some wheat from the chaff in a winepress to keep the wheat from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior!"
13 Then Gideon said, "Sir, if the LORD is with us, why are we having so much trouble? Where are the miracles our ancestors told us he did when the LORD brought them out of Egypt? But now he has left us and has handed us over to the Midianites."
14 The LORD turned to Gideon and said, "Go with your strength and save Israel from the Midianites. I am the one who is sending you."
15 But Gideon answered, "Lord, how can I save Israel? My family group is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family."
16 The LORD answered him, "I will be with you. It will seem as if the Midianites you are fighting are only one man."
17 Then Gideon said to the LORD, "If you are pleased with me, give me proof that it is really you talking with me.
18 Please wait here until I come back to you. Let me bring my offering and set it in front of you." And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return."
19 So Gideon went in and cooked a young goat, and with twenty quarts of flour, made bread without yeast. Then he put the meat into a basket and the broth into a pot. He brought them out and gave them to the angel under the oak tree.
20 The angel of God said to Gideon, "Put the meat and the bread without yeast on that rock over there. Then pour the broth on them." And Gideon did as he was told.
21 The angel of the LORD touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick that was in his hand. Then fire jumped up from the rock and completely burned up the meat and the bread! And the angel of the LORD disappeared!
22 Then Gideon understood he had been talking to the angel of the LORD. So Gideon cried out, "Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
23 But the LORD said to Gideon, "Calm down! Don't be afraid! You will not die!"
24 So Gideon built an altar there to worship the LORD and named it The LORD Is Peace. It still stands at Ophrah, where the Abiezrites live.
25 That same night the LORD said to Gideon, "Take the bull that belongs to your father and a second bull seven years old. Pull down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah idol beside it.
26 Then build an altar to the LORD your God with its stones in the right order on this high ground. Kill and burn a second bull on this altar, using the wood from the Asherah idol."
27 So Gideon got ten of his servants and did what the LORD had told him to do. But Gideon was afraid that his family and the men of the city might see him, so he did it at night, not in the daytime.
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw that the altar for Baal had been destroyed and that the Asherah idol beside it had been cut down! They also saw the altar Gideon had built and the second bull that had been sacrificed on it.
29 The men of the city asked each other, "Who did this?" After they asked many questions, someone told them, "Gideon son of Joash did this."
30 So they said to Joash, "Bring your son out. He has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah idol beside it. He must die!"
31 But Joash said to the angry crowd around him, "Are you going to take Baal's side? Are you going to defend him? Anyone who takes Baal's side will be killed by morning! If Baal is a god, let him fight for himself. It's his altar that has been pulled down."
32 So on that day Gideon got the name JERUB-BAAL, which means "let Baal fight against him," because Gideon pulled down Baal's altar.
33 All the Midianites, the Amalekites, and other peoples from the east joined together and came across the Jordan River and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the LORD entered Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the Abiezrites to follow him.
35 He sent messengers to all of Manasseh, calling them to follow him. He also sent messengers to the people of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. So they also went up to meet Gideon and his men.
36 Then Gideon said to God, "You said you would help me save Israel.
37 I will put some wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the wool but all of the ground is dry, then I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said."
38 And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning and squeezed the wool, he got a full bowl of water from it.
39 Then Gideon said to God, "Don't be angry with me if I ask just one more thing. Please let me make one more test. Let only the wool be dry while the ground around it gets wet with dew."
40 That night God did that very thing. Just the wool was dry, but the ground around it was wet with dew.
1 Then the people of Israel began once again to worship other gods, and once again the Lord let their enemies harass them. This time it was by the people of Midian, for seven years. 2 The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelis took to the mountains, living in caves and dens. 3-4 When they planted their seed, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and other neighboring nations came and destroyed their crops and plundered the countryside as far away as Gaza, leaving nothing to eat and taking away all their sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 5 These enemy hordes arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count and stayed until the land was completely stripped and devastated. 6-7 So Israel was reduced to abject poverty because of the Midianites. Then at last the people of Israel began to cry out to the Lord for help.
8 However, the Lord's reply through the prophet he sent to them was this: "The Lord God of Israel brought you out of slavery in Egypt, 9 and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who were cruel to you, and drove out your enemies before you, and gave you their land. 10 He told you he is the Lord your God, and you must not worship the gods of the Amorites who live around you on every side. But you have not listened to him."
11 But one day the Angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the oak tree at Ophrah, on the farm of Joash the Abiezrite. Joash's son, Gideon, had been threshing wheat by hand in the bottom of a grape press-a pit where grapes were pressed to make wine-for he was hiding from the Midianites.
12 The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Mighty soldier, the Lord is with you!"
13 "Stranger," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors have told us about-such as when God brought them out of Egypt? Now the Lord has thrown us away and has let the Midianites completely ruin us."
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "I will make you strong! Go and save Israel from the Midianites! I am sending you!"
15 But Gideon replied, "Sir, how can I save Israel? My family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least thought of in the entire family!"
16 Whereupon the Lord said to him, "But I, Jehovah, will be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!"
17 Gideon replied, "If it is really true that you are going to help me like that, then do some miracle to prove it! Prove that it is really Jehovah who is talking to me! 18 But stay here until I go and get a present for you."
"All right," the Angel agreed. "I'll stay here until you return."
19 Gideon hurried home and roasted a young goat and baked some unleavened bread from a bushel of flour. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and broth in a pot, he took it out to the Angel, who was beneath the oak tree, and presented it to him.
20 The Angel said to him, "Place the meat and the bread upon that rock over there, and pour the broth over it."
When Gideon had followed these instructions, 21 the Angel touched the meat and bread with his staff, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed them! And suddenly the Angel was gone!
22 When Gideon realized that it had indeed been the Angel of the Lord, he cried out, "Alas, O Lord God, for I have seen the Angel of the Lord face-to-face!"
23 "It's all right," the Lord replied. "Don't be afraid! You shall not die."
24 And Gideon built an altar there and named it "The Altar of Peace with Jehovah." (The altar is still there in Ophrah in the land of the Abiezrites.) 25 That night the Lord told Gideon to hitch his father's best ox to the family altar of Baal and pull it down, and to cut down the wooden idol of the goddess Asherah that stood nearby.
26 "Replace it with an altar for the Lord your God, built here on this hill, laying the stones carefully. Then sacrifice the ox as a burnt offering to the Lord, using the wooden idol as wood for the fire on the altar."
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night for fear of the other members of his father's household, and for fear of the men of the city; for he knew what would happen if they found out who did it! 28 Early the next morning, as the city began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal was knocked apart, the idol beside it was gone, and a new altar had been built instead, with the remains of a sacrifice on it.
29 "Who did this?" everyone demanded. Finally they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.
30 "Bring out your son," they shouted to Joash. "He must die for insulting the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah idol."
31 But Joash retorted to the whole mob, "Does Baal need your help? What an insult to a god! You are the ones who should die for insulting Baal! If Baal is really a god, let him take care of himself and destroy the one who broke apart his altar!"
32 From then on Gideon was called "Jerubbaal," a nickname meaning "Let Baal take care of himself!"
33 Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and other neighboring nations united in one vast alliance against Israel. They crossed the Jordan and camped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet as a call to arms, and the men of Abiezer came to him. 35 He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their fighting forces, and all of them responded.
36 Then Gideon said to God, "If you are really going to use me to save Israel as you promised, 37 prove it to me in this way: I'll put some wool on the threshing floor tonight, and if, in the morning, the fleece is wet and the ground is dry, I will know you are going to help me!"
38 And it happened just that way! When he got up the next morning, he pressed the fleece together and wrung out a whole bowlful of water!
39 Then Gideon said to the Lord, "Please don't be angry with me, but let me make one more test: this time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet!"
40 So the Lord did as he asked; that night the fleece stayed dry, but the ground was covered with dew!
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EXCUSES JUDGE 6:14-16
I am sending you, God told Gideon, and God promised to give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. In spite of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses. He saw only his limitations and weaknesses. He failed to see how God could work through him.
Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses, too. Reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us or that he has made a mistake in evaluating our character. Don't spend time making excuses. Instead spend it doing what God wants.
STUDY JUDGE 6:37
Was Gideon really testing God or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? In either case, though his motive was right (to obey God and defeat the enemy), his method was less than ideal. Gideon seems to have known that his requests might displease God (6:39), and yet he demanded two miracles (6:37,39) even after witnessing the miraculous fire from the rock (6:21). It is true that to make good decisions we need facts. Gideon had all the facts, but still he hesitated. He delayed his obedience because he wanted even more proof.
Demanding extra signs was an indication of Gideon's unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know to be true. Today the greatest means of God's guidance is his word. Unlike Gideon, we have God's complete, revealed word. If you want to have more of God's guidance, don't ask for signs; study God's word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Profile: Gideon ,!page "^gideon" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JUDGE007
WORSHIP
1 Early in the morning JERUB-BAAL (also called Gideon) and all his men set up their camp at the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped north of them in the valley at the bottom of the hill called Moreh.
2 Then the LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men to defeat the Midianites. I don't want the Israelites to brag that they saved themselves.
3 So now, announce to the people, `Anyone who is afraid may leave Mount Gilead and go back home.' "So twenty-two thousand men returned home, but ten thousand remained.
4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take the men down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say, `This man will go with you, he will go. But if I say, `That one will not go with you,' he will not go."
5 So Gideon led the men down to the water. There the LORD said to him, "Separate them into those who drink water by lapping it up like a dog and those who bend down to drink."
6 There were three hundred men who used their hands to bring water to their mouths, lapping it as a dog does. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, "Using the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will save you and hand Midian over to you. Let all the others go home."
8 So Gideon sent the rest of Israel to their homes. But he kept three hundred men and took the jars and the trumpets of those who left. Now the camp of Midian was in the valley below Gideon.
9 That night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up. Go down and attack the camp of the Midianites, because I will give them to you.
10 But if you are afraid to go down, take your servant Purah with you.
11 When you come to the camp of Midian, you will hear what they are saying. Then you will not be afraid to attack the camp." So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the peoples from the east were camped in that valley. There were so many of them they seemed like locusts. Their camels could not be counted because they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore!
13 When Gideon came to the enemy camp, he heard a man telling his friend about a dream. He was saying, "I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into the camp of Midian. It hit the tent so hard that the tent turned over and fell flat!
14 The man's friend said, "Your dream is about the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel. God will hand Midian and the whole army over to him!"
15 When Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he worshiped God. Then Gideon went back to the camp of Israel and called out to them, "Get up! The LORD has handed the army of Midian over to you!"
16 Gideon divided the three hundred men into three groups. He gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar with a burning torch inside.
17 Gideon told the men, "Watch me and do what I do. When I get to the edge of the camp, do what I do.
18 Surround the enemy camp. When I and everyone with me blow our trumpets, you blow your trumpets, too. Then shout, `For the LORD and for Gideon!' "
19 So Gideon and the one hundred men with him came to the edge of the enemy camp just after they had changed guards. It was during the middle watch of the night. Then Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars.
20 All three groups of Gideon's men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands. Then they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"
21 Each of Gideon's men stayed in his place around the camp, but the Midianites began shouting and running to escape.
22 When Gideon's three hundred men blew their trumpets, the LORD made all the Midianites fight each other with their swords! The enemy army ran away to the city of Beth Shittah toward Zererah. They ran as far as the border of Abel Meholah, near the city of Tabbath.
23 Then men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh were called out to chase the Midianites.
24 Gideon sent messengers through all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, "Come down and attack the Midianites. Take control of the Jordan River as far as Beth Barah before the Midianites can get to it." So they called out all the men of Ephraim, who took control of the Jordan River as far as Beth Barah.
25 The men of Ephraim captured two princes of Midian named Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, and they continued chasing the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was east of the Jordan River.
1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon-his other name) and his army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside the hill of Moreh.
2 The Lord then said to Gideon, "There are too many of you! I can't let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength! 3 Send home any of your men who are timid and frightened."
So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten thousand remained who were willing to fight.
4 But the Lord told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring and I'll show you which ones shall go with you and which ones shall not."
5-6 So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord told him, "Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who kneel, with their mouths in the stream."
Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; all the others drank with their mouths to the stream.
7 "I'll conquer the Midianites with these three hundred!" the Lord told Gideon. "Send all the others home!"
8-9 So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three hundred men with him.
During the night, with the Midianites camped in the valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up! Take your troops and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them! 10 But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp alone-take along your servant Purah if you like-11 and listen to what they are saying down there! You will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!"
So he took Purah and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp. 12-13 The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like locusts-yes, like the sand upon the seashore-and there were too many camels even to count! Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate about it.
"I had this strange dream," he was saying, "and there was this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. It hit our tent and knocked it flat!"
14 The other soldier replied, "Your dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and massacre all the allied forces of Midian!"
15 When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned to his men and shouted, "Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to conquer all the vast armies of Midian!"
16 He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. 17 Then he explained his plan. "When we arrive at the outer guardposts of the camp," he told them, "do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and the men in my group blow our trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, `We fight for God and for Gideon!' "
19-20 It was just after midnight and the change of guards when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of the camp of Midian.
Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night. Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming torches in their left hands, all shouting, "For the Lord and for Gideon!"
21 Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away. 22 For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
23 Then Gideon sent for the troops of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh and told them to come and chase and destroy the fleeing army of Midian. 24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim summoning troops who seized the fords of the Jordan River at Beth-barah, thus preventing the Midianites from escaping by going across. 25 Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of Midian, were captured. Oreb was killed at the rock now known by his name, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, as it is now called; and the Israelis took the heads of Oreb and Zeeb across the Jordan to Gideon.
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WORSHIP JUDGE 7:15
Gideon stood just outside the enemy camp and worshiped. Rituals, motions, and loud praise would have announced his presence to the enemy, so Gideon's worship must have been a silent attitude of joy, thanksgiving, and praise to God. Worship is not limited to a particular form or building. We can worship anywhere by changing our focus from life's struggles to the God who cares. True worship begins with a worshipful attitude.
JUDGE008
1 The men of Ephraim asked Gideon, "Why did you treat us this way? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight against Midian?" They argued angrily with Gideon.
2 But he answered them, "I have not done as well as you! The small part you did was better than all that my people of Abiezer did.
3 God let you capture Oreb and Zeeb, the princes of Midian. How can I compare what I did with what you did?" When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon's answer, they were not as angry anymore.
4 When Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan River, they were tired, but they chased the enemy across to the other side.
5 Gideon said to the men of Succoth, "Please give my soldiers some bread because they are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
6 But the leaders of Succoth said, "Why should we give your soldiers bread? You haven't caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet."
7 Then Gideon said, "The LORD will surrender Zebah and Zalmunna to me. After that, I will whip your skin with thorns and briers from the desert."
8 Gideon left Succoth and went to the city of Peniel and asked them for food. But the people of Peniel gave him the same answer as the people of Succoth.
9 So Gideon said to the men of Peniel, "After I win the victory, I will return and pull down this tower."
10 Zebah and Zalmunna and their army were in the city of Karkor. About fifteen thousand men were left of the armies of the peoples of the east. Already one hundred twenty thousand soldiers had been killed.
11 Gideon went up the road of those who live in tents east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the enemy army when they did not expect it.
12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, ran away, but Gideon chased and captured them and frightened away their army.
13 Then Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.
14 Gideon captured a young man from Succoth and asked him some questions. So the young man wrote down for Gideon the names of seventy-seven officers and older leaders of Succoth.
15 When Gideon came to Succoth, he said to the people of that city, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You made fun of me by saying, `Why should we give bread to your tired men? You have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet.' "
16 So Gideon took the older leaders of the city and punished them with thorns and briers from the desert.
17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the people in that city.
18 Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What were the men like that you killed on Mount Tabor?" They answered, "They were like you. Each one of them looked like a prince."
19 Gideon said, "Those were my brothers, my mother's sons. As surely as the LORD lives, I would not kill you if you had spared them."
20 Then Gideon said to Jether, his oldest son, "Kill them." But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he did not take out his sword.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Come on. Kill us yourself. As the saying goes, `It takes a man to do a man's job.' "So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the decorations off their camels' necks.
22 The people of Israel said to Gideon, "You saved us from the Midianites. Now, we want you and your son and your grandson to rule over us."
23 But Gideon told them, "The LORD will be your ruler. I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you."
24 He said, "I want you to do this one thing for me. I want each of you to give me a gold earring from the things you took in the fighting." (The Ishmaelites wore gold earrings.)
25 They said, "We will gladly give you what you want." So they spread out a coat, and everyone threw down an earring from what he had taken.
26 The gold earrings weighed about forty-three pounds. This did not count the decorations, necklaces, and purple robes worn by the kings of Midian, nor the chains from the camels' necks.
27 Gideon used the gold to make a holy vest, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. But all the Israelites were unfaithful to God and worshiped it, so it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
28 So Midian was under the rule of Israel; they did not cause trouble anymore. And the land had peace for forty years, as long as Gideon was alive.
29 Gideon son of Joash went to his home to live.
30 He had seventy sons of his own, because he had many wives.
31 He had a slave woman who lived in Shechem, and he had a son by her, whom he named Abimelech.
32 So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age. He was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah, where the Abiezrites live.
33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel were again unfaithful to God and followed the Baals. They made BAAL-BERITH their god.
34 The Israelites did not remember the LORD their God, who had saved them from all their enemies living all around them.
35 And they were not kind to the family of JERUB-BAAL, also called Gideon, for all the good he had done for Israel.
1 But the tribal leaders of Ephraim were violently angry with Gideon.
"Why didn't you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?" they demanded.
2-3 But Gideon replied, "God let you capture Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army of Midian! What have I done in comparison with that? Your actions at the end of the battle were more important than ours at the beginning!"
So they calmed down.
4 Gideon now crossed the Jordan River with his three hundred men. They were very tired, but still chasing the enemy. 5 He asked the men of Succoth for food. "We are weary from chasing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian," he said.
6 But the leaders of Succoth replied, "You haven't caught them yet! If we feed you and you fail, they'll return and destroy us."
7 Then Gideon warned them, "When the Lord has delivered them to us, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briars of the wilderness."
8 Then he went up to Penuel and asked for food there, but got the same answer. 9 And he said to them also, "When this is all over, I will return and break down this tower."
10 By this time King Zebah and King Zalmunna with a remnant of fifteen thousand troops were in Karkor. That was all that was left of the allied armies of the east; for one hundred twenty thousand had already been killed. 11 Then Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, striking at the Midianite army in surprise raids. 12 The two kings fled, but Gideon chased and captured them, routing their entire force. 13 Later, Gideon returned by way of Heres Pass. 14 There he captured a young fellow from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven political and religious leaders of the city.
15 He then returned to Succoth. "You taunted me that I would never catch King Zebah and King Zalmunna, and you refused to give us food when we were tired and hungry," he said. "Well, here they are!"
16 Then he took the leaders of the city and scraped them to death with wild thorns and briars. 17 He also went to Penuel and knocked down the city tower and killed the entire male population.
18 Then Gideon asked King Zebah and King Zalmunna, "The men you killed at Tabor-what were they like?"
They replied, "They were dressed just like you-like sons of kings!"
19 "They must have been my brothers!" Gideon exclaimed. "I swear that if you hadn't killed them I wouldn't kill you."
20 Then, turning to Jether, his oldest son, he instructed him to kill them. But the boy was only a lad and was afraid to.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "You do it; we'd rather be killed by a man!" So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments from their camels' necks.
22 Now the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Be our king! You and your sons and all your descendants shall be our rulers, for you have saved us from Midian."
23-24 But Gideon replied, "I will not be your king, nor shall my son; the Lord is your King! However, I have one request. Give me all the earrings collected from your fallen foes"-for the troops of Midian, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.
25 "Gladly!" they replied, and spread out a sheet for everyone to throw in the gold earrings he had gathered. 26 Their value was estimated at $25,000, not including the crescents and pendants, or the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the camels' necks. 27 Gideon made an ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But all Israel soon began worshiping it, so it became an evil deed that Gideon and his family did.
28 That is the true account of how Midian was subdued by Israel. Midian never recovered, and the land was at peace for forty years-all during Gideon's lifetime. 29 He returned home 30 and eventually had seventy sons, for he married many wives. 31 He also had a concubine in Shechem, who presented him with a son named Abimelech. 32 Gideon finally died, an old, old man, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father, Joash, in Ophrah, in the land of the Abiezrites.
33 But as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis began to worship the idols Baal and Baal-berith. 34 They no longer considered the Lord as their God, though he had rescued them from all their enemies on every side. 35 Nor did they show any kindness to the family of Gideon despite all he had done for them.
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TEMPTATION JUDGE 8:31
This relationship between Gideon and a concubine produced a son who tore apart Gideon's family and caused tragedy for the nation. Gideon's story illustrates the fact that heroes in battle are not always heroes in daily life. Gideon led the nation, but could not lead his family. No matter who you are, moral laxness will cause problems. Just because you have won a single battle with temptation does not mean you will automatically win the next. We need to be constantly watchful against temptation. Sometimes Satan's strongest attacks come after a victory.
JUDGE009
@>X>
1 Abimelech son of Gideon went to his uncles in the city of Shechem. He said to his uncles and all of his mother's family group,
2 "Ask the leaders of Shechem, `Is it better for the seventy sons of Gideon to rule over you or for one man to rule?' Remember, I am your relative."
3 Abimelech's uncles spoke to all the leaders of Shechem about this. And they decided to follow Abimelech, because they said, "He is our relative."
4 So the leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech about one and three-quarter pounds of silver from the temple of the god BAAL-BERITH. Abimelech used the silver to hire some worthless, reckless men, who followed him wherever he went.
5 He went to Ophrah, the hometown of his father, and murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Gideon. He killed them all on one stone. But Gideon's youngest son, Jotham, hid from Abimelech and escaped.
6 Then all of the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree standing in Shechem. There they made Abimelech their king.
7 When Jotham heard this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted to the people: "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God will listen to you!
8 One day the trees decided to appoint a king to rule over them. They said to the olive tree, `You be king over us!'
9 "But the olive tree said, `Men and gods are honored by my oil. Should I stop making it and go and sway over the other trees?'
10 "Then the trees said to the fig tree, `Come and be king over us!'
11 "But the fig tree answered, `Should I stop making my sweet and good fruit and go and sway over the other trees?'
12 "Then the trees said to the vine, `Come and be king over us!'
13 "But the vine answered, `My new wine makes men and gods happy. Should I stop making it and go and sway over the trees?'
14 "Then all the trees said to the thornbush, `Come and be king over us.'
15 "But the thornbush said to the trees, `If you really want to appoint me king over you, come and find shelter in my shade! But if not, let fire come out of the thornbush and burn up the cedars of Lebanon!'
16 "Now, were you completely honest and sincere when you made Abimelech king? Have you been fair to Gideon and his family? Have you treated Gideon as you should?
17 Remember, my father fought for you and risked his life to save you from the power of the Midianites.
18 But now you have turned against my father's family and have killed his seventy sons on one stone. You have made Abimelech, the son of my father's slave girl, king over the leaders of Shechem just because he is your relative!
19 So then, if you have been honest and sincere to Gideon and his family today, be happy with Abimelech as your king. And may he be happy with you!
20 But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and completely burn you leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! Also may fire come out of the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech!"
21 Then Jotham ran away and escaped to the city of Beer. He lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
22 Abimelech ruled Israel for three years.
23 Then God sent an evil spirit to make trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem so that the leaders of Shechem turned against him.
24 Abimelech had killed Gideon's seventy sons, his own brothers, and the leaders of Shechem had helped him. So God sent the evil spirit to punish them.
25 The leaders of Shechem were against Abimelech then. They put men on the hilltops in ambush who robbed everyone going by. And Abimelech was told.
26 A man named Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers moved into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem trusted him.
27 They went out to the vineyards to pick grapes, and they squeezed the grapes. Then they had a feast in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal son of Ebed said, "We are the men of Shechem. Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? Isn't he one of Gideon's sons, and isn't Zebul his officer? We should serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father. Why should we serve Abimelech?
29 If you made me commander of these people, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, `Get your army ready and come out to battle.' "
30 Now when Zebul, the ruler of Shechem, heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry.
31 He sent secret messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and Gaal's brothers have come to Shechem, and they are turning the city against you!
32 You and your men should get up during the night and hide in the fields outside the city.
33 As soon as the sun comes up in the morning, attack the city. When Gaal and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to them."
34 So Abimelech and all his soldiers got up during the night and hid near Shechem in four groups.
35 Gaal son of Ebed went out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate. As he was standing there, Abimelech and his soldiers came out of their hiding places.
36 When Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Zebul, "Look! There are people coming down from the mountains!" But Zebul said, "You are seeing the shadows of the mountains. The shadows just look like people."
37 But again Gaal said, "Look, there are people coming down from the center of the land, and there is a group coming from the fortune-tellers' tree!"
38 Zebul said to Gaal, "Where is your bragging now? You said, `Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' You made fun of these men. Now go out and fight them."
39 So Gaal led the men of Shechem out to fight Abimelech.
40 Abimelech and his men chased them, and many of Gaal's men were killed before they could get back to the city gate.
41 While Abimelech stayed at Arumah, Zebul forced Gaal and his brothers to leave Shechem.
42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields. When Abimelech was told about it,
43 he separated his men into three groups and hid them in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he jumped up and attacked them.
44 Abimelech and his group ran to the entrance gate to the city. The other two groups ran out to the people in the fields and struck them down.
45 Abimelech and his men fought the city of Shechem all day until they captured it and killed its people. Then he tore it down and threw salt over the ruins.
46 When the leaders who were in the Tower of Shechem heard what had happened to Shechem, they gathered in the safest room of the temple of El Berith.
47 Abimelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there.
48 So he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon, near Shechem. Abimelech took an ax and cut some branches and put them on his shoulders. He said to all those with him, "Hurry! Do what I have done!"
49 So all those men cut branches and followed Abimelech and piled them against the safest room of the temple. Then they set them on fire and burned the people inside. So all the people who were at the Tower of Shechem also died- about a thousand men and women.
50 Then Abimelech went to the city of Thebez. He surrounded the city, attacked it, and captured it.
51 But inside the city was a strong tower, so all the men, women, and leaders of that city ran to the tower. When they got inside, they locked the door behind them. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower.
52 Abimelech came to the tower to attack it. He approached the door of the tower to set it on fire,
53 but as he came near, a woman dropped a grinding stone on his head, crushing his skull.
54 He quickly called to the officer who carried his armor and said, "Take out your sword and kill me. I don't want people to say, `A woman killed Abimelech.' "So the officer stabbed Abimelech, and he died.
55 When the people of Israel saw Abimelech was dead, they all returned home.
56 In that way God punished Abimelech for all the evil he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57 God also punished the men of Shechem for the evil they had done. So the curse spoken by Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, came true.
1 One day Gideon's son Abimelech visited his uncles-his mother's brothers-in Shechem.
2 "Go and talk to the leaders of Shechem," he requested, "and ask them whether they want to be ruled by seventy kings-Gideon's seventy sons-or by one man-meaning me, your own flesh and blood!"
3 So his uncles went to the leaders of the city and proposed Abimelech's scheme; and they decided that since his mother was a native of their town they would go along with it. 4 They gave him money from the temple offerings of the idol Baal-berith, which he used to hire some worthless loafers who agreed to do whatever he told them to. 5 He took them to his father's home at Ophrah and there, upon one stone, they slaughtered all seventy of his half brothers, except for the youngest, Jotham, who escaped and hid. 6 Then the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the garrison at Shechem, and Abimelech was acclaimed king of Israel.
7 When Jotham heard about this, he stood at the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted across to the men of Shechem, "If you want God's blessing, listen to me! 8 Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. First they asked the olive tree, 9 but it refused.
" `Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses God and man, just to wave to and fro over the other trees?' it asked.
10 "Then they said to the fig tree, `You be our king!'
11 "But the fig tree also refused. `Should I quit producing sweetness and fruit just to lift my head above all the other trees?' it asked.
12 "Then they said to the grapevine, `You reign over us!'
13 "But the grapevine replied, `Shall I quit producing the wine that cheers both God and man, just to be mightier than all the other trees?'
14 "Then all the trees finally turned to the thorn bush. `You be our king!' they explained.
15 "And the thorn bush replied, `If you really want me, come and humble yourselves beneath my shade! If you refuse, let fire flame forth from me and burn down the great cedars of Lebanon!'
16 "Now make sure that you have done the right thing in making Abimelech your king, that you have done right by Gideon and all of his descendants. 17 For my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the Midianites, 18 yet you have revolted against him and killed his seventy sons upon one stone. And now you have chosen his slave girl's son, Abimelech, to be your king just because he is your relative. 19 If you are sure that you have done right by Gideon and his descendants, then may you and Abimelech have a long and happy life together. 20 But if you have not been fair to Gideon, then may Abimelech destroy the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may they destroy Abimelech!"
21 Then Jotham escaped and lived in Beer for fear of his brother, Abimelech. 22-23 Three years later God stirred up trouble between King Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and they revolted. 24 In the events that followed, both Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem who aided him in butchering Gideon's seventy sons were given their just punishment for these murders. 25 For the men of Shechem set an ambush for Abimelech along the trail at the top of the mountain. (While they were waiting for him to come along, they robbed everyone else who passed that way.) But someone warned Abimelech about their plot.
26 At that time Gaal (the son of Ebed) moved to Shechem with his brothers, and he became one of the leading citizens. 27 During the harvest feast at Shechem that year, held in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely and everyone began cursing Abimelech.
28 "Who is Abimelech," Gaal shouted, "and why should he be our king? Why should we be his servants? He and his friend Zebul should be our servants. Down with Abimelech! 29 Make me your king and you'll soon see what happens to Abimelech! I'll tell Abimelech, `Get up an army and come on out and fight!' "
30 But when Zebul, the mayor of the city, heard what Gaal was saying, he was furious. 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah telling him, "Gaal, son of Ebed, and his relatives have come to live in Shechem, and now they are arousing the city to rebellion against you. 32 Come by night with an army and hide out in the fields; 33 and in the morning, as soon as it is daylight, storm the city. When he and those who are with him come out against you, you can do with them as you wish!"
34 So Abimelech and his men marched through the night and split into four groups, stationing themselves around the city. 35 The next morning as Gaal sat at the city gates, discussing various issues with the local leaders, Abimelech and his men began their march upon the city.
36 When Gaal saw them, he exclaimed to Zebul, "Look over at that mountain! Doesn't it look like people coming down?"
"No!" Zebul said. "You're just seeing shadows that look like men!"
37 "No, look over there," Gaal said. "I'm sure I see people coming toward us. And look! There are others coming along the road past the oak of Meonenim!"
38 Then Zebul turned on him triumphantly. "Now where is that big mouth of yours?" he demanded. "Who was it who said, `Who is Abimelech, and why should he be our king?' The men you taunted and cursed are right outside the city! Go on out and fight!"
39 So Gaal led the men of Shechem into the battle and fought with Abimelech, 40 but was defeated, and many of the men of Shechem were left wounded all the way to the city gate. 41 Abimelech was living at Arumah at this time, and Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem and wouldn't let them live there any longer.
42 The next day the men of Shechem went out to battle again. However, someone had told Abimelech about their plans, 43 so he had divided his men into three groups hiding in the fields. And when the men of the city went out to attack, he and his men jumped up from their hiding places and began killing them. 44 Abimelech stormed the city gate to keep the men of Shechem from getting back in, while his other two groups cut them down in the fields. 45 The battle went on all day before Abimelech finally captured the city, killed its people, and leveled it to the ground. 46 The people at the nearby town of Migdal saw what was happening and took refuge in the fort next to the temple of Baal-berith.
47-48 When Abimelech learned of this, he led his forces to Mount Zalmon where he began chopping a bundle of firewood, and placed it upon his shoulder. "Do as I have done," he told his men. 49 So each of them quickly cut a bundle and carried it back to the town where, following Abimelech's example, the bundles were piled against the walls of the fort and set on fire. So all the people inside died, about a thousand men and women.
50 Abimelech next attacked the city of Thebez, and captured it. 51 However, there was a fort inside the city and the entire population fled into it, barricaded the gates, and climbed to the top of the roof to watch. 52 But as Abimelech was preparing to burn it, 53 a woman on the roof threw down a millstone. It landed on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull.
54 "Kill me!" he groaned to his youthful armor bearer. "Never let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!"
So the young man pierced him with his sword, and he died. 55 When his men saw that he was dead, they disbanded and returned to their homes. 56-57 Thus God punished both Abimelech and the men of Shechem for their sin of murdering Gideon's seventy sons. So the curse of Jotham, Gideon's son, came true.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,134
3,3,5,287
4,4,7,439
5,5,9,670
6,6,11,878
7,7,13,1024
8,8,15,1198
9,9,17,1319
10,10,19,1451
11,11,21,1524
12,12,23,1644
13,13,25,1713
14,14,27,1840
15,15,29,1918
16,16,31,2130
17,17,33,2296
18,18,35,2404
19,19,37,2636
20,20,39,2788
21,21,41,2985
22,22,43,3109
23,23,45,3156
24,24,47,3304
25,25,49,3460
26,26,51,3612
27,27,53,3725
28,28,55,3906
29,29,57,4150
30,30,59,4297
31,31,61,4395
32,32,63,4553
33,33,65,4649
34,34,67,4788
35,35,69,4890
36,36,71,5060
37,37,73,5268
38,38,75,5422
39,39,77,5588
40,40,79,5650
41,41,81,5772
42,42,83,5866
43,43,85,5966
44,44,87,6119
45,45,89,6267
46,46,91,6429
47,47,93,6583
48,48,95,6671
49,49,97,6871
50,50,99,7136
51,51,101,7240
52,52,103,7456
53,53,105,7560
54,54,107,7654
55,55,109,7864
56,56,111,7945
57,57,113,8063
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,6,5,286
7,9,7,957
10,10,10,1344
11,11,11,1400
12,12,13,1542
13,13,14,1601
14,14,15,1743
15,15,17,1838
16,20,18,2028
21,25,20,2740
26,27,22,3356
28,29,24,3625
30,33,25,3930
34,35,27,4422
36,36,29,4702
37,37,32,4890
38,38,34,5047
39,41,36,5299
42,46,38,5626
47,49,40,6329
50,53,42,6764
54,57,44,7127
@>X>
PRIORITIES JUDGE 9:16
Jotham told the story about the trees in order to help the people set good priorities. He did not want them to appoint a leader of low character. As we serve in leadership positions, we should examine our motives. Do we just want praise, prestige, or power? In the parable, the good trees chose to be productive and to provide benefits to people. Make sure these are your priorities if you want to be a leader.
JUDGE010
- - 1 After Abimelech died, another judge came to save Israel. He was Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo. Tola was from the people of Issachar and lived in the city of Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.
2 Tola was a judge for Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.
3 After Tola died, Jair from the region of Gilead became judge. He was a judge for Israel for twenty-two years.
4 Jair had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. These thirty sons controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which are called the Towns of Jair to this day.
5 Jair died and was buried in the city of Kamon.
6 Again the Israelites did what the LORD said was wrong. They worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, and Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. The Israelites left the LORD and stopped serving him.
7 So the LORD was angry with them and handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.
8 In the same year those people destroyed the Israelites who lived east of the Jordan River in the region of Gilead, where the Amorites lived. So the Israelites suffered for eighteen years.
9 The Ammonites then crossed the Jordan River to fight the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, causing much trouble to the people of Israel.
10 So the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have sinned against you. We left our God and worshiped the Baal idols."
11 The LORD answered the Israelites, "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,
12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites were cruel to you, you cried out to me, and I saved you.
13 But now you have left me again and have worshiped other gods. So I refuse to save you again.
14 You have chosen those gods. So go call to them for help. Let them save you when you are in trouble."
15 But the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever you want, but please save us today!"
16 Then the Israelites threw away the foreign gods among them, and they worshiped the LORD again. So he felt sorry for them when he saw their suffering.
17 The Ammonites gathered for war and camped in Gilead. The Israelites gathered and camped at Mizpah.
18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said, "Who will lead us to attack the Ammonites? He will become the head of all those who live in Gilead."
1 After Abimelech's death, the next judge of Israel was Tola (son of Puah and grandson of Dodo). He was from the tribe of Issachar, but lived in the city of Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He was Israel's judge for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir, 3 and was succeeded by Jair, a man from Gilead, who judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4 His thirty sons rode around together on thirty donkeys, and they owned thirty cities in the land of Gilead which are still called "The Cities of Jair." 5 When Jair died he was buried in Kamon.
6 Then the people of Israel turned away from the Lord again and worshiped the heathen gods Baal and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. Not only this, but they no longer worshiped Jehovah at all. 7-8 This made Jehovah very angry with his people, so he immediately permitted the Philistines and the Ammonites to begin tormenting them. These attacks took place east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead), 9 and also in Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. For the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to attack the Israelis. This went on for eighteen years. 10 Finally the Israelis turned to Jehovah again and begged him to save them.
"We have sinned against you and have forsaken you as our God and have worshiped idols," they confessed.
11 But the Lord replied, "Didn't I save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? Has there ever been a time when you cried out to me that I haven't rescued you? 13 Yet you continue to abandon me and to worship other gods. So go away; I won't save you anymore. 14 Go and cry to the new gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your hour of distress!"
15 But they pleaded with him again and said, "We have sinned. Punish us in any way you think best, only save us once more from our enemies."
16 Then they destroyed their foreign gods and worshiped only the Lord; and he was grieved by their misery. 17 The armies of Ammon were mobilized in Gilead at that time, preparing to attack Israel's army at Mizpah.
18 "Who will lead our forces against the Ammonites?" the leaders of Gilead asked each other. "Whoever volunteers shall be our king!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,204
3,3,5,301
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,571
6,6,11,624
7,7,13,849
8,8,15,946
9,9,17,1140
10,10,19,1289
11,11,21,1413
12,12,23,1509
13,13,25,1609
14,14,27,1709
15,15,29,1817
16,16,31,1939
17,17,33,2096
18,18,35,2202
1,5,1,1
6,10,3,570
11,14,6,1360
15,15,8,1796
16,17,10,1940
18,18,12,2157
NOTEWORTHY JUDGE 10:1-5
In five verses we read about two men who judged Israel for a total of 45 years. Yet all we know about them besides the length of their rules is that one had 30 sons who rode around on 30 donkeys. What are you doing for God that is worth noting? When your life is over, will people remember more than just what was in your bank account or the number of years you lived?
PUNISHMENT JUDGE 10:7-10
God permitted the heathen nations to oppress the Israelites because of their sin (2:1-3). Because God is just, he will punish sin (Leviticus 26). God allows problems and pressures to enter our lives in order to lovingly draw us back into relationship with him. When problems arise, before you ask, Why me? ask, Is God trying to say something to me through this?
JUDGE011
1 Jephthah was a strong soldier from Gilead. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute.
2 Gilead's wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home, saying to him, "You will not get any of our father's property, because you are the son of another woman."
3 So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow him.
4 After a time the Ammonites fought against Israel.
5 When the Ammonites made war against Israel, the older leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah to bring him back from Tob.
6 They said to him, "Come and lead our army so we can fight the Ammonites."
7 But Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me? You forced me to leave my father's house. Why are you coming to me now that you are in trouble?"
8 The older leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "It is because of those troubles that we come to you now. Please come with us and fight against the Ammonites. You will be the ruler over everyone who lives in Gilead."
9 Then Jephthah answered, "If you take me back to Gilead to fight the Ammonites and the LORD helps me win, I will be your ruler."
10 The older leaders of Gilead said to him, "The LORD is listening to everything we are saying. We promise to do all that you tell us to do."
11 So Jephthah went with the older leaders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander of their army. Jephthah repeated all of his words in front of the LORD at Mizpah.
12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, "What have you got against Israel? Why have you come to attack our land?"
13 The king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, "We are fighting Israel because you took our land when you came up from Egypt. You took our land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River to the Jordan River. Now give our land back to us peacefully."
14 Jephthah sent the messengers to the Ammonite king again.
15 They said: "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of the people of Moab or Ammon.
16 When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they went into the desert to the Red Sea and then to Kadesh.
17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, `Let the people of Israel go across your land.' But the king of Edom refused. We sent the same message to the king of Moab, but he also refused. So the Israelites stayed at Kadesh.
18 "Then the Israelites went into the desert around the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. Israel went east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, the border of Moab. They did not cross it to go into the land of Moab.s peacefully."
19 "Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of the city of Heshbon, asking, `Let the people of Israel pass through your land to go to our land.'
20 But Sihon did not trust the Israelites to cross his land. So he gathered all of his people and camped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.
21 "But the LORD, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his army over to Israel. All the land of the Amorites became the property of Israel.
22 So Israel took all the land of the Amorites from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, from the desert to the Jordan River.
23 "It was the LORD, the God of Israel, who forced out the Amorites ahead of the people of Israel. So do you think you can make them leave?
24 Take the land that your god Chemosh has given you. We will live in the land the LORD our God has given us!
25 "Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel or fight with the people of Israel?
26 For three hundred years the Israelites have lived in Heshbon and Aroer and the towns around them and in all the cities along the Arnon River. Why have you not taken these cities back in all that time?
27 I have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by making war on me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide whether the Israelites or the Ammonites are right."
28 But the king of the Ammonites ignored this message from Jephthah.
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD entered Jephthah. Jephthah passed through Gilead and Manasseh and the city of Mizpah in Gilead to the land of the Ammonites.
30 Jephthah made a promise to the LORD, saying, "If you will hand over the Ammonites to me,
31 I will give you as a burnt offering the first thing that comes out of my house to meet me when I return from the victory. It will be the LORD' s."
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD handed them over to him.
33 In a great defeat Jephthah struck them down from the city of Aroer to the area of Minnith, and twenty cities as far as the city of Abel Keramim. So the Ammonites were defeated by the Israelites.
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter was the first one to come out to meet him, playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no other sons or daughters.
35 When Jephthah saw his daughter, he tore his clothes to show his sorrow. He said, "My daughter! You have made me so sad because I made a promise to the LORD, and I cannot break it!"
36 Then his daughter said, "Father, you made a promise to the LORD. So do to me just what you promised, because the LORD helped you defeat your enemies, the Ammonites."
37 She also said, "But let me do one thing. Let me be alone for two months to go to the mountains. Since I will never marry, let me and my friends go and cry together."
38 Jephthah said, "Go." So he sent her away for two months. She and her friends stayed in the mountains and cried for her because she would never marry.
39 After two months she returned to her father, and Jephthah did to her what he had promised. Jephthah's daughter never had a husband. From this came a custom in Israel that
40 every year the young women of Israel would go out for four days to remember the daughter of Jephthah from Gilead.
1 Now Jephthah was a great warrior from the land of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. His father (whose name was Gilead) had several other sons by his legitimate wife, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah out of the country.
"You son of a whore!" they said. "You'll not get any of our father's estate."
3 So Jephthah fled from his father's home and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had quite a band of malcontents as his followers, living off the land as bandits. 4 It was about this time that the Ammonites began their war against Israel. 5 The leaders of Gilead sent for Jephthah, 6 begging him to come and lead their army against the Ammonites.
7 But Jephthah said to them, "Why do you come to me when you hate me and have driven me out of my father's house? Why come now when you're in trouble?"
8 "Because we need you," they replied. "If you will be our commander-in-chief against the Ammonites, we will make you the king of Gilead."
9 "Sure!" Jephthah exclaimed. "Do you expect me to believe that?"
10 "We swear it," they replied. "We promise with a solemn oath."
11 So Jephthah accepted the commission and was made commander-in-chief and king. The contract was ratified before the Lord in Mizpah at a general assembly of all the people. 12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, demanding to know why Israel was being attacked. 13 The king of Ammon replied that the land belonged to the people of Ammon; it had been stolen from them, he said, when the Israelis came from Egypt; the whole territory from the Arnon River to the Jabbok and the Jordan was his, he claimed.
"Give us back our land peaceably," he demanded.
14-15 Jephthah replied, "Israel did not steal the land. 16 What happened was this: When the people of Israel arrived at Kadesh, on their journey from Egypt after crossing the Red Sea, 17 they sent a message to the king of Edom asking permission to pass through his land. But their petition was denied. Then they asked the king of Moab for similar permission. It was the same story there, so the people of Israel stayed in Kadesh.
18 "Finally they went around Edom and Moab through the wilderness, and traveled along the eastern border until at last they arrived beyond the boundary of Moab at the Arnon River; but they never once crossed into Moab. 19 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and asked permission to cross through his land to get to their destination.
20 "But King Sihon didn't trust Israel, so he mobilized an army at Jahaz and attacked them. 21-22 But the Lord our God helped Israel defeat King Sihon and all your people, so Israel took over all of your land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan River.
23 "So you see, it was the Lord God of Israel who took away the land from the Amorites and gave it to Israel. Why, then, should we return it to you? 24 You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever Jehovah our God gives us! 25 And besides, just who do you think you are? Are you better than King Balak, the king of Moab? Did he try to recover his land after Israel defeated him? No, of course not. 26 But now after three hundred years you make an issue of this! Israel has been living here for all that time, spread across the land from Heshbon to Aroer, and all along the Arnon River. Why have you made no effort to recover it before now? 27 No, I have not sinned against you; rather, you have wronged me by coming to war against me; but Jehovah the Judge will soon show which of us is right-Israel or Ammon."
28 But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah's message.
29 At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he led his army across the land of Gilead and Manasseh, past Mizpah in Gilead, and attacked the army of Ammon. 30-31 Meanwhile Jephthah had vowed to the Lord that if God would help Israel conquer the Ammonites, then when he returned home in peace, the first person coming out of his house to meet him would be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord!
32 So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him the victory. 33 He destroyed the Ammonites with a terrible slaughter all the way from Aroer to Minnith, including twenty cities, and as far away as Vineyard Meadow. Thus the Ammonites were subdued by the people of Israel.
34 When Jephthah returned home his daughter-his only child-ran out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish.
"Alas, my daughter!" he cried out. "You have brought me to the dust. For I have made a vow to the Lord and I cannot take it back."
36 And she said, "Father, you must do whatever you promised the Lord, for he has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But first let me go up into the hills and roam with my girlfriends for two months, weeping because I'll never marry."
38 "Yes," he said. "Go."
And so she did, bewailing her fate with her friends for two months. 39 Then she returned to her father, who did as he had vowed. So she was never married. And after that it became a custom in Israel 40 that the young girls went away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah's daughter.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,112
3,3,5,315
4,4,7,436
5,5,9,492
6,6,11,615
7,7,13,695
8,8,15,846
9,9,17,1067
10,10,19,1201
11,11,21,1347
12,12,23,1538
13,13,25,1682
14,14,27,1953
15,15,29,2017
16,16,31,2125
17,17,33,2232
18,18,35,2472
19,19,37,2742
20,20,39,2915
21,21,41,3057
22,22,43,3200
23,23,45,3330
24,24,47,3476
25,25,49,3590
26,26,51,3713
27,27,53,3921
28,28,55,4095
29,29,57,4168
30,30,59,4328
31,31,61,4424
32,32,63,4578
33,33,65,4671
34,34,67,4873
35,35,69,5075
36,36,71,5263
37,37,73,5436
38,38,75,5609
39,39,77,5766
40,40,79,5944
1,2,1,1
3,6,4,337
7,7,6,686
8,8,8,841
9,9,10,983
10,10,12,1052
11,13,14,1120
14,17,17,1691
18,19,19,2124
20,22,21,2506
23,27,23,2799
28,28,25,3639
29,31,27,3708
32,33,29,4128
34,35,31,4426
36,37,34,4738
38,40,36,5003
REJECTION JUDGE 11:1-2
Jephthah, an illegitimate son of Gilead, was chased out of the country by his half brothers. He suffered as a result of another person's decision and not for any wrong he had done. Yet in spite of his brothers' rejection, God used him. If you are suffering from unfair rejection, don't blame others and become discouraged. Remember how God used Jephthah despite his unjust circumstances, and realize that God is able to use you even if you feel rejected by some.
TODAY JUDGE 11:34-35
Jephthah's rash vow brought him unspeakable grief. In the heat of emotion or personal turmoil it is easy to make foolish promises to God. These promises may sound very spiritual when we make them, but they may produce only guilt and frustration when we are forced to fulfill them. Making spiritual deals only brings disappointment. God does not want promises for the future, but obedience for today.
JUDGE012
B B 1 The men of Ephraim called all their soldiers together and crossed the river to the town of Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, "Why didn't you call us to help you fight the Ammonites? We will burn your house down with you in it."
2 Jephthah answered them, "My people and I fought a great battle against the Ammonites. I called you, but you didn't come to help me.
3 When I saw that you would not help me, I risked my own life and went against the Ammonites. The LORD handed them over to me. So why have you come to fight against me today?"
4 Then Jephthah called the men of Gilead together and fought the men of Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You men of Gilead are nothing but deserters from Ephraim- living between Ephraim and Manasseh."
5 The men of Gilead captured the crossings of the Jordan River that led to the country of Ephraim. A person from Ephraim trying to escape would say, "Let me cross the river." Then the men of Gilead would ask him, "Are you from Ephraim?" If he replied no,
6 they would say to him, "Say the word `Shibboleth.' "The men of Ephraim could not say that word correctly. So if the person from Ephraim said, "Sibboleth," the men of Gilead would kill him at the crossing. So forty-two thousand people from Ephraim were killed at that time.
7 Jephthah was a judge for Israel for six years. Then Jephthah, the man from Gilead, died and was buried in a town in Gilead.
8 After Jephthah died, Ibzan from Bethlehem was a judge for Israel.
9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He let his daughters marry men who were not in his family group, and he brought thirty women who were not in his tribe to be wives for his sons. Ibzan judged Israel for seven years.
10 Then he died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11 After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun was a judge for Israel. He judged Israel for ten years.
12 Then Elon, the man of Zebulun, died and was buried in the city of Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After Elon died, Abdon son of Hillel from the city of Pirathon was a judge for Israel.
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years.
15 Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mountains where the Amalekites lived.
1 Then the tribe of Ephraim mobilized its army at Zaphon and sent this message to Jephthah: "Why didn't you call for us to help you fight against Ammon? We are going to burn down your house, with you in it!"
2 "I summoned you, but you refused to come!" Jephthah retorted. "You failed to help us in our time of need, 3 so I risked my life and went to battle without you, and the Lord helped me to conquer the enemy. Is that anything for you to fight us about?"
4 Then Jephthah, furious at the taunt of Ephraim that the men of Gilead were mere outcasts and the scum of the earth, mobilized his army and attacked the army of Ephraim. 5 He captured the fords of the Jordan behind the army of Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to cross the river, the Gilead guards challenged him.
"Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?" they asked. If the man replied that he was not, 6 then they demanded, "Say `Shibboleth.' " But if he couldn't pronounce the H and said, "Sibboleth" instead of "Shibboleth," he was dragged away and killed. So forty-two thousand people of Ephraim died there at that time.
7 Jephthah was Israel's judge for six years. At his death he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
8 The next judge was Ibzan, who lived in Bethlehem. 9-10 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He married his daughters to men outside his clan and brought in thirty girls to marry his sons. He judged Israel for seven years before he died, and was buried at Bethlehem.
11-12 The next judge was Elon from Zebulun. He judged Israel for ten years and was buried at Aijalon in Zebulun.
13 Next was Abdon (son of Hillel) from Pirathon. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He was Israel's judge for eight years. 15 Then he died and was buried in Pirathon, in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,232
3,3,5,370
4,4,7,550
5,5,9,801
6,6,11,1060
7,7,13,1339
8,8,15,1469
9,9,17,1541
10,10,19,1770
11,11,21,1819
12,12,23,1931
13,13,25,2036
14,14,27,2130
15,15,29,2240
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,212
4,6,5,467
7,7,8,1120
8,10,10,1227
11,12,12,1502
13,15,14,1618
JUDGE013
1 Again the people of Israel did what the LORD said was wrong. So he handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
2 There was a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan, who lived in the city of Zorah. He had a wife, but she could not have children.
3 The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "You have not been able to have children, but you will become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Be careful not to drink wine or beer or eat anything that is unclean,
5 because you will become pregnant and have a son. You must never cut his hair, because he will be a Nazirite, given to God from birth. He will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines."
6 Then Manoah's wife went to him and told him what had happened. She said, "A man from God came to me. He looked like an angel from God; his appearance was frightening. I didn't ask him where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name.
7 But he said to me, `You will become pregnant and will have a son. Don't drink wine or beer or eat anything that is unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from his birth until the day of his death.' "
8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "Lord, I beg you to let the man of God come to us again. Let him teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born to us."
9 God heard Manoah's prayer, and the angel of God came to Manoah's wife again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 So she ran to tell him, "He is here! The man who appeared to me the other day is here!"
11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?" The man said, "I am."
12 So Manoah asked, "When what you say happens, what kind of life should the boy live? What should he do?"
13 The angel of the LORD said, "Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her to do.
14 She must not eat anything that grows on a grapevine, or drink any wine or beer, or eat anything that is unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."
15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay awhile so we can cook a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the LORD answered, "Even if I stay awhile, I would not eat your food. But if you want to prepare something, offer a burnt offering to the LORD." (Manoah did not understand that the man was really the angel of the LORD.)
17 Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, "What is your name? Then we will honor you when what you have said really happens."
18 The angel of the LORD said, "Why do you ask my name? It is too amazing for you to understand."
19 So Manoah sacrificed a young goat on a rock and offered some grain as a gift to the LORD. Then an amazing thing happened as Manoah and his wife watched.
20 The flames went up to the sky from the altar. As the fire burned, the angel of the LORD went up to heaven in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they bowed facedown on the ground.
21 The angel of the LORD did not appear to them again. Then Manoah understood that the man was really the angel of the LORD.
22 Manoah said, "We have seen God, so we will surely die."
23 But his wife said to him, "If the LORD wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering or grain offering. He would not have shown us all these things or told us all this."
24 So the woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25 The Spirit of the LORD began to work in Samson while he was in the city of Mahaneh Dan, between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.
1 Once again Israel sinned by worshiping other gods, so the Lord let them be conquered by the Philistines, who kept them in subjection for forty years.
2-3 Then one day the Angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, who lived in the city of Zorah. She had no children, but the Angel said to her, "Even though you have been barren so long, you will soon conceive and have a son! 4 Don't drink any wine or beer and don't eat any food that isn't kosher. 5 Your son's hair must never be cut, for he shall be a Nazirite, a special servant of God from the time of his birth; and he will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines."
6 The woman ran and told her husband, "A man from God appeared to me and I think he must be the Angel of the Lord, for he was almost too glorious to look at. I didn't ask where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name, 7 but he told me, `You are going to have a baby boy!' And he told me not to drink any wine or beer and not to eat food that isn't kosher, for the baby is going to be a Nazirite-he will be dedicated to God from the moment of his birth until the day of his death!"
8 Then Manoah prayed, "O Lord, please let the man from God come back to us again and give us more instructions about the child you are going to give us." 9 The Lord answered his prayer, and the Angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But again she was alone-Manoah was not with her-10 so she quickly ran and found her husband and told him, "The same man is here again!"
11 Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, "Are you the man who talked to my wife the other day?"
"Yes," he replied, "I am."
12 So Manoah asked him, "Can you give us any special instructions about how we should raise the baby after he is born?"
13-14 And the Angel replied, "Be sure that your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, or drink any wine or beer, or eat anything that isn't kosher."
15 Then Manoah said to the Angel, "Please stay here until we can get you something to eat."
16 "I'll stay," the Angel replied, "but I'll not eat anything. However, if you wish to bring something, bring an offering to sacrifice to the Lord." (Manoah didn't yet realize that he was the Angel of the Lord.)
17 Then Manoah asked him for his name. "When all this comes true and the baby is born," he said to the Angel, "we will certainly want to tell everyone that you predicted it!"
18 "Don't even ask my name," the Angel replied, "for it is a secret."
19 Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it as a sacrifice to the Lord; and the Angel did a strange and wonderful thing, 20 for as the flames from the altar were leaping up toward the sky, and as Manoah and his wife watched, the Angel ascended in the fire! Manoah and his wife fell face downward to the ground, 21 and that was the last they ever saw of him. It was then that Manoah finally realized that it had been the Angel of the Lord.
22 "We will die," Manoah cried out to his wife, "for we have seen God!"
23 But his wife said, "If the Lord were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offerings and wouldn't have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles."
24 When her son was born they named him Samson, and the Lord blessed him as he grew up. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to excite him whenever he visited the parade grounds of the army of the tribe of Dan, located between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,127
3,3,5,265
4,4,7,425
5,5,9,501
6,6,11,706
7,7,13,947
8,8,15,1165
9,9,17,1332
10,10,19,1491
11,11,21,1586
12,12,23,1726
13,13,25,1837
14,14,27,1934
15,15,29,2100
16,16,31,2217
17,17,33,2457
18,18,35,2589
19,19,37,2691
20,20,39,2852
21,21,41,3049
22,22,43,3178
23,23,45,3241
24,24,47,3437
25,25,49,3534
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,156
6,7,5,662
8,10,7,1150
11,11,9,1561
12,12,12,1691
13,14,14,1814
15,15,16,2006
16,16,18,2101
17,17,20,2316
18,18,22,2494
19,21,24,2567
22,22,26,3034
23,23,28,3109
24,25,30,3308
FAITHFUL JUDGE 13:5
Manoah's wife was told that her son would begin to rescue the Israelites from Philistine oppression. It wasn't until David's day that the Philistine opposition was completely crushed (2 Samuel 8:1). Samson's part in subduing the Philistines was just the beginning, but it was important nonetheless. It was the task God had given Samson to do. Be faithful in following God even if you don't see instant results, because you might be beginning an important job that others will finish.
PREPARED JUDGE 13:25
Samson's tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land (18:1), which was yet unconquered (Joshua 19:47-48). Samson must have grown up with his warlike tribe's yearnings fora permanent and settled territory. Thus his visits to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, and God's Spirit began preparing him for his role as judge and leader against the Philistines.
Perhaps there are things that excite you. These may indicate areas where God wants to use you. God uses a variety of means to develop and prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, and personal experiences. As with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.
JUDGE014
1 Samson went down to the city of Timnah where he saw a Philistine woman.
2 When he returned home, he said to his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman in Timnah. I want you to get her for me so I can marry her."
3 His father and mother answered, "Surely there is a woman from Israel you can marry. Do you have to marry a woman from the Philistines, who are not circumcised?" But Samson said, "Get that woman for me! She is the one I want!"
4 (Samson's parents did not know that the LORD wanted this to happen because he was looking for a way to challenge the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at this time.)
5 Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, as far as the vineyard near there. Suddenly, a young lion came roaring toward Samson!
6 The Spirit of the LORD entered Samson with great power, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. For him it was as easy as tearing apart a young goat. But Samson did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
7 Then he went down to the city and talked to the Philistine woman, and he liked her.
8 Several days later Samson went back to marry her. On his way he went over to look at the body of the dead lion and found a swarm of bees and honey in it.
9 Samson got some of the honey with his hands and walked along eating it. When he came to his parents, he gave some to them. They ate it, too, but Samson did not tell them he had taken the honey from the body of the dead lion.
10 Samson's father went down to see the Philistine woman. And Samson gave a feast, as was the custom for the bridegroom.
11 When the people saw him, they sent thirty friends to be with him.
12 Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. Try to find the answer during the seven days of the feast. If you can, I will give you thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of clothes.
13 But if you can't, you must give me thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of clothes." So they said, "Tell us your riddle so we can hear it."
14 Samson said, "Out of the eater comes something to eat. Out of the strong comes something sweet." After three days, they had not found the answer.
15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Did you invite us here to make us poor? Trick your husband into telling us the answer to the riddle. If you don't, we will burn you and everyone in your father's house."
16 So Samson's wife went to him, crying, and said, "You hate me! You don't really love me! You told my people a riddle, but you won't tell me the answer." Samson said, "I haven't even told my father or mother. Why should I tell you?"
17 Samson's wife cried for the rest of the seven days of the feast. So he finally gave her the answer on the seventh day, because she kept bothering him. Then she told her people the answer to the riddle.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day of the feast, the Philistine men had the answer. They came to Samson and said, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Then Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my young cow, you would not have solved my riddle!"
19 Then the Spirit of the LORD entered Samson and gave him great power. Samson went down to the city of Ashkelon and killed thirty of its men and took all that they had and gave the clothes to the men who had answered his riddle. Then he went to his father's house very angry.
20 And Samson's wife was given to his best man.
1 One day when Samson was in Timnah he noticed a certain Philistine girl, 2 and when he got home he told his father and mother that he wanted to marry her. 3 They objected strenuously.
"Why don't you marry a Jewish girl?" they asked. "Why must you go and get a wife from these heathen Philistines? Isn't there one girl among all the people of Israel you could marry?"
But Samson told his father, "She is the one I want. Get her for me."
4 His father and mother didn't realize that the Lord was behind the request, for God was setting a trap for the Philistines, who at that time were the rulers of Israel.
5 As Samson and his parents were going to Timnah, a young lion attacked Samson in the vineyards on the outskirts of the town. 6 At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and since he had no weapon, he ripped the lion's jaws apart and did it as easily as though it were a young goat! But he didn't tell his father or mother about it. 7 Upon arriving at Timnah, he talked with the girl and found her to be just what he wanted, so the arrangements were made.
8 When he returned for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found a swarm of bees in it and some honey! 9 He took some of the honey with him, eating as he went, and gave some of it to his father and mother. But he didn't tell them where he had gotten it.
10-11 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party for thirty young men of the village, as was the custom of the day. 12 When Samson asked if they would like to hear a riddle, they replied that they would.
"If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration," he said, "I'll give you thirty plain robes and thirty fancy robes. 13 But if you can't solve it, then you must give the robes to me!"
"All right," they agreed, "let's hear it."
14 This was his riddle: "Food came out of the eater, and sweetness from the strong!" Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.
15 On the fourth day they said to his new wife, "Get the answer from your husband, or we'll burn down your father's house with you in it. Were we invited to this party just to make us poor?"
16 So Samson's wife broke down in tears before him and said, "You don't love me at all; you hate me, for you have told a riddle to my people and haven't told me the answer!"
"I haven't even told it to my father or mother; why should I tell you?" he replied.
17 So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the remainder of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day, he told her the answer and she, of course, gave the answer to the young men. 18 So before sunset of the seventh day they gave him their reply.
"What is sweeter than honey?" they asked, "and what is stronger than a lion?"
"If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have found the answer to my riddle!" he retorted.
19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he went to the city of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their clothing, and gave it to the young men who had told him the answer to his riddle. But he was furious about it and abandoned his wife and went back home to live with his father and mother. 20 So his wife was married instead to the fellow who had been best man at Samson's wedding.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,229
4,4,7,461
5,5,9,640
6,6,11,787
7,7,13,1014
8,8,15,1104
9,9,17,1264
10,10,19,1495
11,11,21,1620
12,12,23,1693
13,13,25,1886
14,14,27,2035
15,15,29,2188
16,16,31,2412
17,17,33,2650
18,18,35,2859
19,19,37,3144
20,20,39,3425
1,3,1,1
4,4,5,443
5,7,7,615
8,9,9,1093
10,13,11,1393
14,14,15,1888
15,15,17,2034
16,16,19,2228
17,18,22,2490
19,20,26,2941
Profile: Samson ,!page "^samson" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JUDGE015
1 At the time of the wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife, taking a young goat with him. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room," but her father would not let him go in.
2 He said to Samson, "I thought you really hated your wife, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more beautiful. Take her instead."
3 But Samson said to them, "This time no one will blame me for hurting you Philistines!"
4 So Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. He took two foxes at a time, tied their tails together, and then tied a torch to the tails of each pair of foxes.
5 After he lit the torches, he let the foxes loose in the grainfields of the Philistines so that he burned up their standing grain, the piles of grain, their vineyards, and their olive trees.
6 The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" Someone told them, "Samson, the son-in-law of the man from Timnah, did because his father-in-law gave his wife to his best man." So the Philistines burned Samson's wife and her father to death.
7 Then Samson said to the Philistines, "Since you did this, I won't stop until I pay you back!"
8 Samson attacked the Philistines and killed many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.
9 The Philistines went up and camped in the land of Judah, near a place named Lehi.
10 The men of Judah asked them, "Why have you come here to fight us?" They answered, "We have come to make Samson our prisoner, to pay him back for what he did to our people."
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "What have you done to us? Don't you know that the Philistines rule over us?" Samson answered, "I only paid them back for what they did to me."
12 Then they said to him, "We have come to tie you up and to hand you over to the Philistines." Samson said to them, "Promise me you will not hurt me yourselves."
13 The men from Judah said, "We agree. We will just tie you up and give you to the Philistines. We will not kill you." So they tied Samson with two new ropes and led him up from the cave in the rock.
14 When Samson came to the place named Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him, shouting for joy. Then the Spirit of the LORD entered Samson and gave him great power. The ropes on him weakened like burned strings and fell off his hands!
15 Samson found the jawbone of a dead donkey, took it, and killed a thousand men with it!
16 Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I made donkeys out of them. With a donkey's jawbone I killed a thousand men!"
17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone. So that place was named Ramath Lehi.
18 Samson was very thirsty, so he cried out to the LORD, "You gave me, your servant, this great victory. Do I have to die of thirst now? Do I have to be captured by people who are not circumcised?"
19 Then God opened up a hole in the ground at Lehi, and water came out. When Samson drank, he felt better; he felt strong again. So he named that spring Caller's Spring, which is still in Lehi.
20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
1 Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife, intending to sleep with her; but her father wouldn't let him in.
2 "I really thought you hated her," he explained, "so I married her to your best man. But look, her sister is prettier than she is. Marry her instead."
3 Samson was furious. "You can't blame me for whatever happens now," he shouted.
4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied their tails together in pairs, with a torch between each pair. 5 Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the fields of the Philistines, burning the grain to the ground along with all the sheaves and shocks of grain, and destroying the olive trees.
6 "Who did this?" the Philistines demanded.
"Samson," was the reply, "because his wife's father gave her to another man." So the Philistines came and got the girl and her father and burned them alive.
7 "Now my vengeance will strike again!" Samson vowed. 8 So he attacked them with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam. 9 The Philistines in turn sent a huge posse into Judah and raided Lehi.
10 "Why have you come here?" the men of Judah asked.
And the Philistines replied, "To capture Samson and do to him as he has done to us."
11 So three thousand men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam.
"What are you doing to us?" they demanded of him. "Don't you realize that the Philistines are our rulers?"
But Samson replied, "I only paid them back for what they did to me."
12-13 "We have come to capture you and take you to the Philistines," the men of Judah told him.
"All right," Samson said, "but promise me that you won't kill me yourselves."
"No," they replied, "we won't do that."
So they tied him with two new ropes and led him away. 14 As Samson and his captors arrived at Lehi, the Philistines shouted with glee; but then the strength of the Lord came upon Samson, and the ropes with which he was tied snapped like thread and fell from his wrists! 15 Then he picked up a donkey's jawbone that was lying on the ground and killed a thousand Philistines with it. 16-17 Tossing away the jawbone, he remarked,
"Heaps upon heaps,
All with a donkey's jaw!
I've killed a thousand men,
All with a donkey's jaw!"
(The place has been called "Jawbone Hill" ever since.)
18 But now he was very thirsty and he prayed to the Lord and said, "You have given Israel such a wonderful deliverance through me today! Must I now die of thirst and fall to the mercy of these heathen?" 19 So the Lord caused water to gush out from a hollow in the ground, and Samson's spirit was revived as he drank. Then he named the place "The Spring of the Man Who Prayed," and the spring is still there today.
20 Samson was Israel's leader for the next twenty years, but the Philistines still controlled the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,182
3,3,5,335
4,4,7,428
5,5,9,599
6,6,11,795
7,7,13,1034
8,8,15,1134
9,9,17,1257
10,10,19,1345
11,11,21,1525
12,12,23,1766
13,13,25,1933
14,14,27,2137
15,15,29,2377
16,16,31,2471
17,17,33,2599
18,18,35,2697
19,19,37,2899
20,20,39,3097
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,158
3,3,5,313
4,5,7,397
6,6,9,719
7,9,12,924
10,10,14,1168
11,11,17,1310
12,17,21,1582
18,19,31,2395
20,20,33,2812
REVENGE JUDGE 15:1
Samson's reply in 15:11 tells the story of this chapter: I only paid them back for what they did to me. Revenge is an uncontrollable monster. Each act of retaliation brings another. It is a boomerang which cannot be thrown without cost to the thrower. The revenge cycle can be halted only by forgiveness.
EXHAUSTION JUDGE 15:18
Samson was physically and emotionally exhausted. After a great personal victory, his attitude declined quickly into self-pity-Must I now die of thirst? Emotionally, we are most vulnerable after a great effort or when faced with real physical needs. Depression often follows great achievements, so don't be surprised if you feel drained after a personal victory.
During these times of vulnerability, avoid the temptation to think that God owes you for your efforts. It was his strength that gave you victory. Concentrate on keeping your attitudes, actions, and words focused on God instead of yourself.
JUDGE016
1 One day Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there. He went in to spend the night with her.
2 When the people of Gaza heard, "Samson has come here!" they surrounded the place and waited for him near the city gate all night. They whispered to each other, "When dawn comes, we will kill Samson!"
3 But Samson only stayed with the prostitute until midnight. Then he got up and took hold of the doors and the two posts of the city gate and tore them loose, along with the bar. He put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces the city of Hebron.
4 After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Valley of Sorek.
5 The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, "Find out what makes Samson so strong. Trick him into telling you how we can overpower him and capture him and tie him up. If you do this, each one of us will give you twenty-eight pounds of silver."D
6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me why you are so strong. How can someone tie you up and capture you?"
7 Samson answered, "Someone would have to tie me up with seven new bowstrings that have not been dried. Then I would be as weak as any other man."
8 The Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson with them.
9 Some men were hiding in another room. Delilah said to him, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" But Samson broke the bowstrings like pieces of burned string. So the Philistines did not find out the secret of Samson's strength.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You made a fool of me. You lied to me. Now tell me how someone can tie you up."
11 Samson said, "They would have to tie me with new ropes that have not been used before. Then I would become as weak as any other man."
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied Samson. Some men were hiding in another room. She called out to him, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" But he broke the ropes as easily as if they were threads.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, "Again you have made a fool of me. You lied to me. Tell me how someone can tie you up." He said, "Using the loom, weave the seven braids of my hair into the cloth, and tighten it with a pin. Then I will be as weak as any other man." While Samson slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the cloth.i
14 Then she fastened it with a pin. Again she said to him, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" Samson woke up and pulled out the pin and the loom with the cloth.
15 Then Delilah said to him, "How can you say, `I love you,' when you don't even trust me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me. You haven't told me the secret of your great strength."
16 She kept bothering Samson about his secret day after day until he felt he was going to die!
17 So he told her everything. He said, "I have never had my hair cut, because I have been set apart to God as a Nazirite since I was born. If someone shaved my head, I would lose my strength and be as weak as any other man."
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything sincerely, she sent a message to the Philistine rulers. She said, "Come back one more time, because he has told me everything." So the Philistine rulers came back to Delilah and brought the silver with them.
19 Delilah got Samson to sleep, lying in her lap. Then she called in a man to shave off the seven braids of Samson's hair. In this way she began to make him weak, and his strength left him.
20 Then she said, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He woke up and thought, "I'll leave as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
21 Then the Philistines captured Samson and tore out his eyes. They took him down to Gaza, where they put bronze chains on him and made him grind grain in the prison.
22 But his hair began to grow again.
23 The Philistine rulers gathered to celebrate and to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said, "Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us."
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "This man destroyed our country. He killed many of us! But our god handed over our enemy to us."
25 While the people were enjoying the celebration, they said, "Bring Samson out to perform for us." So they brought Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the pillars.
26 Samson said to the servant holding his hand, "Let me feel the pillars that hold up the temple so I can lean against them."
27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson perform.
28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "Lord GOD, remember me. God, please give me strength one more time so I can pay these Philistines back for putting out my two eyes!"
29 Then Samson turned to the two center pillars that supported the whole temple. He braced himself between the two pillars, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.
30 Samson said, "Let me die with these Philistines!" Then he pushed as hard as he could, causing the temple to fall on the rulers and all the people in it. So Samson killed more of the Philistines when he died than when he was alive.
31 Samson's brothers and his whole family went down to get his body. They brought him back and buried him in the tomb of Manoah, his father, between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson was a judge for the people of Israel for twenty years.ve.
1 One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. 2 Word soon spread that he had been seen in the city, so the police were alerted and many men of the city lay in wait all night at the city gate to capture him if he tried to leave.
"In the morning," they thought, "when there is enough light, we'll find him and kill him."
3 Samson stayed in bed with the girl until midnight, then went out to the city gates and lifted them, with the two gateposts, right out of the ground. He put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the mountain across from Hebron!
4 Later on he fell in love with a girl named Delilah over in the valley of Sorek. 5 The five heads of the Philistine nation went personally to her and demanded that she find out from Samson what made him so strong, so that they would know how to overpower and subdue him and put him in chains.
"Each of us will give you a thousand dollars for this job," they promised.
6 So Delilah begged Samson to tell her his secret. "Please tell me, Samson, why you are so strong," she pleaded. "I don't think anyone could ever capture you!"
7 "Well," Samson replied, "if I were tied with seven raw-leather bowstrings, I would become as weak as anyone else."
8 So they brought her the seven bowstrings, and while he slept she tied him with them. 9 Some men were hiding in the next room, so as soon as she had tied him up she exclaimed, "Samson! The Philistines are here!"
Then he snapped the bowstrings like cotton thread, and so his secret was not discovered.
10 Afterward Delilah said to him, "You are making fun of me! You told me a lie! Please tell me how you can be captured!"
11 "Well," he said, "if I am tied with brand new ropes which have never been used, I will be as weak as other men."
12 So that time, as he slept, Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. The men were hiding in the next room, as before. Again Delilah exclaimed, "Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!"
But he broke the ropes from his arms like spiderwebs!
13 "You have mocked me again and told me more lies!" Delilah complained. "Now tell me how you can really be captured."
"Well," he said, "if you weave my hair into your loom . . . !"
14 So while he slept, she did just that and then screamed, "The Philistines have come, Samson!" And he woke up and yanked his hair away, breaking the loom.
15 "How can you say you love me when you don't confide in me?" she whined. "You've made fun of me three times now, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong!"
16-17 She nagged at him every day until he couldn't stand it any longer and finally told her his secret.
"My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for I've been a Nazirite to God since before my birth. If my hair were cut, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else."
18 Delilah realized that he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the five Philistine leaders.
"Come just this once more," she said, "for this time he has told me everything."
So they brought the money with them. 19 She lulled him to sleep with his head in her lap, and they brought in a barber and cut off his hair. Delilah began to hit him, but she could see that his strength was leaving him.
20 Then she screamed, "The Philistines are here to capture you, Samson!" And he woke up and thought, "I will do as before; I'll just shake myself free." But he didn't realize that the Lord had left him. 21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes and took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and made to grind grain in the prison. 22 But before long his hair began to grow again.
23-24 The Philistine leaders declared a great festival to celebrate the capture of Samson. The people made sacrifices to their god Dagon and excitedly praised him.
"Our god has delivered our enemy Samson to us!" they gloated as they saw him there in chains. "The scourge of our nation who killed so many of us is now in our power!" 25-26 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, "Bring out Samson so we can have some fun with him!"
So he was brought from the prison and made to stand at the center of the temple, between the two pillars supporting the roof. Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, "Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them."
27 By then the temple was completely filled with people. The five Philistine leaders were there as well as three thousand people in the balconies who were watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord Jehovah, remember me again-please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes."
29 Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his might.
30 "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed.
And the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than those he had killed during his entire lifetime. 31 Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led Israel for twenty years.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,309
4,4,7,592
5,5,9,692
6,6,11,947
7,7,13,1057
8,8,15,1208
9,9,17,1329
10,10,19,1561
11,11,21,1678
12,12,23,1819
13,13,25,2024
14,14,27,2372
15,15,29,2538
16,16,31,2740
17,17,33,2839
18,18,35,3068
19,19,37,3332
20,20,39,3526
21,21,41,3708
22,22,43,3879
23,23,45,3920
24,24,47,4083
25,25,49,4244
26,26,51,4456
27,27,53,4586
28,28,55,4754
29,29,57,4926
30,30,59,5113
31,31,61,5351
1,2,1,1
3,3,4,370
4,5,6,617
6,6,9,990
7,7,11,1153
8,9,13,1273
10,10,16,1579
11,11,18,1703
12,12,20,1822
13,13,23,2083
14,14,26,2269
15,15,28,2428
16,17,30,2603
18,19,33,2905
20,22,37,3316
23,26,39,3729
27,27,43,4418
28,28,45,4616
29,29,47,4815
30,31,49,4880
NAGGING JUDGE 16:16-17
Delilah kept asking Samson for the secret of his strength until he finally grew tired of hearing her nagging and gave in. What a pitiful excuse for disobedience. Don't allow anyone, no matter how attractive or persuasive, to talk you into doing wrong.
GUILT JUDGE 16:28-30
In spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the heathen temple and worshipers. God still loved Samson. He was willing to hear Samson's prayer of confession and repentance and use him this final time. One of the effects of sin in our lives is that it keeps us from feeling like praying. But perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Don't let guilt feelings over sin keep you apart from God. No matter how long you have been away from God, he is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn again to him. If God could still work in Samson's situation, he can certainly make something worthwhile out of yours.
Profile: Delilah ,!page "^delilah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
I Wonder: Other religions ,!page "^W007" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Moral Dilemmas: Sensuality ,!page "^M0060" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JUDGE017
1 There was a man named Micah who lived in the mountains of Ephraim.
2 He said to his mother, "I heard you speak a curse about the twenty-eight pounds of silver that were taken from you. I have the silver with me; I took it." His mother said, "The LORD bless you, my son!"
3 Micah gave the twenty-eight pounds of silver to his mother. Then she said, "I will give this silver to the LORD. I will have my son make an idol and a statue. So I will give the silver back to you."
4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took about five pounds and gave it to a silversmith. With it he made an idol and a statue, which stood in Micah's house.
5 Micah had a special holy place, and he made a holy vest and some household idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest.
6 At that time Israel did not have a king, so everyone did what seemed right.
7 There was a young man who was a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah who was from the people of Judah.
8 He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live, and on his way he came to Micah's house in the mountains of Ephraim.
9 Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" He answered, "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I'm looking for a place to live."
10 Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and my priest. I will give you four ounces of silver each year and clothes and food." So the Levite went in.
11 He agreed to live with Micah and became like one of Micah's own sons.
12 Micah made him a priest, and he lived in Micah's house.
13 Then Micah said, "Now I know the LORD will be good to me, because I have a Levite as my priest."
1 In the hill country of Ephraim lived a man named Micah.
2 One day he said to his mother, "That thousand dollars you thought was stolen from you, and you were cursing about-well, I stole it!"
"God bless you for confessing it," his mother replied. 3 So he returned the money to her.
"I am going to give it to the Lord as a credit for your account," she declared. "I'll have an idol carved for you and plate it with the silver."
4-5 So his mother took a fifth of it to a silversmith, and the idol he made from it was placed in Micah's shrine. Micah had many idols in his collection, also an ephod and some teraphim, and he installed one of his sons as the priest. 6 (For in those days Israel had no king, so everyone did whatever he wanted to-whatever seemed right in his own eyes.)
7-8 One day a young priest from the town of Bethlehem, in Judah, arrived in that area of Ephraim, looking for a good place to live. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was traveling through.
9 "Where are you from?" Micah asked him.
And he replied, "I am a priest from Bethlehem, in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live."
10-11 "Well, stay here with me," Micah said, "and you can be my priest. I will give you one hundred dollars a year plus a new suit and your board and room." The young man agreed to this and became as one of Micah's sons. 12 So Micah consecrated him as his personal priest.
13 "I know the Lord will really bless me now," Micah exclaimed, "because now I have a genuine priest working for me!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,282
4,4,7,487
5,5,9,662
6,6,11,801
7,7,13,883
8,8,15,998
9,9,17,1126
10,10,19,1257
11,11,21,1423
12,12,23,1500
13,13,25,1563
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,62
4,6,7,437
7,8,9,794
9,9,11,995
10,12,14,1136
13,13,16,1412
JUDGE018
CHURCH
1 At that time Israel did not have a king. And at that time the tribe of Dan was still looking for a land where they could live, a land of their own. The Danites had not yet been given their own land among the tribes of Israel.
2 So, from their family groups, they chose five soldiers from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out and explore the land. They were told, "Go, explore the land." They came to the mountains of Ephraim, to Micah's house, where they spent the night.C
3 When they came near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. So they stopped there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why are you here?"
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying "He hired me. I am his priest."
5 They said to him, "Please ask God if our journey will be successful."
6 The priest said to them, "Go in peace. The LORD is pleased with your journey."
7 So the five men left. When they came to the city of Laish, they saw that the people there lived in safety, like the people of Sidon. They thought they were safe and had plenty of everything. They lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone else.
8 When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, "What did you find?"
9 They answered, "We have seen the land, and it is very good. We should attack them. Aren't you going to do something? Don't wait! Let's go and take that land!
10 When you go, you will see there is plenty of land- plenty of everything! The people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has handed that land over to us!"
11 So six hundred Danites left Zorah and Eshtaol ready for war.
12 On their way they set up camp near the city of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is named Mahaneh Dan to this day.
13 From there they traveled on to the mountains of Ephraim. Then they came to Micah's house.
14 The five men who had explored the land around Laish said to their relatives, "Do you know in one of these houses there are a holy vest, household gods, an idol, and a statue? You know what to do."
15 So they stopped at the Levite's house, which was also Micah's house, and greeted the Levite.
16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance gate, wearing their weapons of war.
17 The five spies went into the house and took the idol, the holy vest, the household idols, and the statue. The priest and the six hundred men armed for war stood by the entrance gate.
18 When the spies went into Micah's house and took the image, the holy vest, the household idols, and the statue, the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"
19 They answered, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us and be our father and priest. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man's house or for a tribe and family group in Israel?"
20 This made the priest happy. So he took the holy vest, the household idols, and the idol and went with the Danites.
21 They left Micah's house, putting their little children, their animals, and everything they owned in front of them.
22 When they had gone a little way from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called out and caught up with them.
23 The men with Micah shouted at the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you? Why have you been called out to fight?"
24 Micah answered, "You took my gods that I made and my priest. What do I have left? How can you ask me, `What's the matter?' "
25 The Danites answered, "You should not argue with us. Some of our angry men might attack you, killing you and your family."
26 Then the Danites went on their way. Micah knew they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.
27 Then the Danites took what Micah had made and his priest and went on to and then burned the city.
28 There was no one to save the people of Laish. They lived too far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else. Laish was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The people of Dan rebuilt the city and lived there.
29 They changed the name of Laish to Dan, naming it for their ancestor Dan, one of the sons of Israel.
30 The people of Dan set up the idols in the city of Dan. Jonathan son of Gershom, Moses' son, and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the land was captured.
31 The people of Dan set up the idols Micah had made as long as the Holy Tent of God was in Shiloh.
1 As has already been stated, there was no king in Israel at that time. The tribe of Dan was trying to find a place to settle, for they had not yet driven out the people living in the land assigned to them. 2 So the men of Dan chose five army heroes from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol as scouts to go and spy out the land they were supposed to settle in. Arriving in the hill country of Ephraim, they stayed at Micah's home. 3 Noticing the young Levite's accent, they took him aside and asked him, "What are you doing here? Why did you come?" 4 He told them about his contract with Micah, and that he was his personal priest.
5 "Well, then," they said, "ask God whether or not our trip will be successful."
6 "Yes," the priest replied, "all is well. The Lord is taking care of you."
7 So the five men went on to the town of Laish and noticed how secure everyone felt. Their manner of life was Phoenician, and they were wealthy. They lived quietly and were unprepared for an attack, for there were no tribes in the area strong enough to try it. They lived a great distance from their relatives in Sidon, and had little or no contact with the nearby villages. 8 So the spies returned to their people in Zorah and Eshtaol.
"What about it?" they were asked. "What did you find?"
9-10 And the men replied, "Let's attack! We have seen the land and it is ours for the taking-a broad, fertile, wonderful place-a real paradise. The people aren't even prepared to defend themselves! Come on, let's go! For God has given it to us!"
11 So six hundred armed troops of the tribe of Dan set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 They camped first at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah (which is still called "The Camp of Dan"), 13 then they went on up into the hill country of Ephraim.
As they passed the home of Micah, 14 the five spies told the others. "There is a shrine in there with an ephod, some teraphim, and many plated idols. It's obvious what we ought to do!"
15-16 So the five men went over to the house and with all of the armed men standing just outside the gate, they talked to the young priest and asked him how he was getting along. 17 Then the five spies entered the shrine and took the idols, the ephod, and the teraphim.
18 "What are you doing?" the young priest demanded when he saw them carrying them out.
19 "Be quiet and come with us," they said. "Be a priest to all of us. Isn't it better for you to be a priest to a whole tribe in Israel instead of just to one man in his private home?"
20 The young priest was then quite happy to go with them, and he took along the ephod, the teraphim, and the idols. 21 They started on their way again, placing their children, cattle, and household goods at the front of the column. 22 When they were quite a distance from Micah's home, Micah and some of his neighbors came chasing after them, 23 yelling at them to stop.
"What do you want, chasing after us like this?" the men of Dan demanded.
24 "What do you mean, `What do I want'!" Micah retorted. "You've taken away all my gods and my priest, and I have nothing left!"
25 "Be careful how you talk, mister," the men of Dan replied. "Somebody's apt to get angry and kill every one of you."
26 So the men of Dan kept going. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to handle, he turned back home.
27 Then, with Micah's idols and the priest, the men of Dan arrived at the city of Laish. There weren't even any guards, so they went in and slaughtered all the people and burned the city to the ground. 28 There was no one to help the inhabitants, for they were too far away from Sidon, and they had no local allies, for they had no dealings with anyone. This happened in the valley next to Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 The city was named "Dan" after their ancestor, Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish.
30 Then they set up the idols and appointed a man named Jonathan (son of Gershom and grandson of Moses!) and his sons as their priests. This family continued as priests until the city was finally conquered by its enemies. 31 So Micah's idols were worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle remained at Shiloh.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,233
3,3,5,490
4,4,7,682
5,5,9,769
6,6,11,845
7,7,13,930
8,8,15,1206
9,9,17,1310
10,10,19,1474
11,11,21,1639
12,12,23,1707
13,13,25,1865
14,14,27,1962
15,15,29,2166
16,16,31,2266
17,17,33,2355
18,18,35,2545
19,19,37,2708
20,20,39,2902
21,21,41,3024
22,22,43,3146
23,23,45,3275
24,24,47,3431
25,25,49,3563
26,26,51,3693
27,27,53,3810
28,28,55,3915
29,29,57,4133
30,30,59,4240
31,31,61,4420
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,632
6,6,5,716
7,8,7,795
9,10,10,1291
11,14,12,1540
15,17,15,1977
18,18,17,2250
19,19,19,2340
20,23,21,2528
24,24,24,2976
25,25,26,3108
26,26,28,3230
27,29,30,3354
30,31,32,3934
CHURCH JUDGE 18:11-26
Through this entire incident, the desire on the part of all involved was not to worship God, but to use God for selfish gain. Today some people go to church to feel better, be accepted, relieve guilt, and meet people. Beware of following God for the wrong reasons.
JUDGE019
1 At that time Israel did not have a king. There was a Levite who lived in the faraway mountains of Ephraim. He had taken a slave woman from the city of Bethlehem in the land of Judah to live with him,
2 but she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah and stayed there for four months.
3 Then her husband went to ask her to come back to him, taking with him his servant and two donkeys. When the Levite came to her father's house, she invited him to come in, and her father was happy to see him.
4 The father-in-law, the young woman's father, asked him to stay. So he stayed for three days and ate, drank, and slept there.
5 On the fourth day they got up early in the morning. The Levite was getting ready to leave, but the woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself by eating something. Then go."
6 So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. After that, the father said to him, "Please stay tonight. Relax and enjoy yourself."
7 When the man got up to go, his father-in-law asked him to stay. So he stayed again that night.
8 On the fifth day the man got up early in the morning to leave. The woman's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait until this afternoon." So the two men ate together.
9 When the Levite, his slave woman, and his servant got up to leave, the father-in-law, the young woman's father, said, "It's almost night. The day is almost gone. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and go home."
10 But the Levite did not want to stay another night. So he took his two saddled donkeys and his slave woman and traveled toward the city of Jebus (also called Jerusalem).
11 As the day was almost over, they came near Jebus. So the servant said to his master, "Let's stop at this city of the Jebusites, and spend the night here."
12 But his master said, "No. We won't go inside a foreign city. Those people are not Israelites. We will go on to the city of Gibeah."
13 He said, "Come on. Let's try to make it to Gibeah or Ramah so we can spend the night in one of those cities."
14 So they went on. The sun went down as they came near Gibeah, which belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.
15 They stopped there to spend the night. They came to the public square of the city and sat down, but no one invited them home to spend the night.
16 Finally, in the evening an old man came in from his work in the fields. His home was in the mountains of Ephraim, but now he was living in Gibeah. (The people of Gibeah were from the tribe of Benjamin.)
17 He saw the traveler in the public square and asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"
18 The Levite answered, "We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to my home in the mountains of Ephraim. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah, but now I am going to the Holy Tent of the LORD. No one has invited me to stay in his house.
19 We already have straw and food for our donkeys and bread and wine for me, the young woman, and my servant. We don't need anything."
20 The old man said, "You are welcome to stay at my house. Let me give you anything you need, but don't spend the night in the public square."
21 So the old man took the Levite into his house, and he fed their donkeys. They washed their feet and had something to eat and drink.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sexual relations with him."
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends. Don't be so evil. This man is a guest in my house. Don't do this terrible thing!
24 Look, here are my daughter, who has never had sexual relations before, and the man's slave woman. I will bring them out to you now. Do anything you want with them, but don't do such a terrible thing to this man."
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his slave woman and sent her outside to them. They forced her to have sexual relations with them, and they abused her all night long. Then, at dawn, they let her go.
26 She came back to the house where her master was staying and fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 In the morning when the Levite got up, he opened the door of the house and went outside to go on his way. But his slave woman was lying at the doorway of the house, with her hands on the doorsill.
28 The Levite said to her, "Get up; let's go." But she did not answer. So he put her on his donkey and went home.
29 When the Levite got home, he took a knife and cut his slave woman into twelve parts, limb by limb. Then he sent a part to each area of Israel.
30 Everyone who saw this said, "Nothing like this has ever happened before, not since the people of Israel came out of Egypt. Think about it. Tell us what to do."
1 At this time before Israel had a king, there was a man of the tribe of Levi living on the far side of the hill country of Ephraim, who brought home a girl from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. 2 But she became angry with him and ran away, and returned to her father's home in Bethlehem, and was there about four months. 3 Then her husband, taking along a servant and an extra donkey, went to see her to try to win her back again. When he arrived at her home, she let him in and introduced him to her father, who was delighted to meet him. 4 Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed three days, and they all had a very pleasant time.
5 On the fourth day they were up early, ready to leave, but the girl's father insisted on their having breakfast first. 6 Then he pleaded with him to stay one more day, as they were having such a good time. 7 At first the man refused, but his father-in-law kept urging him until finally he gave in. 8 The next morning they were up early again, and again the girl's father pleaded, "Stay just today and leave sometime this evening." So they had another day of feasting.
9 That afternoon as he and his wife and servant were preparing to leave, his father-in-law said, "Look, it's getting late. Stay just tonight, and we will have a pleasant evening together and tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way."
10 But this time the man was adamant, so they left, getting as far as Jerusalem (also called Jebus) before dark.
11 His servant said to him, "It's getting too late to travel; let's stay here tonight."
12-13 "No," his master said, "we can't stay in this heathen city where there are no Israelites-we will go on to Gibeah, or possibly Ramah."
14 So they went on. The sun was setting just as they came to Gibeah, a village of the tribe of Benjamin, 15 so they went there for the night. But as no one invited them in, they camped in the village square. 16 Just then an old man came by on his way home from his work in the fields. (He was originally from the hill country of Ephraim, but was living now in Gibeah, even though it was in the territory of Benjamin.) 17 When he saw the travelers camped in the square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going.
18 "We're on the way home from Bethlehem, in Judah," the man replied. "I live on the far edge of the Ephraim hill country, near Shiloh. But no one has taken us in for the night, 19 even though we have fodder for our donkeys and plenty of food and wine for ourselves."
20 "Don't worry," the old man said, "be my guests; for you mustn't stay here in the square. It's too dangerous."
21 So he took them home with him. He fed their donkeys while they rested, and afterward they had supper together. 22 Just as they were beginning to warm to the occasion, a gang of sex perverts gathered around the house and began beating at the door and yelling at the old man to bring out the man who was staying with him, so they could rape him. 23 The old man stepped outside to talk to them.
"No, my brothers, don't do such a dastardly act," he begged, "for he is my guest. 24 Here, take my virgin daughter and this man's wife. I'll bring them out and you can do whatever you like to them-but don't do such a thing to this man."
25 But they wouldn't listen to him. Then the girl's husband pushed her out to them, and they abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, just at dawn, they let her go. 26 She fell down at the door of the house and lay there until it was light. 27 When her husband opened the door to be on his way, he found her there, fallen down in front of the door with her hands digging into the threshold.
28 "Well, come on," he said. "Let's get going."
But there was no answer, for she was dead; so he threw her across the donkey's back and took her home. 29 When he got there he took a knife and cut her body into twelve parts and sent one piece to each tribe of Israel. 30 Then the entire nation was roused to action against the men of Benjamin because of this awful deed.
"There hasn't been such a horrible crime since Israel left Egypt," everyone said. "We've got to do something about it."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,207
3,3,5,349
4,4,7,563
5,5,9,694
6,6,11,887
7,7,13,1029
8,8,15,1130
9,9,17,1300
10,10,19,1561
11,11,21,1737
12,12,23,1899
13,13,25,2038
14,14,27,2155
15,15,29,2263
16,16,31,2415
17,17,33,2625
18,18,35,2732
19,19,37,2970
20,20,39,3109
21,21,41,3256
22,22,43,3395
23,23,45,3646
24,24,47,3805
25,25,49,4025
26,26,51,4254
27,27,53,4373
28,28,55,4577
29,29,57,4695
30,30,59,4845
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,655
9,9,5,1127
10,10,7,1372
11,11,9,1488
12,13,11,1579
14,17,13,1722
18,19,15,2256
20,20,17,2527
21,24,19,2643
25,27,22,3279
28,30,24,3702
GOVERNMENT JUDGE 19:30
The horrible crime described in this chapter wasn't Israel's worst offense. Even worse was the nation's failure to establish a government based upon God's moral principles, where the law of God was the law of the land. As a result, laws were usually unenforced and crime was ignored. Sexual perversion and lawlessness were a by-product of Israel's disobedience to God. The Israelites weren't willing to speak up until events had gone too far.
Whenever we get away from God and his word, all sorts of evil can follow. Our drifting away from God may be slow and almost imperceptible, with the ultimate results affecting a future generation. We must continually call our nation back to God and tell people about Christ.
JUDGE020
1 So all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, joined together before the LORD in the city of Mizpah.
2 The leaders of all the tribes of Israel took their places in the meeting of the people of God. There were 400,000 soldiers with swords.
3 (The people of Benjamin heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said to the Levite, "Tell us how this evil thing happened."
4 So the husband of the murdered woman answered, "My slave woman and I came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
5 During the night the men of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house and wanted to kill me. They forced my slave woman to have sexual relations and she died.
6 I took her and cut her into parts and sent one part to each area of Israel because the people of Benjamin did this wicked and terrible thing in Israel.
7 Now, all you Israelites, speak up. What is your decision?"
8 Then all the people stood up at the same time, saying, "None of us will go home. Not one of us will go back to his house!
9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah. We will throw lots.
10 That way we will choose ten men from every hundred men from all the tribes of Israel, and we will choose a hundred men from every thousand, and a thousand men from every ten thousand. These will find supplies for the army. Then the army will go to the city of Gibeah of Benjamin to repay them for the terrible thing they have done in Israel." .i
11 So all the men of Israel were united and gathered against the city.
12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin demanding, "What is this evil thing some of your men have done?
13 Hand over the wicked men in Gibeah so that we can put them to death. We must remove this evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.
14 The Benjaminites left their own cities and met at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.
15 In only one day the Benjaminites got 26,000 soldiers together who were trained with swords. They also had 700 chosen men from Gibeah.
16 Seven hundred of these trained soldiers were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss!
17 The Israelites, except for the Benjaminites, gathered 400,000 soldiers with swords.
18 The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, "Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?" The LORD answered, "Judah shall go first."
19 The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah.
20 The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah.
21 Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed
22,000 Israelites during the battle that day. 22 The Israelites went before the LORD and cried until evening. They asked the LORD, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?"
23 The LORD answered, "Go up and fight them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.
24 The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day.
25 The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.
26 Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the LORD and went without food all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.
27 The Israelites asked the LORD a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.
28 A priest named Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before the Ark of the Agreement.) They asked, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?" The LORD answered, "Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."
29 Then the Israelites set up ambushes all around Gibeah.
30 They went to fight against the Benjaminites at Gibeah on the third day, getting into position for battle as they had done before.
31 When the Benjaminites came out to fight them, the Israelites backed up and led the Benjaminites away from the city. The Benjaminites began to kill some of the Israelites as they had done before. About thirty Israelites were killed- some in the fields and some on the roads leading to Bethel and to Gibeah.
32 The Benjaminites said, "We are winning as before!" But the Israelites said, "Let's run. Let's trick them into going farther away from their city and onto the roads."
33 All the Israelites moved from their places and got into battle positions at a place named Baal Tamar. Then the Israelites ran out from their hiding places west of Gibeah.
34 Ten thousand of the best trained soldiers from all of Israel attacked Gibeah. The battle was very hard. The Benjaminites did not know disaster was about to come to them.
35 The LORD used the Israelites to defeat the Benjaminites. On that day the Israelites killed 25,100 Benjaminites, all armed with swords.
36 Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites had moved back because they were depending on the surprise attack they had set up near Gibeah.
37 The men in hiding rushed into Gibeah, spread out, and killed everyone in the city with their swords.
38 Now the Israelites had set up a signal with the men in hiding. The men in the surprise attack were to send up a cloud of smoke from the city.
39 Then the army of Israel turned around in the battle. The Benjaminites had killed about thirty Israelites. They were saying, "We are winning, as in the first battle!"
40 But then a cloud of smoke began to rise from the city. The Benjaminites turned around and saw that the whole city was going up in smoke.
41 Then the Israelites turned and began to fight. The Benjaminites were terrified because they knew that disaster was coming to them.
42 So the Benjaminites ran away from the Israelites toward the desert, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the cities killed them.
43 They surrounded the Benjaminites and chased them and caught them in the area east of Gibeah.
44 So 18,000 brave Benjaminite fighters were killed.
45 The Benjaminites ran toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, but the Israelites killed 5,000 Benjaminites along the roads. They chased them as far as Gidom and killed 2,000 more Benjaminites there.
46 On that day 25,000 Benjaminites were killed, all of whom had fought bravely with swords.
47 But 600 Benjaminites ran to the rock of Rimmon in the desert, where they stayed for four months.
48 Then the Israelites went back to the land of Benjamin and killed the people in every city and also the animals and everything they could find. And they burned every city they found.
1 Then the entire nation of Israel sent their leaders and 450,000 troops to assemble with one mind before the Lord at Mizpah. They came from as far away as Dan and Beersheba, and everywhere between, and from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. 3 (Word of the mobilization of the Israeli forces at Mizpah soon reached the land of Benjamin.) The chiefs of Israel now called for the murdered woman's husband and asked him just what had happened.
4 "We arrived one evening at Gibeah, a village in Benjamin," he began. 5 "That night the men of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my wife until she was dead. 6 So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel, for these men have committed a terrible crime. 7 Now then, sons of Israel, express your mind and give me your counsel!"
8-10 And as one man they replied, "Not one of us will return home until we have punished the village of Gibeah. A tenth of the army will be selected by lot as a supply line to bring us food, and the rest of us will destroy Gibeah for this horrible deed."
11 So the whole nation united in this task.
12 Then messengers were sent to the tribe of Benjamin, asking, "Did you know about the terrible thing that was done among you? 13 Give up these evil men from the city of Gibeah so that we can execute them and purge Israel of her evil." But the people of Benjamin wouldn't listen. 14-15 Instead, 26,000 of them arrived in Gibeah to join the 700 local men in their defense against the rest of Israel. 16 (Among all these there were 700 men who were left-handed sharpshooters. They could hit a target within a hair's breadth, never missing!) 17 The army of Israel, not counting the men of Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men.
18 Before the battle the Israeli army went to Bethel first to ask counsel from God. "Which tribe shall lead us against the people of Benjamin?" they asked.
And the Lord replied, "Judah shall go first."
19-20 So the entire army left early the next morning to go to Gibeah, to attack the men of Benjamin. 21 But the men defending the village stormed out and killed 22,000 Israelis that day. 22-24 Then the Israeli army wept before the Lord until evening and asked him, "Shall we fight further against our brother Benjamin?"
And the Lord said, "Yes." So the men of Israel took courage and went out again the next day to fight at the same place. 25 And that day they lost another 18,000 men, all experienced swordsmen.
26 Then the entire army went up to Bethel and wept before the Lord and fasted until evening, offering burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. 27-28 (The Ark of God was in Bethel in those days. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was the priest.)
The men of Israel asked the Lord, "Shall we go out again and fight against our brother Benjamin, or shall we stop?"
And the Lord said, "Go, for tomorrow I will see to it that you defeat the men of Benjamin."
29 So the Israeli army set an ambush all around the village, 30 and went out again on the third day and set themselves in their usual battle formation. 31 When the army of Benjamin came out of the town to attack, the Israeli forces retreated and Benjamin was drawn away from the town as they chased after Israel. And as they had done previously, Benjamin began to kill the men of Israel along the roadway running between Bethel and Gibeah, so that about thirty of them died.
32 Then the army of Benjamin shouted, "We're defeating them again!" But the armies of Israel had agreed in advance to run away so that the army of Benjamin would chase them and be drawn away from the town. 33 But when the main army of Israel reached Baal-tamar, it turned and attacked, and the 10,000 men in ambush west of Geba jumped up from where they were 34 and advanced against the rear of the army of Benjamin, who still didn't realize the impending disaster. 35-39 So the Lord helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and the Israeli army killed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, leaving but a tiny remnant of their forces.
Summary of the Battle: The army of Israel retreated from the men of Benjamin in order to give the ambush more room for maneuvering. When the men of Benjamin had killed about thirty of the Israelis, they were confident of a massive slaughter just as on the previous days. But then the men in ambush rushed into the village and slaughtered everyone in it, and set it on fire. The great cloud of smoke pouring into the sky was the signal for the Israeli army to turn around and attack the army of Benjamin, 40-41 who now looked behind them and were terrified to discover that their city was on fire, and that they were in serious trouble. 42 So they ran toward the wilderness, but the Israelis chased after them, and the men who had set the ambush came out and joined the slaughter from the rear. 43 They encircled the army of Benjamin east of Gibeah, and killed most of them there. 44 Eighteen thousand of the Benjamin troops died in that day's battle. 45 The rest of the army fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but 5,000 were killed along the way, and 2,000 more near Gidom.
46-47 So the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 brave warriors that day, leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months. 48 Then the Israeli army returned and slaughtered the entire population of the tribe of Benjamin-men, women, children, and cattle-and burned down every city and village in the entire land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,137
3,3,5,279
4,4,7,439
5,5,9,561
6,6,11,732
7,7,13,890
8,8,15,955
9,9,17,1083
10,10,19,1148
11,11,21,1501
12,12,23,1576
13,13,25,1710
14,14,27,1891
15,15,29,1980
16,16,31,2121
17,17,33,2243
18,18,35,2334
19,19,37,2501
20,20,39,2576
21,22,41,2678
23,23,45,2935
24,24,47,3095
25,25,49,3164
26,26,51,3315
27,27,53,3520
28,28,55,3639
29,29,57,3919
30,30,59,3981
31,31,61,4118
32,32,63,4431
33,33,65,4604
34,34,67,4782
35,35,69,4959
36,36,71,5101
37,37,73,5269
38,38,75,5377
39,39,77,5526
40,40,79,5699
41,41,81,5843
42,42,83,5981
43,43,85,6153
44,44,87,6253
45,45,89,6310
46,46,91,6516
47,47,93,6612
48,48,95,6716
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,452
8,10,5,854
11,11,7,1112
12,17,9,1159
18,18,11,1780
19,25,14,1986
26,28,17,2503
29,31,21,2976
32,45,23,3454
46,48,26,5169
JUDGE021
1 At Mizpah the men of Israel had sworn, "Not one of us will let his daughter marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin."
2 The people went to the city of Bethel and sat before God until evening, crying loudly.
3 They said, "LORD, God of Israel, why has this terrible thing happened to us so that one tribe of Israel is missing today?"
4 Early the next day the people built an altar and put burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God on it.
5 Then the Israelites asked, "Did any tribe of Israel not come here to meet with us in the presence of the LORD?" They asked this question because they had sworn that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah would be killed.
6 The Israelites felt sorry for their relatives, the Benjaminites. They said, "Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 We swore before the LORD that we would not allow our daughters to marry a Benjaminite. How can we make sure that the remaining men of Benjamin will have wives?"
8 Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come here to Mizpah?" They found that no one from the city of Jabesh Gilead had come.
9 The people of Israel counted everyone, but there was no one from Jabesh Gilead.
10 So the whole group of Israelites sent twelve thousand soldiers to Jabesh Gilead to kill the people with their swords, even the women and children.
11 "This is what you must do: Kill every man in Jabesh Gilead and every married woman."
12 The soldiers found four hundred young unmarried women in Jabesh Gilead, so they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
13 Then the whole group of Israelites sent a message to the men of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, offering to make peace with them.
14 So the men of Benjamin came back at that time. The Israelites gave them the women from Jabesh Gilead who had not been killed, but there were not enough women.
15 The people of Israel felt sorry for the Benjaminites because the LORD had separated the tribes of Israel.
16 The older leaders of the Israelites said, "The women of Benjamin have been killed. Where can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are still alive?
17 These men must have children to continue their families so a tribe in Israel will not die out.
18 But we cannot allow our daughters to marry them, because we swore, `Anyone who gives a wife to a man of Benjamin is cursed.'
19 We have an idea! There is a yearly festival of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of the city of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of the city of Lebonah."
20 So the older leaders told the men of Benjamin, "Go and hide in the vineyards.
21 Watch for the young women from Shiloh to come out to join the dancing. Then run out from the vineyards and take one of the young Shiloh women and return to the land of Benjamin.
22 If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain, we will say: `Be kind to the men of Benjamin. We did not get wives for Benjamin during the war, and you did not give the women to the men from Benjamin. So you are not guilty.' "
23 So that is what the Benjaminites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them, took her away, and married her. Then they went back to the land God had given them and rebuilt their cities and lived there.
24 Then the Israelites went home to their own tribes and family groups, to their own land that God had given them.
1 The leaders of Israel had vowed at Mizpah never to let their daughters marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 And now the Israeli leaders met at Bethel and sat before God until evening, weeping bitterly.
3 "O Lord God of Israel," they cried out, "why has this happened, that now one of our tribes is missing?"
4 The next morning they were up early and built an altar, and offered sacrifices and peace offerings on it. 5 And they said among themselves, "Was any tribe of Israel not represented when we held our council before the Lord at Mizpah?" For at that time it was agreed by solemn oath that anyone who refused to come must die. 6 There was deep sadness throughout all Israel for the loss of their brother tribe, Benjamin.
"Gone," they kept saying to themselves, "gone-an entire tribe of Israel has been cut off and is gone. 7 And how shall we get wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters?"
8-9 Then they thought again of their oath to kill anyone who refused to come to Mizpah and discovered that no one had attended from Jabesh-gilead. 10-12 So they sent 12,000 of their best soldiers to destroy the people of Jabesh-gilead. All the men, married women, and children were slain, but the young virgins of marriageable age were saved. There were 400 of these, and they were brought to the camp at Shiloh.
13 Then Israel sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock. 14 The 400 girls were given to them as wives, and they returned to their homes; but there were not enough of these girls for all of them. 15 (What a sad time it was in Israel in those days because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.)
16 "What shall we do for wives for the others, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?" the leaders of Israel asked. 17 "There must be some way to get wives for them, so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. 18 But we can't give them our own daughters. We have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this shall be cursed of God."
19 Suddenly someone thought of the annual religious festival held in the fields of Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.
20 They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards, 21 and when the girls of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out and catch them and take them home with you to be your wives! 22 And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, `Please be understanding and let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead, and you couldn't have given your daughters to them without being guilty.' "
23 So the men of Benjamin did as they were told and kidnapped the girls who took part in the celebration, and carried them off to their own land. Then they rebuilt their cities and lived in them. 24 So the people of Israel returned to their homes.
25 (There was no king in Israel in those days, and every man did whatever he thought was right.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,217
4,4,7,346
5,5,9,460
6,6,11,692
7,7,13,821
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9,9,17,1140
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12,12,23,1472
13,13,25,1605
14,14,27,1752
15,15,29,1918
16,16,31,2031
17,17,33,2189
18,18,35,2291
19,19,37,2423
20,20,39,2621
21,21,41,2706
22,22,43,2891
23,23,45,3132
24,24,47,3368
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,213
4,7,5,322
8,12,8,974
13,15,10,1390
16,18,12,1743
19,19,14,2117
20,22,16,2305
23,24,17,2813
25,25,19,3064
HEROES JUDGE 21:25
During the time of the judges, the people of Israel experienced trouble because everyone became his own authority and acted on his own opinions of right and wrong. This produced horrendous results. Our world is similar. Individuals, groups, and societies have made themselves the final authorities without reference to God. When people selfishly try to satisfy their personal desires at all costs, everyone pays the price.
It is the ultimate heroic act to submit all our plans, desires, and motives to God. Men like Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson are known for their heroism in battle. But their personal lives were far from heroic.
To be truly heroic, we must go into battle each day in our home, school, church, and society to make God's Kingdom a reality. Our weapons are the standards, morals, truths, and convictions we receive from God's word. We will lose the battle if we gather the spoils of earthly treasures rather than seeking the treasures of heaven.
VRUTH
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To show how three people remained strong in character and true to God even when the society around them was collapsing.
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Some think it was Samuel, but internal evidence suggests that it was written after his death.
DATE WRITTEN:
Sometime after the period of the judges (1375-1050 B.C.)
SETTING:
A dark time in Israel's history when people lived to please themselves, not God (Judges 17:6)
KEY PEOPLE:
Ruth, Naomi, Boaz
KEY PLACES:
Moab, Bethlehem
"Mom, that food looks awful!" "Dad, you always make me take out the garbage." "She's the worst teacher ever!" "My allowance isn't enough." "I hate the way I look." Sound familiar? Everyone likes to complain. When things don't go exactly as we think they should, we are quick to let others know we feel cheated and angry. In the book of Ruth, we read of Naomi's complaints. Her husband and two sons had recently died, and she decided to blame God. She figured that since God had caused her loved ones' deaths, he deserved her anger. But God didn't deserve her anger. And Naomi learned that God wasn't to be blamed for her family members' deaths; he was to be thanked for his kindness. We tend to complain against God. If something in life is wrong, we conclude that it must be his fault. The book of Ruth reminds us strongly and clearly that this is not the case. God is not to be blamed for our problems, but praised for his goodness. Read the book of Ruth-a story of relationships, rescue, and romance-and thank God for his goodness in your life.
1,17,1,1
1,1,1,1
RUTH001
1 Long ago when the judges ruled Israel, there was a shortage of food in the land. So a man named Elimelech left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. His wife was named Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathahites from Bethlehem in Judah. When they came to Moab, they settled there.
2 [see verse 1]
3 Then Naomi's husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 These sons married women from Moab. One was named Orpah, and the other was named Ruth. Naomi and her sons had lived in Moab about ten years
5 when Mahlon and Kilion also died. So Naomi was left alone without her husband or her two sons.
6 While Naomi was in Moab, she heard that the LORD had come to help his people and had given them food again. So she and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and return home.
7 Naomi and her daughters-in-law left the place where they had lived and started back to the land of Judah.
8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back home, each of you to your own mother's house. May the LORD be as kind to you as you have been to me and my sons who are now dead.
9 May the LORD give you another happy home and a new husband." When Naomi kissed the women good-bye, they began to cry out loud.
10 They said to her, "No, we want to go with you to your people."
11 But Naomi said, "My daughters, return to your own homes. Why do you want to go with me? I cannot give birth to more sons to give you new husbands;
12 go back, my daughters, to your own homes. I am too old to have another husband. Even if I told myself, `I still have hope' and had another husband tonight, and even if I had more sons,
13 should you wait until they were grown into men? Should you live for so many years without husbands? Don't do that, my daughters. My life is much too sad for you to share, because the LORD has been against me!"
14 The women cried together out loud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law Naomi good-bye, but Ruth held on to her tightly.
15 Naomi said to Ruth, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and her own gods. Go back with her."
16 But Ruth said, "Don't beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
17 And where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. I ask the LORD to punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Not even death will separate us."
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had firmly made up her mind to go with her, she stopped arguing with her.
19 So Naomi and Ruth went on until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, all the people became very excited. The women of the town said, "Is this really Naomi?"
20 Naomi answered the people, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very sad.
21 When I left, I had all I wanted, but now, the LORD has brought me home with nothing. Why should you call me Naomi when the LORD has spoken against me and the Almighty has given me so much trouble?"
22 So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, returned from Moab and arrived at Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
1 Long ago when judges ruled in Israel, a man named Elimelech, from Bethlehem, from Bethlehem, "They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah." left the country because of a famine and moved to the land of Moab. With him were his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.
3 During the time of their residence there, Elimelech died and Naomi was left with her two sons.
4-5 These young men, Mahlon and Chilion, married girls of Moab, Orpah and Ruth. But later, both men died, so that Naomi was left alone, without her husband or sons. 6-7 She decided to return to Israel with her daughters-in-law, for she had heard that the Lord had blessed his people by giving them good crops again.
8 But after they had begun their homeward journey, she changed her mind and said to her two daughters-in-law, "Why don't you return to your parents' homes instead of coming with me? And may the Lord reward you for your faithfulness to your husbands and to me.
9 And may he bless you with another happy marriage." Then she kissed them, and they all broke down and cried.
10 "No," they said. "We want to go with you to your people."
11 But Naomi replied, "It is better for you to return to your own people. Do I have younger sons who could grow up to be your husbands? Do I have younger sons to be your husbands?
12 No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for I am too old to have a husband. And even if that were possible, and I became pregnant tonight, and bore sons
13 would you wait for them to grow up? No, of course not, my daughters; oh, how I grieve for you that the Lord has punished me in a way that injures you."
14 And again they cried together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, and returned to her childhood home; but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi.
15 "See," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; you should do the same."
16 But Ruth replied, "Don't make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God;
17 I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us."
18 And when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind and could not be persuaded otherwise, she stopped urging her.
19 So they both came to Bethlehem, and the entire village was stirred by their arrival.
"Is it really Naomi?" the women asked.
20 But she told them, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara," (Naomi means "pleasant"; Mara means "bitter") "for Almighty God has dealt me bitter blows.
21 I went out full and the Lord has brought me home empty; why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has turned his back on me and sent such calamity!"
22 (Their return from Moab and arrival in Bethlehem was at the beginning of the barley harvest.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,378
3,3,5,398
4,4,7,479
5,5,9,625
6,6,11,726
7,7,13,913
8,8,15,1025
9,9,17,1214
10,10,19,1347
11,11,21,1417
12,12,23,1571
13,13,25,1763
14,14,27,1980
15,15,29,2113
16,16,31,2235
17,17,33,2424
18,18,35,2592
19,19,37,2698
20,20,39,2890
21,21,41,3008
22,22,43,3213
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,285
4,7,5,385
8,8,7,704
9,9,9,967
10,10,11,1080
11,11,13,1144
12,12,15,1327
13,13,16,1493
14,14,18,1651
15,15,20,1810
16,16,22,1932
17,17,23,2106
18,18,25,2246
19,19,27,2364
20,20,30,2495
21,21,32,2648
22,22,34,2804
WIDOWS RUTH 1:8-9
There was almost nothing worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Widows were taken advantage of or ignored. They were almost always poverty-stricken. The law, therefore, provided that the nearest relative of the dead husband should care for the widow; but Naomi had no relatives in Moab, and she did not know if any of her relatives were alive in Israel.
In her desperate situation, Naomi had a very selfless attitude. Although she had decided to return to Israel, she encouraged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab and start their lives over, even though this would mean hardship for herself. Like Naomi, we must consider others' needs and not just our own. As Naomi discovered, when you reach out to others, they often respond by reaching out to you.
Ult. Issues: Sexual Morality ,!page "^morality" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Moral Dilemmas: Commitment ,!page "^M0010" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
RUTH002
1 Now Naomi had a rich relative named Boaz, from Elimelech's family.
2 One day Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, "I am going to the fields. Maybe someone will be kind enough to let me gather the grain he leaves behind." Naomi said, "Go, my daughter."
3 So Ruth went to the fields and gathered the grain that the workers cutting the grain had left behind. It just so happened that the field belonged to Boaz, from Elimelech's family.
4 Soon Boaz came from Bethlehem and greeted his workers, "The LORD be with you!" And the workers answered, "May the LORD bless you!"
5 Then Boaz asked his servant in charge of the workers, "Whose girl is that?"
6 The servant answered, "She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.
7 She said, `Please let me follow the workers cutting grain and gather what they leave behind.' She came and has remained here, from morning until just now. She has stopped only a few moments to rest in the shelter."
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go to gather grain for yourself in another field. Don't even leave this field at all, but continue following closely behind my women workers.
9 Watch to see into which fields they go to cut grain and follow them. I have warned the young men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the water jugs that the young men have filled."
10 Then Ruth bowed low with her face to the ground and said to him, "I am not an Israelite. Why have you been so kind to notice me?"
11 Boaz answered her, "I know about all the help you have given your mother-in-law after your husband died. You left your father and mother and your own country to come to a nation where you did not know anyone.
12 May the LORD reward you for all you have done. May your wages be paid in full by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for shelter."
13 Then Ruth said, "I hope I can continue to please you, sir. You have said kind and encouraging words to me, your servant, though I am not one of your servants."
14 At mealtime Boaz told Ruth, "Come here. Eat some of our bread and dip it in our sauce." So Ruth sat down beside the workers. Boaz handed her some roasted grain, and she ate until she was full; she even had some food left over.
15 When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his workers, "Let her gather even around the piles of cut grain. Don't tell her to go away.
16 In fact, drop some full heads of grain for her from what you have in your hands, and let her gather them. Don't tell her to stop."
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from the chaff, and there was about one-half bushel of barley.
18 Ruth carried the grain into town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also took out the food that was left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi.
19 Naomi asked her, "Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work? Blessed be whoever noticed you!" Ruth told her mother-in-law whose field she had worked in. She said, "The man I worked with today is named Boaz."
20 Naomi told her daughter-in-law, "The LORD bless him! He continues to be kind to us- both the living and the dead!" Then Naomi told Ruth, "Boaz is one of our close relatives, one who should take care of us."
21 Then Ruth, the Moabite, said, "Boaz also told me, `Keep close to my workers until they have finished my whole harvest.' "
22 But Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It is better for you to continue working with his women workers. If you work in another field, someone might hurt you."
23 So Ruth continued working closely with the workers of Boaz, gathering grain until the barley harvest and the wheat harvest were finished. And she continued to live with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
1 Now Naomi had an in-law there in Bethlehem who was a very wealthy man. His name was Boaz.
2 One day Ruth said to Naomi, "Perhaps I can go out into the fields of some kind man to glean the free behind his reapers."
And Naomi said, "All right, dear daughter. Go ahead."
3 So she did. And as it happened, the field where she found herself belonged to Boaz, this relative of Naomi's husband.
4-5 Boaz arrived from the city while she was there. After exchanging greetings with the reapers he said to his foreman, "Hey, who's that girl over there?"
6 And the foreman replied, "It's that girl from the land of Moab who came back with Naomi.
7 She asked me this morning if she could pick up the grains dropped by the reapers, and she has been at it ever since except for a few minutes' rest over there in the shade."
8-9 Boaz went over and talked to her. "Listen, my child," he said to her. "Stay right here with us to glean; don't think of going to any other fields. Stay right behind my women workers; I have warned the young men not to bother you; when you are thirsty, go and help yourself to the water."
10-11 She thanked him warmly. "How can you be so kind to me?" she asked. "You must know I am only a foreigner."
"Yes, I know," Boaz replied, "and I also know about all the love and kindness you have shown your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother in your own land and have come here to live among strangers. 12 May the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, bless you for it."
13 "Oh, thank you, sir," she replied. "You are so good to me, and I'm not even one of your workers!"
14 At lunchtime Boaz called to her, "Come and eat with us."
So she sat with his reapers and he gave her more than she could eat.
15 And when she went back to work again, Boaz told his young men to let her glean right among the sheaves without stopping her,
16 and to snap off some heads of barley and drop them on purpose for her to glean, and not to make any remarks.
17 So she worked there all day, and in the evening when she had beaten out the barley she had gleaned, it came to a whole bushel!
18 She carried it back into the city and gave it to her mother-in-law, with what was left of her lunch.
19 "So much!" Naomi exclaimed. "Where in the world did you glean today? Praise the Lord for whoever was so kind to you." So Ruth told her mother-in-law all about it and mentioned that the owner of the field was Boaz.
20 "Praise the Lord for a man like that! God has continued his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband!" Naomi cried excitedly. "Why, that man is one of our closest relatives!"
21 "Well," Ruth told her, "he said to come back and stay close behind his reapers until the entire field is harvested."
22 "This is wonderful!" Naomi exclaimed. "Do as he has said. Stay with his girls right through the whole harvest; you will be safer there than in any other field!"
23 So Ruth did and gleaned with them until the end of the barley harvest, and then the wheat harvest too.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,260
4,4,7,446
5,5,9,583
6,6,11,665
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11,11,21,1552
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23,23,45,3696
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,6,278
4,5,8,401
6,6,10,559
7,7,12,653
8,9,14,831
10,12,16,1126
13,13,19,1586
14,14,21,1690
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17,17,27,2067
18,18,29,2200
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21,21,35,2714
22,22,37,2837
23,23,39,3004
I Wonder: Who wrote the Bible? ,!page "^W008" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
RUTH003
ADVICE
1 Then Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, I must find a suitable home for you, one that will be good for you.
2 Now Boaz, whose young women you worked with, is our close relative. Tonight he will be working at the threshing floor.
3 Wash yourself, put on perfume, change your clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But don't let him know you're there until he has finished his dinner.
4 Watch him so you will know where he lies down to sleep. When he lies down, go and lift the cover off his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you should do."
5 Then Ruth answered, "I will do everything you say."
6 So Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did all her mother-in-law told her to do.
7 After his evening meal, Boaz felt good and went to sleep lying beside the pile of grain. Ruth went to him quietly and lifted the cover from
8 About midnight Boaz was startled and rolled over. There was a woman lying near his feet!
9 Boaz asked, "Who are you?" She said, "I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me, because you are a relative who is supposed to take care of me."
10 Then Boaz said, "The LORD bless you, my daughter. This act of kindness is greater than the kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning. You didn't look for a young man to marry, either rich or poor.
11 Now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do everything you ask, because all the people in our town know you are a good woman.
12 It is true that I am a relative who is to take care of you, but you have a closer relative than I.
13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning we will see if he will take care of you. If he decides to take care of you, that is fine. But if he refuses, I will take care of you myself, as surely as the LORD lives. So stay here until morning."
14 So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too dark to recognize anyone. Boaz thought, "People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor."
15 So Boaz said to Ruth, "Bring me your shawl and hold it open." So Ruth held her shawl open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on her head and went back to the city.
16 When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did you do, my daughter?" Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz did for her.
17 She said, "Boaz gave me these six portions of barley, saying, `You must not go home without a gift for your mother-in-law.' "
18 Naomi answered, "Ruth, my daughter, wait here until you see what happens. Boaz will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do today."
1 One day Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear, isn't it time that I try to find a husband for you and get you happily married again?
2 The man I'm thinking of is Boaz! He has been so kind to us and is a close relative. I happen to know that he will be winnowing barley tonight out on the threshing floor.
3 Now do what I tell you, bathe and put on some perfume and some nice clothes and go on down to the threshing floor, but don't let him see you until he has finished his supper.
4 Notice where he lies down to sleep; then go and lift the cover off his feet and lie down there, and he will tell you what to do concerning marriage."
5 And Ruth replied, "All right. I'll do whatever you say."
6-7 So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed her mother-in-law's instructions. After Boaz had finished a good meal, he lay down very contentedly beside a heap of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly and lifted the covering off his feet and lay there.
8 Suddenly, around midnight, he wakened and sat up, startled. There was a woman lying at his feet!
9 "Who are you?" he demanded.
"It's I, sir - Ruth," she replied. "Make me your wife according to God's law, for you are my close relative."
10 "Thank God for a girl like you!" he exclaimed. "For you are being even kinder to Naomi now than before. Naturally you'd prefer a younger man, even though poor. But you have put aside your personal desires.
11 Now don't worry about a thing, my child; I'll handle all the details, for everyone knows what a wonderful person you are.
12 But there is one problem. It's true that I am a close relative, but there is someone else who is more closely related to you than I am.
13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I'll talk to him, and if he will marry you, fine; let him do his duty; but if he won't, then I will, I swear by Jehovah; lie down until the morning."
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning and was up early, before daybreak, for he had said to her, "Don't let it be known that a woman was here at the threshing floor."
15-18 "Bring your shawl," he told her. Then he tied up a bushel and a half of barley in it as a present for her mother-in-law and laid it on her back. Then she returned to the city.
"Well, what happened, dear?" Naomi asked her when she arrived home. She told Naomi everything and gave her the barley from Boaz, and mentioned his remark that she mustn't go home without a present.
Then Naomi said to her, "Just be patient until we hear what happens, for Boaz won't rest until he has followed through on this. He'll settle it today."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,136
3,3,5,261
4,4,7,425
5,5,9,593
6,6,11,651
7,7,13,744
8,8,15,890
9,9,17,985
10,10,19,1150
11,11,21,1358
12,12,23,1492
13,13,25,1598
14,14,27,1842
15,15,29,2046
16,16,31,2248
17,17,33,2391
18,18,35,2524
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,305
4,4,7,485
5,5,9,640
6,7,11,702
8,8,13,990
9,9,15,1092
10,10,18,1236
11,11,20,1448
12,12,22,1576
13,13,24,1718
14,14,26,1912
15,18,28,2088
ADVICE RUTH 3:5
As a foreigner, Ruth may have thought that Naomi's advice was odd. But Ruth followed the advice because she knew Naomi was kind, trustworthy, and filled with moral integrity. Each of us knows a parent, older friend, or relative who is always looking out for our best interests. The experience and knowledge of such a person can be invaluable. Imagine what Ruth's life would have been like had she ignored her mother-in-law.
RUTH004
1 Boaz went to the city gate and sat there until the close relative he had mentioned passed by. Boaz called to him, "Come here, friend, and sit down." So the man came over and sat down.
2 Boaz gathered ten of the older leaders of the city and told them, "Sit down here!" So they sat down.
3 Then Boaz said to the close relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, wants to sell the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
4 So I decided to tell you about it: If you want to buy back the land, then buy it in front of the people who are sitting here and in front of the older leaders of my people. But if you don't want to buy it, tell me, because you are the only one who can buy it, and I am next after you." The close relative answered, "I will buy back the land."i
5 Then Boaz explained, "When you buy the land from Naomi, you must also marry Ruth, the Moabite, the dead man's wife. That way, the land will stay in the dead man's name."
6 The close relative answered, "I can't buy back the land. If I did, I might harm what I can pass on to my own sons. I cannot buy the land back, so buy it yourself."
7 Long ago in Israel when people traded or bought back something, one person took off his sandal and gave it to the other person. This was the proof of ownership in Israel.
8 So the close relative said to Boaz, "Buy the land yourself," and he took off his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the older leaders and to all the people, "You are witnesses today. I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion and Mahlon.
10 I am also taking Ruth, the Moabite who was the wife of Mahlon, as my wife. I am doing this so her dead husband's property will stay in his name and his name will not be separated from his family and his hometown. You are witnesses today."
11 So all the people and older leaders who were at the city gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make this woman, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, who had many children and built up the people of Israel. May you become powerful in the district of Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.
12 As Tamar gave birth to Judah's son Perez, may the LORD give you many children through Ruth. May your family be great like his."
13 So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife and had sexual relations with her. The LORD let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.
14 The women told Naomi, "Praise the LORD who gave you this grandson. May he become famous in Israel.
15 He will give you new life and will take care of you in your old age because of your daughter-in-law who loves you. She is better for you than seven sons, because she has given birth to your grandson."
16 Naomi took the boy, held him in her arms, and cared for him.
17 The neighbors gave the boy his name, saying, "This boy was born for Naomi." They named him Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.
18 This is the family history of Perez, the father of Hezron.
19 Hezron was the father of Ram, who was the father of Amminadab.
20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, who was the father of Salmon.
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz, who was the father of Obed.
1 So Boaz went down to the and found the relative he had mentioned.
"Say, come over here," he called to him. "I want to talk to you a minute."
So they sat down together.
2 Then Boaz called for ten of the chief men of the village and asked them to sit as witnesses.
3 Boaz said to his relative, "You know Naomi, who came back to us from Moab. She is selling our brother Elimelech's property.
4 I felt that I should speak to you about it so that you can buy it if you wish, with these respected men as witnesses. If you want let me know right away, for if you don't take it, I will. You have the first right to purchase it and I am next."
The man replied, "All right, I'll buy it."
5 Then Boaz told him, "Your purchase of the land from Naomi requires your marriage to Ruth so that she can have children to carry on her husband's name and to inherit the land."
6 "Then I can't do it," the man replied. "For her son would become an heir to my property too, you buy it."
7 In those days it was the custom in Israel for a man transferring a right of purchase to pull off his sandal and hand it to the other party; this publicly validated the transaction.
8 So, as the man said to Boaz, "You buy it for yourself," he drew off his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the witnesses and to the crowd standing around, "You have seen that today I have bought all the property of Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon, from Naomi,
10 and that with it I have purchased Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife, so that she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband."
11 And all the people standing there and the witnesses replied, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who has now come into your home, as fertile as Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be a great and successful man in Bethlehem,
12 and may the descendants the Lord will give you from this young woman be as numerous and honorable as those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah."
13 So Boaz married Ruth, and when he slept with her, the Lord gave her a son.
14 And the women of the city said to Naomi, "Bless the Lord who has given you this little grandson; may he be famous in Israel.
15 May he restore your youth and take care of you in your old age; for he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you so much, and who has been kinder to you than seven sons!"
16-17 Naomi took care of the baby, and the neighbor women said, "Now at last Naomi has a son again!"
And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse and grandfather of King David.
18-22 This is the family tree of Boaz, beginning with his ancestor Perez: Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nashon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,191
3,3,5,298
4,4,7,467
5,5,9,817
6,6,11,993
7,7,13,1163
8,8,15,1340
9,9,17,1435
10,10,19,1610
11,11,21,1856
12,12,23,2167
13,13,25,2302
14,14,27,2442
15,15,29,2548
16,16,31,2756
17,17,33,2824
18,18,35,2993
19,19,37,3059
20,20,39,3129
21,21,41,3203
1,1,1,1
2,2,5,177
3,3,7,275
4,4,9,404
5,5,12,697
6,6,14,878
7,7,16,989
8,8,18,1175
9,9,20,1260
10,10,21,1433
11,11,23,1606
12,12,24,1882
13,13,26,2047
14,14,28,2128
15,15,30,2259
16,17,32,2443
18,22,35,2631
BLESSINGS RUTH 4:15
God brought great blessings out of Naomi's tragedy, even greater blessings than seven sons (indicating the great blessing of an abundance of heirs). Throughout her tough times, Naomi continued to trust God. And God, in his time, blessed her greatly. Even in our sorrow and calamity, God can bring great blessings. Be like Naomi, and don't turn your back on God when tragedy strikes. Don't ask, How can God allow this to happen to me? Instead, trust him. He will be with you even in the hard times.
Profile: Ruth and Naomi ,!page "^ruth and naomi" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
V1SAMU
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To record the life of Samuel, Israel's last judge; the reign and decline of Saul, the first king; and the choice and preparation of David, Israel's greatest king
AUTHOR:
Probably Samuel, but also includes writings from the prophets Nathan and Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29)
SETTING:
The book begins in the days of the judges and describes Israel's transition from a theocracy (being led by God) to a monarchy (being led by a king)
KEY PEOPLE:
Eli, Hannah, Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, Davidddd
"Susan, is that you?" Susan had just answered her phone, expecting it to be Jill, her best friend. Instead, the voice was unfamiliar. "Yeah," she replied. "Who is this?" "Oh, my name is Eric. You don't know me, but I see you at school a lot." Susan was popular-she had been voted class princess and had been dating the captain of the basketball team, Allen. "Why did you call me?" she asked. Eric said that he just wanted to talk. So they did, for an hour that night, and for several hours over the next few weeks-about everything they could think of. Susan started looking forward to Eric's calls. She wanted to meet him, but he always refused. She wondered what he looked like. So far, she'd only dated popular guys: a football player, the class president, a guy with a new Porsche, and now Allen-about the cutest guy in school. Soon, though, Susan realized Eric's popularity didn't matter. He had become a good friend. She started to understand that though we often judge people by what we see on the outside, what really matters is what's on the inside. First Samuel shows how looks can be deceiving. It tells about the first two kinds of Israel: Saul and David. Saul was tall, handsome, and brave. He looked like a king. David, on the other hand, didn't look like a leader, much less a king. He was young and small. Yet Saul, who looked like a king, proved he wasn't worthy to be one, while David, who wasn't so impressive, became a great king. As you read 1 Samuel, watch the rise and fall of Saul and the rise of David. Remember that while people judge by outward appearances, God looks at thoughts and intentions (1 Samuel 16:7)
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
1SAMU001
1 There was a man named Elkanah son of Jeroham from Ramathaim in the mountains of Ephraim. Elkanah was from the family of Zuph. (Jeroham was Elihu's son. Elihu was Tohu's son, and Tohu was the son of Zuph from the family group of Ephraim.)
2 Elkanah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 Every year Elkanah left his town of Ramah and went up to Shiloh to worship the LORD ALL-POWERFUL and to offer sacrifices to him. Shiloh was where Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, served as priests of the LORD.
4 When Elkanah offered sacrifices, he always gave a share of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to her sons and daughters.
5 But Elkanah always gave a special share of the meat to Hannah, because he loved Hannah and because the LORD had kept her from having children.
6 Peninnah would tease Hannah and upset her, because the LORD had made her unable to have children.
7 This happened every year when they went up to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. Peninnah would upset Hannah until Hannah would cry and not eat anything.
8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, "Hannah, why are you crying and why won't you eat? Why are you sad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"
9 Once, after they had eaten their meal in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the entrance to the LORD' s house.
10 Hannah was so sad that she cried and prayed to the LORD.
11 She made a promise, saying, "LORD ALL-POWERFUL, see how sad I am. Remember me and don't forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life, and no one will ever cut his hair with a razor."
12 While Hannah kept praying, Eli watched her mouth.
13 She was praying in her heart so her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk
14 and said to her, "Stop getting drunk! Throw away your wine!"
15 Hannah answered, "No, sir, I have not drunk any wine or beer. I am a deeply troubled woman, and I was telling the LORD about all my problems.
16 Don't think I am an evil woman. I have been praying because I have many troubles and am very sad."
17 Eli answered, "Go! I wish you well. May the God of Israel give you what you asked of him."
18 Hannah said, "May I always please you." When she left and ate something, she was not sad anymore.
19 Early the next morning Elkanah's family got up and worshiped the LORD. Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had sexual relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
20 So Hannah became pregnant, and in time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "His name is Samuel because I asked the LORD for him."
21 Every year Elkanah went with his whole family to Shiloh to offer sacrifices and to keep the promise he had made to God.
22 But one time Hannah did not go with him. She told him, "When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then I will give him to the LORD, and he will always live there."
23 Elkanah, Hannah's husband, said to her, "Do what you think is best. You may stay home until the boy is old enough to eat. May the LORD do what you have said." So Hannah stayed at home to nurse her son until he was old enough to eat.
24 When Samuel was old enough to eat, Hannah took him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull, one-half bushel of flour, and a leather bag filled with wine.
25 After they had killed the bull for the sacrifice, Hannah brought Samuel to Eli.
26 She said to Eli, "As surely as you live, sir, I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the LORD.
27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD answered my prayer and gave him to me.
28 Now I give him back to the LORD. He will belong to the LORD all his life." And he worshiped the LORD there.
1 This is the story of Elkanah, a man of the tribe of Ephraim who lived in Ramathaim-zophim, in the hills of Ephraim.
His father's name was Jeroham,
His grandfather was Elihu,
His great-grandfather was Tohu,
His great-great-grandfather was Zuph.
2 He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had some children, but Hannah didn't.
3 Each year Elkanah and his families journeyed to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship the Lord of the heavens and to sacrifice to him. (The priests on duty at that time were the two sons of Eli-Hophni and Phinehas.) 4 On the day he presented his sacrifice, Elkanah would celebrate the happy occasion by giving presents to Peninnah and her children; 5 but although he loved Hannah very much, he could give her only one present, for the Lord had sealed her womb; so she had no children to give presents to. 6 Peninnah made matters worse by taunting Hannah because of her barrenness. 7 Every year it was the same-Peninnah scoffing and laughing at her as they went to Shiloh, making her cry so much she couldn't eat.
8 "What's the matter, Hannah?" Elkanah would exclaim. "Why aren't you eating? Why make such a fuss over having no children? Isn't having me better than having ten sons?"
9 One evening after supper, when they were at Shiloh, Hannah went over to the Tabernacle. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance. 10 She was in deep anguish and was crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
11 And she made this vow: "O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he'll be yours for his entire lifetime, and his hair shall never be cut."
12-13 Eli noticed her mouth moving as she was praying silently and, hearing no sound, thought she had been drinking.
14 "Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your bottle."
15-16 "Oh no, sir!" she replied, "I'm not drunk! But I am very sad and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Please don't think that I am just some drunken bum!"
17 "In that case," Eli said, "cheer up! May the Lord of Israel grant you your petition, whatever it is!"
18 "Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed, and went happily back, and began to take her meals again.
19-20 The entire family was up early the next morning and went to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah, and when Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her petition; in the process of time, a baby boy was born to her. She named him Samuel (meaning "asked of God") because, as she said, "I asked the Lord for him."
21-22 The next year Elkanah and Peninnah and her children went on the annual trip to the Tabernacle without Hannah, for she told her husband, "Wait until the baby is weaned, and then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there."
23 "Well, whatever you think best," Elkanah agreed. "May the Lord's will be done."
So she stayed home until the baby was weaned. 24 Then, though he was still so small, they took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice, and a bushel of flour and some wine. 25 After the sacrifice they took the child to Eli.
26 "Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked him. "I am the woman who stood here that time praying to the Lord! 27 I asked him to give me this child, and he has given me my request; 28 and now I am giving him to the Lord for as long as he lives." So she left him there at the Tabernacle for the Lord to use.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,245
3,3,5,344
4,4,7,565
5,5,9,691
6,6,11,840
7,7,13,944
8,8,15,1102
9,9,17,1255
10,10,19,1407
11,11,21,1471
12,12,23,1695
13,13,25,1752
14,14,27,1862
15,15,29,1930
16,16,31,2079
17,17,33,2185
18,18,35,2283
19,19,37,2388
20,20,39,2581
21,21,41,2737
22,22,43,2864
23,23,45,3066
24,24,47,3306
25,25,49,3496
26,26,51,3583
27,27,53,3696
28,28,55,3780
1,1,1,1
2,2,7,262
3,7,9,353
8,8,11,1069
9,10,13,1242
11,11,15,1484
12,13,17,1721
14,14,19,1841
15,16,21,1914
17,17,23,2081
18,18,25,2189
19,20,27,2290
21,22,29,2657
23,25,31,2899
26,28,34,3254
GOD'S PLAN 1SAMU 1:7
Part of God's plan for Hannah involved postponing her years of childbearing. While Peninnah and Elkanah looked at Hannah's circumstances, God was moving ahead with his plan. Can you think of others who are struggling with the way God is working in their lives and who need your support? By supporting those who are struggling, you may help them stay obedient to God and confident in his plan for their lives.
1SAMU002
1 Hannah prayed: "The LORD has filled my heart with joy; I feel very strong in the LORD. I can laugh at my enemies; I am glad because you have helped me!
2 "There is no one holy like the LORD. There is no God but you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 "Don't continue bragging, don't speak proud words. The LORD is a God who knows everything, and he judges what people do.
4 "The bows of warriors break, but weak people become strong.
5 Those who once had plenty of food now must work for food, but people who were hungry are hungry no more. The woman who could not have children now has seven, but the woman who had many children now is sad.
6 "The LORD sends death, and he brings to life. He sends people to the grave, and he raises them to life again.
7 The LORD makes some people poor, and others he makes rich. He makes some people humble, and others he makes great.
8 The LORD raises the poor up from the dust, and he lifts the needy from the ashes. He lets the poor sit with princes and receive a throne of honor. "The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD, and the LORD set the world upon them.
9 He protects those who are loyal to him, but evil people will be silenced in darkness. Power is not the key to success.
10 The LORD destroys his enemies; he will thunder in heaven against them. The LORD will judge all the earth. He will give power to his king and make his appointed king strong."
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy continued to serve the LORD under Eli the priest.
12 Now Eli's sons were evil men; they did not care about the LORD.
13 This is what the priests would normally do to the people: Every time someone brought a sacrifice, the meat would be cooked in a pot. The priest's servant would then come carrying a fork that had three prongs.
14 He would plunge the fork into the pot or the kettle. Whatever the fork brought out of the pot belonged to the priest. But this is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices.
15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come to the person offering sacrifices and say, "Give the priest some meat to roast. He won't accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat."
16 If the one who offered the sacrifice said, "Let the fat be burned up first as usual, and then take anything you want," the priest's servant would answer, "No, give me the meat now. If you don't, I'll take it by force."
17 The LORD saw that the sin of the servants was very great because they did not show respect for the offerings made to the LORD.
18 But Samuel obeyed the LORD. As a boy he wore a linen holy vest.
19 Every year Samuel's mother made a little coat for him and took it to him when she went with her husband to Shiloh for the sacrifice.
20 When Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, he would say, "May the LORD repay you with children through Hannah to take the place of the boy Hannah prayed for and gave back to the LORD." Then Elkanah and Hannah would go home.
21 The LORD was kind to Hannah, so she became the mother of three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up serving the LORD.
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all the Israelites and how his sons had sexual relations with the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
23 Eli said to his sons, "Why do you do these evil things that the people tell me about?
24 No, my sons. The LORD' s people are spreading a bad report about you.
25 If you sin against someone, God can help you. But if you sin against the LORD himself, no one can help you!" But Eli's sons would not listen to him, because the LORD had decided to put them to death.
26 The boy Samuel grew physically. He pleased the LORD and the people.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said, "This is what the LORD says: `I clearly showed myself to the family of your ancestor Aaron when they were slaves to the king of Egypt.
28 I chose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests. I wanted them to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the holy vest. I also let the family of your ancestor have part of all the offerings sacrificed by the Israelites.#
29 So why don't you respect the sacrifices and gifts? You honor your sons more than me. You grow fat on the best parts of the meat the Israelites bring to me.'
30 "So the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I promised that your family and your ancestor's family would serve me always.' But now the LORD says: `This must stop! I will honor those who honor me, but I will dishonor those who ignore me.
31 The time is coming when I will destroy the descendants of both you and your ancestors. No man will grow old in your family.
32 You will see trouble in my house. No matter what good things happen to Israel, there will never be an old man in your family.
33 I will not totally cut off your family from my altar. But your eyes will cry and your heart be sad, because all your descendants will die.
34 "`I will give you a sign. Both your sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day.
35 I will choose a loyal priest for myself who will listen to me and do what I want. I will make his family continue, and he will always serve before my appointed king.
36 Then everyone left in your family will come and bow down before him. They will beg for a little money or a little food and say, "Please give me a job as priest so I can have food to eat."' "
1 This was Hannah's prayer:
"How I rejoice in the Lord!
How he has blessed me!
Now I have an answer for my enemies,
For the Lord has solved my problem.
How I rejoice!
2 No one is as holy as the Lord!
There is no other God,
Nor any Rock like our God.
3 Quit acting so proud and arrogant!
The Lord knows what you have done,
And he will judge your deeds.
4 Those who were mighty are mighty no more!
Those who were weak are now strong.
5 Those who were well are now starving;
Those who were starving are fed.
The barren woman now has seven children;
She with many children has no more!
6 The Lord kills,
The Lord gives life.
7 Some he causes to be poor
And others to be rich.
He cuts one down
And lifts another up.
8 He lifts the poor from the dust-
Yes, from a pile of ashes-
And treats them as princes
Sitting in the seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord's
And he has set the world in order.
9 He will protect his godly ones,
But the wicked shall be silenced in darkness.
No one shall succeed by strength alone.
10 Those who fight against the Lord shall be broken;
He thunders against them from heaven.
He judges throughout the earth.
He gives mighty strength to his king,
And gives great glory to his anointed one."
11 So they returned home to Ramah without Samuel; and the child became the Lord's helper, for he assisted Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were evil men who didn't love the Lord. 13-14 It was their regular practice to send out a servant whenever anyone was offering a sacrifice, and while the flesh of the sacrificed animal was boiling, the servant would put a three-pronged flesh hook into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. They treated all of the Israelites in this way when they came to Shiloh to worship. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the rite of burning the fat on the altar had been performed, and he would demand raw meat before it was boiled, so that it could be used for roasting.
16 If the man offering the sacrifice replied, "Take as much as you want, but the fat must first be burned as the law requires," then the servant would say, "No, give it to me now or I'll take it by force."
17 So the sin of these young men was very great in the eyes of the Lord; for they treated the people's offerings to the Lord with contempt.
18 Samuel, though only a child, was the Lord's helper and wore a little linen robe just like the priest's.
19 Each year his mother made a little coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home Eli would bless Elkanah and Hannah and ask God to give them other children to take the place of this one they had given to the Lord. 21 And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile Samuel grew up in the service of the Lord.
22 Eli was now very old, but he was aware of what was going on around him. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
23-25 "I have been hearing terrible reports from the Lord's people about what you are doing," Eli told his sons. "It is an awful thing to make the Lord's people sin. Ordinary sin receives heavy punishment, but how much more this sin of yours that has been committed against the Lord!" But they wouldn't listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to kill them.
26 Little Samuel was growing in two ways-he was getting taller, and he was becoming everyone's favorite (and he was a favorite of the Lord's, too!).
27 One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord: "Didn't I demonstrate my power when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt? 28 Didn't I choose your ancestor Levi from among all his brothers to be my priest, and to sacrifice upon my altar, and to burn incense, and to wear a priestly robe as he served me? And didn't I assign the sacrificial offerings to you priests? 29 Then why are you so greedy for all the other offerings which are brought to me? Why have you honored your sons more than me-for you and they have become fat from the best of the offerings of my people!
30 "Therefore, I, the Lord God of Israel, declare that although I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi could always be my priests, it is ridiculous to think that what you are doing can continue. I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me. 31 I will put an end to your family, so that it will no longer serve as priests. Every member will die before his time. None shall live to be old. 32 You will envy the prosperity I will give my people, but you and your family will be in distress and need. Not one of them will live out his days. 33 Those who are left alive will live in sadness and grief; and their children shall die by the sword. 34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
35 "Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do whatever I tell him to do. I will bless his descendants, and his family shall be priests to my kings forever. 36 Then all of your descendants shall bow before him, begging for money and food. `Please,' they will say, `give me a job among the priests so that I will have enough to eat.' "
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,159
3,3,5,258
4,4,7,385
5,5,9,451
6,6,11,663
7,7,13,779
8,8,15,900
9,9,17,1141
10,10,19,1266
11,11,21,1447
12,12,23,1549
13,13,25,1620
14,14,27,1836
15,15,29,2049
16,16,31,2254
17,17,33,2480
18,18,35,2614
19,19,37,2685
20,20,39,2825
21,21,41,3052
22,22,43,3191
23,23,45,3389
24,24,47,3482
25,25,49,3559
26,26,51,3766
27,27,53,3841
28,28,55,4018
29,29,57,4267
30,30,59,4431
31,31,61,4671
32,32,63,4802
33,33,65,4935
34,34,67,5081
35,35,69,5177
36,36,71,5350
1,1,1,1
2,2,8,186
3,3,12,280
4,4,16,393
5,5,19,481
6,6,24,645
7,7,27,692
8,8,32,796
9,9,39,1003
10,10,43,1134
11,11,49,1356
12,15,51,1481
16,16,53,2113
17,17,55,2322
18,18,57,2465
19,21,59,2575
22,22,61,2974
23,25,63,3167
26,26,65,3545
27,29,67,3697
30,34,69,4301
35,36,71,5114
HELP 1SAMU 2:2
Hannah praised God for being a Rock-firm, strong, and unchanging. In our fast-paced world, friends come and go and circumstances change. It's difficult to find a solid foundation that will not change. Those who devote their lives to people, causes, possessions, or other finite things are trusting things that will all pass away. But God is always present and ready to help, even when everything else seems to be falling apart.
YOUTH 1SAMU 2:18
Samuel was a young child, and yet he was called the Lord's helper. Often children can serve God just as effectively as adults. God will use anyone who is willing to learn from him and serve him. He has no age limits. Don't discount the faith of a child or let your age keep you from serving God.
1SAMU003
1 The boy Samuel served the LORD under Eli. In those days the LORD did not speak directly to people very often; there were very few visions.
2 Eli's eyes were so weak he was almost blind. One night he was lying in bed.
3 Samuel was also in bed in the LORD' s house, where the Ark of the Agreement was. God's lamp was still burning.
4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and Samuel answered, "I am here!"
5 He ran to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." But Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed.
6 The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel again went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." Again Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed."
7 Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the LORD had not spoken directly to him yet.
8 The LORD called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." Then Eli realized the LORD was calling the boy.
9 So he told Samuel, "Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, `Speak, LORD. I am your servant and I am listening.' "So Samuel went and lay down in bed.
10 The LORD came and stood there and called as he had before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel said, "Speak, LORD. I am your servant and I am listening."
11 The LORD said to Samuel, "Watch, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock those who hear about it.
12 At that time I will do to Eli and his family everything I promised, from beginning to end.
13 I told Eli I would punish his family always, because he knew his sons were evil. They acted without honor, but he did not stop them.
14 So I swore to Eli's family, `Your guilt will never be removed by sacrifice or offering.' "
15 Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision,
16 but Eli called to him, "Samuel, my son!" Samuel answered, "I am here."
17 Eli asked, "What did the LORD say to you? Don't hide it from me. May God punish you terribly if you hide from me anything he said to you."
18 So Samuel told Eli everything and did not hide anything from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD. Let him do what he thinks is best."
19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up; he did not let any of Samuel's messages fail to come true.
20 Then all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew Samuel was a true prophet of the LORD.
21 And the LORD continued to show himself at Shiloh, and he showed himself to Samuel through his word.
1 Meanwhile little Samuel was helping the Lord by assisting Eli. Messages from the Lord were very rare in those days, 2-3 but one night after Eli had gone to bed (he was almost blind with age by now), and Samuel was sleeping in the Temple near the Ark, 4-5 the Lord called out, "Samuel! Samuel!"
"Yes?" Samuel replied. "What is it?" He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. What do you want?" he asked.
"I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go on back to bed." So he did. 6 Then the Lord called again, "Samuel!" And again Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli.
"Yes?" he asked. "What do you need?"
"No, I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed."
7 (Samuel had never had a message from Jehovah before.)
8 So now the Lord called the third time, and once more Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli.
"Yes?" he asked. "What do you need?"
Then Eli realized it was the Lord who had spoken to the child. 9 So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if he calls again, say, `Yes, Lord, I'm listening.' " So Samuel went back to bed.
10 And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!"
And Samuel replied, "Yes, I'm listening."
11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am going to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to do all of the dreadful things I warned Eli about. 13 I have continually threatened him and his entire family with punishment because his sons are blaspheming God, and he doesn't stop them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and of his sons shall never be forgiven by sacrifices and offerings."
15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then opened the doors of the Temple as usual, for he was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. 16-17 But Eli called him.
"My son," he said, "what did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God punish you if you hide anything from me!"
18 So Samuel told him what the Lord had said.
"It is the Lord's will," Eli replied; "let him do what he thinks best."
19 As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and people listened carefully to his advice. 20 And all Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was going to be a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord began to give messages to him there at the Tabernacle in Shiloh, 4:1 and he passed them on to the people of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,146
3,3,5,228
4,4,7,345
5,5,9,414
6,6,11,551
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8,9,9,717
10,10,13,1044
11,14,16,1151
15,17,18,1549
18,18,21,1849
19,21,24,1971
LISTENING 1SAMU 3:1-5
Although this was the era when God still gave direct and audible messages to his people, such messages became rare in the days of Eli. Why? Look at the attitude of Eli's sons. They either refused to listen to God or allowed greed to get in the way of any communication with him.
Listening and responding are vital in a relationship with God. Although God may not use the sound of a human voice, he speaks just as clearly today through his word. To receive his messages, we must be ready to listen and to act upon what he tells us. Like Samuel, be ready to say Here I am and Yes, I'm listening (3:10) when God calls you to action.
1SAMU004
1 So, news about Samuel spread through all of Israel. At that time the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek.
2 The Philistines went to meet the Israelites in battle. And as the battle spread, they defeated the Israelites, killing about four thousand soldiers on the battlefield.
3 When some Israelite soldiers went back to their camp, the older leaders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD let the Philistines defeat us? Let's bring the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD here from Shiloh and take it with us into battle. Then God will save us from our enemies."
4 So the people sent men to Shiloh. They brought back the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, who sits between the gold creatures with wings. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark.
5 When the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD came into the camp, all the Israelites gave a great shout of joy that made the ground shake.
6 When the Philistines heard Israel's shout, they asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" Then the Philistines found out that the Ark of the LORD had come into the Hebrew camp.
7 They were afraid and said, "A god has come into the Hebrew camp! We're in trouble! This has never happened before!
8 How terrible it will be for us! Who can save us from these powerful gods? They are the ones who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of disasters in the desert.
9 Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men! In the past they were our slaves. So fight like men, or we will become their slaves."
10 So the Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, and every Israelite soldier ran away to his own home. It was a great defeat for Israel, because thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed.
11 The Ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12 That same day a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle. He tore his clothes and put dust on his head to show his great sadness.
13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was by the side of the road. He was sitting there in a chair, watching, because he was worried about the Ark of God. When the Benjaminite entered Shiloh, he told the bad news. Then all the people in town cried loudly.D
14 Eli heard the crying and asked, "What's all this noise?" The Benjaminite ran to Eli and told him what had happened.
15 Eli was now ninety-eight years old, and he was blind.
16 The Benjaminite told him, "I have come from the battle. I ran all the way here today." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"
17 The Benjaminite answered, "Israel ran away from the Philistines, and the Israelite army has lost many soldiers. Your two sons are both dead, and the Philistines have taken the Ark of God."
18 When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair. He fell beside the gate, broke his neck, and died, because he was old and fat. He had led Israel for forty years.
19 Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and was about to give birth. When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been taken and that Eli, her father-in-law, and Phinehas, her husband, were both dead, she began to give birth to her child. The child was born, but the mother had much trouble in giving birth. the land."i
20 As she was dying, the women who helped her said, "Don't worry! You've given birth to a son!" But she did not answer or pay attention.
21 She named the baby Ichabod, saying, "Israel's glory is gone." She said this because the Ark of God had been taken and her father-in-law and husband were dead.
22 She said, "Israel's glory is gone, because the Ark of God has been taken away."
1 At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israeli army was camped near Ebenezer, the Philistines at Aphek. 2 And the Philistines defeated Israel, killing four thousand of them. 3 After the battle was over, the army of Israel returned to their camp and their leaders discussed why the Lord had let them be defeated.
"Let's bring the Ark here from Shiloh," they said. "If we carry it into battle with us, the Lord will be among us and he will surely save us from our enemies."
4 So they sent for the Ark of the Lord of heaven who is enthroned above the angels. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, accompanied it into the battle. 5 When the Israelis saw the Ark coming, their shout of joy was so loud that it almost made the ground shake!
6 "What's going on?" the Philistines asked. "What's all the shouting about over in the camp of the Hebrews?"
When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived, 7 they panicked.
"God has come into their camp!" they cried out. "Woe upon us, for we have never had to face anything like this before! 8 Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. 9 Fight as you never have before, O Philistines, or we will become their slaves just as they have been ours."
10 So the Philistines fought desperately and Israel was defeated again. Thirty thousand men of Israel died that day, and the remainder fled to their tents. 11 And the Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed.
12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle and arrived at Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
13 Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. As the messenger from the battlefront arrived and told what had happened, a great cry arose throughout the city.
14 "What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. And the messenger rushed over to Eli and told him what had happened. 15 (Eli was ninety-eight years old and was blind.)
16 "I have just come from the battle-I was there today," he told Eli, 17 "and Israel has been defeated and thousands of the Israeli troops are dead on the battlefield. Hophni and Phinehas were killed too, and the Ark has been captured."
18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate and his neck was broken by the fall, and he died (for he was old and fat). He had judged Israel for forty years.
19 When Eli's daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, who was pregnant, heard that the Ark had been captured and that her husband and father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began. 20 Just before she died, the women who were attending her told her that everything was all right and that the baby was a boy. But she did not reply or respond in any way. 21-22 Then she murmured, "Name the child `Ichabod,' for Israel's glory is gone." (Ichabod means "there is no glory." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law were dead.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,186
3,3,5,360
4,4,7,646
5,5,9,867
6,6,11,1010
7,7,13,1205
8,8,15,1326
9,9,17,1492
10,10,19,1623
11,11,21,1834
12,12,23,1933
13,13,25,2080
14,14,27,2337
15,15,29,2460
16,16,31,2521
17,17,33,2651
18,18,35,2847
19,19,37,3035
20,20,39,3383
21,21,41,3524
22,22,43,3690
1,3,1,1
4,5,4,497
6,9,6,763
10,11,10,1342
12,12,12,1574
13,13,14,1712
14,15,16,1952
16,17,18,2120
18,18,20,2360
19,22,22,2586
NEWNESS 1SAMU 4:5-8
The Philistines were frightened by stories of how God intervened for Israel when they left Egypt. But Israel had turned away from God and now clung only to a form of godliness.
People, churches, and organizations often try to live on the memories of God's blessings. Israel wrongly assumed that because God had given them victory in the past, he would do it again, even though they had strayed far from him. Today, spiritual victories come by continually renewing our relationship with God. Don't live off the past. Keep your relationship with God new and fresh.
1SAMU005
1 After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 They carried it into Dagon's temple and put it next to Dagon.
3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, they found that Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the LORD. So they put Dagon back in his place.
4 The next morning when they rose, they again found Dagon fallen on the ground before the Ark of the LORD. His head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only his body was still in one piece.
5 So, even today, Dagon's priests and others who enter his temple at Ashdod refuse to step on the doorsill.
6 The LORD was hard on the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He caused them to suffer and gave them growths on their skin.
7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The Ark of the God of Israel can't stay with us. God is punishing us and Dagon our god."
8 The people of Ashdod called all five Philistine kings together and asked them, "What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?" The rulers answered, "Move the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath." So the Philistines moved it to Gath.
9 But after they moved it to Gath, there was a great panic. The LORD was hard on that city also, and he gave both old and young people in Gath growths on their skin.
10 Then the Philistines sent the Ark of God to Ekron. But when it came into Ekron, the people of Ekron yelled, "Why are you bringing the Ark of the God of Israel to our city? Do you want to kill us and our people?"
11 So they called all the kings of the Philistines together and said, "Send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its place before it kills us and our people!" All the people in the city were struck with terror because God was so hard on them there.
12 The people who did not die were troubled with growths on their skin. So the people of Ekron cried loudly to heaven.
1 The Philistines took the captured Ark of God from the battleground at Ebenezer to the temple of their idol Dagon in the city of Ashdod. 3 But when the local citizens went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground before the Ark of Jehovah! They set him up again, 4 but the next morning the same thing had happened-the idol had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had been cut off and were lying in the doorway; only the trunk of his body was left intact. 5 (That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor his worshipers will walk on the threshold of the temple of Dagon in Ashdod.)
6 Then the Lord began to destroy the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with bubonic plague. 7 When the people realized what was happening, they exclaimed, "We can't keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer. We will all perish along with our god Dagon."
8 So they called a conference of the mayors of the five cities of the Philistines to decide how to dispose of the Ark. The decision was to take it to Gath. 9 But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the Lord began destroying its people, young and old, with the plague, and there was a great panic. 10 So they sent the Ark to Ekron, but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, "They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us too!"
11 So they summoned the mayors again and begged them to send the Ark back to its own country, lest the entire city die. For the plague had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the city. 12 Those who didn't die were deathly ill; and there was weeping everywhere.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,349
5,5,9,563
6,6,11,675
7,7,13,806
8,8,15,963
9,9,17,1206
10,10,19,1376
11,11,21,1595
12,12,23,1848
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,673
8,10,5,945
11,12,7,1402
Ult. Issues: Worship ,!page "^worship" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU006
SUCCESS
1 The Philistines kept the Ark of God in their land seven months.
2 Then they called for their priests and magicians and said, "What should we do with the Ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back home!"
3 The priests and magicians answered, "If you send back the Ark of the God of Israel, don't send it back empty. You must give a penalty offering. If you are then healed, you will know that it was because of the Ark that you had such trouble." w
4 The Philistines asked, "What kind of penalty offering should we send to Israel's God?" They answered, "Make five gold models of the growths on your skin and five gold models of rats. The number of models must match the number of Philistine kings, because the same sickness has come on you and your kings.
5 Make models of the growths and the rats that are ruining the country, and give honor to Israel's God. Then maybe he will stop being so hard on you, your gods, and your land.
6 Don't be stubborn like the king of Egypt and the Egyptians. After God punished them terribly, they let the Israelites leave Egypt.
7 "You must build a new cart and get two cows that have just had calves. These must be cows that have never had yokes on their necks. Hitch the cows to the cart, and take the calves home, away from their mothers.
8 Put the Ark of the LORD on the cart and the gold models for the penalty offering in a box beside the Ark. Then send the cart straight on its way.
9 Watch the cart. If it goes toward Beth Shemesh in Israel's own land, the LORD has given us this great sickness. But if it doesn't, we will know that Israel's God has not punished us. Our sickness just happened by chance."
10 The Philistines did what the priests and magicians said. They took two cows that had just had calves and hitched them to the cart, but they kept their calves at home.
11 They put the Ark of the LORD and the box with the gold rats and models of growths on the cart.
12 Then the cows went straight toward Beth Shemesh. They stayed on the road, mooing all the way, and did not turn right or left. The Philistine kings followed the cows as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the Ark of the LORD, they were very happy.
14 The cart came to the field belonging to Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped near a large rock. The people of Beth Shemesh chopped up the wood of the cart. Then they sacrificed the cows as burnt offerings to the LORD.
15 The Levites took down the Ark of the LORD and the box that had the gold models, and they put both on the large rock. That day the people of Beth Shemesh offered whole burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
16 After the five Philistine kings saw this, they went back to Ekron the same day.
17 The Philistines had sent these gold models of the growths as penalty offerings to the LORD. They sent one model for each Philistine town: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
18 And the Philistines also sent gold models of rats. The number of rats matched the number of towns belonging to the Philistine kings, including both strong, walled cities and country villages. The large rock on which they put the Ark of the LORD is still there in the
19 But some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark of the LORD. So God killed seventy of them. The people of Beth Shemesh cried because the LORD had struck them down.
20 They said, "Who can stand before the LORD, this holy God? Whom will he strike next?"
21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the Ark of the LORD. Come down and take it to your city."
1 The Ark remained in the Philistine country for seven months in all. 2 Then the Philistines called for their priests and diviners and asked them, "What shall we do about the Ark of God? What sort of gift shall we send with it when we return it to its own land?"
3 "Yes, send it back with a gift," they were told. "Send a guilt offering so that the plague will stop. Then, if it doesn't, you will know God didn't send the plague upon you after all."
4-5 "What guilt offering shall we send?" they asked.
And they were told, "Send five gold models of the tumor caused by the plague, and five gold models of the rats that have ravaged the whole land-the capital cities and villages alike. If you send these gifts and then praise the God of Israel, perhaps he will stop persecuting you and your god. 6 Don't be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. They wouldn't let Israel go until God had destroyed them with dreadful plagues. 7 Now build a new cart and hitch to it two cows that have just had calves-cows that never before have been yoked-and shut their calves away from them in the barn. 8 Place the Ark of God on the cart beside a chest containing the gold models of the rats and tumors, and let the cows go wherever they want to. 9 If they cross the border of our land and go into Beth-shemesh, then you will know that it was God who brought this great evil upon us; if they don't but return to their calves, then we will know that the plague was simply a coincidence and was not sent by God at all."
10 So these instructions were carried out. Two cows with newborn calves were hitched to the cart and their calves were shut up in the barn. 11 Then the Ark of the Lord and the chest containing the gold rats and tumors were placed upon the cart. 12 And sure enough, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went; and the Philistine mayors followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they went wild with joy!
14 The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the Lord as a burnt offering. 15 Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark and the chest containing the gold rats and tumors from the cart and laid them on the rock. And many burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to the Lord that day by the men of Beth-shemesh.
16 After the five Philistine mayors had watched for a while, they returned to Ekron that same day. 17 The five gold models of tumors which had been sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering to the Lord were gifts from the mayors of the capital cities, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 18 The gold rats were to placate God for the other Philistine cities, both the fortified cities and the country villages controlled by the five capitals. (By the way, that large rock at Beth-shemesh can still be seen in the field of Joshua.) 19 But the Lord killed seventy of the men of Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark. And the people mourned because of the many people whom the Lord had killed.
20 "Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God?" they cried out. "Where can we send the Ark from here?"
21 So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them that the Philistines had brought back the Ark of the Lord.
"Come and get it!" they begged.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,71
3,3,5,216
4,4,7,465
5,5,9,776
6,6,11,956
7,7,13,1093
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9,9,17,1462
10,10,19,1690
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14,14,27,2328
15,15,29,2551
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19,19,37,3321
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21,21,41,3592
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,267
4,9,5,457
10,13,8,1535
14,15,10,2077
16,19,12,2539
20,20,14,3247
21,21,16,3362
SUCCESS 1SAMU 6:9
The Philistines acknowledged the existence of the Hebrew God, but only as one of many gods whose favor they sought. Thinking of God in this way made it easy for them to ignore God's demand that people worship him alone. Many people worship God this way. They see him as just one ingredient in a successful life. But God is not an ingredient-he is the source of life itself. Are you a Philistine, seeing God's favor as just one ingredient in the good life?
1SAMU007
1 The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the Ark of the LORD to Abinadab's house on a hill. There they made Abinadab's son Eleazar holy for the LORD so he could guard the Ark of the LORD.
2 The Ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim a long time- twenty years in all. And the people of Israel began to follow the LORD again.
3 Samuel spoke to the whole group of Israel, saying, "If you're turning back to the LORD with all your hearts, you must remove your foreign gods and your idols of Ashtoreth. You must give yourselves fully to the LORD and serve only him. Then he will save you from the Philistines."
4 So the Israelites put away their idols of Baal and Ashtoreth, and they served only the LORD.
5 Samuel said, "All Israel must meet at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you."
6 So the Israelites met together at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the LORD and did not eat that day. They confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel served as judge of Israel at Mizpah.
7 The Philistines heard the Israelites were meeting at Mizpah, so the Philistine kings came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard they were coming, they were afraid.
8 They said to Samuel, "Don't stop praying to the LORD our God for us! Ask him to save us from the Philistines!"
9 Then Samuel took a baby lamb and offered it to the LORD as a whole burnt offering. He called to the LORD for Israel's sake, and the LORD answered him.
10 While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistines came near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered against them with loud thunder. They were so frightened they became confused. So the Israelites defeated the Philistines in battle.
11 The men of Israel ran out of Mizpah and chased the Philistines almost to Beth Car, killing the Philistines along the way.
12 After this happened Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named the stone Ebenezer, saying, "The LORD has helped us to this point."
13 So the Philistines were defeated and did not enter the Israelites' land again. The LORD was against the Philistines all Samuel's life.
14 Earlier the Philistines had taken towns from the Israelites, but the Israelites won them back, from Ekron to Gath. They also took back from the Philistines the lands near these towns. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel continued as judge of Israel all his life.
16 Every year he went from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah and judged the Israelites in all these towns.
17 But Samuel always went back to Ramah, where his home was. There he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.
1 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the Ark to the hillside home of Abinadab and installed his son Eleazar to be in charge of it. 2 The Ark remained there for twenty years, and during that time all Israel was in sorrow because the Lord had seemingly abandoned them.
3 At that time Samuel said to them, "If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines."
4 So they destroyed their idols of Baal and Ashtaroth and worshiped only the Lord.
5 Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you, and I will pray to the Lord for you."
6 So they gathered there and, in a great ceremony, drew water from the well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day as a sign of sorrow for their sins. So it was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel's judge.
7 When the Philistine leaders heard about the great crowds at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelis were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching.
8 "Plead with God to save us!" they begged Samuel.
9 So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering and pleaded with him to help Israel. And the Lord responded. 10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle, but the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and they were thrown into confusion, and the Israelis routed them 11 and chased them from Mizpah to Beth-car, killing them all along the way. 12 Samuel then took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer (meaning, "the Stone of Help"), for he said, "The Lord has certainly helped us!" 13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn't invade Israel again at that time because the Lord was against them throughout the remainder of Samuel's lifetime. 14 The Israeli cities between Ekron and Gath, which had been conquered by the Philistines, were now returned to Israel, for the Israeli army rescued them from their Philistine captors. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.
15 Samuel continued as Israel's judge for the remainder of his life. 16 He rode circuit annually, setting up his court first at Bethel, then Gilgal, and then Mizpah, and cases of dispute were brought to him in each of those three cities from all the surrounding territory. 17 Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was there, and he would hear cases there too. And he built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,194
3,3,5,324
4,4,7,610
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6,6,11,799
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9,9,17,1332
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1,2,1,1
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9,14,15,1198
15,17,17,2228
SORROW 1SAMU 7:2-3
Sorrow gripped Israel for 20 years. The Ark was put away like an unwanted box in an attic, and it seemed as if the Lord had abandoned his people. Samuel, now a grown man, roused them to action by saying that if they were truly sorry, they should do something about it. How easy it is for us to complain about our problems, even to God, while we refuse to act, to change, and to do what he requires. We don't even take the advice he has already given us. Do you ever feel as if God has abandoned you? Check to see if there is anything he has already told you to do. You may not be able to receive new guidance until you have acted on his previous directions.
1SAMU008
1 When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges for Israel.
2 His first son was named Joel, and his second son was named Abijah. Joel and Abijah were judges in Beersheba.
3 But Samuel's sons did not live as he did. They tried to get money dishonestly, and they accepted money secretly to make wrong judgments.
4 So all the older leaders came together and met Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, "You're old, and your sons don't live as you do. Give us a king to rule over us like all the other nations."
6 When the older leaders said that, Samuel was not pleased. He prayed to the LORD,
7 and the LORD told Samuel, "Listen to whatever the people say to you. They have not rejected you. They have rejected me from being their king.
8 They are doing as they have always done. When I took them out of Egypt, they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to you.
9 Now listen to the people, but warn them what the king who rules over them will do."
10 So Samuel told those who had asked him for a king what the LORD had said.
11 Samuel said, "If you have a king ruling over you, this is what he will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and his horses, and they will run in front of the king's chariot.
12 The king will make some of your sons commanders over thousands or over fifties. He will make some of your other sons plow his ground and reap his harvest. He will take others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to make perfume and cook and bake for him.
14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants.
15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and servants.
16 He will take your male and female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them all for his own work.
17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
18 When that time comes, you will cry out because of the king you chose. But the LORD will not answer you then."
19 But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, "No! We want a king to rule over us.
20 Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will judge for us and go with us and fight our battles."
21 After Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated their words to the LORD.
22 The LORD answered, "You must listen to them. Give them a king." Then Samuel told the people of Israel, "Go back to your towns."
1 In his old age, Samuel retired and appointed his sons as judges in his place. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba; 3 but they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and were very corrupt in the administration of justice. 4 Finally the leaders of Israel met in Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 They told him that since his retirement things hadn't been the same, for his sons were not good men.
"Give us a king like all the other nations have," they pleaded. 6 Samuel was terribly upset and went to the Lord for advice.
7 "Do as they say," the Lord replied, "for I am the one they are rejecting, not you-they don't want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but warn them about what it will be like to have a king!"
10 So Samuel told the people what the Lord had said:
11 "If you insist on having a king, he will conscript your sons and make them run before his chariots; 12 some will be made to lead his troops into battle, while others will be slave laborers; they will be forced to plow in the royal fields and harvest his crops without pay, and make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 He will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his friends. 15 He will take a tenth of your harvest and distribute it to his favorites. 16 He will demand your slaves and the finest of your youth and will use your animals for his personal gain. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 You will shed bitter tears because of this king you are demanding, but the Lord will not help you."
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel's warning.
"Even so, we still want a king," they said, 20 "for we want to be like the nations around us. He will govern us and lead us to battle."
21 So Samuel told the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied again, "Then do as they say and give them a king."
So Samuel agreed and sent the men home again.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,64
3,3,5,179
4,4,7,322
5,5,9,392
6,6,11,525
7,7,13,612
8,8,15,760
9,9,17,906
10,10,19,996
11,11,21,1077
12,12,23,1286
13,13,25,1523
14,14,27,1601
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16,16,31,1795
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18,18,35,2005
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1,6,1,1
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19,20,9,1899
21,22,12,2096
1SAMU009
1 Kish, son of Abiel from the tribe of Benjamin, was an important man. (Abiel was the son of Zeror, who was the son of Becorath, who was the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.)
2 Kish had a son named Saul, who was a fine young man. There was no Israelite better than he. Saul stood a head taller than any other man in Israel.
3 Now the donkeys of Saul's father, Kish, were lost. So Kish said to Saul, his son, "Take one of the servants, and go and look for the donkeys."
4 Saul went through the mountains of Ephraim and the land of Shalisha, but he and the servant could not find the donkeys. They went into the land of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. They went through the land of Benjamin, but they still did not find them.
5 When they arrived in the area of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, "Let's go back or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and will start worrying about us."
6 But the servant answered, "A man of God is in this town. People respect him because everything he says comes true. Let's go into the town now. Maybe he can tell us something about the journey we have taken."
7 Saul said to his servant, "If we go into the town, what can we give him? The food in our bags is gone. We have no gift to give him. Do we have anything?"
8 Again the servant answered Saul. "Look, I have one-tenth of an ounce of silver. Give it to the man of God. Then he will tell us about our journey."
9 (In the past, if someone in Israel wanted to ask something from God, he would say, "Let's go to the seer." We call the person a prophet today, but in the past he was called a seer.)
10 Saul said to his servant, "That's a good idea. Come, let's go." So they went toward the town where the man of God was.
11 As Saul and the servant were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water. Saul and the servant asked them, "Is the seer here?"
12 The young women answered, "Yes, he's here. He's ahead of you. Hurry now. He has just come to our town today, because the people will offer a sacrifice at the place of worship.
13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the place of worship to eat. The people will not begin eating until the seer comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. After that, the guests will eat. Go now, and you should find him."
14 Saul and the servant went up to the town. Just as they entered it, they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the place of worship.
15 The day before Saul came, the LORD had told Samuel:
16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Appoint him to lead my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people, and I have listened to their cry."
17 When Samuel first saw Saul, the LORD said to Samuel, "This is the man I told you about. He will organize my people."
18 Saul approached Samuel at the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is."
19 Samuel answered, "I am the seer. Go with me to the place of worship. Today you and your servant are to eat with me. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions and send you home.
20 Don't worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago, because they have been found. Soon all the wealth of Israel will belong to you and your family."
21 Saul answered, "But I am from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel. And my family group is the smallest in the tribe of Benjamin. Why are you saying such things?"
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into a large room and gave them a choice place at the table. About thirty guests were there.
23 Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the meat I gave you, the portion I told you to set aside."
24 So the cook took the thigh and put it on the table in front of Saul. Samuel said, "This is the meat saved for you. Eat it, because it was set aside for you for this special time. As I said, `I had invited the people.' "So Saul ate with Samuel that day.)"
25 After they finished eating, they came down from the place of worship and went to the town. Then Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house.
26 At dawn they got up, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof. He said, "Get up, and I will send you on your way." So Saul got up and went out of the house with Samuel.
27 As Saul, his servant, and Samuel were getting near the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay, because I have a message from God for you."
1 Kish was a rich, influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, great-grandson of Becorath, and great-great-grandson of Aphiah. 2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel. And he was head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land!
3 One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, so he sent Saul and a servant to look for them. 4 They traveled all through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalisha, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but couldn't find them anywhere. 5 Finally, after searching in the land of Zuph, Saul said to the servant, "Let's go home; by now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!"
6 But the servant said, "I've just thought of something! There is a prophet who lives here in this city; he is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true; let's go and find him, and perhaps he can tell us where the donkeys are."
7 "But we don't have anything to pay him with," Saul replied. "Even our food is gone, and we don't have a thing to give him."
8 "Well," the servant said, "I have a dollar! We can at least offer it to him and see what happens!"
9-11 "All right," Saul agreed, "let's try it!"
So they started into the city where the prophet lived. As they were climbing a hill toward the city, they saw some young girls going out to draw water and asked them if they knew whether the seer was in town. (In those days prophets were called seers. "Let's go and ask the seer," people would say, rather than, "Let's go and ask the prophet," as we would say now.)
12-13 "Yes," they replied, "stay right on this road. He lives just inside the city gates. He has just arrived back from a trip to take part in a public sacrifice up on the hill. So hurry, because he'll probably be leaving about the time you get there; the guests can't eat until he arrives and blesses the food."
14 So they went into the city, and as they were entering the gates they saw Samuel coming out toward them to go up the hill. 15 The Lord had told Samuel the previous day, 16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. You are to anoint him as the leader of my people. He will save them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on them in mercy and have heard their cry."
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, "That's the man I told you about! He will rule my people."
18 Just then Saul approached Samuel and asked, "Can you please tell me where the seer's house is?"
19 "I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Go on up the hill ahead of me and we'll eat together; in the morning I will tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. 20 And don't worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And anyway, you own all the wealth of Israel now!"
21 "Pardon me, sir," Saul replied. "I'm from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of the tribe! You must have the wrong man!"
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into the great hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests. 23 Samuel then instructed the chef to bring Saul the choicest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. 24 So the chef brought it in and placed it before Saul.
"Go ahead and eat it," Samuel said, "for I was saving it for you, even before I invited these others!"
So Saul ate with Samuel. 25 After the feast, when they had returned to the city, Samuel took Saul up to the porch on the roof and talked with him there. 26-27 At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called up to him, "Get up; it's time you were on your way!"
So Saul got up, and Samuel accompanied him to the edge of the city. When they reached the city walls, Samuel told Saul to send the servant on ahead. Then he told him, "I have received a special message for you from the Lord."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,174
3,3,5,327
4,4,7,476
5,5,9,744
6,6,11,915
7,7,13,1129
8,8,15,1289
9,9,17,1443
10,10,19,1631
11,11,21,1757
12,12,23,1928
13,13,25,2111
14,14,27,2376
15,15,29,2524
16,16,31,2583
17,17,33,2823
18,18,35,2947
19,19,37,3043
20,20,39,3235
21,21,41,3394
22,22,43,3579
23,23,45,3717
24,24,47,3815
25,25,49,4077
26,26,51,4230
27,27,53,4403
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,294
6,6,5,709
7,7,7,973
8,8,9,1102
9,11,11,1206
12,13,14,1623
14,16,16,1939
17,17,18,2348
18,18,20,2450
19,20,22,2552
21,21,24,2872
22,27,26,3068
I Wonder: How much of me does God want? ,!page "^W009" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU010
HIDING
1 Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. He kissed Saul and said, "The LORD has appointed you to lead his people.
2 After you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, `The donkeys you were looking for have been found. But now your father has stopped thinking about his donkeys and is worrying about you. He is asking, "What will I do about my son?"'
3 "Then you will go on until you reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men on their way to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One man will be carrying three goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. And the third will have a leather bag full of wine.
4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you must accept.
5 Then you will go to Gibeah of God, where a Philistine camp is. When you approach this town, a group of prophets will come down from the place of worship. They will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you with power. You will prophesy with these prophets, and you will be changed into a different man.
7 After these signs happen, do whatever you find to do, because God will help you.
8 "Go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to you to offer whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. But you must wait seven days. Then I will come and tell you what to do."
9 When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart. All these signs came true that day.
10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, Saul met a group of prophets. The Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied with the prophets.
11 When people who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What has happened to Kish's son? Is even Saul one of the prophets?"
12 A man who lived there said, "Who is the father of these prophets?" So this became a famous saying: "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"
13 When Saul finished prophesying, he entered the place of worship.
14 Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" Saul said, "We were looking for the donkeys. When we couldn't find them, we went to talk to Samuel."
15 Saul's uncle asked, "Please tell me. What did Samuel say to you?"
16 Saul answered, "He told us the donkeys had already been found." But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king.
17 Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet with the LORD at Mizpah.
18 He said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I led Israel out of Egypt. I saved you from Egypt's control and from other kingdoms that were troubling you.'
19 But now you have rejected your God. He saves you from all your troubles and problems, but you said, `No! We want a king to rule over us.' Now come, stand before the LORD in your tribes and family groups."
20 When Samuel gathered all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin was picked.
21 Samuel had them pass by in family groups, and Matri's family was picked. Then he had each man of Matri's family pass by, and Saul son of Kish was picked. But when they looked for Saul, they could not find him.
22 They asked the LORD, "Has Saul come here yet?" The LORD said, "Yes. He's hiding behind the baggage."
23 So they ran and brought him out. When Saul stood among the people, he was a head taller than anyone else.
24 Then Samuel said to the people, "See the man the LORD has chosen. There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25 Samuel explained the rights and duties of the king and then wrote them in a book and put it before the LORD. Then he told the people to go to their homes.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah. God touched the hearts of certain brave men who went along with him.
27 But some troublemakers said, "How can this man save us?" They disapproved of Saul and refused to bring gifts to him. But Saul kept quiet.
1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head, and kissed him on the cheek and said,
"I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the king of his people, Israel! 2 When you leave me, you will see two men beside Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, in the land of Benjamin; they will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father is worried about you and is asking, `How am I to find my son?' 3 And when you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at the altar at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will have a bottle of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. 5 After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, also known as "God's Hill," where the garrison of the Philistines is. As you arrive there you will meet a band of prophets coming down the hill playing a psaltery, a timbrel, a flute, and a harp, and prophesying as they come.
6 "At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon you and you will prophesy with them, and you will feel and act like a different person. 7 From that time on your decisions should be based on whatever seems best under the circumstances, for the Lord will guide you. 8 Go to Gilgal and wait there seven days for me, for I will be coming to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. I will give you further instructions when I arrive."
9 As Saul said good-bye and started to go, God gave him a new attitude, and all of Samuel's prophecies came true that day. 10 When Saul and the servant arrived at the Hill of God, they saw the prophets coming toward them, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he too began to prophesy.
11 When his friends heard about it, they exclaimed, "What? Saul a prophet?" 12 And one of the neighbors added, "With a father like his?" So that is the origin of the proverb, "Is Saul a prophet too?"
13 When Saul had finished prophesying he climbed the hill to the altar.
14 "Where in the world did you go?" Saul's uncle asked him.
And Saul replied, "We went to look for the donkeys, but we couldn't find them; so we went to the prophet Samuel to ask him where they were."
15 "Oh? And what did he say?" his uncle asked.
16 "He said the donkeys had been found!" Saul replied. (But he didn't tell him that he had been anointed as king!)
17 Samuel now called a convocation of all Israel at Mizpah 18-19 and gave them this message from the Lord God: "I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were torturing you. But although I have done so much for you, you have rejected me and have said, `We want a king instead!' All right, then, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans."
20 So Samuel called the tribal leaders together before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by sacred lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally the sacred lot selected Saul, the son of Kish. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared!
22 So they asked the Lord, "Where is he? Is he here among us?"
And the Lord replied, "He is hiding in the baggage."
23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people, "This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. There isn't his equal in all of Israel!"
And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25 Then Samuel told the people again what the rights and duties of a king were; he wrote them in a book and put it in a special place before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.
26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a band of men whose hearts the Lord had touched became his constant companions. 27 There were, however, some bums and loafers who exclaimed, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and refused to bring him presents, but he took no notice.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,141
3,3,5,456
4,4,7,729
5,5,9,813
6,6,11,1063
7,7,13,1213
8,8,15,1300
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10,10,19,1589
11,11,21,1743
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25,25,49,3687
26,26,51,3849
27,27,53,3963
1,5,1,1
6,8,4,1056
9,10,6,1511
11,12,8,1803
13,13,10,2006
14,14,12,2081
15,15,15,2286
16,16,17,2336
17,19,19,2454
20,21,21,2860
22,22,23,3205
23,23,26,3325
24,24,28,3421
25,25,31,3606
26,27,33,3800
z"p#
HIDING 1SAMU 10:22
When the king was to be chosen, Saul already knew that he was the one (10:1). Instead of coming forward, however, he hid in the baggage. Often we hide from important responsibilities because we are afraid of failure, afraid of what others will think, or perhaps unsure about how to proceed. Don't run from your responsibilities.
1SAMU011
ANGER
1 About a month later Nahash the Ammonite and his army surrounded the city of Jabesh in Gilead. All the people of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you."
2 But he answered, "I will make a treaty with you only if I'm allowed to poke out the right eye of each of you. Then all Israel will be ashamed!"
3 The older leaders of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Give us seven days to send messengers through all Israel. If no one comes to help us, we will give ourselves up to you."
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah where Saul lived and told the people the news, they cried loudly.
5 Saul was coming home from plowing the fields with his oxen when he heard the people crying. He asked, "What's wrong with the people that they are crying?" Then they told Saul what the messengers from Jabesh had said.
6 When Saul heard their words, God's Spirit rushed upon him with power, and he became very angry.
7 So he took a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. Then he gave the pieces of the oxen to messengers and ordered them to carry them through all the land of Israel. The messengers said, "This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." So the people became very afraid of the LORD. They all came together as if they were one person.h
8 Saul gathered the people together at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand men from Israel and thirty thousand men from Judah.
9 They said to the messengers who had come, "Tell the people at Jabesh Gilead this: `Before the day warms up tomorrow, you will be saved.' "So the messengers went and reported this to the people at Jabesh, and they were very happy.
10 The people said to Nahash the Ammonite, "Tomorrow we will come out to meet you. Then you can do anything you want to us."
11 The next morning Saul divided his soldiers into three groups. At dawn they entered the Ammonite camp and defeated them before the heat of the day. The Ammonites who escaped were scattered; no two of them were still together.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who didn't want Saul as king? Bring them here and we will kill them!"
13 But Saul said, "No! No one will be put to death today. Today the LORD has saved Israel!"
14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal. There we will again promise to obey the king."
15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there, before the LORD, the people made Saul king. They offered fellowship offerings to the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites had a great celebration.
c c 1 At this time Nahash led the army of the Ammonites against the Israeli city of Jabesh-gilead. But the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. "Leave us alone and we will be your servants," they pleaded.
2 "All right," Nahash said, "but only on one condition: I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace upon all Israel!"
3 "Give us seven days to see if we can get some help!" replied the elders of Jabesh. "If none of our brothers will come and save us, we will agree to your terms."
4 When a messenger came to Gibeah, Saul's hometown, and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears.
5 Saul was plowing in the field, and when he returned to town he asked, "What's the matter? Why is everyone crying?"
So they told him about the message from Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came strongly upon Saul and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent messengers to carry them throughout all Israel.
"This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel to battle!" he announced. And God caused the people to be afraid of Saul's anger, and they came to him as one man. 8 He counted them in Bezek and found that there were three hundred thousand of them in addition to thirty thousand from Judah.
9 So he sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, "We will rescue you before tomorrow noon!" What joy there was throughout the city when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, "We surrender. Tomorrow we will come out to you and you can do to us as you wish."
11 But early the next morning Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments, and launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them all morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, "Where are those men who said that Saul shouldn't be our king? Bring them here and we will kill them!"
13 But Saul replied, "No one will be executed today; for today the Lord has rescued Israel!"
14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us all go to Gilgal and reconfirm Saul as our king."
15 So they went to Gilgal and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they crowned him king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all Israel were very happy.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,190
3,3,5,340
4,4,7,512
5,5,9,619
6,6,11,842
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11,11,21,1821
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14,14,27,2259
15,15,29,2372
1,1,1,1
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11,11,17,1610
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15,15,25,2225
ANGER 1SAMU 11:6
Anger is a powerful emotion. Often it is used wrongly to hurt others with words or physical violence. But anger directed at sin and the mistreatment of others is not wrong. Saul was angered by the Ammonites' threat to humiliate and mistreat his fellow Israelites. God used Saul's anger to bring justice and freedom. When injustice or sin makes you angry, ask God how you can channel that anger in constructive ways to help bring about a positive change.
1SAMU012
1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have done everything you wanted me to do and have put a king over you.
2 Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young.
3 Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, you must testify against me before the LORD and his appointed king. Did I steal anyone's ox or donkey? Did I hurt or cheat anyone? Did I ever secretly accept money to pretend not to see something wrong? If I did any of these things, I will make it right."
4 The Israelites answered, "You have not cheated us, or hurt us, or taken anything unfairly from anyone."
5 Samuel said to them, "The LORD is a witness to what you have said. His appointed king is also a witness today that you did not find anything wrong in me." "He is our witness," they said.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who chose Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt.
7 Now, stand there, and I will remind you of all the good things the LORD did for you and your ancestors.
8 "After Jacob entered Egypt, his descendants cried to the LORD for help. So the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who took your ancestors out of Egypt and brought them to live in this place.
9 "But they forgot the LORD their God. So he handed them over as slaves to Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and as slaves to the Philistines and the king of Moab. They all fought against your ancestors.
10 Then your ancestors cried to the LORD and said, `We have sinned. We have left the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now save us from our enemies, and we will serve you.'
11 So the LORD sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He saved you from your enemies around you, and you lived in safety.
12 But when you saw Nahash king of the Ammonites coming against you, you said, `No! We want a king to rule over us!'- even though the LORD your God was your king.
13 Now here is the king you chose, the one you asked for. The LORD has put him over you.
14 You must honor the LORD and serve him. You must obey his word and not turn against his commands. Both you and the king ruling over you must follow the LORD your God. If you do, it will be well with you.
15 But if you don't obey the LORD, and if you turn against his commands, he will be against you. He will do to you what he did to your ancestors.
16 "Now stand still and see the great thing the LORD will do before your eyes.
17 It is now the time of the wheat harvest. I will pray for the LORD to send thunder and rain. Then you will know what an evil thing you did against the LORD when you asked for a king."
18 Then Samuel prayed to the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So the people were very afraid of the LORD and Samuel.
19 They said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for us, your servants! Don't let us die! We've added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king."
20 Samuel answered, "Don't be afraid. It's true that you did wrong, but don't turn away from the LORD. Serve the LORD with all your heart.
21 Idols are of no use, so don't worship them. They can't help you or save you. They are useless!
22 For his own sake, the LORD won't leave his people. Instead, he was pleased to make you his own people.
23 I will surely not stop praying for you, because that would be sinning against the LORD. I will teach you what is good and right.
24 You must honor the LORD and truly serve him with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he did for you!
25 But if you are stubborn and do evil, he will sweep you and your king away."
1 Then Samuel addressed the people again:
"Look," he said, "I have done as you asked. I have given you a king. 2 I have selected him ahead of my own sons and now I stand here, an old, gray-haired man who has been in public service from the time he was a lad. 3 Now tell me as I stand before the Lord and before his anointed king-whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever defrauded you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong."
4 "No," they replied, "you have never defrauded or oppressed us in any way and you have never taken even one single bribe."
5 "The Lord and his anointed king are my witnesses," Samuel declared, "that you can never accuse me of robbing you."
"Yes, it is true," they replied.
6 "It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron," Samuel continued. "He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt.
7 "Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the good things he has done for you and for your ancestors:
8 "When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to bring them into this land. 9 But they soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he let them be conquered by Sisera, the general of King Hazor's army, and by the Philistines and the king of Moab.
10 "Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed that they had sinned by turning away from him and worshiping the Baal and Ashtaroth idols. And they pleaded, `We will worship you and you alone if you will only rescue us from our enemies.' 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
12 "But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you. But the Lord your God was already your King, for he has always been your King. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. Look him over. You have asked for him, and the Lord has answered your request.
14 "Now if you will fear and worship the Lord, and listen to his commandments and not rebel against the Lord, and if both you and your king follow the Lord your God, then all will be well. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord's commandments and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 "Now watch as the Lord does great miracles. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year, during the wheat harvest; I will pray for the Lord to send thunder and rain today, so that you will realize the extent of your wickedness in asking for a king!"
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain; and all the people were very much afraid of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 "Pray for us lest we die!" they cried out to Samuel. "For now we have added to all our other sins by asking for a king."
20 "Don't be frightened," Samuel reassured them. "You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with true enthusiasm, and that you don't turn your back on him in any way. 21 Other gods can't help you. 22 The Lord will not abandon his chosen people, for that would dishonor his great name. He made you a special nation for himself-just because he wanted to!
23 "As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you; and I will continue to teach you those things which are good and right.
24 "Trust the Lord and sincerely worship him; think of all the tremendous things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be destroyed."
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6,6,11,847
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16,17,20,2347
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19,19,24,2758
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23,23,28,3274
24,25,30,3436
SIN 1SAMU 12:25
If we continue sinning, we will not enjoy fellowship with God and we will end up destroying ourselves. Persisting in destructive habits, immoral thoughts, harbored resentments, and failing to heed God's word are examples of continuing to sin.
Profile: Samuel ,!page "^samuel" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU013
1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king over Israel forty-two years.
2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand men stayed with him at Micmash in the mountains of Bethel, and one thousand men stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back home.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine camp in Geba, and the other Philistines heard about it. Saul said, "Let the Hebrews hear what happened." So he told the men to blow trumpets through all the land of Israel.
4 All the Israelites heard the news. The men said, "Saul has defeated the Philistine camp. Now the Philistines will really hate us!" Then the Israelites were called to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines gathered to fight Israel with three thousand chariots and six thousand men to ride in them. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash, which is east of Beth Aven.
6 When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble, they went to hide in caves and bushes, among the rocks, and in pits and wells.
7 Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men in his army were shaking with fear.
8 Saul waited seven days, because Samuel had said he would meet him then. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the soldiers began to leave.
9 So Saul said, "Bring me the whole burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." Then Saul offered the whole burnt offering.
10 Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel asked, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "I saw the soldiers leaving me, and you were not here when you said you would be. The Philistines were gathering at Micmash.
12 Then I thought, `The Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked for the LORD' s approval.' So I forced myself to offer the whole burnt offering."
13 Samuel said, "You acted foolishly! You haven't obeyed the command of the LORD your God. If you had obeyed him, the LORD would have made your kingdom continue in Israel always,
14 but now your kingdom will not continue. The LORD has looked for the kind of man he wants. He has appointed him to rule his people, because you haven't obeyed his command."
15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were still with him, and there were about six hundred.
16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers with him stayed in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines made their camp at Micmash.
17 Three groups went out from the Philistine camp to make raids. One group went on the Ophrah road in the land of Shual.
18 The second group went on the Beth Horon road. The third group went on the border road that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
19 The whole land of Israel had no blacksmith because the Philistines had said, "The Hebrews might make swords and spears."
20 So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened.
21 The Philistine blacksmiths charged about one-fourth of an ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes. And they charged one-eighth of an ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes, and the sticks used to guide oxen.
22 So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 A group from the Philistine army had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
1 By this time Saul had reigned for one year. In the second year of his reign, 2 he selected three thousand special troops and took two thousand of them with him to Michmash and Mount Bethel while the other thousand remained with Jonathan, Saul's son, in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The rest of the army was sent home. 3-4 Then Jonathan attacked and destroyed the garrison of the Philistines at Geba. The news spread quickly throughout the land of the Philistines, and Saul sounded the call to arms throughout Israel. He announced that he had destroyed the Philistine garrison and warned his men that the army of Israel stank to high heaven as far as the Philistines were concerned. So the entire Israeli army mobilized again and joined at Gilgal. 5 The Philistines recruited a mighty army of three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and so many soldiers that they were as thick as sand along the seashore; and they camped at Michmash east of Beth-aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw the vast mass of enemy troops, they lost their nerve entirely and tried to hide in caves, thickets, coverts, among the rocks, and even in tombs and cisterns. 7 Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped to the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and those who were with him trembled with fear at what awaited them. 8 Samuel had told Saul earlier to wait seven days for his arrival, but when he still didn't come, and Saul's troops were rapidly slipping away, 9 he decided to sacrifice the burnt offering and the peace offerings himself. 10 But just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and to receive his blessing, 11 but Samuel said, "What is this you have done?"
"Well," Saul replied, "when I saw that my men were scattering from me, and that you hadn't arrived by the time you said you would, and that the Philistines were at Michmash, ready for battle, 12 I said, `The Philistines are ready to march against us and I haven't even asked for the Lord's help!' So I reluctantly offered the burnt offering without waiting for you to arrive."
13 "You fool!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed the commandment of the Lord your God. He was planning to make you and your descendants kings of Israel forever, 14 but now your dynasty must end; for the Lord wants a man who will obey him. And he has discovered the man he wants and has already appointed him as king over his people; for you have not obeyed the Lord's commandment."
15 Samuel then left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.
When Saul counted the soldiers who were still with him, he found only six hundred left! 16 Saul and Jonathan and these six hundred men set up their camp in Geba in the land of Benjamin; but the Philistines stayed at Michmash. 17 Three companies of raiders soon left the camp of the Philistines; one went toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another went to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the desert.
19 There were no blacksmiths at all in the land of Israel in those days, for the Philistines wouldn't allow them for fear of their making swords and spears for the Hebrews. 20 So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, discs, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. 21 The schedule of charges was as follows:
For sharpening a plow point, 60
For sharpening a disc, 60
For sharpening an ax, 30
For sharpening a sickle, 30
For sharpening an ox goad, 30
22 So there was not a single sword or spear in the entire "army" of Israel that day, except for Saul's and Jonathan's. 23 The mountain pass at Michmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.
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6,12,3,969
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19,21,11,3016
22,23,17,3530
EXCUSES 1SAMU 13:12
Saul had plenty of excuses for his disobedience. But Samuel zeroed in on the real issue: You have disobeyed the commandment of the Lord your God (13:13). Like Saul, we often gloss over our mistakes and sins, trying to justify and spiritualize our actions because of our special circumstances. Our excuses, however, are nothing more than disobedience. God knows our true motives. He forgives, restores, and blesses only when we are honest about our sins. By trying to hide his sins behind excuses, Saul lost his kingship (13:14).
1SAMU014
1 One day Jonathan, Saul's son, said to the officer who carried his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine camp on the other side." But Jonathan did not tell his father.
2 Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor near Gibeah. He had about six hundred men with him.
3 One man was Ahijah who was wearing the holy vest. (Ahijah was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD' s priest in Shiloh.) No one knew Jonathan had left.
4 There was a steep slope on each side of the pass that Jonathan planned to go through to reach the Philistine camp. The cliff on one side was named Bozez, and the cliff on the other side was named Seneh.
5 One cliff faced north toward Micmash. The other faced south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, "Come. Let's go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the LORD will help us. The LORD can give us victory if we have many people, or just a few."
7 The officer who carried Jonathan's armor said to him, "Do whatever you think is best. Go ahead. I'm with you."
8 Jonathan said, "Then come. We will cross over to the Philistines and let them see us.
9 If they say to us, `Stay there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are. We won't go up to them.
10 But if they say, `Come up to us,' we will climb up, and the LORD will let us defeat them. This will be the sign for us."
11 When both Jonathan and his officer let the Philistines see them, the Philistines said, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in!"
12 The Philistines in the camp shouted to Jonathan and his officer, "Come up to us. We'll teach you a lesson!" Jonathan said to his officer, "Climb up behind me, because the LORD has given the Philistines to Israel!"
13 So Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, and his officer climbed just behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines as he went, and his officer killed them as he followed behind him.
14 In that first fight Jonathan and his officer killed about twenty Philistines over a half acre of ground.
15 All the Philistine soldiers panicked- those in the camp and those in the raiding party. The ground itself shook! God had caused the panic.
16 Saul's guards were at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin when they saw the Philistine soldiers running in every direction.
17 Saul said to his army, "Check to see who has left our camp." When they checked, they learned that Jonathan and his officer were gone.
18 So Saul said to Ahijah the priest, "Bring the Ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)
19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp was growing. Then Saul said to Ahijah, "Put your hand down!"
20 Then Saul gathered his army and entered the battle. They found the Philistines confused, striking each other with their swords!
21 Earlier, there were Hebrews who had served the Philistines and had stayed in their camp, but now they joined the Israelites with Saul and Jonathan.
22 When all the Israelites hidden in the mountains of Ephraim heard that the Philistine soldiers were running away, they also joined the battle and chased the Philistines.
23 So the LORD saved the Israelites that day, and the battle moved on past Beth Aven.
24 The men of Israel were miserable that day because Saul had made an oath for all of them. He had said, "No one should eat food before evening and before I finish defeating my enemies. If he does, he will be cursed!" So no Israelite soldier ate food.
25 Now the army went into the woods, where there was some honey on the ground.
26 They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.
27 Jonathan had not heard the oath Saul had put on the army, so he dipped the end of his stick into the honey and lifted some out and ate it. Then he felt better.
28 Then one of the soldiers told Jonathan, "Your father made an oath for all the soldiers. He said any man who eats today will be cursed! That's why they are so weak."
29 Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the land! See how much better I feel after just tasting a little of this honey!
30 It would have been much better for the men to eat the food they took from their enemies today. We could have killed many more Philistines!"
31 That day the Israelites defeated the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon. After that, they were very tired.
32 They had taken sheep, cattle, and calves from the Philistines. Now they were so hungry they killed the animals on the ground and ate them, without draining the blood from them!
33 Someone said to Saul, "Look! The men are sinning against the LORD. They're eating meat without draining the blood from it!" Saul said, "You have sinned! Roll a large stone over here now!"
34 Then he said, "Go to the men and tell them that each person must bring his ox and sheep to me and kill it here and eat it. Don't sin against the LORD by eating meat without draining the blood from it." That night everyone brought his animals and killed them there.
35 Then Saul built an altar to the LORD. It was the first altar he had built to the LORD.
36 Saul said, "Let's go after the Philistines tonight and rob them. We won't let any of them live!" The men answered, "Do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God."
37 So Saul asked God, "Should I chase the Philistines? Will you let us defeat them?" But God did not answer Saul at that time.
38 Then Saul said to all the leaders of his army, "Come here. Let's find out what sin has been done today.
39 As surely as the LORD lives who has saved Israel, even if my son Jonathan did the sin, he must die." But no one in the army spoke.
40 Then Saul said to all the Israelites, "You stand on this side. I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side." The men answered, "Do whatever you think is best."
41 Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Saul and Jonathan were picked; the other men went free.
42 Saul said, "Now let us discover if it is I or Jonathan my son who is guilty." And Jonathan was picked.
43 Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told Saul, "I only tasted a little honey from the end of my stick. And must I die now?"
44 Saul said, "Jonathan, if you don't die, may God punish me terribly."
45 But the soldiers said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die? Never! He is responsible for saving Israel today! As surely as the LORD lives, not even a hair of his head will fall to the ground! Today Jonathan fought against the Philistines with God's help!" So the army saved Jonathan, and he did not die.
46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and they went back to their own land.
47 When Saul became king over Israel, he fought against Israel's enemies all around. He fought Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines. Everywhere Saul went he defeated Israel's enemies.
48 He fought bravely and defeated the Amalekites. He saved the Israelites from their enemies who had robbed them.
49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and MALKI-SHUA. His older daughter was named Merab, and his younger daughter was named Michal.
50 Saul's wife was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul's uncle.
51 Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.
52 All Saul's life he fought hard against the Philistines. When he saw strong or brave men, he took them into his army.
1 A day or so later, Prince Jonathan said to his young bodyguard, "Come on, let's cross the valley to the garrison of the Philistines." But he didn't tell his father that he was leaving.
2 Saul and his six hundred men were camped at the edge of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. 3 Among his men was Ahijah the priest (the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother; Ahitub was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh).
No one realized that Jonathan had gone. 4 To reach the Philistine garrison, Jonathan had to go over a narrow pass between two rocky crags which had been named Bozez and Seneh. 5 The crag on the north was in front of Michmash and the southern one was in front of Geba.
6 "Yes, let's go across to those heathen," Jonathan had said to his bodyguard. "Perhaps the Lord will do a miracle for us. For it makes no difference to him how many enemy troops there are!"
7 "Fine!" the youth replied. "Do as you think best; I'm with you heart and soul, whatever you decide."
8 "All right, then this is what we'll do," Jonathan told him. 9 "When they see us, if they say, `Stay where you are or we'll kill you!' then we will stop and wait for them. 10 But if they say, `Come on up and fight!' then we will do just that; for it will be God's signal that he will help us defeat them!"
11 When the Philistines saw them coming they shouted, "Look! The Israelis are crawling out of their holes!" 12 Then they shouted to Jonathan, "Come on up here and we'll show you how to fight!"
"Come on, climb right behind me," Jonathan exclaimed to his bodyguard, "for the Lord will help us defeat them!"
13 So they clambered up on their hands and knees, and the Philistines fell back as Jonathan and the lad killed them right and left, 14 about twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre of land. 15 Suddenly panic broke out throughout the entire Philistine army, and even among the raiders. And just then there was a great earthquake, increasing the terror.
16 Saul's lookouts in Gibeah saw a strange sight-the vast army of the Philistines began to melt away in all directions.
17 "Find out who isn't here," Saul ordered. And when they had checked, they found that Jonathan and his bodyguard were gone. 18 "Bring the Ark of God," Saul shouted to Ahijah. (For the Ark was among the people of Israel at that time.) 19 But while Saul was talking to the priest, the shouting and the tumult in the camp of the Philistines grew louder and louder. "Quick! What does God say?" Saul demanded.
20 Then Saul and his six hundred men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other, and there was terrible confusion everywhere. 21 And now the Hebrews who had been drafted into the Philistine army revolted and joined with the Israelis. 22 Finally even the men hiding in the hills joined the chase when they saw that the Philistines were running away. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle continued out beyond Beth-aven.
24-25 Saul had declared, "A curse upon anyone who eats anything before evening-before I have full revenge on my enemies." So no one ate anything all day, even though they found honeycomb on the ground in the forest, 26 for they all feared Saul's curse. 27 Jonathan, however, had not heard his father's command; so he dipped a stick into a honeycomb, and when he had eaten the honey he felt much better. 28 Then someone told him that his father had laid a curse upon anyone who ate food that day, and everyone was weary and faint as a result.
29 "That's ridiculous!" Jonathan exclaimed. "A command like that only hurts us. See how much better I feel now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. 30 If the people had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more we could have slaughtered!"
31 But hungry as they were, they chased and killed the Philistines all day from Michmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint. 32 That evening they flew upon the battle loot and butchered the sheep, oxen, and calves, and ate the raw, bloody meat. 33 Someone reported to Saul what was happening, that the people were sinning against the Lord by eating blood.
"That is very wrong," Saul said. "Roll a great stone over here, 34 and go out among the troops and tell them to bring the oxen and sheep here to kill and drain them, and not to sin against the Lord by eating the blood." So that is what they did.
35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord-his first.
36 Afterwards Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them."
"Fine!" his men replied. "Do as you think best."
But the priest said, "Let's ask God first."
37 So Saul asked God, "Shall we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?" But the Lord made no reply all night.
38 Then Saul said to the leaders, "Something's wrong! We must find out what sin was committed today. 39 I vow by the name of the God who saved Israel that though the sinner be my own son Jonathan, he shall surely die!" But no one would tell him what the trouble was.
40 Then Saul proposed, "Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there." And the people agreed.
41 Then Saul said, "O Lord God of Israel, why haven't you answered my question? What is wrong? Are Jonathan and I guilty, or is the sin among the others? O Lord God, show us who is guilty." And Jonathan and Saul were chosen by sacred lot as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.
42 Then Saul said, "Now draw lots between me and Jonathan." And Jonathan was chosen as the guilty one.
43 "Tell me what you've done," Saul demanded of Jonathan.
"I tasted a little honey," Jonathan admitted. "It was only a little bit on the end of a stick; but now I must die."
44 "Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you must die; may God strike me dead if you are not executed for this."
45 But the troops retorted, "Jonathan, who saved Israel today, shall die? Far from it! We vow by the life of God that not one hair on his head will be touched, for he has been used of God to do a mighty miracle today." So the people rescued Jonathan.
46 Then Saul called back the army, and the Philistines returned home. 47 And now, since he was securely in the saddle as king of Israel, Saul sent the Israeli army out in every direction against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was successful. 48 He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites and saved Israel from all those who had been their conquerors.
49 Saul had three sons, Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua; and two daughters, Merab and Michal. 50-51 Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the general-in-chief of his army was his cousin Abner, his uncle Ner's son. (Abner's father, Ner, and Saul's father, Kish, were brothers; both were the sons of Abiel.)
52 The Israelis fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul's lifetime. And whenever Saul saw any brave, strong young man, he conscripted him into his army.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,182
3,3,5,305
4,4,7,519
5,5,9,728
6,6,11,807
7,7,13,1029
8,8,15,1146
9,9,17,1238
10,10,19,1349
11,11,21,1477
12,12,23,1642
13,13,25,1863
14,14,27,2065
15,15,29,2177
16,16,31,2323
17,17,33,2449
18,18,35,2590
19,19,37,2699
20,20,39,2842
21,21,41,2977
22,22,43,3132
23,23,45,3308
24,24,47,3398
25,25,49,3655
26,26,51,3738
27,27,53,3830
28,28,55,3997
29,29,57,4169
30,30,59,4303
31,31,61,4450
32,32,63,4565
33,33,65,4749
34,34,67,4944
35,35,69,5216
36,36,71,5310
37,37,73,5503
38,38,75,5634
39,39,77,5745
40,40,79,5883
41,41,81,6057
42,42,83,6201
43,43,85,6311
44,44,87,6471
45,45,89,6547
46,46,91,6849
47,47,93,6937
48,48,95,7154
49,49,97,7272
50,50,99,7408
51,51,101,7522
52,52,103,7591
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,191
6,6,6,736
7,7,8,930
8,10,10,1036
11,12,12,1346
13,15,15,1655
16,16,17,2045
17,19,19,2168
20,23,21,2577
24,28,23,3041
29,30,25,3586
31,34,27,3884
35,35,30,4495
36,36,32,4548
37,37,36,4747
38,39,38,4877
40,40,40,5148
41,41,42,5269
42,42,44,5569
43,43,46,5675
44,44,49,5853
45,45,51,5960
46,48,53,6214
49,51,55,6629
52,52,57,6954
SURROUNDED 1SAMU 14:6
Jonathan and his bodyguard weren't much of a force to attack the huge Philistine army. But while everyone else was afraid, these men trusted God, knowing that the size of the enemy army had no relation- ship to God's ability to help them. God honored the faith and brave action of these two men with a tremendous victory.
Have you ever felt surrounded by the enemy or faced overwhelming odds? God is never intimidated by the size of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. With him, there always are enough resources to resist the pressures and win your battles. If God has called you to action, then bravely commit what few resources you have to God and rely upon him to give you the victory.
VOWS 1SAMU 14:24-25
Saul made a vow without thinking through the implications. The results? (1)Saul's men were too tired to fight; (2)they were so hungry they ate raw meat that still contained blood, which was against God's laws; (3)Saul almost killed his own son (14:42-44). Saul's impulsive vow sounded heroic, but its disastrous side effects made it little more than shooting off at the mouth. If you are in the middle of a conflict, guard against impulsive statements that you may be forced to honor.
Profile: Saul ,!page "^saul" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU015
1 Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to appoint you king over Israel. Now listen to his message.
2 This is what the LORD ALL-POWERFUL says: `When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Amalekites tried to stop them from going to Canaan. So I will punish them.
3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and destroy everything they own as an offering to the LORD. Don't let anything live. Put to death men and women, children and small babies, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' "
4 So Saul called the army together at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.
5 Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the ravine.
6 He said to the Kenites, "Go away. Leave the Amalekites so that I won't destroy you with them, because you showed kindness to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul defeated the Amalekites. He fought them all the way from Havilah to Shur, at the border of Egypt.
8 He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he killed all of Agag's army with the sword.
9 Saul and the army let Agag live, along with the best sheep, fat cattle, and lambs. They let every good animal live, because they did not want to destroy them. But when they found an animal that was weak or useless, they killed it.
10 Then the LORD spoke his word to Samuel:
11 "I am sorry I made Saul king, because he has stopped following me and has not obeyed my commands." Samuel was upset, and he cried out to the LORD all night long.
12 Early the next morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul. But the people told Samuel, "Saul has gone to Carmel, where he has put up a monument in his own honor. Now he has gone down to Gilgal."
13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said, "May the LORD bless you! I have obeyed the LORD' s commands."
14 But Samuel said, "Then why do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?"
15 Saul answered, "The soldiers took them from the Amalekites. They saved the best sheep and cattle to offer as sacrifices to the LORD your God, but we destroyed all the other animals."
16 Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." Saul answered, "Tell me."
17 Samuel said, "Once you didn't think much of yourself, but now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. The LORD appointed you to be king over Israel.
18 And he sent you on a mission. He said, `Go and destroy those evil people, the Amalekites. Make war on them until all of them are dead.'
19 Why didn't you obey the LORD? Why did you take the best things? Why did you do what the LORD said was wrong?"
20 Saul said, "But I did obey the LORD. I did what the LORD told me to do. I destroyed all the Amalekites, and I brought back Agag their king.
21 The soldiers took the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."
22 But Samuel answered, "What pleases the LORD more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to his voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep.
23 Disobedience is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Pride is as bad as the sin of worshiping idols. You have rejected the LORD' s command. Now he rejects you as king."
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I didn't obey the LORD' s commands and your words. I was afraid of the people, and I did what they said.
25 Now, I beg you, forgive my sin. Come back with me so I may worship the LORD." LORD' s command, and now he rejects you as king of Israel." 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors who is better than you. 29 The LORD is the Eternal One of Israel. He does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being, so he does not change his mind. 30 Saul answered, "I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the older leaders of my people and in front of the Israelites. Come back with me so that I can worship the LORD your God." 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. 32 Then Samuel said, "Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites." Agag came to Samuel in chains, but Agag thought, "Surely the threat of death has passed." 33 Samuel said to him, "Your sword made other mothers lose their children. Now your mother will have no children." And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel left and went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah. 35 And Samuel never saw Saul again the rest of his life, but he was sad for Saul. And the LORD was very sorry he had made Saul king of Israel.
1 One day Samuel said to Saul, "I crowned you king of Israel because God told me to. Now be sure that you obey him. 2 Here is his commandment to you: `I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for refusing to allow my people to cross their territory when Israel came from Egypt. 3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalek nation-men, women, babies, little children, oxen, sheep, camels, and donkeys.' "
4 So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand troops in addition to ten thousand men from Judah. 5 The Amalekites were camped in the valley below them. 6 Saul sent a message to the Kenites, telling them to get out from among the Amalekites or else die with them. "For you were kind to the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt," he explained. So the Kenites packed up and left.
7 Then Saul butchered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites, but killed everyone else. 9 However, Saul and his men kept the best of the sheep and oxen and the fattest of the lambs-everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.
10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 "I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has again refused to obey me."
Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard what God was saying, that he cried to the Lord all night. 12 Early the next morning he went out to find Saul. Someone said that he had gone to Mount Carmel to erect a monument to himself and had then gone on to Gilgal. 13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully.
"Hello there," he said. "Well, I have carried out the Lord's command!"
14 "Then what was all the bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen I heard?" Samuel demanded.
15 "It's true that the army spared the best of the sheep and oxen," Saul admitted, "but they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God; and we have destroyed everything else."
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!"
"What was it?" Saul asked.
17 And Samuel told him, "When you didn't think much of yourself, God made you king of Israel. 18 And he sent you on an errand and told you, `Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' 19 Then why didn't you obey the Lord? Why did you rush for the loot and do exactly what God said not to?"
20 "But I have obeyed the Lord," Saul insisted. "I did what he told me to; and I brought King Agag but killed everyone else. 21 And it was only when my troops demanded it that I let them keep the best of the sheep and oxen and loot to sacrifice to the Lord."
22 Samuel replied, "Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him. 23 For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. And now because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected you from being king."
24 "I have sinned," Saul finally admitted. "Yes, I have disobeyed your instructions and the command of the Lord, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. 25 Oh, please pardon my sin now and go with me to worship the Lord."
26 But Samuel replied, "It's no use! Since you have rejected the commandment of the Lord, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel."
27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed at him to try to hold him back and tore his robe.
28 And Samuel said to him, "See? The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a countryman of yours who is better than you are. 29 And he who is the glory of Israel is not lying, nor will he change his mind, for he is not a man!"
30 Then Saul pleaded again, "I have sinned; but oh, at least honor me before the leaders and before my people by going with me to worship the Lord your God."
31 So Samuel finally agreed and went with him.
32 Then Samuel said, "Bring King Agag to me." Agag arrived all full of smiles, for he thought, "Surely the worst is over and I have been spared!" 33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has killed the sons of many mothers, now your mother shall be childless." And Samuel chopped him in pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to Gibeah. 35 Samuel never saw Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him; and the Lord was sorry that he had ever made Saul king of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,106
3,3,5,272
4,4,7,489
5,5,9,618
6,6,11,697
7,7,13,920
8,8,15,1034
9,9,17,1132
10,10,19,1369
11,11,21,1416
12,12,23,1585
13,13,25,1788
14,14,27,1894
15,15,29,1973
16,16,31,2163
17,17,33,2278
18,18,35,2446
19,19,37,2589
20,20,39,2706
21,21,41,2853
22,22,43,2950
23,23,45,3167
24,24,47,3336
25,35,49,3490
1,3,1,1
4,6,2,430
7,9,4,856
10,13,6,1215
14,14,10,1728
15,15,12,1821
16,16,14,2007
17,19,17,2119
20,21,19,2450
22,23,21,2712
24,25,23,3158
26,26,25,3402
27,27,27,3547
28,29,29,3640
30,30,31,3903
31,31,33,4064
32,35,35,4114
FAILURE 1SAMU 15:13-14
Saul thought he had won a great victory over the Amalekites, but God saw it as a great failure because Saul had disobeyed him and then had lied to Samuel about the results of the battle. Saul may have thought his lie wouldn't be detected, or that what he did was not wrong. Saul was mistaken. Dishonest people soon begin to believe the lies they construct around themselves. Then they lose the ability to tell the difference between telling the truth and lying. By believing your own lies, you will move away from God. That is why honesty is so important in our relation- ships, both with God and with others.
Moral Dilemmas: Lying ,!page "^M0038" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU016
1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you continue to feel sorry for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your container with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king."
2 But Samuel said, "If I go, Saul will hear the news and will try to kill me." The LORD said, "Take a young calf with you. Say, `I have come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD.'
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will tell you what to do. You must appoint the one I show you."
4 Samuel did what the LORD told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the older leaders of Bethlehem shook with fear. They met him and asked, "Are you coming in peace?"
5 Samuel answered, "Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. Set yourselves apart to the LORD and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the LORD, and he invited them to come to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, "Surely the LORD has appointed this person standing here before him."
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the LORD looks at the heart."
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to pass by Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this man either."
9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, "No, the LORD has not chosen this one."
10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."
11 Then he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse answered, "I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives."
12 So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned, and handsome. The LORD said to Samuel, "Go, appoint him, because he is the one."
13 So Samuel took the container of olive oil and poured it on Jesse's youngest son to appoint him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the LORD' s Spirit worked in David. Samuel then went back to Ramah.
14 But the LORD' s Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
15 Saul's servants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.
16 Give us the command to look for someone who can play the harp. When the evil spirit from God troubles you, he will play, and you will feel better."
17 So Saul said to his servants, "Find someone who can play well and bring him to me."
18 One of the servants said, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem play the harp. He is brave and courageous. He is a good speaker and handsome, and the LORD is with him."
19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."
20 So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a leather bag full of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul.
21 When David came to Saul, he began to serve him. Saul liked David and made him the officer who carried his armor.
22 Saul sent a message to Jesse, saying, "Let David stay and serve me because I like him."
23 When the evil spirit from God troubled Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then the evil spirit would leave him, and Saul would feel better.
1 Finally the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul, for I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now take a vial of olive oil and go to Bethlehem and find a man named Jesse, for I have selected one of his sons to be the new king."
2 But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me."
"Take a heifer with you," the Lord replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Then call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint."
4 So Samuel did as the Lord had told him to. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him.
"What is wrong?" they asked. "Why have you come?"
5 But he replied, "All is well. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice."
And he performed the purification rite on Jesse and his sons, and invited them too. 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the man the Lord has chosen!"
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by a man's face or height, for this is not the one. I don't make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man's thoughts and intentions."
8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But the Lord said, "This is not the right man either."
9 Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but the Lord said, "No, this is not the one." In the same way all seven of his sons presented themselves to Samuel and were rejected.
10-11 "The Lord has not chosen any of them," Samuel told Jesse. "Are these all there are?"
"Well, there is the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep."
"Send for him at once," Samuel said, "for we will not sit down to eat until he arrives."
12 So Jesse sent for him. He was a fine looking boy, ruddy-faced, and with pleasant eyes. And the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him."
13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it upon David's head; and the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him and gave him great power from that day onward. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and instead, the Lord had sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. 15-16 Some of Saul's aides suggested a cure.
"We'll find a good harpist to play for you whenever the tormenting spirit is bothering you," they said. "The harp music will quiet you and you'll soon be well again."
17 "All right," Saul said. "Find me a harpist."
18 One of them said he knew a young fellow in Bethlehem, the son of a man named Jesse, who was not only a talented harp player, but was handsome, brave, and strong, and had good, solid judgment. "What's more," he added, "the Lord is with him."
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, asking that he send his son David the shepherd. 20 Jesse responded by sending not only David but a young goat and a donkey carrying a load of food and wine. 21 From the instant he saw David, Saul admired and loved him; and David became his bodyguard.
22 Then Saul wrote to Jesse, "Please let David join my staff, for I am very fond of him."
23 And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,267
3,3,5,447
4,4,7,555
5,5,9,731
6,6,11,987
7,7,13,1116
8,8,15,1354
9,9,17,1479
10,10,19,1574
11,11,21,1689
12,12,23,1912
13,13,25,2078
14,14,27,2292
15,15,29,2384
16,16,31,2468
17,17,33,2623
18,18,35,2714
19,19,37,2893
20,20,39,2993
21,21,41,3128
22,22,43,3248
23,23,45,3343
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,256
4,4,6,533
5,6,9,713
7,7,12,1035
8,8,14,1254
9,9,16,1392
10,11,18,1560
12,12,22,1840
13,13,24,1983
14,16,26,2225
17,17,29,2579
18,18,31,2630
19,21,33,2877
22,22,35,3168
23,23,37,3261
APPEARANCE 1SAMU 16:7
Saul was tall and handsome; he was an impressive-looking man. Samuel may have been trying to find someone who looked like Saul to be Israel's next king, but God warned him against judging by appearance alone. When people judge by outward appearance, they may overlook quality individuals who simply lack the particular physical qualities that society currently admires. But appearance doesn't reveal what people are really like or what their true value is. Fortunately, God judges by character, not appearances. And because only God can see on the inside, only he can accurately judge people. While we spend hours each week maintaining our outward appearance, we should do even more to develop our inner character. While everyone can see your face, only you and God know what your heart really looks like. Which is the more attractive part of you?
GROWTH 1SAMU 16:19-21
When Saul asked David to join his palace staff, he obviously did not know that David had been secretly anointed king (16:12). Saul's invitation presented an excellent opportunity for the young, future king to gain firsthand information about leading a nation. Sometimes our plans- even the ones we think God has approved- have to be put on hold indefinitely. Like David, we can use this waiting time profitably. We can choose to learn and grow in our present circumstances, whatever they may be.
Profile: David ,!page "^david" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU017
OUTLOOK
1 The Philistines gathered their armies for war. They met at Socoh in Judah and camped at Ephes Dammim between Socoh and Azekah.
2 Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah and camped there and took their positions to fight the Philistines.
3 The Philistines controlled one hill while the Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them.
4 The Philistines had a champion fighter from Gath named Goliath. He was about nine feet, four inches tall. He came out of the Philistine camp
5 with a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of bronze armor that weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds.
6 He wore bronze protectors on his legs, and he had a bronze spear on his back.
7 The wooden part of his larger spear was like a weaver's rod, and its blade weighed about fifteen pounds. The officer who carried his shield walked in front of him.
8 Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, "Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul's servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me.
9 If he can fight and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I can kill him, you will be our servants."
10 Then he said, "Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!"
11 When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine's words, they were very scared.
12 Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons. In Saul's time Jesse was an old man.
13 His three oldest sons followed Saul to the war. The first son was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
14 David was the youngest. Jesse's three oldest sons followed Saul,
15 but David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem, where he took care of his father's sheep.
16 For forty days the Philistine came out every morning and evening and stood before the Israelite army.
17 Jesse said to his son David, "Take this half bushel of cooked grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp.
18 Also take ten pieces of cheese to the commander and to your brothers. See how your brothers are and bring back some proof to show me that they are all right.
19 Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."
20 Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was going out to their battle positions, shouting their war cry.
21 The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle.
22 David left the food with the man who kept the supplies and ran to the battle line to talk to his brothers.
23 While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard him.
24 When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away.
25 They said, "Look at this man! He keeps coming out to challenge Israel. The king will give much money to whoever kills him. He will also let whoever kills him marry his daughter. And his father's family will not have to pay taxes in Israel." D
26 David asked the men who stood near him, "What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? Who does this uncircumcised Philistine think he is? Does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?""
27 The Israelites told David what would be done for the man who would kill Goliath.
28 When David's oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers, he was angry with David. He asked David, "Why did you come here? Who's taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud and wicked at heart. You came down here just to watch the battle."
29 David asked, "Now what have I done wrong? Can't I even talk?"
30 When he turned to other people and asked the same questions, they gave him the same answer as before.
31 Yet what David said was told to Saul, and he sent for David.
32 David said to Saul, "Don't let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight this Philistine!"
33 Saul answered, "You can't go out against this Philistine and fight him. You're only a boy. Goliath has been a warrior since he was a young man."
34 But David said to Saul, "I, your servant, have been keeping my father's sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock,
35 I would chase it. I would attack it and save the sheep from its mouth. When it attacked me, I caught it by its fur and hit it and killed it.
36 I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! This uncircumcised Philistine will be like them, because he has spoken against the armies of the living God.
37 The LORD who saved me from a lion and a bear will save me from this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."
38 Saul put his own clothes on David. He put a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in armor.
39 David put on Saul's sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to all the armor Saul had put on him. He said to Saul, "I can't go in this, because I'm not used to it." Then David took it all off.
40 He took his stick in his hand and chose five smooth stones from a stream. He put them in his shepherd's bag and grabbed his sling. Then he went to meet the Philistine.
41 At the same time, the Philistine was coming closer to David. The man who held his shield walked in front of him.
42 When Goliath looked at David and saw that he was only a boy, tanned and handsome, he looked down on David with disgust.
43 He said, "Do you think I am a dog, that you come at me with a stick?" He used his gods' names to curse David.
44 He said to David, "Come here. I'll feed your body to the birds of the air and the wild animals!"
45 But David said to him, "You come to me using a sword and two spears. But I come to you in the name of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, the God of the armies of Israel! You have spoken against him.
46 Today the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll kill you and cut off your head. Today I'll feed the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds of the air and the wild animals. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel!
47 Everyone gathered here will know the LORD does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to him, and he will hand you over to us."
48 As Goliath came near to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him.
49 He took a stone from his bag, put it into his sling, and slung it. The stone hit the Philistine and went deep into his forehead, and Goliath fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. He did not even have a sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran and stood beside him. He took Goliath's sword out of its holder and killed him by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
52 The men of Israel and Judah shouted and chased the Philistines all the way to the entrance of the city of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The Philistines' bodies lay on the Shaaraim road as far as Gath and Ekron.
53 The Israelites returned after chasing the Philistines and robbed their camp.
54 David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem and put Goliath's weapons in his own tent.
55 When Saul saw David go out to meet Goliath, Saul asked Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, who is that young man's father?" Abner answered, "As surely as you live, my king, I don't know."
56 The king said, "Find out whose son he is."
57 When David came back from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David was still holding Goliath's head.
58 Saul asked him, "Young man, who is your father?" David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."
1 The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul countered with a buildup of forces at Elah Valley. 3 So the Philistines and Israelis faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4-7 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, a two-hundred-pound coat of mail, bronze leggings, and carried a bronze javelin several inches thick, tipped with a twenty-five-pound iron spearhead, and his armor bearer walked ahead of him with a huge shield.
8 He stood and shouted across to the Israelis, "Do you need a whole army to settle this? I will represent the Philistines, and you choose someone to represent you, and we will settle this in single combat! 9 If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, then you must be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!"
11 When Saul and the Israeli army heard this, they were dismayed and frightened. 12 David (the son of aging Jesse, a member of the tribe of Judah who lived in Bethlehem) had seven older brothers. 13 The three oldest-Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah-had already volunteered for Saul's army to fight the Philistines. 14-15 David was the youngest son and was on Saul's staff on a part-time basis. He went back and forth to Bethlehem to help his father with the sheep. 16 For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening the Philistine giant strutted before the armies of Israel.
17 One day Jesse said to David, "Take this bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. 18 Give this cheese to their captain and see how the boys are getting along; and bring us back a letter from them!"
19 (Saul and the Israeli army were camped at the valley of Elah.)
20 So David left the sheep with another shepherd and took off early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the outskirts of the camp just as the Israeli army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21 Soon the Israeli and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22 David left his luggage with a baggage officer and hurried out to the ranks to find his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath the giant step out from the Philistine troops and shout his challenge to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as they saw him the Israeli army began to run away in fright.
25 "Have you seen the giant?" the soldiers were asking. "He has insulted the entire army of Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? And the king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!"
26 David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his insults to Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this heathen Philistine, anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" 27 And he received the same reply as before.
28 But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking like that, he was angry. "What are you doing around here, anyway?" he demanded. "What about the sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know what a cocky brat you are; you just want to see the battle!"
29 "What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!"
30 And he walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31 When it was finally realized what David meant, someone told King Saul, and the king sent for him.
32 "Don't worry about a thing," David told him. "I'll take care of this Philistine!"
33 "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "How can a kid like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!"
34 But David persisted. "When I am taking care of my father's sheep," he said, "and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!"
Saul finally consented, "All right, go ahead," he said, "and may the Lord be with you!"
38-39 Then Saul gave David his own armor-a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can hardly move!" he exclaimed, and took them off again. 40 Then he picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag and, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, started across to Goliath. 41-42 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield-bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this nice little red-cheeked boy!
43 "Am I a dog," he roared at David, "that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 "Come over here and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals," Goliath yelled.
45 David shouted in reply, "You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the armies of heaven and of Israel-the very God whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head; and then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And Israel will learn that the Lord does not depend on weapons to fulfill his plans-he works without regard to human means! He will give you to us!"
48-49 As Goliath approached, David ran out to meet him and, reaching into his shepherd's bag, took out a stone, hurled it from his sling, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and the man fell on his face to the ground. 50-51 So David conquered the Philistine giant with a sling and a stone. Since he had no sword, he ran over and pulled Goliath's from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
52 Then the Israelis gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road to Shaaraim. 53 Then the Israeli army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp.
54 (Later David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but stored his armor in his tent.)
55 As Saul was watching David go out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the general of his army, "Abner, what sort of family does this young fellow come from?"
"I really don't know," Abner said.
56 "Well, find out!" the king told him.
57 After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand.
58 "Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said.
And David replied, "His name is Jesse and we live in Bethlehem."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,134
3,3,5,263
4,4,7,375
5,5,9,522
6,6,11,639
7,7,13,723
8,8,15,893
9,9,17,1081
10,10,19,1192
11,11,21,1292
12,12,23,1381
13,13,25,1518
14,14,27,1650
15,15,29,1722
16,16,31,1825
17,17,33,1934
18,18,35,2063
19,19,37,2228
20,20,39,2334
21,21,41,2561
22,22,43,2654
23,23,45,2768
24,24,47,2925
25,25,49,3006
26,26,51,3258
27,27,53,3525
28,28,55,3613
29,29,57,3907
30,30,59,3976
31,31,61,4085
32,32,63,4153
33,33,65,4267
34,34,67,4419
35,35,69,4563
36,36,71,4711
37,37,73,4880
38,38,75,5024
39,39,77,5127
40,40,79,5339
41,41,81,5514
42,42,83,5634
43,43,85,5761
44,44,87,5878
45,45,89,5982
46,46,91,6176
47,47,93,6420
48,48,95,6577
49,49,97,6651
50,50,99,6828
51,51,101,6968
52,52,103,7170
53,53,105,7390
54,54,107,7474
55,55,109,7563
56,56,111,7760
57,57,113,7810
58,58,115,7927
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,277
8,10,5,686
11,16,7,1077
17,18,9,1652
19,19,11,1886
20,24,13,1955
25,25,15,2585
26,27,17,2893
28,28,19,3207
29,29,21,3481
30,31,23,3558
32,32,25,3759
33,33,27,3847
34,37,29,4010
38,42,32,4619
43,44,34,5196
45,47,36,5410
48,51,38,5969
52,53,40,6484
54,54,42,6793
55,55,44,6881
56,56,47,7080
57,57,49,7123
58,58,51,7233
OUTLOOK 1SAMU 17:26
What a difference outlook or perspective can make! Saul saw only a giant and a young boy. David, however, saw a mortal man defying almighty God. He knew he would not be alone when he faced Goliath; God would fight with him. He looked at his situation from God's point of view. Viewing impossible situations from God's point of view helps us put giant problems in perspective.
1SAMU018
1 When David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan felt very close to David. He loved David as much as he loved himself.
2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him go home to his father's house.
3 Jonathan made an agreement with David, because he loved David as much as himself.
4 He took off his coat and gave it to David, along with his armor, including his sword, bow, and belt.
5 Saul sent David to fight in different battles, and David was very successful. Then Saul put David over the soldiers, which pleased Saul's officers and all the other people.
6 After David had killed the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced, and played tambourines and stringed instruments.
7 As they played, they sang, "Saul has killed thousands of his enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands."
8 The women's song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, "The women say David has killed tens of thousands, but they say I have killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!"
9 So Saul watched David closely from then on, because he was jealous.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in his house. David was playing the harp as he usually did, but Saul had a spear in his hand.
11 He threw the spear, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David escaped from him twice.
12 The LORD was with David but had left Saul. So Saul was afraid of David.
13 He sent David away and made him commander of a thousand soldiers. So David led them in battle.
14 He had great success in everything he did because the LORD was with him.
15 When Saul saw that David was very successful, he feared David even more.
16 But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David because he led them well in battle.
17 Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will let you marry her. All I ask is that you remain brave and fight the LORD' s battles." Saul thought, "I won't have to kill David. The Philistines will do that."
18 But David answered Saul, saying, "Who am I? My family is not important enough for me to become the king's son-in-law."
19 So, when the time came for Saul's daughter Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel of Meholah.
20 Now Saul's other daughter, Michal, loved David. When they told Saul, he was pleased.
21 He thought, "I will let her marry David. Then she will be a trap for him, and the Philistines will defeat him." So Saul said to David a second time, "You may become my son-in-law."
22 And Saul ordered his servants to talk with David in private and say, "Look, the king likes you. His servants love you. You should be his son-in-law."
23 Saul's servants said these words to David, but David answered, "Do you think it is easy to become the king's son-in-law? I am poor and unimportant."
24 When Saul's servants told him what David had said,
25 Saul said, "Tell David, `The king doesn't want money for the bride. All he wants is a hundred Philistine foreskins to get even with his enemies.' "Saul planned to let the Philistines kill David.
26 When Saul's servants told this to David, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law.
27 So he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought all their foreskins to Saul so he could be the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife.
28 Saul saw that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David.
29 So he grew even more afraid of David, and he was David's enemy all his life.
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites, but every time, David was more skillful than Saul's officers. So he became famous.
1 After King Saul had finished his conversation with David, David met Jonathan, the king's son, and there was an immediate bond of love between them. Jonathan swore to be his blood brother, 4 and sealed the pact by giving him his robe, sword, bow, and belt.
King Saul now kept David with him and wouldn't let him return home anymore. 5 He was Saul's special assistant, and he always carried out his assignments successfully. So Saul made him commander of his troops, an appointment that was applauded by the army and general public alike. 6 But something had happened when the victorious Israeli army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and were singing and dancing for joy with tambourines and cymbals.
7 However, this was their song: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands!"
8 Of course Saul was very angry. "What's this?" he said to himself. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!"
9 So from that time on King Saul kept a jealous watch on David. 10 The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to soothe him by playing the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who was fiddling with his spear, 11-12 suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too, for Saul was afraid of him and jealous because the Lord had left him and was now with David. 13 Finally Saul banned him from his presence and demoted him to the rank of captain. But the controversy put David more than ever in the public eye.
14 David continued to succeed in everything he undertook, for the Lord was with him. 15-16 When King Saul saw this, he became even more afraid of him; but all Israel and Judah loved him, for he was as one of them.
17 One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real soldier by fighting the Lord's battles." For Saul thought to himself, "I'll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself."
18 "Who am I that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!"
19 But when the time arrived for the wedding, Saul married her to Adriel, a man from Meholath, instead. 20 In the meantime Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.
21 "Here's another opportunity to see him killed by the Philistines!" Saul said to himself. But to David he said, "You can be my son-in-law after all, for I will give you my youngest daughter."
22 Then Saul instructed his men to say confidentially to David that the king really liked him a lot, and that they all loved him and thought he should accept the king's proposition and become his son-in-law.
23 But David replied, "How can a poor man like me from an unknown family find enough dowry to marry the daughter of a king?"
24 When Saul's men reported this back to him, 25 he told them, "Tell David that the only dowry I need is one hundred dead Philistines! Vengeance on my enemies is all I want." But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
26 David was delighted to accept the offer. So, before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented their foreskins to King Saul. So Saul gave Michal to him.
28 When the king realized how much the Lord was with David and how immensely popular he was with all the people, 29 he became even more afraid of him and grew to hate him more with every passing day. 30 Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous throughout the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,125
3,3,5,224
4,4,7,312
5,5,9,419
6,6,11,598
7,7,13,817
8,8,15,934
9,9,17,1154
10,10,19,1228
11,11,21,1402
12,12,23,1503
13,13,25,1582
14,14,27,1684
15,15,29,1764
16,16,31,1844
17,17,33,1938
18,18,35,2166
19,19,37,2292
20,20,39,2408
21,21,41,2500
22,22,43,2688
23,23,45,2845
24,24,47,3002
25,25,49,3060
26,26,51,3262
27,27,53,3358
28,28,55,3561
29,29,57,3648
30,30,59,3732
1,6,1,1
7,7,4,813
8,8,6,909
9,13,8,1086
14,16,10,1771
17,17,12,1988
18,18,14,2297
19,20,16,2404
21,21,18,2631
22,22,20,2828
23,23,22,3039
24,25,24,3167
26,27,26,3416
28,30,28,3632
FRIENDSHIP 1SAMU 18:1-4
When David and Jonathan met, they became close friends at once. Although Jonathan was probably somewhat older than David, their friendship is one of the deepest and closest recorded in the Bible because they (1)based their friendship on commitment to God, not just each other; (2)let nothing come between them, not even career or family problems; (3)drew closer together when their friendship was tested; and (4)were able to remain friends to the end.
Jonathan, the prince of Israel, later realized that David, and not he, would be king (23:17). But that did not weaken his love for David. Jonathan would much rather lose the throne of Israel than his closest friend.
HUMILITY 1SAMU 18:15-18
While Saul's popularity made him proud and arrogant, David remained humble even when the entire nation praised him. Although David succeeded in almost everything he tried and became famous throughout the land, he refused to use his popular support to his advantage against Saul. Don't allow popularity to twist your perception of your own importance. It's easy to be humble when you're not on center stage, but how will you react to praise and honor?
1SAMU019
1 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan liked David very much.
2 So he warned David, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Watch out in the morning. Hide in a secret place.
3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll let you know what I find out."
4 When Jonathan talked to Saul his father, he said good things about David. Jonathan said, "The king should do no wrong to your servant David since he has done nothing wrong to you. What he has done has helped you greatly.
5 David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine, and the LORD won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He's innocent. There's no reason to kill him!"
6 Saul listened to Jonathan and then made this promise: "As surely as the LORD lives, David won't be put to death."
7 So Jonathan called to David and told him everything that had been said. He brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.
8 When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him.
9 But once again an evil spirit from the LORD rushed upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp.
10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David jumped out of the way. So Saul's spear went into the wall, and David ran away that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, saying, "Tonight you must run for your life. If you don't, you will be dead in the morning."
12 So she let David down out of a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Then Michal took an idol, laid it on the bed, covered it with clothes, and put goats' hair at its head.
14 Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner, but Michal said, "He is sick."
15 Saul sent them back to see David, saying, "Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him."
16 When the messengers entered David's house, they found just an idol on the bed with goats' hair on its head.
17 Saul said to Michal, "Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go so he could run away!" Michal answered Saul, "David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me."
18 After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
19 Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah.
20 So he sent messengers to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there leading them. So the Spirit of God entered Saul's men, and they also prophesied.
21 When Saul heard the news, he sent more messengers, but they also prophesied. Then he sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied.
22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah, to the well at Secu. He asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" The people answered, "In Naioth at Ramah."
23 When Saul went to Naioth at Ramah, the Spirit of God also rushed upon him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah.
24 He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"
1 Saul now urged his aides and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with David, 2 told him what his father was planning. "Tomorrow morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3 I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll talk to him about you; then I'll tell you everything I can find out."
4 The next morning as Jonathan and his father were talking together, he spoke well of David and begged him not to be against David.
"He's never done anything to harm you," Jonathan pleaded. "He has always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill Goliath, and how the Lord brought a great victory to Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you now murder an innocent man? There is no reason for it at all!"
6 Finally Saul agreed and vowed, "As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed."
7 Afterwards Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he took David to Saul and everything was as it had been before. 8 War broke out shortly after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines and slaughtered many of them, and put to flight their entire army.
9-10 But one day as Saul was sitting at home, listening to David playing the harp, suddenly the tormenting spirit from the Lord attacked him. He had his spear in his hand and hurled it at David in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and fled into the night, leaving the spear imbedded in the timber of the wall. 11 Saul sent troops to watch David's house and kill him when he came out in the morning.
"If you don't get away tonight," Michal warned him, "you'll be dead by morning."
12 So she helped him get down to the ground through a window. 13 Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, and covered it with blankets, with its head on a pillow of goat's hair. 14 When the soldiers came to arrest David and take him to Saul, she told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed. 15 Saul said to bring him in his bed, then, so that he could kill him. 16 But when they came to carry him out, they discovered that it was only an idol!
17 "Why have you deceived me and let my enemy escape?" Saul demanded of Michal.
"I had to," Michal replied. "He threatened to kill me if I didn't help him."
18 In that way David got away and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and told him all that Saul had done to him. So Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 19 When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent soldiers to capture him; but when they arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon them and they also began to prophesy. 21 When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other soldiers, but they too prophesied! The same thing happened a third time! 22 Then Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu.
"Where are Samuel and David?" he demanded.
Someone told him they were at Naioth. 23 But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he too began to prophesy! 24 He tore off his clothes and lay naked all day and all night, prophesying with Samuel's prophets. Saul's men were incredulous!
"What!" they exclaimed. "Is Saul a prophet too?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,106
3,3,5,235
4,4,7,388
5,5,9,615
6,6,11,843
7,7,13,963
8,8,15,1102
9,9,17,1221
10,10,19,1375
11,11,21,1534
12,12,23,1754
13,13,25,1829
14,14,27,1940
15,15,29,2023
16,16,31,2120
17,17,33,2235
18,18,35,2424
19,19,37,2594
20,20,39,2647
21,21,41,2846
22,22,43,2994
23,23,45,3142
24,24,47,3288
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,382
6,6,6,878
7,8,8,959
9,11,10,1250
12,16,13,1756
17,17,15,2213
18,24,18,2374
PROTECTION 1SAMU 19:23
Jonathan spoke up for David (19:4); Michal helped him escape (19:11-17); Samuel gave him a place to hide (19:18); and the Spirit of God interrupted Saul's manhunt (19:23). Each of these events protected David from harm or death. They were more than coincidence; God was at work. When you are spared from harm, recognize that God may be protecting you because he has a purpose for you.
Profile: Jonathan ,!page "^johnathan" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1SAMU020
1 Then David ran away from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How did I sin against your father? Why is he trying to kill me?"
2 Jonathan answered, "No! You won't die! See, my father doesn't do anything great or small without first telling me. Why would he keep this from me? It's not true!"
3 But David took an oath, saying, "Your father knows very well that you like me. He says to himself, `Jonathan must not know about it, or he will tell David.' As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I am only a step away from death!"
4 Jonathan said to David, "I'll do anything you want me to do."
5 So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival. I am supposed to eat with the king, but let me hide in the field until the third evening.
6 If your father notices I am gone, tell him, `David begged me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time his family group offers a sacrifice.'
7 If your father says, `Fine,' I am safe. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he wants to hurt me.
8 Jonathan, be loyal to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the LORD. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"
9 Jonathan answered, "No, never! If I learn that my father plans to hurt you, I will warn you!"
10 David asked, "Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?"
11 Then Jonathan said, "Come, let's go out into the field." So the two of them went out into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, "I promise this before the LORD, the God of Israel: At this same time the day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know.
13 But if my father plans to hurt you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the LORD punish me terribly if I don't do this. And may the LORD be with you as he has been with my father.
14 But show me the kindness of the LORD as long as I live so that I may not die.
15 You must never stop showing your kindness to my family, even when the LORD has destroyed all your enemies from the earth."
16 So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, "May the LORD hold David's enemies responsible."
17 And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved himself.
18 Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty, so my father will miss you.
19 On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel.
20 On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target.
21 Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, `The arrows are near you; bring them here,' you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the LORD lives, there is no danger.
22 But if I say to the boy, `Look, the arrows are beyond you,' you must go, because the LORD is sending you away.
23 Remember what we talked about. The LORD is a witness between you and me forever."
24 So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.
25 He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.
26 That day Saul said nothing. He thought, "Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean."
27 But the next day was the second day of the month, and David's place was still empty. So Saul said to Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the feast yesterday or today?"
28 Jonathan answered, "David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem.
29 He said, `Let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now if I am your friend, please let me go to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."
30 Then Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said, "You son of a wicked, worthless woman! I know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you.
31 As long as Jesse's son lives, you will never be king or have a kingdom. Now send for David and bring him to me. He must die!"
32 Jonathan asked his father, "Why should David be killed? What wrong has he done?"
33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father really wanted to kill David.
34 Jonathan was very angry and left the table. That second day of the month he refused to eat. He was ashamed of his father and upset over David.
35 The next morning Jonathan went out to the field to meet David as they had agreed. He had a young boy with him.
36 Jonathan said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." When he ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
37 The boy ran to the place where Jonathan's arrow fell, but Jonathan called, "The arrow is beyond you!"
38 Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to his master.
39 (The boy knew nothing about what this meant; only Jonathan and David knew.)
40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Go back to town."
41 When the boy left, David came out from the south side of the rock. He bowed facedown on the ground before Jonathan three times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace. We have promised by the LORD that we will be friends. We said, `The LORD will be a witness between you and me, and between our descendants always.' "Then David left, and Jonathan went back to town.d the most.
1 David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan.
"What have I done?" he exclaimed. "Why is your father so determined to kill me?"
2 "That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "I'm sure he's not planning any such thing, for he always tells me everything he's going to do, even little things, and I know he wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so."
3 "Of course you don't know about it!" David fumed. "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, `I'll not tell Jonathan-why should I hurt him?' But the truth is that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!"
4 "Tell me what I can do," Jonathan begged.
5 And David replied, "Tomorrow is the beginning of the celebration of the new moon. Always before, I've been with your father for this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. 6 If your father asks where I am, tell him that I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family reunion. 7 If he says, `Fine!' then I'll know that all is well. But if he is angry, then I'll know that he is planning to kill me. 8 Do this for me as my sworn brother. Or else kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father, but don't betray me to him!"
9 "Of course not!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Look, wouldn't I say so if I knew that my father was planning to kill you?"
10 Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not your father is angry?"
11 "Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together.
12 Then Jonathan told David, "I promise by the Lord God of Israel that about this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father about you and let you know at once how he feels about you. 13 If he is angry and wants you killed, then may the Lord kill me if I don't tell you, so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. 14 And remember, you must demonstrate the love and kindness of the Lord not only to me during my own lifetime, 15 but also to my children after the Lord has destroyed all of your enemies."
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the family of David, and David swore to it with a terrible curse against himself and his descendants, should he be unfaithful to his promise. 17 But Jonathan made David swear to it again, this time by his love for him, for he loved him as much as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said, "Yes, they will miss you tomorrow when your place at the table is empty. 19 By the day after tomorrow, everyone will be asking about you, so be at the hideout where you were before, over by the stone pile. 20 I will come out and shoot three arrows in front of the pile as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I'll send a lad to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, `They're on this side,' then you will know that all is well and that there is no trouble. 22 But if I tell him, `Go farther-the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately. 23 And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them."
24-25 So David hid himself in the field.
When the new moon celebration began, the king sat down to eat at his usual place against the wall. Jonathan sat opposite him and Abner was sitting beside Saul, but David's place was empty. 26 Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he supposed that something had happened so that David was ceremonially impure. Yes, surely that must be it! 27 But when his place was still empty the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't David been here for dinner either yesterday or today?"
28-29 "He asked me if he could go to Bethlehem to take part in a family celebration," Jonathan replied. "His brother demanded that he be there, so I told him to go ahead."
30 Saul boiled with rage. "You fool!" he yelled at him. "Do you think I don't know that you want this son of a nobody to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? 31 As long as that fellow is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!"
32 "But what has he done?" Jonathan demanded. "Why should he be put to death?"
33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him; so at last Jonathan realized that his father really meant it when he said David must die. 34 Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David.
35 The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.
36 "Start running," he told the boy, "so that you can find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you. 38 Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. 39 He, of course, didn't understand what Jonathan meant; only Jonathan and David knew. 40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to the city.
41 As soon as he was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the south edge of the field. Both of them were crying as they said good-bye, especially David.
42 At last Jonathan said to David, "Cheer up, for we have entrusted each other and each other's children into God's hands forever." So they parted, David going away and Jonathan returning to the city.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,182
3,3,5,351
4,4,7,594
5,5,9,662
6,6,11,815
7,7,13,988
8,8,15,1099
9,9,17,1273
10,10,19,1373
11,11,21,1453
12,12,23,1561
13,13,25,1794
14,14,27,1995
15,15,29,2080
16,16,31,2210
17,17,33,2317
18,18,35,2440
19,19,37,2560
20,20,39,2662
21,21,41,2769
22,22,43,2961
23,23,45,3079
24,24,47,3168
25,25,49,3261
26,26,51,3398
27,27,53,3508
28,28,55,3694
29,29,57,3765
30,30,59,3997
31,31,61,4215
32,32,63,4348
33,33,65,4436
34,34,67,4564
35,35,69,4714
36,36,71,4832
37,37,73,4948
38,38,75,5057
39,39,77,5177
40,40,79,5260
41,41,81,5342
42,42,83,5565
1,1,1,1
2,2,4,144
3,3,6,380
4,4,8,668
5,8,10,715
9,9,12,1323
10,10,14,1442
11,11,16,1521
12,15,18,1612
16,17,20,2189
18,23,22,2493
24,27,24,3202
28,29,27,3735
30,31,29,3910
32,32,31,4188
33,34,33,4270
35,35,35,4572
36,40,37,4692
41,41,39,5218
42,42,41,5393
1SAMU021
1 David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David, and he asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"
2 David answered him, "The king gave me a special order. He told me, `No one must know what I am sending you to do or what I told you to do.' I told my men where to meet me.
3 Now, what food do you have with you? Give me five loaves of bread or anything you find."
4 The priest said to David, "I don't have any plain bread here, but I do have some holy bread. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women."
5 David answered, "No women have been near us for days. My men always keep themselves holy, even when we do ordinary work. And this is especially true when the work is holy."
6 So the priest gave David the holy bread from the presence of God because there was no other. Each day the holy bread was replaced with hot bread.
7 One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day. He had been held there before the LORD. He was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.
8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword here? The king's business was very important, so I left without my sword or any other weapon."
9 The priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, the one you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the holy vest. If you want it, you may take it. There's no other sword here but that one." David said, "There is no other sword like it. Give it to me."
10 That day David ran away from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 But the servants of Achish said to him, "This is David, the king of the Israelites. He's the man they dance and sing about, saying: `Saul has killed thousands of his enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands.' "
12 David paid attention to these words and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.
13 So he pretended to be crazy in front of Achish and his servants. While he was with them, he acted like a madman and clawed on the doors of the gate and let spit run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He's crazy! Why do you bring him to me?
15 I have enough madmen. I don't need you to bring him here to act like this in front of me! Don't let him in my house!"
1 David went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech, the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him.
"Why are you alone?" he asked. "Why is no one with you?"
2 "The king has sent me on a private matter," David lied. "He told me not to tell anybody why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. 3 Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you can."
4 "We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied, "but there is the holy bread, which I guess you can have if only your young men have not slept with any women for a while."
5 "Rest assured," David replied. "I never let my men run wild when they are on an expedition, and since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more so on this one!"
6 So, since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread-the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
7 (Incidentally, Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there at that time for ceremonial purification.)
8 David asked Ahimelech if he had a spear or sword he could use. "The king's business required such haste, and I left in such a rush that I came away without a weapon!" David explained.
9 "Well," the priest replied, "I have the sword of Goliath, the Philistine-the fellow you killed in the valley of Elah. It is wrapped in a cloth in the clothes closet. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here."
"Just the thing!" David replied. "Give it to me!"
10 Then David hurried on, for he was fearful of Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 But Achish's officers weren't happy about his being there. "Isn't he the top leader of Israel?" they asked.
"Isn't he the one the people honor at their dances, singing, `Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands'?"
12 David heard these comments and was afraid of what King Achish might do to him, 13 so he pretended to be insane! He scratched on doors and let his spittle flow down his beard, 14-15 until finally King Achish said to his men, "Must you bring me a madman? We already have enough of them around here! Should such a fellow as this be my guest?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,158
3,3,5,336
4,4,7,431
5,5,9,591
6,6,11,770
7,7,13,922
8,8,15,1078
9,9,17,1232
10,10,19,1533
11,11,21,1607
12,12,23,1832
13,13,25,1924
14,14,27,2112
15,15,29,2206
1,1,1,1
2,3,4,160
4,4,6,396
5,5,8,580
6,6,10,758
7,7,12,973
8,8,14,1087
9,9,16,1276
10,11,19,1557
12,15,22,1881
LYING 1SAMU 21:2
David lied to protect himself from Saul (21:10). Some excuse this lie because a war was going on and it is the duty of a good soldier to deceive the enemy. But nowhere is David's lie condoned. In fact, the opposite is true because his lie led to the death of 85 priests (22:9-19). David's small lie seemed harmless enough, but it led to tragedy. The Bible makes it very clear that lying is wrong (Leviticus 19:11). Lying, like every other sin, is serious in God's sight and may lead to all sorts of harmful consequences. All sins must be avoided regard- less of whether or not we can foresee their potential consequences.
1SAMU022
1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and other relatives heard that he was there, they went to see him.
2 Everyone who was in trouble, or who owed money, or who was unsatisfied gathered around David, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and spoke to the king of Moab. He said, "Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God is going to do for me."
4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was hiding in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, "Don't stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 Saul heard that David and his men had been seen. Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, and all his officers were standing around him. He had a spear in his hand.
7 Saul said to them, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards? Will David make you commanders over thousands of men or hundreds of men?
8 You have all made plans against me! No one tells me when my son makes an agreement with the son of Jesse! No one cares about me! No one tells me when my son has encouraged my servant to ambush me this very day!"
9 Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul's officers, said, "I saw the son of Jesse. He came to see Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
10 Ahimelech prayed to the LORD for David and gave him food and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and for all of Ahimelech's relatives who were priests at Nob. And they all came to the king.
12 Saul said to Ahimelech, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." Ahimelech answered, "Yes, master."
13 Saul said, "Why are you and Jesse's son against me? You gave him bread and a sword! You prayed to God for him. David has turned against me and is waiting to attack me even now!"
14 Ahimelech answered, "You have no other servant who is as loyal as David, your own son-in-law and captain of your bodyguards. Everyone in your house respects him.
15 That was not the first time I prayed to God for David. Don't blame me or any of my relatives. I, your servant, know nothing about what is going on."
16 But the king said, "Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die!"
17 Then he told the guards at his side, "Go and kill the priests of the LORD, because they are on David's side. They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me." But the king's officers refused to kill the priests of the LORD.
18 Then the king ordered Doeg, "Go and kill the priests." So Doeg the Edomite went and killed the priests. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen holy vest.
19 He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. With the sword he killed men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
20 But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, who was the son of Ahitub, escaped. He ran away and joined David.
21 He told David that Saul had killed the LORD' s priests.
22 Then David told him, "Doeg the Edomite was there at Nob that day. I knew he would surely tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your father's family.
23 Stay with me. Don't be afraid. The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me. You will be safe with me."
1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam, where his brothers and other relatives soon joined him. 2 Then others began coming-those who were in any kind of trouble, such as being in debt, or merely discontented-until David was the leader of about four hundred men.
3 (Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab to ask permission of the king for his father and mother to live there under royal protection until David knew what God was going to do for him. 4 They stayed in Moab during the entire period when David was living in the cave.)
5 One day the prophet Gad told David to leave the cave and return to the land of Judah. So David went to the forest of Hereth. 6 The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. He was in Gibeah at the time, sitting beneath an oak tree playing with his spear, surrounded by his officers.
7 "Listen here, you men of Benjamin!" Saul exclaimed when he heard the news. "Has David promised you fields and vineyards and commissions in his army? 8 Is that why you are against me? For not one of you has ever told me that my own son is on David's side. You're not even sorry for me. Think of it! My own son-encouraging David to come and kill me!"
9-10 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul's men, spoke up. "When I was at Nob," he said, "I saw David talking to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech consulted the Lord to find out what David should do, and then gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
11-12 King Saul immediately summoned Ahimelech and all his family and all the other priests at Nob. When they arrived Saul shouted at him, "Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!"
"What is it?" quavered Ahimelech.
13 "Why have you and David conspired against me?" Saul demanded. "Why did you give him food and a sword and talk to God for him? Why did you encourage him to revolt against me and to come here and attack me?"
14 "But sir," Ahimelech replied, "is there anyone among all your servants who is as faithful as David your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your own household! 15 This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! It's unfair for you to accuse me and my family in this matter, for we knew nothing of any plot against you."
16 "You shall die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!" the king shouted. 17 He ordered his bodyguards, "Kill these priests, for they are allies and conspirators with David; they knew he was running away from me, but they didn't tell me!"
But the soldiers refused to harm the clergy.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, "You do it."
So Doeg turned on them and killed them, eighty-five priests in all, all wearing their priestly robes. 19 Then he went to Nob, the city of the priests, and killed the priests' families-men, women, children, and babies, and also all the oxen, donkeys, and sheep. 20 Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.
21 When he told him what Saul had done, 22 David exclaimed, "I knew it! When I saw Doeg there, I knew he would tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all of your father's family. 23 Stay here with me, and I'll protect you with my own life. Any harm to you will be over my dead body."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,144
3,3,5,310
4,4,7,499
5,5,9,616
6,6,11,762
7,7,13,956
8,8,15,1153
9,9,17,1371
10,10,19,1518
11,11,21,1633
12,12,23,1791
13,13,25,1886
14,14,27,2071
15,15,29,2240
16,16,31,2396
17,17,33,2472
18,18,35,2710
19,19,37,2886
20,20,39,3035
21,21,41,3142
22,22,43,3205
23,23,45,3375
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,283
5,6,5,551
7,8,7,845
9,10,9,1199
11,12,11,1484
13,13,14,1696
14,15,16,1908
16,17,18,2301
18,20,21,2595
21,23,24,2979
FAITHFULNESS 1SAMU 22:18-19
Why did God allow 85 innocent priests to be killed? Scripture does not give a specific answer to this question, but it gives some insight into the issue. Serving God is not a ticket to guaranteed wealth, success, or health. While God does not promise that good people will never be touched by the evil in this world, we can find comfort in his promise that ultimately all evil will be abolished. Those who have remained faithful through their trials will experience untold blessings in the age to come (Matthew 5:11-12; Revelation 21:1-7; 22:1-21).
1SAMU023
1 Someone told David, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing floors."
2 David asked the LORD, "Should I go and fight these Philistines?" The LORD answered him, "Go. Attack them, and save Keilah."
3 But David's men said to him, "We're afraid here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is."
4 David again asked the LORD, and the LORD answered, "Go down to Keilah. I will help you defeat the Philistines."
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines and took their cattle. David killed many Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.
6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the holy vest with him when he came to David at Keilah.)
7 Someone told Saul that David was now at Keilah. Saul said, "God has handed David over to me! He has trapped himself, because he has entered a town with gates and bars."
8 Saul called all his army together for battle, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.
9 David learned Saul was making evil plans against him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the holy vest."
10 David prayed, "LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me.
11 Will the leaders of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul come down to Keilah, as I heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell me, your servant!" The LORD answered, "Saul will come down."
12 Again David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?" The LORD answered, "They will."
13 So David and his six hundred men left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
14 David stayed in the desert hideouts and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Every day Saul looked for David, but the LORD did not surrender David to him.
15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul was coming to kill him.
16 But Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and strengthened his faith in God.
17 Jonathan told him, "Don't be afraid, because my father won't touch you. You will be king of Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."
18 The two of them made an agreement before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.
19 The people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and told him, "David is hiding in our land. He's at the hideouts of Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon.
20 Now, our king, come down anytime you want. It's our duty to hand David over to you."
21 Saul answered, "The LORD bless you for helping me.
22 Go and learn more about him. Find out where he is staying and who has seen him there. I have heard that he is clever.
23 Find all the hiding places he uses, and come back and tell me everything. Then I'll go with you. If David is in the area, I will track him down among all the families in Judah."
24 So they went back to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon in the desert area south of Jeshimon.
25 Saul and his men went to look for David, but David heard about it and went down to a rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard that, he followed David into the Desert of Maon.
26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul, because Saul and his men were closing in on them.
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking our land!"
28 So Saul stopped chasing David and went to challenge the Philistines. That is why people call this place Rock of Parting.
29 David also left the Desert of Maon and stayed in the hideouts of En Gedi.
1 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah robbing the threshing floors.
2 David asked the Lord, "Shall I go and attack them?"
"Yes, go and save Keilah," the Lord told him.
3 But David's men said, "We're afraid even here in Judah; we certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!"
4 David asked the Lord again, and the Lord again replied, "Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines."
5 They went to Keilah and slaughtered the Philistines and confiscated their cattle, and so the people of Keilah were saved. 6 (Abiathar the priest went to Keilah with David, taking his ephod with him to get answers for David from the Lord.) 7 Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah.
"Good!" he exclaimed. "We've got him now! God has delivered him to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled city!"
8 So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men. 9 But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and to ask the Lord what he should do.
10 "O Lord God of Israel," David said, "I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me to him? And will Saul actually come, as I have heard? O Lord God of Israel, please tell me."
And the Lord said, "He will come."
12 "And will these men of Keilah betray me to Saul?" David persisted.
And the Lord replied, "Yes, they will betray you."
13 So David and his men-about six hundred of them now-left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn't go there after all. 14-15 David now lived in the wilderness caves in the hill country of Ziph. One day near Horesh he received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. Saul hunted him day after day, but the Lord didn't let him find him.
16 (Prince Jonathan now went to find David; he met him at Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God.
17 "Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. "My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware." 18 So the two of them renewed their pact of friendship; and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan returned home.)
19 But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him.
"We know where he is hiding," they said. "He is in the caves of Horesh on Hachilah Hill, down in the southern part of the wilderness. 20 Come on down, sir, and we will catch him for you and your fondest wish will be fulfilled!"
21 "Well, praise the Lord!" Saul said. "At last someone has had pity on me! 22 Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23 Discover his hiding places and then come back and give me a more definite report. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I'll find him if I have to search every inch of the entire land!"
24-25 So the men of Ziph returned home. But when David heard that Saul was on his way to Ziph, he and his men went even further into the wilderness of Maon in the south of the desert. But Saul followed them there. 26 He and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. As Saul and his men began to close in, David tried his best to escape, but it was no use. 27 But just then a message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again, 28 so Saul quit the chase and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time the place where David was camped has been called, "The Rock of Escape." 29 David then went to live in the caves of Engedi.
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GUIDANCE 1SAMU 23:2
David sought the Lord's guidance before he took action, probably through the Urim and Thummim that Abiathar the priest had brought (23:6). He listened to God's directions and then proceeded accordingly. Rather than trying to find God's will after the fact or having to ask God to undo the results of our hasty decisions, we should take time to discern God's will beforehand. We can hear him speak through the counsel of others, through his word, and through the leading of his Spirit in our hearts, as well as through circumstances.
FRIENDS 1SAMU 23:16-18
This may have been the last time David and Jonathan were together. As true friends they were more than just companions who enjoyed each other's company. They encouraged each other's faith in God and trusted each other with their deepest thoughts and closest confidences. These are the marks of true friendship.
As Jonathan prepared to leave David, he not only promised to be David's friend to the end, but he also encouraged David to remember God's faithfulness. As a friend, remember that you have even more to offer than companionship.
1SAMU024
1 After Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."
2 So he took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and began looking for David and his men near the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
3 Saul came to the sheep pens beside the road. A cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were hiding far back in the cave.
4 The men said to David, "Today is the day the LORD spoke of when he said, `I will give your enemy over to you. Do anything you want with him.' " Then David crept up to Saul and quietly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
5 Later David felt guilty because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
6 He said to his men, "May the LORD keep me from doing such a thing to my master! Saul is the LORD' s appointed king. I should not do anything against him, because he is the LORD' s appointed king!"
7 David used these words to stop his men; he did not let them attack Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 When David came out of the cave, he shouted to Saul, "My master and king!" Saul looked back, and David bowed facedown on the ground.
9 He said to Saul, "Why do you listen when people say, `David wants to harm you'?
10 You have seen something with your own eyes today. The LORD put you in my power in the cave. They said I should kill you, but I was merciful. I said, `I won't harm my master, because he is the LORD' s appointed king.'
11 My father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe, but I didn't kill you. Now understand and know I am not planning any evil against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me to kill me.ed king.'
12 May the LORD judge between us, and may he punish you for the wrong you have done to me! But I am not against you.
13 There is an old saying: `Evil things come from evil people.' But I am not against you.
14 Whom is the king of Israel coming out against? Whom are you chasing? It's as if you are chasing a dead dog or a flea.
15 May the LORD be our judge and decide between you and me. May he support me and show that I am right. May he save me from you!"
16 When David finished saying these words, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he cried loudly.
17 He said, "You are a better man than I am. You have been good to me, but I have done wrong to you.
18 You told me what good things you did. The LORD handed me over to you, but you did not kill me.
19 If a person finds his enemy, he doesn't just send him on his way, does he? May the LORD reward you because you were good to me today.
20 I know you will surely be king, and you will rule the kingdom of Israel.
21 Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not kill my descendants and that you won't wipe out my name from my father's family."
22 So David made the promise to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to their hideout.
1 After Saul's return from his battle with the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of Engedi; 2 so he took three thousand special troops and went to search for him among the rocks and wild goats of the desert. 3 At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to go to the bathroom, but as it happened, David and his men were hiding in the cave!
4 "Now's your time!" David's men whispered to him. "Today is the day the Lord was talking about when he said, `I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish'!" Then David crept forward and quietly slit off the bottom of Saul's robe! 5 But then his conscience began bothering him.
6 "I shouldn't have done it," he said to his men. "It is a serious sin to attack God's chosen king in any way."
7-8 These words of David persuaded his men not to kill Saul.
After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, David came out and shouted after him, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.
9-10 Then he shouted to Saul, "Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you have seen it isn't true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, and some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, `I will never harm him-he is the Lord's chosen king.' 11 See what I have in my hand? It is the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn't kill you! Doesn't this convince you that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for my life?
12 "The Lord will decide between us. Perhaps he will kill you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. 13 As that old proverb says, `Wicked is as wicked does,' but despite your wickedness, I'll not touch you. 14 And who is the king of Israel trying to catch, anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a flea? 15 May the Lord judge as to which of us is right and punish whichever one of us is guilty. He is my lawyer and defender, and he will rescue me from your power!"
16 Saul called back, "Is it really you, my son David?" Then he began to cry. 17 And he said to David, "You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. 18 Yes, you have been wonderfully kind to me today, for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you didn't kill me. 19 Who else in all the world would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. 20 And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and Israel shall be yours to rule. 21 Oh, swear to me by the Lord that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!"
22 So David promised, and Saul went home, but David and his men went back to their cave.
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RESPECT 1SAMU 24:5
David had great respect for Saul, even though Saul was trying to kill him. Although Saul was in a state of sin and rebellion against God, David still respected the position he held as God's anointed king. David knew he would one day be king-but he also knew it was not right to strike down the man God had placed on the throne. If David assassinated Saul he would be setting a precedent for his own opponents to remove him some day. Romans 13:1-7 teaches that God has placed the government and its leaders in power. We may not know why, but like David, we are to respect the positions and roles of those to whom God has given authority. There is one exception, however. Because God is our highest authority, we should not allow a leader to force us to violate God's law.
1SAMU025
1 Now Samuel died, and all the Israelites met and had a time of sadness for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah. David moved to the Desert of Maon.
2 A man in Maon who had land at Carmel was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel.
3 His name was Nabal, and he was a descendant of Caleb. His wife was named Abigail. She was wise and beautiful, but Nabal was cruel and mean.
4 While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.
5 So he sent ten young men and told them, "Go to Nabal at Carmel, and greet him for me.
6 Say to Nabal, `May you and your family and all who belong to you have good health!
7 I have heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harm them. All the time your shepherds were at Carmel, we stole nothing from them.
8 Ask your servants, and they will tell you. We come at a happy time, so be kind to my young men. Please give anything you can find for them and for your son David.' "
9 When David's men arrived, they gave the message to Nabal, but Nabal insulted them.
10 He answered them, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many slaves are running away from their masters today!
11 I have bread and water, and I have meat that I killed for my servants who cut the wool. But I won't give it to men I don't know."
12 David's men went back and told him all Nabal had said.
13 Then David said to them, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his also. About four hundred men went with David, but two hundred men stayed with the supplies.
14 One of Nabal's servants said to Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, but Nabal insulted them.
15 These men were very good to us. They did not harm us. They stole nothing from us during all the time we were out in the field with them.
16 Night and day they protected us. They were like a wall around us while we were with them caring for the sheep.
17 Now think about it, and decide what you can do. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family. Nabal is such a wicked man that no one can even talk to him."
18 Abigail hurried. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five cooked sheep, a bushel of cooked grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and put all these on donkeys.
19 Then she told her servants, "Go on. I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband.
20 Abigail rode her donkey and came down toward the mountain hideout. There she met David and his men coming down toward her.
21 David had just said, "It's been useless! I watched over Nabal's property in the desert. I made sure none of his sheep was missing. I did good to him, but he has paid me back with evil.
22 May God punish my enemies even more. I will not leave one of Nabal's men alive until morning."
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed facedown on the ground before him.
24 She fell at David's feet and said, "My master, let the blame be on me! Please let me talk to you. Listen to what I say.
25 My master, don't pay attention to this worthless man Nabal. He is like his name. His name means `fool,' and he is truly a fool. But I, your servant, didn't see the men you sent.
26 The LORD has kept you from killing and punishing anyone. As surely as the LORD lives and as surely as you live, may your enemies become like Nabal!
27 I have brought a gift to you for the men who follow you.
28 Please forgive my wrong. The LORD will certainly let your family have many kings, because you fight his battles. As long as you live, may you do nothing bad.
29 Someone might chase you to kill you, but the LORD your God will keep you alive. He will throw away your enemies' lives as he would throw a stone from a sling.
30 The LORD will keep all his promises of good things for you. He will make you leader over Israel.
31 Then you won't feel guilty or troubled because you killed innocent people and punished them. Please remember me when the LORD brings you success."
32 David answered Abigail, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me.
33 May you be blessed for your wisdom. You have kept me from killing or punishing people today.
34 As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, he has kept me from hurting you. If you hadn't come quickly to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would have lived until morning."
35 Then David accepted Abigail's gifts. He told her, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words, and I will do what you have asked."
36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was in the house, eating like a king. He was very drunk and in a good mood. So she told him nothing until the next morning.
37 In the morning when he was not drunk, his wife told him everything. His heart stopped, and he became like stone.
38 About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the LORD! Nabal insulted me, but the LORD has supported me! He has kept me from doing wrong. The LORD has punished Nabal for his wrong." Then David sent a message to Abigail, asking her to be his wife.
40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David sent us to take you so you can become his wife."
41 Abigail bowed facedown on the ground and said, "I am your servant. I'm ready to serve you and to wash the feet of my master's servants."
42 Abigail quickly got on a donkey and went with David's messengers, with her five maids following her. And she became David's wife.
43 David also had married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So they were both David's wives.
44 Saul's daughter Michal was also David's wife, but Saul had given her to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
1 Shortly afterwards Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral and buried him in his family plot at Ramah.
Meanwhile David went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 A wealthy man from Maon owned a sheep ranch there, near the village of Carmel. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and was at his ranch at this time for the sheepshearing. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife, a beautiful and very intelligent woman, was named Abigail. But the man, who was a descendant of Caleb, was uncouth, churlish, stubborn, and ill-mannered.
4 When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 he sent ten of his young men to Carmel to give him this message: 6 "May God prosper you and your family and multiply everything you own. 7 I am told that you are shearing your sheep and goats. While your shepherds have lived among us, we have never harmed them, nor stolen anything from them the whole time they have been in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men and they will tell you whether or not this is true. Now I have sent my men to ask for a little contribution from you, for we have come at a happy time of holiday. Please give us a present of whatever is at hand."
9 The young men gave David's message to Nabal and waited for his reply.
10 "Who is this fellow David?" he sneered. "Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. 11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a gang who comes from God knows where?"
12 So David's messengers returned and told him what Nabal had said.
13 "Get your swords!" was David's reply as he strapped on his own. Four hundred of them started off with David and two hundred remained behind to guard their gear.
14 Meanwhile, one of Nabal's men went and told Abigail, "David sent men from the wilderness to talk to our master, but he insulted them and railed at them. 15-16 But David's men were very good to us and we never suffered any harm from them; in fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep, and nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. 17 You'd better think fast, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family-he's such a stubborn lout that no one can even talk to him!"
18 Then Abigail hurriedly took two hundred loaves of bread, two barrels of wine, five dressed sheep, two bushels of roasted grain, one hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and packed them onto donkeys.
19 "Go on ahead," she said to her young men, "and I will follow." But she didn't tell her husband what she was doing. 20 As she was riding down the trail on her donkey, she met David coming toward her.
21 David had been saying to himself, "A lot of good it did us to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness so that not one thing was lost or stolen, but he has repaid me bad for good. All that I get for my trouble is insults. 22 May God curse me if even one of his men remains alive by tomorrow morning!"
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted and bowed low before him.
24 "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord," she said. "Please listen to what I want to say. 25 Nabal is a bad-tempered boor, but please don't pay any attention to what he said. He is a fool-just like his name means. But I didn't see the messengers you sent. 26 Sir, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, I pray by the life of God, and by your own life too, that all your enemies shall be as cursed as Nabal is. 27 And now, here is a present I have brought to you and your young men. 28 Forgive me for my boldness in coming out here. The Lord will surely reward you with eternal royalty for your descendants, for you are fighting his battles; and you will never do wrong throughout your entire life. 29 Even when you are chased by those who seek your life, you are safe in the care of the Lord your God, just as though you were safe inside his purse! But the lives of your enemies shall disappear like stones from a sling! 30-31 When the Lord has done all the good things he promised you and has made you king of Israel, you won't want the conscience of a murderer who took the law into his own hands! And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me!"
32 David replied to Abigail, "Bless the Lord God of Israel who has sent you to meet me today! 33 Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murdering the man and carrying out vengeance with my own hands. 34 For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not come out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would be alive tomorrow morning."
35 Then David accepted her gifts and told her to return home without fear, for he would not kill her husband. 36 When she arrived home she found that Nabal had thrown a big party. He was roaring drunk, so she didn't tell him anything about her meeting with David until the next morning. 37-38 By that time he was sober, and when his wife told him what had happened, he had a stroke and lay paralyzed for about ten days, then died, for the Lord killed him.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the Lord! God has paid back Nabal and kept me from doing it myself; he has received his punishment for his sin."
Then David wasted no time in sending messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife. 40 When the messengers arrived at Carmel and told her why they had come, 41 she readily agreed to his request. 42 Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her serving girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and followed the men back to David. So she became his wife.
43 David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel. 44 King Saul, meanwhile, had forced David's wife Michal, Saul's daughter, to marry a man from Gallim named Palti (the son of Laish).
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/@2V3
LISTENING 1SAMU 25:24
David was in no mood to listen when he set out for Nabal's ranch (25:13,22). Nevertheless, he stopped to hear what Abigail had to say. If he had ignored her, he would have been guilty of taking vengeance into his own hands. No matter how right we think we are, we must always be careful to stop and listen to what others have to say. The extra time and effort can save us much pain and trouble in the long run.
1SAMU026
1 The people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said to him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon."
2 So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to look for David there.
3 Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he heard Saul had followed him,
4 he sent out spies and learned for certain that Saul had come to Hakilah.
5 Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, were sleeping. Saul was sleeping in the middle of the camp with all the army around him.
6 David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into Saul's camp with me?" Abishai answered, "I'll go with you."
7 So that night David and Abishai went into Saul's camp. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the army were sleeping around Saul.
8 Abishai said to David, "Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me pin Saul to the ground with my spear. I'll only have to do it once. I won't need to hit him twice."
9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't kill Saul! No one can harm the LORD' s appointed king and still be innocent!
10 As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD himself will punish Saul. Maybe Saul will die naturally, or maybe he will go into battle and be killed.
11 But may the LORD keep me from harming his appointed king! Take the spear and water jug that are near Saul's head. Then let's go."
12 So David took the spear and water jug that were near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw them or knew about it or woke up, because the LORD had put them sound asleep.
13 David crossed over to the other side of the hill and stood on top of the mountain far from Saul's camp. They were a long way away from each other.
14 David shouted to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Won't you answer me, Abner?" Abner answered, "Who is calling for the king? Who are you?"
15 David said, "You're the greatest man in Israel. Isn't that true? Why didn't you guard your master the king? Someone came into your camp to kill your master the king!
16 You have not done well. As surely as the LORD lives, you and your men should die. You haven't guarded your master, the LORD' s appointed king. Look! Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?"
17 Saul knew David's voice. He said, "Is that your voice, David my son?" David answered, "Yes, it is, my master and king."
18 David also said, "Why are you chasing me, my master? What wrong have I done? What evil am I guilty of?
19 My master and king, listen to me. If the LORD made you angry with me, let him accept an offering. But if people did it, may the LORD curse them! They have made me leave the land the LORD gave me. They have told me, `Go and serve other gods.'
20 Now don't let me die far away from the LORD' s presence. The king of Israel has come out looking for a flea! You're just hunting a bird in the mountains!"
21 Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Today you respected my life, so I will not try to hurt you. I have been very stupid and foolish."
22 David answered, "Here is your spear. Let one of your young men come here and get it.
23 The LORD rewards us for the things we do right and for our loyalty to him. The LORD handed you over to me today, but I wouldn't harm the LORD' s appointed king.
24 As I respected your life today, may the LORD also respect my life and save me from all trouble."
25 Then Saul said to David, "You are blessed, my son David. You will do great things and succeed." So David went on his way, and Saul went back home.
1 Now the men from Ziph came back to Saul at Gibeah to tell him that David had returned to the wilderness and was hiding on Hachilah Hill. 2 So Saul took his elite corps of three thousand troops and went to hunt him down. 3-4 Saul camped along the road at the edge of the wilderness where David was hiding, but David knew of Saul's arrival and sent out spies to watch his movements.
5-7 David slipped over to Saul's camp one night to look around. King Saul and General Abner were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering soldiers.
"Any volunteers to go down there with me?" David asked Ahimelech (the Hittite) and Abishai (Joab's brother and the son of Zeruiah).
"I'll go with you," Abishai replied. So David and Abishai went to Saul's camp and found him asleep, with his spear in the ground beside his head.
8 "God has put your enemy within your power this time for sure," Abishai whispered to David. "Let me go and put that spear through him. I'll pin him to the earth with it-I'll not need to strike a second time!"
9 "No," David said. "Don't kill him, for who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord's chosen king? 10 Surely God will strike him down some day, or he will die in battle or of old age. 11 But God forbid that I should kill the man he has chosen to be king! But I'll tell you what-we'll take his spear and his jug of water and then get out of here!"
12 So David took the spear and jug of water, and they got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put them sound asleep. 13 They climbed the mountain slope opposite the camp until they were at a safe distance.
14 Then David shouted down to Abner and Saul, "Wake up, Abner!"
"Who is it?" Abner demanded.
15 "Well, Abner, you're a great fellow, aren't you?" David taunted. "Where in all Israel is there anyone as wonderful? So why haven't you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him? 16 This isn't good at all! I swear by the Lord that you ought to die for your carelessness. Where is the king's spear and the jug of water that was beside his head? Look and see!"
17-18 Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that you, my son David?"
And David replied, "Yes, sir, it is. Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime? 19 If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my peace offering. But if this is simply the scheme of a man, then may he be cursed by God. For you have driven me out of my home so that I can't be with the Lord's people, and you have sent me away to worship heathen gods. 20 Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of Jehovah? Why should the king of Israel come out to hunt my life like a partridge on the mountains?"
21 Then Saul confessed, "I have done wrong. Come back home, my son, and I'll no longer try to harm you; for you saved my life today. I have been a fool, and very, very wrong."
22 "Here is your spear, sir," David replied. "Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power. 24 Now may the Lord save my life, even as I have saved yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles."
25 And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son David. You shall do heroic deeds and be a great conqueror."
Then David went away and Saul returned home.
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MORALITY 1SAMU 26:8
The strongest moral decisions are the ones we make before temptation strikes. David was determined to follow God. This carried over into his decision not to murder God's chosen king, Saul, even when David's men and the circumstances seemed to make it possible. Whom would you have been like in such a situation-David or David's men? To be like David and follow God, we must realize that we can't do wrong in order to execute justice. Even when our closest friends counsel us to do a certain action that seems right, we must always put God's commands first.
CREATIVITY 1SAMU 26:15-16
David could have killed Saul and Abner and made a point, but he would have disobeyed God and set into motion unknown consequences. Instead, he took a water jug and sword, showing that he had had the opportunity to do evil but had not done it. David made the point that he had great respect for both God and God's chosen king. When you need to make a point, look for creative, God-honoring ways to do so. It will have a more significant impact.
1SAMU027
1 But David thought to himself, "Saul will catch me someday. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel, and I can get away from him."
2 So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 David, his men, and their families made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him- Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
4 When Saul heard that David had run away to Gath, he stopped looking for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, "If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the country towns where I can live. I don't need to live in the royal city with you."
6 That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.
7 David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months.
8 David and his men raided the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek. (These people had lived for a long time in the land that reached to Shur and Egypt.)
9 When David fought them, he killed all the men and women and took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
10 Achish would ask David, "Where did you go raiding today?" And David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah, or Jerahmeel, or to the land of the Kenites.
11 David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, "If we bring people alive, they may tell Achish, `This is what David really did.' "David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land.
12 So Achish trusted David and said to himself, "David's own people, the Israelites, now hate him very much. He will serve me forever."
1 But David kept thinking to himself, "Someday Saul is going to get me. I'll try my luck among the Philistines until Saul gives up and quits hunting for me; then I will finally be safe again."
2-3 So David took his six hundred men and their families to live at Gath under the protection of King Achish. He had his two wives with him-Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. 4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he quit hunting for him.
5 One day David said to Achish, "My lord, if it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city."
6 So Achish gave him Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months. 8 He and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites-people who had lived near Shur along the road to Egypt ever since ancient times. 9 They didn't leave one person alive in the villages they hit and took for themselves the sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning to their homes.
10 "Where did you make your raid today?" Achish would ask.
And David would reply, "Against the south of Judah and the people of Jerahmeel and the Kenites."
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David and thought that the people of Israel must hate him bitterly by now. "Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!" the king thought.
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1SAMU028
1 Later, the Philistines gathered their armies to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You understand that you and your men must join my army."
2 David answered, "You will see for yourself what I, your servant, can do!" Achish said, "Fine, I'll make you my permanent bodyguard."
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had shown their sadness for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah. And Saul had forced out the mediums and fortune-tellers from the land.
4 The Philistines came together and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa.
5 When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart pounded with fear.
6 He prayed to the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him through dreams, Urim, or prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium so I may go and ask her what will happen." His servants answered, "There is a medium in Endor."
8 Then Saul put on other clothes to disguise himself, and at night he and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, "Talk to a spirit for me. Bring up the person I name."
9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has forced the mediums and fortune-tellers from the land. You are trying to trap me and get me killed."
10 Saul made a promise to the woman in the name of the LORD. He said, "As surely as the LORD lives, you won't be punished for this."
11 The woman asked, "Whom do you want me to bring up?" He answered, "Bring up Samuel."
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, "Why have you tricked me? You are Saul!"
13 The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."
14 Saul asked, "What does he look like?" The woman answered, "An old man wearing a coat is coming up." Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown on the ground.
15 Samuel asked Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul said, "I am greatly troubled. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has left me. He won't answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That's why I called for you. Tell me what to do."
16 Samuel said, "The LORD has left you and has become your enemy. So why do you call on me?
17 He has done what he said he would do- the things he said through me. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David.
18 You did not obey the LORD; you did not show the Amalekites how angry he was with them. That's why he has done this to you today.
19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
20 Saul quickly fell flat on the ground and was afraid of what Samuel had said. He was also very weak because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was really frightened. She said, "Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have risked my life and done what you told me to do.
22 Now please listen to me. Let me give you some food so you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way."
23 But Saul refused, saying, "I won't eat." His servants joined the woman in asking him to eat, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
24 At the house the woman had a fat calf, which she quickly killed. She took some flour and mixed dough with her hands. Then she baked some bread without yeast.
25 She put the food before them, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
1 About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel.
"Come and help us fight," King Achish said to David and his men.
2 "Good," David agreed. "You will soon see what a help we can be to you."
"If you are, you shall be my personal bodyguard for life," Achish told him.
3 (Meanwhile, Samuel had died and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. King Saul had banned all mediums and wizards from the land of Israel.)
4 The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul and the armies of Israel were at Gilboa. 5-6 When Saul saw the vast army of the Philistines, he was frantic with fear and asked the Lord what he should do. But the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by the prophets. 7-8 Saul then instructed his aides to try to find a medium so that he could ask her what to do, and they found one at Endor. Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. He went to the woman's home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
"I've got to talk to a dead man," he pleaded. "Will you bring his spirit up?"
9 "Are you trying to get me killed?" the woman demanded. "You know that Saul has had all of the mediums and fortune-tellers executed. You are spying on me."
10 But Saul took a solemn oath that he wouldn't betray her.
11 Finally the woman said, "Well, whom do you want me to bring up?"
"Bring me Samuel," Saul replied.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, "You've deceived me! You are Saul!"
13 "Don't be frightened!" the king told her. "What do you see?"
"I see a specter coming up out of the earth," she said.
14 "What does he look like?"
"He is an old man wrapped in a robe."
Saul realized that it was Samuel and bowed low before him.
15 "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me back?" Samuel asked Saul.
"Because I am in deep trouble," he replied. "The Philistines are at war with us, and God has left me and won't reply by prophets or dreams; so I have called for you to ask you what to do."
16 But Samuel replied, "Why ask me if the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 17 He has done just as he said he would and has taken the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 All this has come upon you because you did not obey the Lord's instructions when he was so angry with Amalek. 19 What's more, the entire Israeli army will be routed and destroyed by the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me."
20 Saul now fell full length upon the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel's words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day. 21 When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, "Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. 22 Now do what I say, and let me give you something to eat so you'll regain your strength for the trip back."
23 But he refused. The men who were with him added their pleas to that of the woman until he finally yielded and got up and sat on the bed. 24 The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it and kneaded dough and baked unleavened bread. 25 She brought the meal to the king and his men, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night.
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OCCULT 1SAMU 28:3-8
It was Saul who had banned all mediums and wizards from Israel, but in desperation he turned to one for counsel. Although he had removed the sin of witchcraft from the land, he did not remove it from his heart. We may make a great show of denouncing sin, but if our heart does not change, the sins will return. Knowing what is right and condemning what is wrong does not take the place of doing what is right.
DIRECTIONS 1SAMU 28:15
God did not answer Saul's appeals because Saul had not followed God's previous directions. Sometimes people wonder why their prayers are not answered. But if they don't fulfill the responsibilities God has already given them, they should not be surprised when he does not give further guidance.
1SAMU029
1 The Philistines gathered all their soldiers at Aphek. Israel camped by the spring at Jezreel.
2 The Philistine kings were marching with their groups of a hundred and a thousand men. David and his men were marching behind Achish.
3 The Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish told them, "This is David. He served Saul king of Israel, but he has been with me for over a year now. I have found nothing wrong in David since the time he left Saul."
4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, "Send David back to the city you gave him. He cannot go with us into battle. If he does, we'll have an enemy in our own camp. He could please his king by killing our own men.Saul."
5 David is the one the Israelites dance and sing about, saying: `Saul has killed thousands of his enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands.' "
6 So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the LORD lives, you are loyal. I would be pleased to have you serve in my army. Since the day you came to me, I have found no wrong in you. But the other kings don't trust you.
7 Go back in peace. Don't do anything to displease the Philistine kings."
8 David asked, "What wrong have I done? What evil have you found in me from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go fight your enemies, my lord and king?"
9 Achish answered, "I know you are as good as an angel from God. But the Philistine commanders have said, `David must not go with us into battle.'
10 Early in the morning you and your master's servants should leave. Get up as soon as it is light and go."
11 So David and his men got up early in the morning and went back to the country of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1 The Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek, and the Israelis camped at the springs in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine captains were leading out their troops by battalions and companies, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish.
3 But the Philistine commanders demanded, "What are these Israelis doing here?"
And King Achish told them, "This is David, the runaway servant of King Saul of Israel. He's been with me for years, and I've never found one fault in him since he arrived."
4 But the Philistine leaders were angry. "Send them back!" they demanded. "They aren't going into the battle with us-they'll turn against us. Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by turning against us in the battle? 5 This is the same man the women of Israel sang about in their dances: `Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands!' "
6 So Achish finally summoned David and his men.
"I swear by the Lord," he told them, "you are some of the finest men I've ever met, and I think you should go with us, but my commanders say no. 7 Please don't upset them, but go back quietly."
8 "What have I done to deserve this treatment?" David demanded. "Why can't I fight your enemies?"
9 But Achish insisted, "As far as I'm concerned, you're as perfect as an angel of God. But my commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle. 10 Now get up early in the morning and leave as soon as it is light."
11 So David headed back into the land of the Philistines while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.
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1SAMU030
1 On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it.
2 They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away.
3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners.
4 Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.
5 David's two wives had also been taken- Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel.
6 The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the LORD his God.
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the holy vest."
8 Then David asked the LORD, "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?" The LORD answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families."
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed.
10 David and four hundred men kept up the chase. The other two hundred men stayed behind because they were too tired to cross the ravine.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat.
12 And they gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. Then he felt better, because he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.
13 David asked him, "Who is your master? Where do you come from?" He answered, "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my master left me, because I was sick.
14 We had raided the southern area of the Kerethites, the land of Judah, and the southern area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well.
15 David asked him, "Can you lead me to the people who took our families?" He answered, "Yes, if you promise me before God that you won't kill me or give me back to my master. Then I will take you to them."
16 So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating with the things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.
17 David fought them from sunset until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode off on their camels.
18 David got his two wives back and everything the Amalekites had taken.
19 Nothing was missing. David brought back everyone, young and old, sons and daughters. He recovered the valuable things and everything the Amalekites had taken.
20 David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals go in front, saying, "They are David's prize."
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him, who had stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. When he came near, David greeted the men at the ravine.
22 But the evil men and troublemakers among those who followed David said, "Since these two hundred men didn't go with us, we shouldn't give them any of the things we recovered. Just let each man take his wife and children and go."
23 David answered, "No, my brothers. Don't do that after what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us.
24 Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike."
25 David made this an order and rule for Israel, which continues even today.
26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a present for you from the things we took from the LORD' s enemies."
27 David also sent some things to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir,
28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
29 Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites,
30 Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,
31 Hebron, and to the people in all the other places where he and his men had been.
1 Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their city of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided the city and burned it to the ground, 2 carrying off all the women and children. 3 As David and his men looked at the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, 4 they wept until they could weep no more. 5 (David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, were among those who had been captured.) 6 David was seriously worried, for in their bitter grief for their children, his men began talking of killing him. But David took strength from the Lord.
7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the ephod!" So Abiathar brought it.
8 David asked the Lord, "Shall I chase them? Will I catch them?"
And the Lord told him, "Yes, go after them; you will recover everything that was taken from you!"
9-10 So David and his six hundred men set out after the Amalekites. When they reached Besor Brook, two hundred of the men were too exhausted to cross, but the other four hundred kept going. 11-12 Along the way they found an Egyptian youth in a field and brought him to David. He had not had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights, so they gave him part of a fig cake, two clusters of raisins, and some water, and his strength soon returned.
13 "Who are you and where do you come from?" David asked him.
"I am an Egyptian-the servant of an Amalekite," he replied. "My master left me behind three days ago because I was sick. 14 We were on our way back from raiding the Cherethites in the Negeb, and had raided the south of Judah and the land of Caleb, and had burned Ziklag."
15 "Can you tell me where they went?" David asked.
The young man replied, "If you swear by God's name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them."
16 So he led them to the Amalekite encampment. They were spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of loot they had taken from the Philistines and from the men of Judah. 17 David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them all that night and the entire next day until evening. No one escaped except four hundred young men who fled on camels. 18-19 David got back everything they had taken. The men recovered their families and all of their belongings, and David rescued his two wives. 20 His troops rounded up all the flocks and herds and drove them on ahead of them. "These are all yours personally, as your reward!" they told David.
21 When they reached Besor Brook and the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go on, David greeted them joyfully. 22 But some of the ruffians among David's men declared, "They didn't go with us, so they can't have any of the loot. Give them their wives and their children and tell them to be gone."
23 But David said, "No, my brothers! The Lord has kept us safe and helped us defeat the enemy. 24 Do you think that anyone will listen to you when you talk like this? We share and share alike-those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment."
25 From then on David made this a law for all of Israel, and it is still followed.
26 When he arrived at Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to the elders of Judah. "Here is a present for you, taken from the Lord's enemies," he wrote them. 27-31 The gifts were sent to the elders in the following cities where David and his men had been: Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites, Hormah, Borashan, Athach, Hebron.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,167
3,3,5,289
4,4,7,436
5,5,9,520
6,6,11,628
7,7,13,848
8,8,15,915
9,9,17,1118
10,10,19,1219
11,11,21,1361
12,12,23,1493
13,13,25,1670
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15,15,29,1988
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17,17,33,2405
18,18,35,2559
19,19,37,2636
20,20,39,2802
21,21,41,2924
22,22,43,3153
23,23,45,3389
24,24,47,3538
25,25,49,3707
26,26,51,3788
27,27,53,4010
28,28,55,4117
29,29,57,4151
30,30,59,4214
31,31,61,4248
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,582
8,8,5,670
9,12,8,837
13,14,10,1293
15,15,13,1631
16,20,16,1825
21,22,18,2529
23,24,20,2840
25,25,22,3094
26,31,24,3180
KINDNESS 1SAMU 30:11-15
The Amalekites cruelly left this slave to die, but God used him to help David. David and his men treated the young man kindly, and he returned the kindness by leading them to the enemy, the Amalekites. Treat those you meet with respect and dignity no matter how insignificant they may seem. You never know how God might use them to help you or haunt you, depending on your response to them.
1SAMU031
1 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and MALKI-SHUA.
3 The fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot him, and he was badly wounded.
4 He said to the officer who carried his armor, "Pull out your sword and kill me. Then those uncircumcised men won't make fun of me and kill me." But Saul's officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.
5 When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword, and he died with Saul.
6 So Saul, his three sons, and the officer who carried his armor died together that day.
7 When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived there.
8 The next day when the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off Saul's head and took off his armor. Then they sent messengers through all the land of the Philistines to tell the news in the temple of their idols and to their people.
10 They put Saul's armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 the brave men of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies.
1 Meanwhile the Philistines had begun the battle against Israel, and the Israelis fled from them and were slaughtered wholesale on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinidab, and Malchishua.
3-4 Then the archers overtook Saul and wounded him badly. He groaned to his armor bearer, "Kill me with your sword before these heathen Philistines capture me and torture me." But his armor bearer was afraid to, so Saul took his own sword and fell upon the point of the blade, and it pierced him through. 5 When his armor bearer saw that he was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul, his armor bearer, his three sons, and his troops died together that same day.
7 When the Israelis on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan heard that their comrades had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities; and the Philistines lived in them.
8 The next day when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor and sent the wonderful news of Saul's death to their idols and to the people throughout their land.
10 His armor was placed in the temple of Ashtaroth, and his body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan.
11 But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done, 12 warriors from that town traveled all night to Beth-shan and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall and brought them to Jabesh, where they cremated them. 13 Then they buried their remains beneath the oak tree at Jabesh and fasted for seven days.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,244
4,4,7,334
5,5,9,587
6,6,11,692
7,7,13,785
8,8,15,1050
9,9,17,1208
10,10,19,1396
11,11,21,1501
12,12,23,1593
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,241
7,7,5,731
8,9,7,945
10,10,9,1232
11,13,11,1339
CHARACTER 1SAMU 31:3-4
Saul was tall, handsome, strong, rich, and powerful. But all of this was not enough to make him someone we should copy. He was tall physically, but he was small in God's eyes. He was handsome, but his sin made him ugly. He was strong, but his lack of faith made him weak. He was rich, but he was spiritually bankrupt. He could give orders to many, but he couldn't command their respect or allegiance. Saul looked good on the outside, but he was decaying on the inside. Godly character is much more valuable than good looks.
OBEDIENCE 1SAMU 31:13
Saul's death was also the death of an ideal-Israel could no longer believe that having a king like the other nations would solve all their troubles. The real problem was not the form of government, but the sinful king. Saul tried to please God with spurts of religiosity, but real spirituality takes a lifetime of consistent obedience.
Heroic, spiritual lives are built by stacking days of obedience one on top of the other. Like a brick, each obedient act is small in itself, but in time the acts pile up, building a huge wall of strong character-a great defense against temptation. We should strive for consistent obedience each day.
V2SAMU
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
(1) To record the history of David's reign;
(2) to demonstrate effective leadership under God;
(3) to reveal that one person can make a difference;
(4) to show the personal qualities that please God; (5) to depict David as an ideal leader of an imperfect kingdom, and to foreshadow Christ, who will be the ideal leader of a new and perfect kingdom (chapter 7)
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Some have suggested that Nathan's son Zabud may have been the author (1 Kings 4:5). The book also includes the writings of Nathan and Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29).
DATE WRITTEN:
930 B.C.; written soon after David's reign, 1010-970 B.C.
SETTING:
The land of Israel under David's rule
SPECIAL FEATURES:
his book was named after the prophet who anointed David and guided him in godly livingg
Genuine heroes are hard to find-those men and women who excel in their careers in life. They are people we watch carefully and even copy. The problem is that whenever we put them on pedestals, they all seem to fall. Under the magnifying glass of public scrutiny, people's shortcomings and weaknesses become painfully obvious, and we become very disappointed. That's the way it is with any human being. All of us sin and fall . . . all the time. But somehow we expect our heroes to be bigger than life, to be perfect. David was the essence of a hero. Strong, brave, handsome, forceful, and committed. He had reached the top of the world. He was king, his enemies were defeated, and the people loved him. But David was human, too, and at the pinnacle of his success he fell, committing lust, adultery, and murder. With modern heroes, that would be the end of the story-another one bites the dust. But with David, there was more. Recognizing his sin, he turned back to God and led the nation God's way. His comeback complete, he again became a "man after [God's] own heart." Do you need a hero? David would be a good one. Not for his glory and accomplishments-and certainly not for his sin-but for his humble repentance and his determination to do things God's way.
1,10,1,1
1,1,1,1
2SAMU001
1 Now Saul was dead. After David had defeated the Amalekites, he returned to Ziklag and stayed there two days.
2 On the third day a young man from Saul's camp came to Ziklag. To show his sadness, his clothes were torn and he had dirt on his head. He came and bowed facedown on the ground before David.
3 David asked him, "Where did you come from?" The man answered, "I escaped from the Israelite camp."
4 David asked him, "What happened? Please tell me!" The man answered, "The people have run away from the battle, and many of them have fallen and are dead. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also."
5 David asked him, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
6 The young man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul.
7 When he looked back and saw me, he called to me. I answered him, `Here I am!'
8 "Then Saul asked me, `Who are you?' "I told him, `I am an Amalekite.'
9 "Then Saul said to me, `Please come here and kill me. I am badly hurt and am almost dead already.'
10 "So I went over and killed him. He had been hurt so badly I knew he couldn't live. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my master."
11 Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow, and all the men with him did also.
12 They were very sad and cried and did not eat until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the LORD and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle.
13 David asked the young man who brought the report, "Where are you from?" The young man answered, "I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite."
14 David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to kill the LORD' s appointed king?"
15 Then David called one of his men and told him, "Go! Kill the Amalekite!" So the Israelite killed him.
16 David had said to the Amalekite, "You are responsible for your own death. You confessed by saying, `I have killed the LORD' s appointed king.' "
17 David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan,
18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this song. It is called "The Bow," and it is written in the Book of Jashar:
19 "Israel, your leaders have been killed on the hills. How the mighty have fallen in battle!
20 Don't tell it in Gath. Don't announce it in the streets of Ashkelon. If you do, the Philistine women will be happy. The daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.
21 "May there be no dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa, and may their fields produce no grain, because there the mighty warrior's shield was dishonored. Saul's shield will no longer be rubbed with oil.
22 Jonathan's bow did not fail to kill many soldiers. Saul's sword did not fail to wound many strong men.
23 "We loved Saul and Jonathan and enjoyed them while they lived. They are together even in death. They were faster than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
24 "You daughters of Israel, cry for Saul. Saul clothed you with red dresses and put gold decorations on them.
25 "How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan is dead on Gilboa's hills.
26 I cry for you, my brother Jonathan. I enjoyed your friendship so much. Your love to me was wonderful, better than the love of women.
27 "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war are gone."
1 Saul was dead and David had returned to Ziklag after slaughtering the Amalekites. Three days later a man arrived from the Israeli army with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect.
3 "Where do you come from?" David asked.
"From the Israeli army," he replied.
4 "What happened?" David demanded. "Tell me how the battle went."
And the man replied, "Our entire army fled. Thousands of men are dead and wounded on the field, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed."
5 "How do you know they are dead?"
6 "Because I was on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning against his spear with the enemy chariots closing in upon him. 7 When he saw me he cried out for me to come to him.
8 " `Who are you?' he asked.
" `An Amalekite,' I replied.
9 " `Come and put me out of my misery,' he begged, `for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.'
10 "So I killed him, for I knew he couldn't live. Then I took his crown and one of his bracelets to bring to you, my lord."
11 David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord's people, and for the men of Israel who had died that day.
13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, "Where are you from?"
And he replied, "I am an Amalekite."
14 "Why did you kill God's chosen king?" David demanded.
15 Then he said to one of his young men, "Kill him!" So he ran him through with his sword and he died.
16 "You die self-condemned," David said, "for you yourself confessed that you killed God's appointed king."
17-18 Then David composed a dirge for Saul and Jonathan and afterward commanded that it be sung throughout Israel. It is quoted here from the book Heroic Ballads.
19 O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills;
Mighty heroes have fallen.
20 Don't tell the Philistines, lest they rejoice.
Hide it from the cities of Gath and Ashkelon,
Lest the heathen nations laugh in triumph.
21 O Mount Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes.
For there the mighty Saul has died;
He is God's appointed king no more.
22 Both Saul and Jonathan slew their strongest foes,
And did not return from battle empty-handed.
23 How much they were loved, how wonderful they were-
Both Saul and Jonathan!
They were together in life and in death.
They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 But now, O women of Israel, weep for Saul;
He enriched you
With fine clothing and gold ornaments.
25 These mighty heroes have fallen in the midst of the battle.
Jonathan is slain upon the hills.
26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan;
How much I loved you!
And your love for me was deeper
Than the love of women!
27 The mighty ones have fallen,
Stripped of their weapons, and dead.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,116
3,3,5,311
4,4,7,416
5,5,9,618
6,6,11,695
7,7,13,878
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9,9,17,1038
10,10,19,1143
11,11,21,1349
12,12,23,1439
13,13,25,1637
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16,16,31,1980
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18,18,35,2198
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26,26,51,3280
27,27,53,3420
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,264
4,4,6,346
5,5,9,561
6,7,11,599
8,8,13,772
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10,10,17,935
11,12,19,1062
13,13,21,1292
14,14,24,1417
15,15,26,1477
16,16,28,1583
17,18,30,1694
19,19,32,1860
20,20,35,1953
21,21,39,2103
22,22,45,2291
23,23,48,2397
24,24,53,2582
25,25,57,2694
26,26,60,2799
27,27,65,2935
GRIEF 2SAMU 1:1-12
David and his men were visibly shaken over Saul's death: They mourned and wept and fasted all day. This showed their genuine sorrow over the loss of their king, their friend Jonathan, and the other soldiers of Israel who died that day. They were not ashamed to grieve. Today, expressing our emotions is considered by some to be a sign of weakness. Those who wish to appear strong try to hide their grief. But mourning can help us deal with our intense sorrow when a loved one dies.
FORGET 2SAMU 1:16-17
Saul had caused much trouble for David, but when he died, David composed a poem for the king and his son. David had every reason to hate Saul, yet he chose not to. He chose to look at the good Saul had done and to forget the times when Saul had attacked him. It takes courage to lay aside hatred and hurt in order to show respect for another person-especially an enemy.
2SAMU002
1 Later, David prayed to the LORD, saying, "Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to David, "Go." David asked, "Where should I go?" The LORD answered, "To Hebron."
2 So David went up to Hebron with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.
3 David also brought his men and their families, and they all made their homes in the cities of Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and appointed David king over Judah. They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul.
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, "The LORD bless you. You have shown loyalty to your master Saul by burying him.
6 May the LORD now be loyal and true to you. I will also treat you well because you have done this.
7 Now be strong and brave. Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have appointed me their king."
8 Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul's army. Abner took Saul's son ISH-BOSHETH to Mahanaim
9 and made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.
10 Saul's son ISH-BOSHETH was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ruled two years. But the people of Judah followed David.
11 David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the servants of ISH-BOSHETH son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.
13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men also went there and met Abner and ISH-BOSHETH'S men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner's group sat on one side of the pool; Joab's group sat on the other.
14 Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men have a contest here." Joab said, "Yes, let them have a contest,"
15 Then the men got up and were counted- twelve from the people of Benjamin for ISH-BOSHETH son of Saul, and twelve from David's men.
16 Each man grabbed the one opposite him by the head and stabbed him in the side with a knife. So the men fell down together. For that reason, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of Knives.
17 That day there was a terrible battle, and David's men defeated Abner and the Israelites.
18 Zeruiah's three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a deer in the field.
20 Abner looked back and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" Asahel said, "Yes, it is."
21 Then Abner said to Asahel, "Turn to your right or left and catch one of the young men and take his armor." But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, "Stop chasing me! If you don't stop, I'll have to kill you! Then I won't be able to face your brother Joab again!"
23 But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So using the back end of his spear, Abner stabbed Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel died right there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where Asahel's body lay.
24 But Joab and Abishai continued chasing Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the desert near Gibeon.
25 The men of Benjamin came to Abner, and all stood together at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, "Must the sword kill forever? Surely you must know this will only end in sadness! Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers!"
27 Then Joab said, "As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning."
28 Then Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not fight them anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all day, arrived at Mahanaim.
30 After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David's men were missing.
31 But David's men had killed three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner.
32 David's men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up as they reached Hebron.
1 David then asked the Lord, "Shall I move back to Judah?"
And the Lord replied, "Yes."
"Which city shall I go to?"
And the Lord replied, "Hebron."
2 So David and his wives-Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel-3 and his men and their families all moved to Hebron. 4 Then the leaders of Judah came to David and crowned him king of the Judean confederacy.
When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent them this message: "May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial. 6 May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with many demonstrations of his love! And I too will be kind to you because of what you have done. 7 And now I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects, now that Saul is dead. Be like the tribe of Judah who have appointed me as their new king."
8 But Abner, Saul's commander-in-chief, had gone to Mahanaim to crown Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king. 9 His territory included Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, the tribe of Benjamin, and all the rest of Israel. 10-11 Ish-bosheth was forty years old at the time. He reigned in Mahanaim for two years; meanwhile, David was reigning in Hebron and was king of the Judean confederacy for seven and a half years.
12 One day General Abner led some of Ish-bosheth's troops to Gibeon from Mahanaim, 13 and General Joab (the son of Zeruiah) led David's troops out to meet them. They met at the pool of Gibeon, where they sat facing each other on opposite sides of the pool. 14 Then Abner suggested to Joab, "Let's watch some sword play between our young men!"
Joab agreed, 15 so twelve men were chosen from each side to fight in mortal combat. 16 Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other's side, so that all of them died. The place has been known ever since as Sword Field.
17 The two armies then began to fight each other, and by the end of the day Abner and the men of Israel had been defeated by Joab and the forces of David. 18 Joab's brothers, Abishai and Asahel, were also in the battle. Asahel could run like a deer, 19 and he began chasing Abner. He wouldn't stop for anything, but kept on, single-minded, after Abner alone.
20 When Abner looked behind and saw him coming, he called out to him, "Is that you, Asahel?"
"Yes," he called back, "it is."
21 "Go after someone else!" Abner warned. But Asahel refused and kept on coming.
22 Again Abner shouted to him, "Get away from here. I could never face your brother Joab if I have to kill you!"
23 But he refused to turn away, so Abner pierced him through the belly with the butt end of his spear. It went right through his body and came out his back. He stumbled to the ground and died there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where he lay.
24 Now Joab and Abishai set out after Abner. The sun was just going down as they arrived at Ammah Hill near Giah, along the road into the Gibeon Desert. 25 Abner's troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill, 26 and Abner shouted down to Joab, "Must our swords continue to kill each other forever? How long will it be before you call off your people from chasing their brothers?"
27 Joab shouted back, "I swear by God that even if you hadn't spoken, we would all have gone home tomorrow morning." 28 Then he blew his trumpet and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.
29 That night Abner and his men retreated across the Jordan Valley, crossed the river, and traveled all the next morning until they arrived at Mahanaim. 30 Joab and the men who were with him returned home, too, and when he counted his casualties, he learned that only nineteen men were missing, in addition to Asahel. 31 But three hundred and sixty of Abner's men (all from the tribe of Benjamin) were dead. 32 Joab and his men took Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him beside his father; then they traveled all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.
1,1,1,1
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3,3,5,311
4,4,7,419
5,5,9,562
6,6,11,719
7,7,13,823
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9,9,17,1038
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21,21,41,2446
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23,23,45,2750
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26,26,51,3259
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29,29,57,3675
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31,31,61,3966
32,32,63,4057
1,1,1,1
2,7,6,155
8,11,9,876
12,16,11,1287
17,19,14,1885
20,20,16,2247
21,21,19,2376
22,22,21,2460
23,23,23,2576
24,26,25,2841
27,28,27,3253
29,32,29,3451
STUBBORN 2SAMU 2:21-23
Abner repeatedly warned Asahel to turn back or risk losing his life, but Asahel refused to turn from his self-imposed duty. Persistence is a good trait if it is for a worthy cause. But if the goal is only personal honor or gain, persistence may be no more than stubbornness. Asahel's stubbornness not only cost his life, but also spurred unfortunate disunity in David's army for years to come (3:26-27; 1 Kings 2:28-35). Before you decide to pursue a goal, make sure it is worthy of your devotion.
2SAMU003
1 There was a long war between the people who supported Saul's family and those who supported David's family. The supporters of David's family became stronger and stronger, but the supporters of Saul's family became weaker and weaker.
2 Sons were born to David at Hebron. The first was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel.
3 The second son was Kileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third son was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur.
4 The fourth son was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital.
5 The sixth son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David's wife. These sons were born to David at Hebron.
6 During the war between the supporters of Saul's family and the supporters of David's family, Abner made himself a main leader among the supporters of Saul.
7 Saul once had a slave woman named Rizpah, who was the daughter of Aiah. ISH-BOSHETH said to Abner, "Why did you have sexual relations with my father's slave woman?"
8 Abner was very angry because of what ISH-BOSHETH said, and he replied, "I have been loyal to Saul and his family and friends! I didn't hand you over to David. I am not a traitor working for Judah! But now you are saying I did something wrong with this woman!
9 May God help me if I don't join David! I will make sure that what the LORD promised does happen!
10 I will take the kingdom from the family of Saul and make David king of Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba!"
11 ISH-BOSHETH couldn't say anything to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to ask David, "Who is going to rule the land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you unite all Israel."
13 David answered, "Good! I will make an agreement with you, but I ask you one thing. I will not meet with you unless you bring Saul's daughter Michal to me."
14 Then David sent messengers to Saul's son ISH-BOSHETH, saying, "Give me my wife Michal. She was promised to me, and I killed a hundred Philistines to get her."
15 So ISH-BOSHETH sent men to take Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.
16 Michal's husband went with her, crying as he followed her to Bahurim. But Abner said to Paltiel, "Go back home." So he went home.
17 Abner sent this message to the older leaders of Israel: "You have been wanting to make David your king.
18 Now do it! The LORD said of David, `Through my servant David, I will save my people Israel from the Philistines and all their enemies.' "
19 Abner also said these things to the people of Benjamin. He then went to Hebron to tell David what the Benjaminites and Israel wanted to do.
20 Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron. There David prepared a feast for them.
21 Abner said to David, "My master and king, I will go and bring all the Israelites to you. Then they will make an agreement with you so you will rule over all Israel as you wanted." So David let Abner go, and he left in peace.
22 Just then Joab and David's men came from a battle, bringing many valuable things they had taken from the enemy. David had let Abner leave in peace, so he was not with David at Hebron.
23 When Joab and all his army arrived at Hebron, the army said to Joab, "Abner son of Ner came to King David, and David let him leave in peace."
24 Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he's gone.
25 You know Abner son of Ner! He came to trick you! He came to learn about everything you are doing!"
26 After Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know this.
27 When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway. He acted as though he wanted to talk with Abner in private, but Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and Abner died. Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel, so Joab killed Abner to pay him back.
28 Later when David heard the news, he said, "My kingdom and I are innocent forever of the death of Abner son of Ner. The LORD knows this.
29 Joab and his family are responsible for this. May his family always have someone with sores or with a skin disease. May they always have someone who must lean on a crutch. May some of his family be killed in war. May they always have someone without food to eat."
30 (Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people with Joab, "Tear your clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad you are. Cry for Abner." King David himself followed the body of Abner.
32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and David and all the people cried at Abner's grave.
33 King David sang this funeral song for Abner. "Did Abner die like a fool?
34 His hands were not tied. His feet were not in chains. He fell at the hands of evil men." Then all the people cried again for Abner.
35 They came to encourage David to eat while it was still day. But he made a promise, saying, "May God punish me terribly if I eat bread or anything else before the sun sets!"
36 All the people saw what happened, and they agreed with what the king was doing, just as they agreed with everything he did.
37 That day all the people of Judah and Israel understood that David did not order the killing of Abner son of Ner.
38 David said to his officers, "You know that a great man died today in Israel.
39 Even though I am the appointed king, I feel empty. These sons of Zeruiah are too much for me. May the LORD give them the punishment they should have."
1 That was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and of David. David's position now became stronger and stronger, while Saul's dynasty became weaker and weaker.
2 Several sons were born to David while he was at Hebron. The oldest was Amnon, born to his wife Ahinoam. 3 His second son, Chileab, was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. The third was Absalom, born to Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. 4 The fourth was Adonijah, who was born to Haggith. Then Shephatiah was born to Abital, and 5 Ithream was born to Eglah.
6 As the war went on, Abner became a very powerful political leader among the followers of Saul. 7 He took advantage of his position by sleeping with one of Saul's concubines, a girl named Rizpah. But when Ish-bosheth accused Abner of this, 8 Abner was furious.
"Am I a Judean dog to be kicked around like this?" he shouted. "After all I have done for you and for your father by not betraying you to David, is this my reward-to find fault with me about some woman? 9-10 May God curse me if I don't do everything I can to take away the entire kingdom from you, all the way from Dan to Beersheba, and give it to David, just as the Lord predicted."
11 Ish-bosheth made no reply, for he was afraid of Abner.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to David to discuss a deal-to surrender the kingdom of Israel to him in exchange for becoming commander-in-chief of the combined armies of Israel and Judah.
13 "All right," David replied, "but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring me my wife Michal, Saul's daughter." 14 David then sent this message to Ish-bosheth: "Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of one hundred Philistines."
15 So Ish-bosheth took her away from her husband Palti.
16 He followed along behind her as far as Behurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, "Go on home now." So he returned.
17 Meanwhile, Abner consulted with the leaders of Israel and reminded them that for a long time they had wanted David as their king.
18 "Now is the time!" he told them. "For the Lord has said, `It is David by whom I will save my people from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.' "
19 Abner also talked to the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin; then he went to Hebron and reported to David his progress with the people of Israel and Benjamin. 20 Twenty men accompanied him, and David entertained them with a feast.
21 As Abner left, he promised David, "When I get back I will call a convention of all the people of Israel, and they will elect you as their king, as you've so long desired." So David let Abner return in safety.
22 But just after Abner left, Joab and some of David's troops returned from a raid, bringing much loot with them. 23 When Joab was told that Abner had just been there visiting the king and had been sent away in peace, 24-25 he rushed to the king, demanding, "What have you done? What do you mean by letting him get away? You know perfectly well that he came to spy on us and that he plans to return and attack us!"
26 Then Joab sent messengers to catch up with Abner and tell him to come back. They found him at the well of Sirah and he returned with them; but David knew nothing about it. 27 When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the city gate as if to speak with him privately; but then he pulled out a dagger and killed him in revenge for the death of his brother Asahel.
28 When David heard about it he declared, "I vow by the Lord that I and my people are innocent of this crime against Abner. 29 Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May each of his children be victims of cancer, or be lepers, or be sterile, or die of starvation, or be killed by the sword!"
30 So Joab and his brother, Abishai, killed Abner because of the death of their brother, Asahel, at the battle of Gibeon.
31 Then David said to Joab and to all those who were with him, "Go into deep mourning for Abner." And King David accompanied the bier to the cemetery. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king and all the people wept at the graveside.
33-34 "Should Abner have died like a fool?" the king lamented.
"Your hands were not bound,
Your feet were not tied-
You were murdered-
The victim of a wicked plot."
And all the people wept again for him. 35-36 David had refused to eat anything the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to take a bite of supper. But David vowed that he would eat nothing until sundown. This pleased his people, just as everything else he did pleased them! 37 Thus the whole nation, both Judah and Israel, understood from David's actions that he was in no way responsible for Abner's death.
38 And David said to his people, "A great leader and a great man has fallen today in Israel; 39 and even though I am God's chosen king, I can do nothing with these two sons of Zeruiah. May the Lord repay wicked men for their wicked deeds."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,240
3,3,5,341
4,4,7,523
5,5,9,639
6,6,11,751
7,7,13,913
8,8,15,1084
9,9,17,1349
10,10,19,1452
11,11,21,1572
12,12,23,1653
13,13,25,1799
14,14,27,1962
15,15,29,2128
16,16,31,2213
17,17,33,2350
18,18,35,2461
19,19,37,2606
20,20,39,2753
21,21,41,2846
22,22,43,3078
23,23,45,3269
24,24,47,3418
25,25,49,3536
26,26,51,3642
27,27,53,3783
28,28,55,4049
29,29,57,4192
30,30,59,4463
31,31,61,4583
32,32,63,4777
33,33,65,4866
34,34,67,4946
35,35,69,5085
36,36,71,5265
37,37,73,5396
38,38,75,5516
39,39,77,5600
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,185
6,10,5,571
11,11,8,1221
12,12,10,1282
13,14,12,1472
15,15,14,1734
16,16,16,1793
17,17,18,1922
18,18,20,2058
19,20,21,2220
21,21,23,2455
22,25,25,2670
26,27,27,3088
28,29,29,3466
30,30,31,3763
31,32,33,3888
33,37,35,4129
38,39,42,4728
BACKBONE 2SAMU 3:7
Ish-bosheth was right to speak out against Abner's behavior, but he didn't have the moral strength to maintain his authority (3:11). Lack of moral backbone became the root of Israel's troubles over the next four centuries. Only four of the next forty kings of Israel were called good. It takes courage and strength to stand firm in your convictions and to confront wrongdoing in the face of opposition. When you believe something is wrong, do not let yourself be talked out of your position. Firmly attack the wrong and uphold the right.
Profile: Absalom ,!page "^absalom" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2SAMU004
1 When ISH-BOSHETH son of Saul heard that Abner had died at Hebron, he was shocked and all Israel became frightened.
2 Two men who were captains in Saul's army came to ISH-BOSHETH. One was named Baanah, and the other was named Recab. They were the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, who was a Benjaminite. (The town Beeroth belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.
3 The people of Beeroth ran away to Gittaim, and they still live there as foreigners today.)
4 (Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan were dead. Mephibosheth's nurse had picked him up and run away. But as she hurried to leave, she dropped him, and now he was lame.)
5 Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, went to ISH-BOSHETH'S house in the afternoon while he was taking a nap.
6 They went into the middle of the house as if to get some wheat. ISH-BOSHETH was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Then Recab and Baanah stabbed him in the stomach, killed him, cut off his head, and took it with them. They escaped and traveled all night through the Jordan Valley.
7 [see verse 6]
8 When they arrived at Hebron, they gave his head to David and said to the king, "Here is the head of ISH-BOSHETH son of Saul, your enemy. He tried to kill you! Today the LORD has paid back Saul and his family for what they did to you!"
9 David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, "As surely as the LORD lives, he has saved me from all trouble!
10 Once a man thought he was bringing me good news. When he told me, `Saul is dead!' I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!
11 So even more I must put you evil men to death because you have killed an innocent man on his own bed in his own house!"
12 So David commanded his men to kill Recab and Baanah. They cut off the hands and feet of Recab and Baanah and hung them over the pool of Hebron. Then they took ISH-BOSHETH'S head and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.
1 When King Ish-bosheth heard about Abner's death at Hebron, he was paralyzed with fear, and his people too were badly frightened. 2-3 The command of the Israeli troops then fell to two brothers, Baanah and Rechab, who were captains of King Ish-bosheth's raiding bands. They were the sons of Rimmon, who was from Beeroth in Benjamin. (People from Beeroth are counted as Benjaminites even though they fled to Gittaim, where they now live.)
4 (There was a little lame grandson of King Saul's named Mephibosheth, who was the son of Prince Jonathan. He was five years old at the time Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When the news of the outcome of the battle reached the capital, the child's nurse grabbed him and fled, but she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became lame.)
5 Rechab and Baanah arrived at King Ish-bosheth's home one noon as he was taking a nap. 6-7 They walked into the kitchen as though to get a sack of wheat, but then sneaked into his bedroom and murdered him and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they fled across the desert that night and escaped. 8 They presented the head to David at Hebron.
"Look!" they exclaimed. "Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the Lord has given you revenge upon Saul and upon his entire family!"
9 But David replied, "I swear by the Lord who saved me from my enemies, 10 that when someone told me, `Saul is dead,' thinking he was bringing me good news, I killed him; that is how I rewarded him for his `glad tidings.' 11 And how much more shall I do to wicked men who kill a good man in his own house and on his bed! Shall I not demand your lives?"
12 So David ordered his young men to kill them, and they did. They cut off their hands and feet and hanged their bodies beside the pool in Hebron. And they took Ish-bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's tomb in Hebron.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,122
3,3,5,360
4,4,7,457
5,5,9,754
6,6,11,879
7,7,13,1164
8,8,15,1184
9,9,17,1425
10,10,19,1571
11,11,21,1744
12,12,23,1871
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,443
5,8,5,817
9,11,8,1358
12,12,10,1714
BE BOLD! 2SAMU 4:1
Ish-bosheth was a man who took his courage from another man (Abner) rather than from God. When Abner deserted him, Ish-bosheth was left with nothing. In crisis and under pressure, he collapsed in fear. Fear can paralyze us, but faith and trust in God can overcome fear (2 Timothy 1:6-8; Hebrews 13:6). If we trust in God, we will be free to respond boldly to the events around us.
2SAMU005
1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said to him, "Look, we are your own family.
2 Even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel in battle. The LORD said to you, `You will be a shepherd for my people Israel. You will be their leader.' "
3 So all the older leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron, and he made an agreement with them in Hebron in the presence of the LORD. Then they poured oil on David to make him king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled forty years.
5 He was king over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months, and he was king over all Israel and Judah in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
6 When the king and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who lived there, the Jebusites said to David, "You can't get inside our city. Even the blind and the crippled can stop you." They thought David could not enter their city.
7 But David did take the city of Jerusalem with its strong walls, and it became the City of David.
8 That day David said to his men, "To defeat the Jebusites you must go through the water tunnel. Then you can reach those `crippled' and `blind' enemies. This is why people say, `The blind and the crippled may not enter the palace.' "
9 So David lived in the strong, walled city and called it the City of David. David built more buildings around it, beginning where the land was filled in. He also built more buildings inside the city.
10 He became stronger and stronger, because the LORD God ALL-POWERFUL was with him.
11 Hiram king of the city of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonecutters. They built a palace for David.
12 Then David knew that the LORD really had made him king of Israel and that the LORD had made his kingdom great because the LORD loved his people Israel.
13 After he came from Hebron, David took for himself more slave women and wives in Jerusalem. More sons and daughters were born to David.
14 These are the names of the sons born to David in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been made king over Israel, all the Philistines went to look for him. But when David heard the news, he went down to the stronghold.
18 The Philistines came and camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
19 David asked the LORD, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD said to David, "Go! I will certainly hand them over to you."
20 So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines there. David said, "Like a flood of water, the LORD has broken through my enemies in front of me." So David named the place Baal Perazim.
21 The Philistines left their idols behind at Baal Perazim, so David and his men carried them away.
22 Once again the Philistines came and camped at the Valley of Rephaim.
23 When David prayed to the LORD, he answered, "Don't attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act quickly. I, the LORD, will have gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."
25 So David did what the LORD commanded. He defeated the Philistines and chased them all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
1 Representatives of all the tribes of Israel now came to David at Hebron and gave him their pledge of loyalty.
"We are your blood brothers," they said. 2 "And even when Saul was our king you were our real leader. The Lord has said that you should be the shepherd and leader of his people."
3 So David made a contract before the Lord with the leaders of Israel there at Hebron, and they crowned him king of Israel. 4-5 (He had already been the king of Judah for seven years, since the age of thirty. He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem as king of both Israel and Judah; so he reigned for forty years altogether.)
6 David now led his troops to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebusites who lived there.
"You'll never come in here," they told him. "Even the blind and lame could keep you out!" For they thought they were safe. 7 But David and his troops defeated them and captured the stronghold of Zion, now called the City of David.
8 When the insulting message from the defenders of the city reached David, he told his troops, "Go up through the water tunnel into the city and destroy those `lame' and `blind' Jebusites. How I hate them." (That is the origin of the saying, "Even the blind and the lame could conquer you!")
9 So David made the stronghold of Zion (also called the City of David) his headquarters. Then, beginning at the old Millo section of the city, he built northward toward the present city center. 10 So David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of heaven was with him.
11 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent cedar lumber, carpenters, and masons to build a palace for David. 12 David now realized why the Lord had made him the king and blessed his kingdom so greatly-it was because God wanted to pour out his kindness on Israel, his chosen people.
13 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married additional wives and concubines, and had many sons and daughters. 14-16 These are his children who were born at Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, Eliphelet.
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim.
19 Then David asked the Lord, "Shall I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?"
And the Lord replied, "Yes, go ahead, for I will give them to you."
20 So David went out and fought with them at Baal-perazim and defeated them. "The Lord did it!" he exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood." So he named the place "Bursting." 21 At that time David and his troops confiscated many idols that had been abandoned by the Philistines. 22 But the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim.
23 When David asked the Lord what to do, he replied, "Don't make a frontal attack. Go behind them and come out by the balsam trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the balsam trees, attack! For it will signify that the Lord has prepared the way for you and will destroy them."
25 So David did as the Lord had instructed him and destroyed the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,109
3,3,5,280
4,4,7,485
5,5,9,565
6,6,11,715
7,7,13,961
8,8,15,1064
9,9,17,1303
10,10,19,1508
11,11,21,1596
12,12,23,1744
13,13,25,1903
14,14,27,2045
15,15,29,2146
16,16,31,2185
17,17,33,2225
18,18,35,2407
19,19,37,2472
20,20,39,2637
21,21,41,2841
22,22,43,2945
23,23,45,3021
24,24,47,3183
25,25,49,3345
1,2,1,1
3,5,4,296
6,7,6,631
8,8,9,954
9,10,10,1247
11,12,12,1525
13,16,14,1799
17,18,16,2076
19,19,18,2323
20,22,21,2495
23,24,23,2880
25,25,25,3187
PATIENCE 2SAMU 5:4-5
David did not become king of all Israel until he was 37 years old, although he had been promised the kingship many years earlier (1 Samuel 16:13). During those years, David had to wait patiently for the fulfillment of God's promise. If you feel pressured to achieve instant results and success, remember David's patience. Just as his time of waiting prepared him for his important task, a waiting period may help prepare you by strengthening your spiritual character.
BATTLES 2SAMU 5:19-25
David fought his battles the way God instructed him. In each instance he (1)asked if he should fight or not; (2)followed instructions carefully; and (3)gave God the glory. We can err in our battles by ignoring these steps and instead (1)doing what we want without considering God's will; (2)doing things our way and ignoring advice in the Bible or from other wise people; and (3)taking the glory ourselves or giving it to someone else without acknowledging the help we received from God. All of these responses are sin.
2SAMU006
1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel- thirty thousand of them.
2 Then he and all his people went to Baalah in Judah to bring back the Ark of God. The Ark is called by the Name, the name of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings.
3 They put the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of Abinadab's house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart
4 which had the Ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it.
5 David and all the Israelites were celebrating in the presence of the LORD. They were playing wooden instruments: lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.
6 When David's men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark of God.
7 The LORD was angry with Uzzah and killed him because of what he did. So Uzzah died there beside the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the LORD had killed Uzzah. Now that place is called the Punishment of Uzzah.
9 David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, "How can the Ark of the LORD come to me now?"
10 So David would not move the Ark of the LORD to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of OBED-EDOM, a man from Gath.
11 The Ark of the LORD stayed in OBED-EDOM'S house for three months, and the LORD blessed OBED-EDOM and all his family.
12 The people told David, "The LORD has blessed the family of OBED-EDOM and all that belongs to him, because the Ark of God is there." So David went and brought it up from OBED-EDOM'S house to Jerusalem with joy.
13 When the men carrying the Ark of the LORD had walked six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf.
14 Then David danced with all his might before the LORD. He had on a holy linen vest.
15 David and all the Israelites shouted with joy and blew the trumpets as they brought the Ark of the LORD to the city.
16 As the Ark of the LORD came into the city, Saul's daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw David jumping and dancing in the presence of the LORD, she hated him.
17 David put up a tent for the Ark of the LORD, and then the Israelites put it in its place inside the tent. David offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD.
18 When David finished offering the whole burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL.
19 David gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins to every Issraelite, both men and women. Then all the people went home.
20 David went back to bless the people in his home, but Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, "With what honor the king of Israel acted today! You took off your clothes in front of the servant girls of your officers like one who takes off his clothes without shame!"
21 Then David said to Michal, "I did it in the presence of the LORD. The LORD chose me, not your father or anyone from Saul's family. The LORD appointed me to be over Israel. So I will celebrate in the presence of the LORD.
22 Maybe I will lose even more honor, and maybe I will be brought down in my own opinion, but the girls you talk about will honor me!"
23 And Saul's daughter Michal had no children to the day she died.
1 Then David mobilized thirty thousand special troops and led them to Baal-judah to bring home the Ark of the Lord of heaven who is enthroned above the Guardian Angels. 3 The Ark was placed upon a new cart and taken from the hillside home of Abinadab. It was driven by Abinadab's sons, Uzzah and Ahio. 4 Ahio was walking in front 5 and was followed by David and the other leaders of Israel, who were joyously waving branches of juniper trees and playing every sort of musical instrument before the Lord-lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark. 7 Then the anger of the Lord flared out against Uzzah and he killed him for doing this, so he died there beside the Ark. 8 David was angry at what the Lord had done, and named the spot "The Place of Wrath upon Uzzah" (which it is still called to this day).
9 David was now afraid of the Lord and asked, "How can I ever bring the Ark home?" 10 So he decided against taking it into the City of David, but carried it instead to the home of Obed-edom, who had come from Gath. 11 It remained there for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
12 When David heard this, he brought the Ark to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying it had gone six paces, they stopped and waited so that he could sacrifice an ox and a fat lamb. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might and was wearing priests' clothing.
15 So Israel brought home the Ark of the Lord with much shouting and blowing of trumpets.
16 (But as the procession came into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was filled with contempt for him.)
17 The Ark was placed inside the tent that David had prepared for it; and he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 18 Then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of heaven 19 and gave a present to everyone-men and women alike-of a loaf of bread, some wine, and a cake of raisins. When it was all over, and everyone had gone home, 20 David returned to bless his family.
But Michal came out to meet him and exclaimed in disgust, "How glorious the king of Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the girls along the street like a common pervert!"
21 David retorted, "I was dancing before the Lord who chose me above your father and his family and who appointed me as leader of Israel, the people of the Lord! So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, but I will be respected by the girls of whom you spoke!"
23 So Michal was childless throughout her life.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,291
4,4,7,438
5,5,9,509
6,6,11,677
7,7,13,804
8,8,15,922
9,9,17,1029
10,10,19,1133
11,11,21,1277
12,12,23,1401
13,13,25,1618
14,14,27,1729
15,15,29,1819
16,16,31,1943
17,17,33,2122
18,18,35,2313
19,19,37,2465
20,20,39,2612
21,21,41,2900
22,22,43,3128
23,23,45,3267
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,558
9,11,5,939
12,14,7,1250
15,15,9,1566
16,16,11,1659
17,20,13,1854
21,22,16,2434
23,23,18,2790
2SAMU007
1 King David was living in his palace, and the LORD had given him peace from all his enemies around him.
2 Then David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar wood, but the Ark of God is in a tent!"
3 Nathan said to the king, "Go and do what you really want to do, because the LORD is with you."
4 But that night the LORD spoke his word to Nathan,
5 "Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD says: Will you build a house for me to live in?
6 From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until now I have not lived in a house. I have been moving around all this time with a tent as my home.
7 As I have moved with the Israelites, I have never said to the tribes, whom I commanded to take care of my people Israel, "Why haven't you built me a house of cedar?"'
8 "You must tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD ALL-POWERFUL says: I took you from the pasture and from tending the sheep and made you leader of my people Israel.
9 I have been with you everywhere you have gone and have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great people on the earth.
10 Also I will choose a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so they can live in their own homes. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer bother them as they have in the past
11 when I chose judges for my people Israel. But I will give you peace from all your enemies. I also tell you that I will make your descendants kings of Israel after you.
12 "`When you die and join your ancestors, I will make one of your sons the next king, and I will set up his kingdom.
13 He will build a house for me, and I will let his kingdom rule always.
14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips.
15 I took away my love from Saul, whom I removed before you, but I will never stop loving your son.
16 But your family and your kingdom will continue always before me. Your throne will last forever.' "
17 Nathan told David everything God had said in this vision.
18 Then King David went in and sat in front of the LORD. David said, "Lord GOD, who am I? What is my family? Why did you bring me to this point?
19 But even this is not enough for you, Lord GOD. You have also made promises about my future family. This is not normal, Lord GOD.
20 "What more can I say to you, Lord GOD, since you know me, your servant, so well!
21 You have done this great thing because you said you would and because you wanted to, and you have let me know about it.
22 This is why you are great, Lord GOD! There is no one like you. There is no God except you. We have heard all this ourselves!
23 There is no nation like your people Israel. They are the only people on earth that God chose to be his own. You made your name well known. You did great and wonderful miracles for them. You went ahead of them and forced other nations and their gods out of the land. You freed your people from slavery in Egypt.
24 You made the people of Israel your very own people forever, and, LORD, you are their God.
25 "Now, LORD God, keep the promise forever that you made about my family and me, your servant. Do what you have said.
26 Then you will be honored always, and people will say, `The LORD ALL-POWERFUL is God over Israel!' And the family of your servant David will continue before you.
27 "LORD ALL-POWERFUL, the God of Israel, you have said to me, `I will make your family great.' So I, your servant, am brave enough to pray to you.
28 Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true. And you have promised these good things to me, your servant.
29 Please, bless my family. Let it continue before you always. Lord GOD, you have said so. With your blessing let my family always be blessed."
1 When the Lord finally sent peace upon the land, and Israel was no longer at war with the surrounding nations, 2 David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! Here I am living in this beautiful cedar palace while the Ark of God is out in a tent!"
3 "Go ahead with what you have in mind," Nathan replied, "for the Lord is with you."
4 But that night the Lord said to Nathan, 5 "Tell my servant David not to do it!
6 For I have never lived in a temple. My home has been a tent ever since the time I brought Israel out of Egypt. 7 And I have never once complained to Israel's leaders, the shepherds of my people. Have I ever asked them, `Why haven't you built me a beautiful cedar temple?'
8 "Now go and give this message to David from the Lord of heaven: `I chose you to be the leader of my people Israel when you were a mere shepherd, tending your sheep in the pastureland. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone and have destroyed your enemies. And I will make your name greater yet, so that you will be one of the most famous men in the world! 10-11 I have selected a homeland for my people from which they will never have to move. It will be their own land where the heathen nations won't bother them as they did when the judges ruled my people. There will be no more wars against you; and your descendants shall rule this land for generations to come! 12 For when you die, I will put one of your sons upon your throne, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who shall build me a temple. And I will continue his kingdom into eternity. 14 I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him, 15 but my love and kindness shall not leave him as I took it from Saul, your predecessor. 16 Your family shall rule my kingdom forever.' "
17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said.
18 Then David went into the Tabernacle and sat before the Lord and prayed, "O Lord God, why have you showered your blessings on such an insignificant person as I am? 19 And now, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me an eternal dynasty! Such generosity is far beyond any human standard! O Lord God! 20 What can I say? For you know what I am like! 21 You are doing all these things just because you promised to and because you want to! 22 How great you are, Lord God! We have never heard of any other God like you. And there is no other God. 23 What other nation in all the earth has received such blessings as Israel, your people? For you have rescued your chosen nation in order to bring glory to your name. You have done great miracles to destroy Egypt and its gods. 24 You chose Israel to be your people forever, and you became our God.
25 "And now, Lord God, do as you have promised concerning me and my family. 26 And may you be eternally honored when you have established Israel as your people and have established my dynasty before you. 27 For you have revealed to me, O Lord of heaven, God of Israel, that I am the first of a dynasty which will rule your people forever; that is why I have been bold enough to pray this prayer of acceptance. 28 For you are indeed God, and your words are truth; and you have promised me these good things-29 so do as you have promised! Bless me and my family forever! May our dynasty continue on and on before you; for you, Lord God, have promised it."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,240
4,4,7,341
5,5,9,397
6,6,11,505
7,7,13,666
8,8,15,839
9,9,17,1016
10,10,19,1175
11,11,21,1391
12,12,23,1566
13,13,25,1688
14,14,27,1765
15,15,29,1893
16,16,31,1997
17,17,33,2103
18,18,35,2168
19,19,37,2317
20,20,39,2453
21,21,41,2541
22,22,43,2668
23,23,45,2800
24,24,47,3118
25,25,49,3215
26,26,51,3338
27,27,53,3506
28,28,55,3658
29,29,57,3774
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,247
4,5,5,335
6,7,7,419
8,16,8,694
17,17,9,1805
18,24,11,1883
25,29,13,2742
NO 2SAMU 7:8-16
David's request was good, but God said no. This does not mean that God rejected David. In fact, God was planning to do something even greater in David's life than allowing him the prestige of building the temple. Although God turned down David's request, he promised that David's descendants would rule the kingdom forever. David's earthly dynasty ended four centuries later, but Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of David, was the ultimate fulfillment of this promise (Acts 2:22-36). Christ will reign for eternity-first in his spiritual kingdom, and ultimately on earth in the new Jerusalem (Luke 1:30-33; Revelation 21). Have you prayed with good intentions, only to have God say no? Realize that this is not rejection, but God's way of fulfilling a greater purpose in your life.
Profile: Michal ,!page "^michal" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2SAMU008
1 Later, David defeated the Philistines, conquered them, and took the city of Metheg Ammah.
2 He also defeated the people of Moab. He made them lie on the ground, and then he used a rope to measure them. Those who were measured within two rope lengths were killed, but those who were within the next rope length were allowed to live. So the people of Moab became servants of David and gave him the payment he demanded.`
3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to take control again at the Euphrates River.
4 David captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand men who rode in chariots, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He crippled all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
5 Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand of them.
6 Then David put groups of soldiers in Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David's servants and gave him the payment he demanded. The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
7 David took the shields of gold that had belonged to Hadadezer's officers and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 David also took many things made of bronze from Tebah and Berothai, which had been cities under Hadadezer's control.
9 Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer.
10 So Toi sent his son Joram to greet and congratulate King David for defeating Hadadezer. (Hadadezer had been at war with Toi.) Joram brought items made of silver, gold, and bronze.
11 King David gave them to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had taken from the other nations he had defeated.
12 These nations were Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek. David also gave the LORD what he had taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 David was famous after he returned from defeating eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
14 He put groups of soldiers all over Edom, and all the Edomites became his servants. The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
15 David was king over all Israel, and he did what was fair and right for all his people.
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder.
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Abiathar son of Ahimelech were priests. Seraiah was the royal secretary.
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites. And David's sons were priests.
1 After this David subdued and humbled the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest city. 2 He also devastated the land of Moab. He divided his victims by making them lie down side by side in rows. Two-thirds of each row, as measured with a tape, were butchered, and one-third were spared to become David's servants-they paid him tribute each year.
3 He also destroyed the forces of King Hadadezer (son of Rehob) of Zobah in a battle at the Euphrates River, for Hadadezer had attempted to regain his power. 4 David captured seventeen hundred cavalry and twenty thousand infantry; then he lamed all of the chariot horses except for one hundred teams. 5 He also slaughtered twenty-two thousand Syrians from Damascus when they came to help Hadadezer. 6 David placed several army garrisons in Damascus, and the Syrians became David's subjects and brought him annual tribute money. So the Lord gave him victories wherever he turned. 7 David brought the gold shields to Jerusalem which King Hadadezer's officers had used. 8 He also carried back to Jerusalem a very large amount of bronze from Hadadezer's cities of Betah and Berothai.
9 When King Toi of Hamath heard about David's victory over the army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to congratulate him, for Hadadezer and Toi were enemies. He gave David presents made from silver, gold, and bronze. 11-12 David dedicated all of these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from Syria, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and King Hadadezer.
13 So David became very famous. After his return he destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley, 14 and then placed garrisons throughout Edom, so that the entire nation was forced to pay tribute to Israel-another example of the way the Lord made him victorious wherever he went.
15 David reigned with justice over Israel and was fair to everyone. 16 The general of his army was Joab (son of Zeruiah), and his secretary of state was Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud). 17 Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of Abiathar) were the High Priests, and Seraiah was the king's private secretary. 18 Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was captain of his bodyguard, and David's sons were his assistants.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,429
4,4,7,551
5,5,9,724
6,6,11,837
7,7,13,1021
8,8,15,1131
9,9,17,1254
10,10,19,1336
11,11,21,1523
12,12,23,1648
13,13,25,1803
14,14,27,1910
15,15,29,2048
16,16,31,2142
17,17,33,2242
18,18,35,2346
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,358
9,12,5,1141
13,14,7,1529
15,18,9,1820
2SAMU009
1 David asked, "Is anyone still left in Saul's family? I want to show kindness to that person for Jonathan's sake!"
2 Now there was a servant named Ziba from Saul's family. So David's servants called Ziba to him. King David said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He answered, "Yes, I am your servant."
3 The king asked, "Is anyone left in Saul's family? I want to show God's kindness to that person." Ziba answered the king, "Jonathan has a son still living who is crippled in both feet."
4 The king asked Ziba, "Where is this son?" Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."
5 Then King David had servants bring Jonathan's son from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.
6 Mephilbosheth, Jonathan's son came before David and bowed facedown on the floor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" Mephibosheth said, "I am your servant."
7 David said to him, "Don't be afraid. I will be kind to you for your father Jonathan's sake. I will give you back all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8 Mephibosheth bowed to David again and said, "You are being very kind to me, your servant! And I am no better than a dead dog!"
9 Then King David called Saul's servant Ziba. David said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.
10 You, your sons, and your servants will farm the land and harvest the crops. Then your family will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Ziba said to King David, "I, your servant, will do everything my master, the king, commands me." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as if he were one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. Everyone in Ziba's family became Mephibosheth's servants.
13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table. And he was crippled in both feet.
1 One day David began wondering if any of Saul's family was still living, for he wanted to be kind to them, as he had promised Prince Jonathan. 2 He heard about a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants, and summoned him.
"Are you Ziba?" the king asked.
"Yes, sir, I am," he replied.
3 The king then asked him, "Is anyone left from Saul's family? If so, I want to fulfill a sacred vow by being kind to him."
"Yes," Ziba replied, "Jonathan's lame son is still alive."
4 "Where is he?" the king asked.
"In Lo-debar," Ziba told him. "At the home of Machir."
5-6 So King David sent for Mephibosheth-Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. Mephibosheth arrived in great fear and greeted the king in deep humility, bowing low before him.
7 But David said, "Don't be afraid! I've asked you to come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall live here at the palace!"
8 Mephibosheth fell to the ground before the king. "Should the king show kindness to a dead dog like me?" he exclaimed.
9 Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba. "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family," he said. 10-11 "You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him, to produce food for his family; but he will live here with me."
Ziba, who had fifteen sons and twenty servants, replied, "Sir, I will do all you have commanded."
And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly with King David, as though he were one of his own sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son, Mica. All the household of Ziba became Mephibosheth's servants, 13 but Mephibosheth (who was lame in both feet) moved to Jerusalem to live at the palace.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,301
4,4,7,492
5,5,9,612
6,6,11,720
7,7,13,875
8,8,15,1071
9,9,17,1204
10,10,19,1359
11,11,21,1603
12,12,23,1782
13,13,25,1888
1,2,1,1
3,3,5,302
4,4,8,489
5,6,11,581
7,7,13,757
8,8,15,992
9,13,17,1115
2SAMU010
BALANCE
1 When Nahash king of the Ammonites died, his son Hanun became king after him.
2 David said, "Nahash was loyal to me, so I will be loyal to his son Hanun." So David sent his messengers to comfort Hanun about his father's death. David's officers went to the land of the Ammonites.
3 But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, their master, "Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to comfort you? No! David sent them to study the city and spy it out and capture it!"
4 So Hanun arrested David's officers. To shame them he shaved off half their beards and cut off their clothes at the hips. Then he sent them away.
5 When the people told David, he sent messengers to meet his officers because they were very ashamed. King David said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home."
6 The Ammonites knew that they had insulted David. So they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah. They also hired the king of Maacah with a thousand men and twelve thousand men from Tob.
7 When David heard about this, he sent Joab with the whole army.
8 The Ammonites came out and prepared for battle at the city gate. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah were out in the field by themselves.
9 Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best soldiers of Israel and sent them out to fight the Arameans.
10 Joab put the rest of the army under the command of Abishai, his brother. Then he sent them out to fight the Ammonites.
11 Joab said to Abishai, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. Or, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.
12 Be strong. We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what he thinks is right."
13 Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the Arameans, and the Arameans ran away.
14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running away, they also ran away from Abishai and went back to their city. So Joab returned from the battle with the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15 When the Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them, they came together into one big army.
16 Hadadezer sent messengers to bring the Arameans from east of the Euphrates River, and they went to Helam. Their leader was Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army.
17 When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites together. They crossed over the Jordan River and went to Helam. There the Arameans prepared for battle and attacked him.
18 But the Arameans ran away from the Israelites. David killed seven hundred Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand Aramean horsemen. He also killed Shobach, the commander of the Aramean army.
19 When the kings who served Hadadezer saw that the Israelites had defeated them, they made peace with the Israelites and served them. And the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites again.
1 Some time after this the Ammonite king died and his son Hanun replaced him.
2 "I am going to show special respect for him," David said, "because his father, Nahash, was always so loyal and kind to me." So David sent ambassadors to express regrets to Hanun about his father's death.
3 But Hanun's officers told him, "These men aren't here to honor your father! David has sent them to spy out the city before attacking it!"
4 So Hanun took David's men and shaved off half their beards and cut their robes off at the buttocks and sent them home half naked. 5 When David heard what had happened he told them to stay at Jericho until their beards grew out; for the men were very embarrassed over their appearance.
6 Now the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, so they hired twenty thousand Syrian mercenaries from the lands of Rehob and Zobah, one thousand from the king of Maacah, and ten thousand from the land of Tob. 7-8 When David heard about this, he sent Joab and the entire Israeli army to attack them. The Ammonites defended the gates of their city while the Syrians from Zobah, Rehob, Tob, and Maacah fought in the fields. 9 When Joab realized that he would have to fight on two fronts, he selected the best fighters in his army, placed them under his personal command, and took them out to fight the Syrians in the fields. 10 He left the rest of the army to his brother Abishai, who was to attack the city.
11 "If I need assistance against the Syrians, come out and help me," Joab instructed him. "And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. 12 Courage! We must really act like men today if we are going to save our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord's will be done."
13 And when Joab and his troops attacked, the Syrians began to run away. 14 Then, when the Ammonites saw the Syrians running, they ran too, and retreated into the city. Afterwards Joab returned to Jerusalem. 15-16 The Syrians now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped, they were joined by additional Syrian troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River. These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander-in-chief of all of Hadadezer's forces.
17 When David heard what was happening, he personally led the Israeli army to Helam, where the Syrians attacked him. 18 But again the Syrians fled from the Israelis, this time leaving seven hundred charioteers dead on the field, also forty thousand cavalrymen, including General Shobach. 19 When Hadadezer's allies saw that the Syrians had been defeated, they surrendered to David and became his servants. And the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore after that.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,289
4,4,7,497
5,5,9,648
6,6,11,840
7,7,13,1063
8,8,15,1132
9,9,17,1306
10,10,19,1471
11,11,21,1597
12,12,23,1746
13,13,25,1871
14,14,27,1966
15,15,29,2169
16,16,31,2267
17,17,33,2441
18,18,35,2629
19,19,37,2830
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,82
3,3,5,291
4,5,7,434
6,10,9,724
11,12,11,1458
13,16,13,1761
17,19,15,2287
BALANCE 2SAMU 10:12
There must be a balance between our actions and our faith in God. In this verse, David says, Courage! In other words, do what you can. Plan the battle strategy, use your mind to figure out the best techniques, and use your resources. But he also says, The Lord's will be done. He knew that the outcome was in God's hands. In the same way, we are to use our minds and our resources to obey God, while living by faith and trusting God for the outcome.
2SAMU011
1 In the spring, when the kings normally went out to war, David sent out Joab, his servants, and all the Israelites. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. While he was on the roof, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful.
3 So David sent his servants to find out who she was. A servant answered, "That woman is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite."
4 So David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he had sexual relations with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her monthly period.) Then she went back to her house.
5 But Bathsheba became pregnant and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."
6 So David sent a message to Joab: "Send Uriah the Hittite to me." And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going.
8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go home and rest." So Uriah left the palace, and the king sent a gift to him.
9 But Uriah did not go home. Instead, he slept outside the door of the palace as all the king's officers did.
10 The officers told David, "Uriah did not go home." Then David said to Uriah, "You came from a long trip. Why didn't you go home?"
11 Uriah said to him, "The Ark and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn't right for me to go home to eat and drink and have sexual relations with my wife!"
12 David said to Uriah, "Stay here today. Tomorrow I'll send you back to the battle." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13 Then David called Uriah to come to see him, so Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah again slept with the king's officers.
14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah.
15 In the letter David wrote, "Put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is worst and leave him there alone. Let him be killed in battle."
16 Joab watched the city and saw where its strongest defenders were and put Uriah there.
17 When the men of the city came out to fight against Joab, some of David's men were killed. And Uriah the Hittite was one of them.
18 Then Joab sent David a complete account of the war.
19 Joab told the messenger, "Tell King David what happened in the war.
20 After you finish, the king may be angry and ask, `Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the city wall?
21 Do you remember who killed Abimelech son of JERUB-BESHETH? It was a woman on the city wall. She threw a large stone for grinding grain on Abimelech and killed him there in Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?' If King David asks that, tell him, `Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.' "
22 The messenger left and went to David and told him everything Joab had told him to say.
23 The messenger told David, "The men of Ammon were winning. They came out and attacked us in the field, but we fought them back to the city gate.
24 The archers on the city wall shot at your servants, and some of your men were killed. Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died."
25 David said to the messenger, "Say this to Joab: `Don't be upset about this. The sword kills everyone the same. Make a stronger attack against the city and capture it.' Encourage Joab with these words."
26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him.
27 After she finished her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his house. She became David's wife and gave birth to his son, but the LORD did not like what David had done.
1 In the spring of the following year, at the time when wars begin, David sent Joab and the Israeli army to destroy the Ammonites. They began by laying siege to the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
2 One night he couldn't get to sleep and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking her evening bath. 3 He sent to find out who she was and was told that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah. 4 Then David sent for her and when she came he slept with her. (She had just completed the purification rites after menstruation.) Then she returned home. 5 When she found that he had gotten her pregnant she sent a message to inform him.
6 So David dispatched a memo to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." 7 When he arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was prospering. 8 Then he told him to go home and relax, and he sent a present to him at his home. 9 But Uriah didn't go there. He stayed that night at the gateway of the palace with the other servants of the king.
10 When David heard what Uriah had done, he summoned him and asked him, "What's the matter with you? Why didn't you go home to your wife last night after being away for so long?"
11 Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies and the general and his officers are camping out in open fields, and should I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I will never be guilty of acting like that."
12 "Well, stay here tonight," David told him, "and tomorrow you may return to the army."
So Uriah stayed around the palace. 13 David invited him to dinner and got him drunk; but even so he didn't go home that night, but again he slept at the entry to the palace.
14 Finally the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab to put Uriah at the front of the hottest part of the battle-and then pull back and leave him there to die! 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the besieged city where he knew that the enemies' best men were fighting; 17 and Uriah was killed along with several other Israeli soldiers.
18 When Joab sent a report to David of how the battle was going, 19-21 he told his messenger, "If the king is angry and asks, `Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn't they know there would be shooting from the walls? Wasn't Abimelech killed at Thebez by a woman who threw down a millstone on him?'-then tell him, `Uriah was killed too.' "
22 So the messenger arrived at Jerusalem and gave the report to David.
23 "The enemy came out against us," he said, "and as we chased them back to the city gates, 24 the men on the wall attacked us; and some of our men were killed, and Uriah the Hittite is dead too."
25 "Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged," David said. "The sword kills one as well as another!
Fight harder next time, and conquer the city; tell him he is doing well."
26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him; 27 then, when the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace and she became one of his wives; and she gave birth to his son. But the Lord was very displeased with what David had done.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,215
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26,26,51,3632
27,27,53,3706
1,1,1,1
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14,17,14,1809
18,21,16,2225
22,22,17,2576
23,24,19,2650
25,25,21,2850
26,27,24,3025
TEMPTATION 2SAMU 11:3-4
As David gazed from his palace roof, he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath, and lust filled his heart. He should have left the roof and fled from the temptation. Instead, he went farther by asking about Bathsheba. The results of letting temptation stay in his heart were devastating.
To flee temptation: (1)Ask God in earnest prayer to help you stay away from people, places, and situations that offer temptation. (2)Memorize and meditate on portions of Scripture that combat your specific weaknesses. At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God can fill. (3)Find another believer with whom you can openly share your temptations and call this person for help when temptation strikes.
Moral Dilemmas: Living for the Moment ,!page "^M0035" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2SAMU012
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, he said, "There were two men in a city. One was rich, but the other was poor.
2 The rich man had many sheep and cattle.
3 But the poor man had nothing except one little female lamb he had bought. The poor man fed the lamb, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup and slept in his arms. The lamb was like a daughter to him.
4 "Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to feed the traveler, but he didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle. Instead, he took the lamb from the poor man and cooked it for his visitor."
5 David became very angry at the rich man. He said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this should die!
6 He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!"
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I appointed you king of Israel and saved you from Saul.
8 I gave you his kingdom and his wives. And I made you king of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you even more.
9 So why did you ignore the LORD' s command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife to be your wife!
10 Now there will always be people in your family who will die by a sword, because you did not respect me; you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself!'
11 "This is what the LORD says: `I am bringing trouble to you from your own family. While you watch, I will take your wives from you and give them to someone who is very close to you. He will have sexual relations with your wives, and everyone will know it.'
12 You had sexual relations with Bathsheba in secret, but I will do this so all the people of Israel can see it.' "
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan answered, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You will not die.
14 But what you did caused the LORD' s enemies to lose all respect for him. For this reason the son who was born to you will die."
15 Then Nathan went home. And the LORD caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah's widow, to be very sick.
16 David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.
17 The older leaders of David's family came to him and tried to pull him up from the ground, but he refused to get up or to eat food with them.
18 On the seventh day the baby died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, "Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive, but he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may do something awful."
19 When David saw his servants whispering, he knew that the baby was dead. So he asked them, "Is the baby dead?" They answered, "Yes, he is dead."
20 Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the LORD' s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.
21 David's servants said to him, "Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you refused to eat and you cried. Now that the baby is dead, you get up and eat food."
22 David said, "While the baby was still alive, I refused to eat, and I cried. I thought, `Who knows? Maybe the LORD will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.'
23 But now that the baby is dead, why should I go without food? I can't bring him back to life. Some day I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me."
24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife. He slept with her and had sexual relations with her. She became pregnant again and had another son, whom David named Solomon. The LORD loved Solomon.
25 The LORD sent word through Nathan the prophet to name the baby Jedidiah, because the LORD loved the child.
26 Joab fought against Rabbah, a royal city of the Ammonites, and he was about to capture it.
27 Joab sent messengers to David and said, "I have fought against Rabbah and have captured its water supply.
28 Now bring the other soldiers together and attack this city. Capture it before I capture it myself and it is called by my name!"
29 So David gathered all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it.
30 David took the crown off their king's head and had it placed on his own head. That gold crown weighed about seventy-five pounds, and it had valuable gems in it. And David took many valuable things from the city.
31 He also brought out the people of the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. He also made them build with bricks. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
1 So the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David this story:
"There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats; 3 and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children's pet, and he fed it from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4 Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for the traveler, he took the poor man's lamb and roasted it and served it."
5 David was furious. "I swear by the living God," he vowed, "any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death; 6 he shall repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are that rich man! The Lord God of Israel says, `I made you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. 10 Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah's wife. 11 I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.
12 You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.' "
13 "I have sinned against the Lord," David confessed to Nathan.
Then Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin. 14 But you have given great opportunity to the enemies of the Lord to despise and blaspheme him, so your child shall die."
15 Then Nathan returned to his home. And the Lord made Bathsheba's baby deathly sick. 16 David begged him to spare the child and went without food, and lay all night before the Lord on the bare earth. 17 The leaders of the nation pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. 18 Then, on the seventh day, the baby died. David's aides were afraid to tell him.
"He was so broken up about the baby being sick," they said, "what will he do to himself when we tell him the child is dead?"
19 But when David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened.
"Is the baby dead?" he asked.
"Yes," they replied, "he is." 20 Then David got up off the ground, washed himself, brushed his hair, changed his clothes, and went into the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. Then he returned to the palace and ate. 21 His aides were amazed.
"We don't understand you," they told him. "While the baby was still living, you wept and refused to eat; but now that the baby is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again."
22 David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, `Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."
24 Then David comforted Bathsheba; and when he slept with her, she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. And the Lord loved the baby, 25 and sent congratulations and blessings through Nathan the prophet. David nicknamed the baby Jedidiah (meaning, "Beloved of Jehovah") because of the Lord's interest.
26-27 Meanwhile Joab and the Israeli army were successfully ending their siege of Rabbah the capital of Ammon. Joab sent messengers to tell David, "Rabbah and its beautiful harbor are ours!
28 Now bring the rest of the army and finish the job, so that you will get the credit for the victory instead of me."
29-30 So David led his army to Rabbah and captured it. Tremendous amounts of loot were carried back to Jerusalem, and David took the king of Rabbah's crown-a $50,000 treasure made from solid gold set with gems-and placed it on his own head. 31 He made slaves of the people of the city and made them labor with saws, picks, and axes and work in the brick kilns; that is the way he treated all of the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and the army returned to Jerusalem.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,139
3,3,5,185
4,4,7,436
5,5,9,667
6,6,11,796
7,7,13,880
8,8,15,1036
9,9,17,1188
10,10,19,1371
11,11,21,1536
12,12,23,1799
13,13,25,1919
14,14,27,2057
15,15,29,2192
16,16,31,2306
17,17,33,2450
18,18,35,2598
19,19,37,2867
20,20,39,3018
21,21,41,3266
22,22,43,3446
23,23,45,3614
24,24,47,3773
25,25,49,3971
26,26,51,4085
27,27,53,4183
28,28,55,4296
29,29,57,4431
30,30,59,4527
31,31,61,4746
1,4,1,1
5,6,4,589
7,11,6,806
12,12,8,1549
13,14,9,1639
15,18,12,1920
19,21,15,2424
22,23,20,2961
24,25,22,3227
26,27,24,3551
28,28,26,3744
29,31,28,3865
CONFRONT 2SAMU 12:1
As a prophet, Nathan was required to confront sin, even the sin of a king. It took great courage, skill, and tact to speak to David in a way that would make him aware of his wrong actions. When you have to confront someone with unpleasant news, pray for courage, skill, and tact. How you present your message may be as important as what you say.
2SAMU013
1 David had a son named Absalom and a son named Amnon. Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon loved her.
2 Tamar was a virgin. Amnon made himself sick just thinking about her, because he could not find any chance to be alone with her.
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very clever man.
4 He asked Amnon, "Son of the king, why do you look so sad day after day? Tell me what's wrong!" Amnon told him, "I love Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom."
5 Jonadab said to Amnon, "Go to bed and act as if you are sick. Then your father will come to see you. Tell him, `Please let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. Let her make the food in front of me so I can watch and eat it from her hand.' ")awful."
6 So Amnon went to bed and acted sick. When King David came in to see him, Amnon said to him, "Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two of her special cakes for me while I watch. Then I will eat them from her hands."
7 David sent for Tamar in the palace, saying, "Go to your brother Amnon's house and make some food for him."
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was in bed. Tamar took some dough and pressed it together with her hands. She made some special cakes while Amnon watched. Then she baked them.
9 Next she took the pan and served him, but he refused to eat. He said to his servants, "All of you, leave me alone!" So they all left him alone.
10 Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom so I may eat from your hand." Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.
11 She went to him so he could eat from her hands, but Amnon grabbed her. He said, "Sister, come and have sexual relations with me."
12 Tamar said to him, "No, brother! Don't force me! This should never be done in Israel! Don't do this shameful thing!
13 I could never get rid of my shame! And you will be like the shameful fools in Israel! Please talk with the king, and he will let you marry me."
14 But Amnon refused to listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sexual relations with him.
15 After that, Amnon hated Tamar. He hated her more than he had loved her before. Amnon said to her, "Get up and leave!"
16 Tamar said to him, "No! Sending me away would be worse than what you've already done!" But he refused to listen to her.
17 He called his young servant back in and said, "Get this woman out of here and away from me! Lock the door after her."
18 So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king's virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.
19 To show how upset she was, Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her special robe and put her hand on her head. Then she went away, crying loudly.
20 Absalom, Tamar's brother, said to her, "Has Amnon, your brother, forced you to have sexual relations with him? For now, sister, be quiet. He is your half-brother. Don't let this upset you so much!" So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house and was sad and lonely.
21 When King David heard the news, he was very angry.
22 Absalom did not say a word, good or bad, to Amnon. But he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.
23 Two years later Absalom had some men come to Baal Hazor, near Ephraim, to cut the wool from his sheep. Absalom invited all the king's sons to come also.
24 Absalom went to the king and said, "I have men coming to cut the wool. Please come with your officers and join me."
25 King David said to Absalom, "No, my son. We won't all go, because it would be too much trouble for you." Although Absalom begged David, he would not go, but he did give his blessing.
26 Absalom said, "If you don't want to come, then please let my brother Amnon come with us." King David asked, "Why should he go with you?"
27 Absalom kept begging David until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with Absalom.
28 Then Absalom instructed his servants, "Watch Amnon. When he is drunk, I will tell you, `Kill Amnon.' Right then, kill him! Don't be afraid, because I have commanded you! Be strong and brave!"
29 So Absalom's young men killed Amnon as Absalom commanded, but all of David's other sons got on their mules and escaped.
30 While the king's sons were on their way, the news came to David, "Absalom has killed all of the king's sons! Not one of them is left alive!"
31 King David tore his clothes and lay on the ground to show his sadness. All his servants standing nearby tore their clothes also.
32 Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said to David, "Don't think all the young men, your sons, are killed. No, only Amnon is dead! Absalom has planned this ever since Amnon forced his sister Tamar to have sexual relations with him.
33 My master and king, don't think that all of the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead!"
34 In the meantime Absalom had run away. A guard standing on the city wall saw many people coming from the other side of the hill.
35 So Jonadab said to King David, "Look, I was right! The king's sons are coming!"
36 As soon as Jonadab had said this, the king's sons arrived, crying loudly. David and all his servants began crying also.
37 David cried for his son every day. But Absalom ran away to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur.
38 After Absalom ran away to Geshur, he stayed there for three years.
39 When King David got over Amnon's death, he missed Absalom greatly.
1 Prince Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Prince Amnon (her half brother) fell desperately in love with her. 2 Amnon became so tormented by his love for her that he became ill. He had no way of talking to her, for the girls and young men were kept strictly apart.
3 But Amnon had a very crafty friend-his cousin Jonadab (the son of David's brother Shimeah).
4 One day Jonadab said to Amnon, "What's the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so haggard morning after morning?"
So Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my half sister."
5 "Well," Jonadab said, "I'll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are sick; when your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you'll feel better if she feeds you."
6 So Amnon did. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him for this favor-that his sister Tamar be permitted to come and cook a little something for him to eat. 7 David agreed and sent word to Tamar to go to Amnon's quarters and prepare some food for him. 8 So she did and went into his bedroom so that he could watch her mix some dough; then she baked some special bread for him. 9 But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat!
"Everyone get out of here," he told his servants; so they all left the apartment.
10 Then he said to Tamar, "Now bring me the food again here in my bedroom and feed it to me." So Tamar took it to him. 11 But as she was standing there before him, he grabbed her and demanded, "Come to bed with me, my darling."
12 "Oh, Amnon," she cried. "Don't be foolish! Don't do this to me! You know what a serious crime it is in Israel.
13 Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, for he will let you marry me."
14 But he wouldn't listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he forced her. 15 Then suddenly his love turned to hate, and now he hated her more than he had loved her.
"Get out of here!" he snarled at her.
16 "No, no!" she cried. "To reject me now is a greater crime than the other you did to me."
But he wouldn't listen to her. 17-18 He shouted for his valet and demanded, "Throw this woman out and lock the door behind her."
So he put her out. She was wearing a long robe with sleeves, as was the custom in those days for virgin daughters of the king. 19 Now she tore the robe and put ashes on her head and with her head in her hands went away crying.
20 Her brother Absalom asked her, "Is it true that Amnon raped you? Don't be so upset, since it's all in the family anyway. It's not anything to worry about!"
So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom's quarters.
21-24 When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry, but Absalom said nothing one way or the other about this to Amnon. However, he hated him with a deep hatred because of what he had done to his sister. Then, two years later, when Absalom's sheep were being sheared at Baal-hazor in Ephraim, Absalom invited his father and all his brothers to come to a feast to celebrate the occasion.
25 The king replied, "No, my boy; if we all came, we would be too much of a burden on you."
Absalom pressed him, but he wouldn't come, though he sent his thanks.
26 "Well, then," Absalom said, "if you can't come, how about sending my brother Amnon instead?"
"Why Amnon?" the king asked.
27 Absalom kept on urging the matter until finally the king agreed and let all of his sons attend, including Amnon.
28 Absalom told his men, "Wait until Amnon gets drunk, then, at my signal, kill him! Don't be afraid. I'm the one who gives the orders around here, and this is a command. Take courage and do it!"
29-30 So they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled. As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, the report reached David: "Absalom has killed all of your sons, and not one is left alive!"
31 The king jumped up, ripped off his robe, and fell prostrate to the ground. His aides also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.
32-33 But just then Jonadab (the son of David's brother Shimeah) arrived and said, "No, not all have been killed! It was only Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped Tamar. No, no! Your sons aren't all dead! It was only Amnon."
34 Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Now the watchman on the Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming toward the city along the road at the side of the hill.
35 "See!" Jonadab told the king. "There they are now! Your sons are coming, just as I said."
36 They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and his officials wept with them. 37-39 Absalom fled to King Talmai of Geshur (the son of Ammihud) and stayed there three years. Meanwhile David, now reconciled to Amnon's death, longed day after day for fellowship with his son Absalom.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,125
3,3,5,259
4,4,7,362
5,5,9,534
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36,36,71,5259
37,37,73,5386
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39,39,77,5569
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,297
4,4,5,394
5,5,8,583
6,9,10,817
10,11,13,1359
12,12,15,1590
13,13,17,1707
14,15,19,1876
16,19,22,2094
20,20,26,2547
21,24,29,2780
25,25,31,3183
26,26,34,3349
27,27,37,3478
28,28,39,3597
29,30,41,3796
31,31,43,4028
32,33,45,4165
34,34,47,4417
35,35,49,4570
36,39,51,4666
LOVE VS. LUST 2SAMU 13:14-15
Love and lust are very different. After Amnon raped his half-sister, his love turned to hate. Although he had claimed to be in love, he was actually overcome by lust. Love is patient; lust requires immediate sexual satisfaction. Love is kind; lust is harsh. Love does not demand its own way; lust does. You can read about the characteristics of real love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Ult. Issues: Date Rape ,!page "^daterape" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2SAMU014
1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that King David missed Absalom very much.
2 So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He said to her, "Pretend to be very sad. Put on funeral clothes and don't put lotion on yourself. Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died.
3 Then go to the king and say these words." Then Joab told her what to say.
4 So the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king. She bowed facedown on the ground to show respect and said, "My king, help me!"
5 King David asked her, "What is the matter?" The woman said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6 I had two sons. They were out in the field fighting, and no one was there to stop them. So one son killed the other son.
7 Now all the family group is against me. They said to me, `Bring the son who killed his brother so we may kill him for killing his brother. That way we will also get rid of the one who would receive what belonged to his father.' My son is like the last spark of a fire. He is all I have left. If they kill him, my husband's name and property will be gone from the earth."
8 Then the king said to the woman, "Go home. I will take care of this for you."
9 The woman of Tekoa said to him, "Let the blame be on me and my father's family. My master and king, you and your throne are innocent."
10 King David said, "Bring me anyone who says anything bad to you. Then he won't bother you again."
11 The woman said, "Please promise in the name of the LORD your God. Then my relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer won't add to the destruction by killing my son." David said, "As surely as the LORD lives, no one will hurt your son. Not one hair from his head will fall to the ground."
12 The woman said, "Let me say something to you, my master and king." The king said, "Speak."
13 Then the woman said, "Why have you decided this way against the people of God? When you judge this way, you show that you are guilty for not bringing back your son who was forced to leave home.
14 We will all die some day. We're like water spilled on the ground; no one can gather it back. But God doesn't take away life. Instead, he plans ways that those who have been sent away will not have to stay away from him!
15 My master and king, I came to say this to you because the people have made me afraid! I thought, `Let me talk to the king. Maybe he will do what I ask.
16 Maybe he will listen. Perhaps he will save me from those who want to keep both me and my son from getting what God gave us.'
17 "Now I say, `May the words of my master the king give me rest. Like an angel of God, you know what is good and what is bad. May the LORD your God be with you!' "
18 Then King David said, "Do not hide the truth. Answer me one question." The woman said, "My master the king, please ask your question."
19 The king said, "Did Joab tell you to say all these things?" The woman answered, "As you live, my master the king, no one could avoid that question. You are right. Your servant Joab did tell me to say these things.
20 Joab did it so you would see things differently. My master, you are wise like an angel of God who knows everything that happens on earth."
21 The king said to Joab, "Look, I will do what I promised. Bring back the young man Absalom."
22 Joab bowed facedown on the ground and blessed the king. Then he said, "Today I know you are pleased with me, because you have done what I asked."
23 Then Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 But King David said, "Absalom must go to his own house. He may not come to see me." So Absalom went to his own house and did not go to see the king.
25 Absalom was greatly praised for his handsome appearance. No man in Israel was as handsome as he. No blemish was on him from his head to his foot.
26 At the end of every year, Absalom would cut his hair, because it became too heavy. When he weighed it, it would weigh about five pounds by the royal measure.
27 Absalom had three sons and one daughter. His daughter's name was also Tamar, and she was a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two full years without seeing King David.
29 Then Absalom sent for Joab so he could send him to the king, but Joab would not come. Absalom sent a message a second time, but Joab still refused to come.
30 Then Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley growing there. Go burn it." So Absalom's servants set fire to Joab's field.
31 Then Joab went to Absalom's house and said to him, "Why did your servants burn my field?"
32 Absalom said to Joab, "I sent a message to you, asking you to come here. I wanted to send you to the king to ask him why he brought me home from Geshur. It would have been better for me to stay there! Now let me see the king. If I have sinned, he can put me to death!"
33 So Joab went to the king and told him Absalom's words. Then the king called for Absalom. Absalom came and bowed facedown on the ground before the king, and the king kissed him.
1 When General Joab realized how much the king was longing to see Absalom, 2-3 he sent for a woman of Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom and told her to ask for an appointment with the king. He told her what to say to him.
"Pretend you are in mourning," Joab instructed her. "Wear mourning clothes, and dishevel your hair as though you have been in deep sorrow for a long time."
4 When the woman approached the king, she fell face downward on the floor in front of him, and cried out, "O king! Help me!"
5-6 "What's the trouble?" he asked.
"I am a widow," she replied, "and my two sons had a fight out in the field, and since no one was there to part them, one of them was killed. 7 Now the rest of the family is demanding that I surrender my other son to them to be executed for murdering his brother. But if I do that, I will have no one left, and my husband's name will be destroyed from the face of the earth."
8 "Leave it with me," the king told her. "I'll see to it that no one touches him."
9 "Oh, thank you, my lord," she replied. "And I'll take the responsibility if you are criticized for helping me like this."
10 "Don't worry about that!" the king replied. "If anyone objects, bring him to me; I can assure you he will never complain again!"
11 Then she said, "Please swear to me by God that you won't let anyone harm my son. I want no more bloodshed."
"I vow by God," he replied, "that not a hair of your son's head shall be disturbed!"
12 "Please let me ask one more thing of you!" she said.
"Go ahead," he replied. "Speak!"
13 "Why don't you do as much for all the people of God as you have promised to do for me?" she asked. "You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son. 14 All of us must die eventually; our lives are like water that is poured out on the ground-it can't be gathered up again. But God will bless you with a longer life if you will find a way to bring your son back from his exile.
15-16 But I have come to plead with you for my son because my life and my son's life have been threatened, and I said to myself, `Perhaps the king will listen to me and rescue us from those who would end our existence in Israel. 17 Yes, the king will give us peace again.' I know that you are like an angel of God and can discern good from evil. May God be with you."
18 "I want to know one thing," the king replied.
"Yes, my lord?" she asked.
19 "Did Joab send you here?"
And the woman replied, "How can I deny it? Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say. 20 He did it in order to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you know everything that happens!"
21 So the king sent for Joab and told him, "All right, go and bring back Absalom."
22 Joab fell to the ground before the king and blessed him and said, "At last I know that you like me! For you have granted me this request!"
23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 "He may go to his own quarters," the king ordered, "but he must never come here. I refuse to see him."
25 Now no one in Israel was such a handsome specimen of manhood as Absalom, and no one else received such praise. 26 He cut his hair only once a year-and then only because it weighed three pounds and was too much of a load to carry around! 27 He had three sons and one daughter, Tamar, who was a very beautiful girl.
28 After Absalom had been in Jerusalem for two years and had not yet seen the king, 29 he sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him; but Joab wouldn't come. Absalom sent for him again, but again he refused to come.
30 So Absalom said to his servants, "Go and set fire to that barley field of Joab's next to mine," and they did.
31 Then Joab came to Absalom and demanded, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"
32 And Absalom replied, "Because I wanted you to ask the king why he brought me back from Geshur if he didn't intend to see me. I might as well have stayed there. Let me have an interview with the king; then if he finds that I am guilty of murder, let him execute me."
33 So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, and he came and bowed low before the king, and David kissed him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,314
4,4,7,394
5,5,9,522
6,6,11,623
7,7,13,750
8,8,15,1127
9,9,17,1211
10,10,19,1352
11,11,21,1456
12,12,23,1758
13,13,25,1856
14,14,27,2057
15,15,29,2284
16,16,31,2443
17,17,33,2575
18,18,35,2744
19,19,37,2886
20,20,39,3107
21,21,41,3253
22,22,43,3352
23,23,45,3505
24,24,47,3587
25,25,49,3743
26,26,51,3896
27,27,53,4061
28,28,55,4176
29,29,57,4256
30,30,59,4419
31,31,61,4592
32,32,63,4689
33,33,65,4965
1,3,1,1
4,4,4,393
5,7,6,521
8,8,9,936
9,9,11,1022
10,10,13,1149
11,11,15,1284
12,12,18,1484
13,14,21,1577
15,17,23,2025
18,18,25,2396
19,20,28,2476
21,21,31,2749
22,22,33,2835
23,23,35,2980
24,24,37,3050
25,27,39,3159
28,29,41,3479
30,30,43,3701
31,31,45,3817
32,32,47,3909
33,33,49,4181
INDECISIVE 2SAMU 14:28
David only made halfhearted efforts to raise his children. In 13:21-39, David did not punish Amnon for his sin, nor did he deal decisively with Absalom's murder of Amnon. When David finally allowed Absalom back, he did not speak to him for two years. Such indecisiveness became David's undoing. When sin is ignored, it will bring greater pain than if it is dealt with immediately.
2SAMU015
COURAGE
1 After this, Absalom got a chariot and horses for himself and fifty men to run before him.
2 Absalom would get up early and stand near the city gate. Anyone who had a problem for the king to settle would come here. When someone came, Absalom would call out and say, "What city are you from?" The person would answer, "I'm from one of the tribes of Israel."
3 Then Absalom would say, "Look, your claims are right, but the king has no one to listen to you."
4 Absalom would also say, "I wish someone would make me judge in this land! Then people with problems could come to me, and I could help them get justice."
5 People would come near Absalom to bow to him. When they did, Absalom would reach out his hand and take hold of them and kiss them.
6 Absalom did that to all the Israelites who came to King David for decisions. In this way, Absalom stole the hearts of all Israel.
7 After four years Absalom said to King David, "Please let me go to Hebron. I want to carry out my promise that I made to the LORD
8 while I was living in Geshur in Aram. I said, `If the LORD takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship him in Hebron.' "
9 The king said, "Go in peace." So Absalom went to Hebron.
10 But he sent secret messengers through all the tribes of Israel. They told the people, "When you hear the trumpets, say this: `Absalom is the king at Hebron!' "
11 Absalom had invited two hundred men to go with him. So they went from Jerusalem with him, but they didn't know what he was planning.
12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of the people who advised David, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So Absalom's plans were working very well. More and more people began to support him.
13 A messenger came to David, saying, "The Israelites are giving their loyalty to Absalom."
14 Then David said to all his officers who were with him in Jerusalem, "We must leave quickly! If we don't, we won't be able to get away from Absalom. We must hurry before he catches us and destroys us and kills the people of Jerusalem."
15 The king's officers said to him, "We will do anything you say."
16 The king set out with everyone in his house, but he left ten slave women to take care of the palace.
17 The king left with all his people following him, and they stopped at a house far away.
18 All the king's servants passed by him- the Kerethites and Pelethites, all those from Gath, and the six hundred men who had followed him.
19 The king said to Ittai, a man from Gath, "Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with King Absalom because you are a foreigner. This is not your homeland.
20 You joined me only a short time ago. Should I make you wander with us when I don't even know where I'm going? Turn back and take your brothers with you. May kindness and loyalty be shown to you."
21 But Ittai said to the king, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will stay with you, whether it means life or death."
22 David said to Ittai, "Go, march on." So Ittai from Gath and all his people with their children marched on.
23 All the people cried loudly as everyone passed by. King David crossed the Kidron Valley, and then all the people went on to the desert.
24 Zadok and all the Levites with him carried the Ark of the Agreement with God. They set it down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had left the city.
25 The king said to Zadok, "Take the Ark of God back into the city. If the LORD is pleased with me, he will bring me back and will let me see both it and Jerusalem again.
26 But if the LORD says he is not pleased with me, I am ready. He can do what he wants with me."
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Aren't you a seer? Go back to the city in peace and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan with you.
28 I will wait near the crossings into the desert until I hear from you."
29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 David went up the Mount of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot. All the people with David covered their heads also and cried as they went.
31 Someone told David, "Ahithophel is one of the people with Absalom who made secret plans against you." So David prayed, "LORD, please make Ahithophel's advice foolish."
32 When David reached the top of the mountain where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him. Hushai's coat was torn, and there was dirt on his head to show how sad he was.
33 David said to Hushai, "If you go with me, you will be just one more person for me to take care of.
34 But if you return to the city, you can make Ahithophel's advice useless. Tell Absalom, `I am your servant, my king. In the past I served your father, but now I will serve you.'
35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you. Tell them everything you hear in the royal palace.
36 Zadok's son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan are with them. Send them to tell me everything you hear."
37 So David's friend Hushai entered Jerusalem just as Absalom arrived.
1 Absalom then bought a magnificent chariot and chariot horses, and hired fifty footmen to run ahead of him. 2 He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city; and when anyone came to bring a case to the king for trial, Absalom called him over and expressed interest in his problem.
3 He would say, "I can see that you are right in this matter; it's unfortunate that the king doesn't have anyone to assist him in hearing these cases. 4 I surely wish I were the judge; then anyone with a lawsuit could come to me, and I would give him justice!"
5 And when anyone came to bow to him, Absalom wouldn't let him, but shook his hand instead!
6 So in this way Absalom stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.
7-8 After four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron to sacrifice to the Lord in fulfillment of a vow I made to him while I was at Geshur-that if he would bring me back to Jerusalem, I would sacrifice to him."
9 "All right," the king told him, "go and fulfill your vow." So Absalom went to Hebron.
10 But while he was there, he sent spies to every part of Israel to incite rebellion against the king. "As soon as you hear the trumpets," his message read, "you will know that Absalom has been crowned in Hebron." 11 He took two hundred men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions. 12 While he was offering the sacrifice, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David's counselors who lived in Giloh. Ahithophel declared for Absalom, as did more and more others. So the conspiracy became very strong.
13 A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell King David, "All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!"
14 "Then we must flee at once or it will be too late!" was David's instant response to his men. "If we get out of the city before he arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be saved."
15 "We are with you," his aides replied. "Do as you think best."
16 So the king and his household set out at once. He left no one behind except ten of his young wives to keep the palace in order. 17-18 David paused at the edge of the city to let his troops move past him to lead the way-six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath, and the Cherethites and Pelethites.
19-20 But suddenly the king turned to Ittai, the captain of the six hundred Gittites, and said to him, "What are you doing here? Go on back with your men to Jerusalem, to your king, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile. It seems but yesterday that you arrived, and now today should I force you to wander with us, who knows where? Go on back and take your troops with you, and may the Lord be merciful to you."
21 But Ittai replied, "I vow by God and by your own life that wherever you go, I will go, no matter what happens-whether it means life or death."
22 So David replied, "All right, come with us." Then Ittai and his six hundred men and their families went along.
23 There was deep sadness throughout the city as the king and his retinue passed by, crossed Kidron Brook, and went out into the country. 24 Abiathar and Zadok and the Levites took the Ark of the Covenant of God and set it down beside the road until everyone had passed. 25-26 Then, following David's instructions, Zadok took the Ark back into the city. "If the Lord sees fit," David said, "he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. But if he is through with me, well, let him do what seems best to him."
27 Then the king told Zadok, "Look, here is my plan. Return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan. 28 I will stop at the ford of the Jordan River and wait there for a message from you. Let me know what happens in Jerusalem before I disappear into the wilderness."
29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back into the city and stayed there.
30 David walked up the road that led to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the mountain. 31 When someone told David that Ahithophel, his advisor, was backing Absalom, David prayed, "O Lord, please make Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!" 32 As they reached the spot at the top of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, David found Hushai the Archite waiting for him with torn clothing and earth upon his head.
33-34 But David told him, "If you go with me, you will only be a burden; return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, `I will counsel you as I did your father.' Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel's advice. 35-36 Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, are there. Tell them the plans that are being made to capture me, and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to find me and tell me what is going on."
37 So David's friend Hushai returned to the city, getting there just as Absalom arrived.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,367
4,4,7,470
5,5,9,630
6,6,11,767
7,7,13,903
8,8,15,1038
9,9,17,1164
10,10,19,1227
11,11,21,1394
12,12,23,1534
13,13,25,1763
14,14,27,1859
15,15,29,2101
16,16,31,2172
17,17,33,2280
18,18,35,2374
19,19,37,2518
20,20,39,2692
21,21,41,2895
22,22,43,3031
23,23,45,3145
24,24,47,3288
25,25,49,3463
26,26,51,3638
27,27,53,3739
28,28,55,3899
29,29,57,3977
30,30,59,4062
31,31,61,4237
32,32,63,4412
33,33,65,4611
34,34,67,4717
35,35,69,4901
36,36,71,5008
37,37,73,5121
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,306
5,5,5,570
6,6,7,665
7,8,9,739
9,9,11,968
10,12,13,1059
13,13,15,1589
14,14,17,1714
15,15,19,1909
16,18,21,1977
19,20,23,2292
21,21,25,2720
22,22,27,2869
23,26,29,2986
27,28,31,3515
29,29,33,3814
30,32,35,3902
33,36,37,4480
37,37,39,4891
COURAGE 2SAMU 15:14
Had David not escaped from Jerusalem, the ensuing fight might have destroyed both him and the innocent inhabitants of the city. Some fights that we think are necessary may be costly and destructive to those around us. In such cases, it may be wise to back down and save the fight for another day-even if doing so hurts our pride. It takes courage to stand and fight, but it also takes courage to back down when you must for the sake of others.
2SAMU016
1 When David had passed a short way over the top of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, met him. Ziba had a row of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred cakes of raisins, one hundred cakes of figs, and leather bags full of wine.
2 The king asked Ziba, "What are these things for?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for your family to ride. The bread and cakes of figs are for the servants to eat. And the wine is for anyone to drink who might become weak in the desert."Y w
3 The king asked, "Where is Mephibosheth?" Ziba answered him, "Mephibosheth is staying in Jerusalem because he thinks, `Today the Israelites will give my father's kingdom back to me!' "
4 Then the king said to Ziba, "All right. Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth, I now give to you!" Ziba said, "I bow to you. I hope I will always be able to please you."
5 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out and cursed him. He was from Saul's family group, and his name was Shimei son of Gera.
6 He threw stones at David and his officers, but the people and soldiers gathered all around David.
7 Shimei cursed David, saying, "Get out, get out, you murderer, you troublemaker.
8 The LORD is punishing you for the people in Saul's family you killed! You took Saul's place as king, but now the LORD has given the kingdom to your son Absalom! Now you are ruined because you are a murderer!"
9 Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse you, the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!"
10 But the king answered, "This does not concern you, sons of Zeruiah! If he is cursing me because the LORD told him to, who can question him?"
11 David also said to Abishai and all his officers, "My own son is trying to kill me! This man is a Benjaminite and has more right to kill me! Leave him alone, and let him curse me because the LORD told him to do this.
12 Maybe the LORD will see my misery and repay me with something good for Shimei's curses today!"
13 So David and his men went on down the road, but Shimei followed on the nearby hillside. He kept cursing David and throwing stones and dirt at him.
14 When the king and all his people arrived at the Jordan, they were very tired, so they rested there.
15 Meanwhile, Absalom, Ahithophel, and all the Israelites arrived at Jerusalem.
16 David's friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"
17 Absalom asked, "Why are you not loyal to your friend David? Why didn't you leave Jerusalem with your friend?"
18 Hushai said, "I belong to the one chosen by the LORD and by these people and everyone in Israel. I will stay with you.
19 In the past I served your father. So whom should I serve now? David's son! I will serve you as I served him."
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Tell us what we should do."
21 Ahithophel said, "Your father left behind some of his slave women to take care of the palace. Have sexual relations with them. Then all Israel will hear that your father is your enemy, and all your people will be encouraged to give you more support." ull of wine.
22 So they put up a tent for Absalom on the roof of the palace where everyone in Israel could see it. And Absalom had sexual relations with his father's slave women.
23 At that time people thought Ahithophel's advice was as reliable as God's own word. Both David and Absalom thought it was that reliable.
1 David was just past the top of the hill when Ziba, the manager of Mephibosheth's household, caught up with him. He was leading two donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of grapes, and a small barrel of wine.
2 "What are these for?" the king asked Ziba.
And Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for your people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat; the wine is to be taken with you into the wilderness for any who become faint."
3 "And where is Mephibosheth?" the king asked him.
"He stayed at Jerusalem," Ziba replied. "He said, `Now I'll get to be king! Today I will get back the kingdom of my father, Saul.' "
4 "In that case," the king told Ziba, "I give you everything he owns."
"Thank you, thank you, sir," Ziba replied.
5 As David and his party passed Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei, the son of Gera, a member of Saul's family. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded them!
7-8 "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!" he shouted at David. "The Lord is paying you back for murdering King Saul and his family; you stole his throne and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom! At last you will taste some of your own medicine, you murderer!"
9 "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?" Abishai demanded. "Let me go over and strike off his head!"
10 "No!" the king said. "If the Lord has told him to curse me, who am I to say no? 11 My own son is trying to kill me, and this Benjaminite is merely cursing me. Leave him alone, for no doubt the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses."
13 So David and his men continued on, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust into the air. 14 The king and all those who were with him were weary by the time they reached Bahurim, so they stayed there awhile and rested.
15 Meanwhile, Absalom and his men arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel. 16 When David's friend, Hushai the Archite, arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom.
"Long live the king!" he exclaimed. "Long live the king!"
17 "Is this the way to treat your friend David?" Absalom asked him. "Why aren't you with him?"
18 "Because I work for the man who is chosen by the Lord and by Israel," Hushai replied. 19 "And anyway, why shouldn't I? I helped your father and now I will help you!"
20 Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, "What shall I do next?"
21 Ahithophel told him, "Go and sleep with your father's wives, for he has left them here to keep the house. Then all Israel will know that you have insulted him beyond the possibility of reconciliation, and they will all close ranks behind you."
22 So a tent was erected on the roof of the palace where everybody could see it, and Absalom went into the tent to lie with his father's wives. 23 (Absalom did whatever Ahithophel told him to, just as David had; for every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,272
3,3,5,519
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7,7,13,1130
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15,16,21,2113
17,17,24,2347
18,19,26,2445
20,20,28,2617
21,21,30,2696
22,23,32,2946
CHECK IT OUT 2SAMU 16:4
David believed Ziba's charge against Mephibosheth without checking into it. Don't be hasty to accept someone's condemnation of another person, especially when the accuser may profit from the other's downfall. David should have been skeptical of Ziba's comments until he checked them out for himself.
2SAMU017
1 Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men and chase David tonight.
2 I'll catch him while he is tired and weak, and I'll frighten him so all his people will run away. But I'll kill only King David.
3 Then I'll bring everyone back to you. If the man you are looking for is dead, everyone else will return safely."
4 This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel.
5 But Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Arkite, so I can hear what he says."
6 When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "This is the plan Ahithophel gave. Should we follow it? If not, tell us."
7 Hushai said to Absalom, "Ahithophel's advice is not good this time."
8 Hushai added, "You know your father and his men are strong. They are as angry as a bear that is robbed of its cubs. Your father is a skilled fighter. He won't stay all night with the army.
9 He is probably already hiding in a cave or some other place. If the first attack fails, people will hear the news and think, `Absalom's followers are losing!'
10 Then even the men who are as brave as lions will be frightened, because all the Israelites know your father is a fighter. They know his men are brave!
11 "This is what I suggest: Gather all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba. There will be as many people as grains of sand by the sea. Then you yourself must go into the battle.
12 We will go to David wherever he is hiding. We will fall on him as dew falls on the ground. We will kill him and all of his men so that no one will be left alive.
13 If David escapes into a city, all the Israelites will bring ropes to that city and pull it into the valley. Not a stone will be left!"
14 Absalom and all the Israelites said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." (The LORD had planned to destroy the good advice of Ahithophel so the LORD could bring disaster on Absalom.)
15 Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had suggested to Absalom and the older leaders of Israel. He also reported to them what he himself had suggested. Hushai said,
16 "Quickly! Send a message to David. Tell him not to stay tonight at the crossings into the desert but to cross over the Jordan River at once. If he crosses the river, he and all his people won't be destroyed."
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. They did not want to be seen going into the city, so a servant girl would go out to them and give them messages. Then Jonathan and Ahimaaz would go and tell King David.
18 But a boy saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left quickly and went to a man's house in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.
19 The man's wife spread a sheet over the opening of the well and covered it with grain. No one could tell that anyone was hiding there.
20 Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" She said to them, "They have already crossed the brook." Absalom's servants then went to look for Jonathan and Ahimaaz, but they could not find them. So they went back to Jerusalem.
21 After Absalom's servants left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well and went to tell King David. They said, "Hurry, cross over the river! Ahithophel has said these things against you!"
22 So David and all his people crossed the Jordan River. By dawn, everyone had crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel saw that the Israelites did not accept his advice, he saddled his donkey and went to his hometown. He left orders for his family and property, and then he hanged himself. He died and was buried in his father's tomb.
24 David arrived at Mahanaim. And Absalom and all his Israelites crossed over the Jordan River.
25 Absalom had made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether the Ishmaelite. Amasa's mother was Abigail daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.
26 Absalom and the Israelites camped in the land of Gilead.
27 Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai were at Mahanaim when David arrived. Shobi son of Nahash was from the Ammonite town of Rabbah. Makir son of Ammiel was from Lo Debar, and Barzillai was from Rogelim in Gilead.
28 They brought beds, bowls, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, small peas,
29 honey, milk curds, sheep, and cheese made from cows' milk for David and his people. They said, "The people are hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert."
1 "Now," Ahithophel said, "give me twelve thousand men to start out after David tonight. 2-3 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and he and his troops will be thrown into a panic and everyone will run away; and I will kill only the king and let all those who are with him live, and restore them to you."
4 Absalom and all the elders of Israel approved of the plan, 5 but Absalom said, "Ask Hushai the Archite what he thinks about this."
6 When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had said.
"What is your opinion?" Absalom asked him. "Should we follow Ahithophel's advice? If not, speak up."
7 "Well," Hushai replied, "this time I think Ahithophel has made a mistake. 8 You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors and are probably as upset as a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs. And your father is an old soldier and isn't going to be spending the night among the troops; 9 he has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. And when he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there will be panic among your troops and everyone will start shouting that your men are being slaughtered. 10 Then even the bravest of them, though they have hearts of lions, will be paralyzed with fear; for all Israel knows what a mighty man your father is and how courageous his soldiers are.
11 "What I suggest is that you mobilize the entire army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan and Beersheba, so that you will have a huge force. And I think that you should personally lead the troops. 12 Then when we find him we can destroy his entire army so that not one of them is left alive. 13 And if David has escaped into some city, you will have the entire army of Israel there at your command, and we can take ropes and drag the walls of the city into the nearest valley until every stone is torn down."
14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." For the Lord had arranged to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster upon Absalom! 15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had said and what he himself had suggested instead.
16 "Quick!" he told them. "Find David and urge him not to stay at the ford of the Jordan River tonight. He must go across at once into the wilderness beyond; otherwise he will die, and his entire army with him."
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been staying at En-rogel so as not to be seen entering and leaving the city. Arrangements had been made for a servant girl to carry to them the messages they were to take to King David. 18 But a boy saw them leaving En-rogel to go to David, and he told Absalom about it. Meanwhile, they escaped to Bahurim where a man hid them inside a well in his backyard. 19 The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well with grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.
20 When Absalom's men arrived and asked her if she had seen Ahimaaz and Jonathan, she said they had crossed the brook and were gone. They looked for them without success and returned to Jerusalem. 21 Then the two men crawled out of the well and hurried on to King David. "Quick!" they told him, "cross the Jordan tonight!" And they told him how Ahithophel had advised that he be captured and killed. 22 So David and all the people with him went across during the night and were all on the other bank before dawn.
23 Meanwhile, Ahithophel-publicly disgraced when Absalom refused his advice-saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself; so he died and was buried beside his father.
24 David soon arrived at Mahanaim. Meanwhile, Absalom had mobilized the entire army of Israel and was leading the men across the Jordan River. 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa as general of the army, replacing Joab. (Amasa was Joab's second cousin; his father was Ithra, an Ishmaelite, and his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, who was the sister of Joab's mother, Zeruiah.) 26 Absalom and the Israeli army now camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was warmly greeted by Shobi (son of Nahash of Rabbah, an Ammonite) and Machir (son of Ammiel of Lodebar) and Barzillai (a Gileadite of Rogelim). 28-29 They brought him and those who were with him mats to sleep on, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, honey, butter, and cheese. For they said, "You must be very tired and hungry and thirsty after your long march through the wilderness."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,230
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10,10,19,1069
11,11,21,1227
12,12,23,1410
13,13,25,1579
14,14,27,1721
15,15,29,1943
16,16,31,2138
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19,19,37,2775
20,20,39,2917
21,21,41,3201
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25,25,49,3843
26,26,51,4050
27,27,53,4114
28,28,55,4325
29,29,57,4425
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,328
6,6,5,464
7,10,8,635
11,13,10,1356
14,15,12,1883
16,16,14,2252
17,19,16,2467
20,22,18,2984
23,23,20,3500
24,26,22,3712
27,29,24,4164
VANITY 2SAMU 17:11
Hushai appealed to Absalom through flattery, and Absalom was trapped by his vanity. Hushai predicted great glory for Absalom if he personally led the entire army against David. Pride ends in destruction (Proverbs 18:12) is an appropriate comment on Absalom's ambitions.
I Wonder: When others make fun of my faith ,!page "^W0010" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2SAMU018
1 David counted his men and placed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2 He sent the troops out in three groups. Joab commanded one-third of the men. Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah commanded another third. And Ittai from Gath commanded the last third. King David said to them, "I will also go with you."
3 But the men said, "You must not go with us! If we run away in the battle, Absalom's men won't care. Even if half of us are killed, Absalom's men won't care. But you're worth ten thousand of us! You can help us most by staying in the city."
4 The king said to his people, "I will do what you think is best." So the king stood at the side of the gate as the army went out in groups of a hundred and a thousand.
5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Be gentle with young Absalom for my sake." Everyone heard the king's orders to the commanders about Absalom.
6 David's army went out into the field against Absalom's Israelites, and they fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 There David's army defeated the Israelites. Many died that day- twenty thousand men.
8 The battle spread through all the country, but that day more men died in the forest than in the fighting.
9 Then Absalom happened to meet David's troops. As Absalom was riding his mule, it went under the thick branches of a large oak tree. Absalom's head got caught in the tree, and his mule ran out from under him. So Absalom was left hanging above the ground.
10 When one of the men saw it happen, he told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"
11 Joab said to him, "You saw him? Why didn't you kill him and let him fall to the ground? I would have given you a belt and four ounces of silver!"
12 The man answered, "I wouldn't touch the king's son even if you gave me twenty-five pounds of silver. We heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, `Be careful not to hurt young Absalom.'
13 If I had killed him, the king would have found out, and you would not have protected me!"
14 Joab said, "I won't waste time here with you!" Absalom was still alive in the oak tree, so Joab took three spears and stabbed him in the heart.
15 Ten young men who carried Joab's armor also gathered around Absalom and struck him and killed him.
16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, so the troops stopped chasing the Israelites.
17 Then Joab's men took Absalom's body and threw it into a large pit in the forest and filled the pit with many stones. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
18 When Absalom was alive, he had set up a pillar for himself in the King's Valley. He said, "I have no son to keep my name alive." So he named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument even today.
19 Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, "Let me run and take the news to King David. I'll tell him the LORD has saved him from his enemies."
20 Joab answered Ahimaaz, "No, you are not the one to take the news today. You may do it another time, but do not take it today, because the king's son is dead."
21 Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed to Joab and ran to tell David.
22 But Ahimaaz son of Zadok begged Joab again, "No matter what happens, please let me go along with the Cushite!" Joab said, "Son, why do you want to carry the news? You won't get any reward."
23 Ahimaaz answered, "No matter what happens, I will run." So Joab said to Ahimaaz, "Run!" Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the Jordan Valley and passed the Cushite.
24 David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the walls, and as he looked up, he saw a man running alone.
25 He shouted the news to the king. The king said, "If he is alone, he is bringing good news!" The man came nearer and nearer to the city.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called to the gatekeeper, "Look! Another man is running alone!" The king said, "He is also bringing good news!"
27 The watchman said, "I think the first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." The king said, "Ahimaaz is a good man. He must be bringing good news!"
28 Then Ahimaaz called a greeting to the king. He bowed facedown on the ground before the king and said, "Praise the LORD your God! The LORD has defeated those who were against you, my king."
29 The king asked, "Is young Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent me, I saw some great excitement, but I don't know what it was."
30 The king said, "Step over here and wait." So Ahimaaz stepped aside and stood there.
31 Then the Cushite arrived. He said, "Master and king, hear the good news! Today the LORD has punished those who were against you!"
32 The king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom all right?" The Cushite answered, "May your enemies and all who come to hurt you be like that young man!"
33 Then the king was very upset, and he went to the room over the city gate and cried. As he went, he cried out, "My son Absalom, my son Absalom! I wish I had died and not you. Absalom, my son, my son!"
1 David now appointed regimental colonels and company commanders over his troops. 2 A third were placed under Joab's brother, Abishai (the son of Zeruiah); and a third under Ittai, the Gittite. The king planned to lead the army himself, but his men objected strongly.
3 "You mustn't do it," they said, "for if we have to turn and run, and half of us die, it will make no difference to them-they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of us, and it is better that you stay here in the city and send us help if we need it."
4 "Well, whatever you think best," the king finally replied. So he stood at the gate of the city as all the troops passed by.
5 And the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom." And all the troops heard the king give them this charge.
6 So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim, 7 and the Israeli troops were beaten back by David's men. There was a great slaughter and twenty thousand men laid down their lives that day. 8 The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men disappeared in the forest than were killed. 9 During the battle Absalom came upon some of David's men and as he fled on his mule, it went beneath the thick boughs of a great oak tree, and his hair caught in the branches. His mule went on, leaving him dangling in the air. 10 One of David's men saw him and told Joab.
11 "What? You saw him there and didn't kill him?" Joab demanded. "I would have rewarded you handsomely and made you a commissioned officer."
12 "For a million dollars I wouldn't do it," the man replied. "We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, `For my sake, please don't harm young Absalom.' 13 And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son (and the king would certainly find out who did it), you yourself would be the first to accuse me."
14 "Enough of this nonsense," Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into the heart of Absalom as he dangled alive from the oak. 15 Ten of Joab's young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and finished him off. 16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel. 17 They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And the army of Israel fled to their homes.
18 (Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no sons to carry on my name." He called it "Absalom's Monument," as it is still known today.)
19 Then Zadok's son Ahimaaz said, "Let me run to King David with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemy Absalom."
20 "No," Joab told him, "it wouldn't be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger some other time."
21 Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The man bowed and ran off.
22 But Ahimaaz pleaded with Joab, "Please let me go too."
"No, we don't need you now, my boy," Joab replied. "There is no further news to send."
23 "Yes, but let me go anyway," he begged.
And Joab finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then Ahimaaz took a shortcut across the plain and got there ahead of the man from Cush. 24 David was sitting at the gate of the city. When the watchman climbed the stairs to his post at the top of the wall, he saw a lone man running toward them.
25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, "If he is alone, he has news."
As the messenger came closer, 26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, "Here comes another one."
And the king replied, "He will have more news."
27 "The first man looks like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok," the watchman said.
"He is a good man and comes with good news," the king replied.
28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed low with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the Lord your God who has destroyed the rebels who dared to stand against you."
29 "What of young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?"
"When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of shouting; but I didn't know what was happening," Ahimaaz answered.
30 "Wait here," the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.
31 Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today Jehovah has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."
32 "What about young Absalom? Is he all right?" the king demanded.
And the man replied, "May all of your enemies be as that young man is!"
33 Then the king broke into tears, and went up to his room over the gate, crying as he went. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom. If only I could have died for you! O Absalom, my son, my son."
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11,11,21,1600
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13,13,25,1952
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25,25,49,3758
26,26,51,3901
27,27,53,4070
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31,31,61,4661
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33,33,65,4957
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20,20,21,2650
21,21,23,2779
22,22,25,2886
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25,26,31,3374
27,27,35,3644
28,28,38,3787
29,29,40,3987
30,30,43,4171
31,31,45,4235
32,32,47,4394
33,33,50,4537
2SAMU019
1 People told Joab, "Look, the king is sad and crying because of Absalom."
2 David's army had won the battle that day. But it became a very sad day for all the people, because they heard that the king was very sad for his son.
3 The people came into the city quietly that day. They were like an army that had been defeated in battle and had run away.
4 The king covered his face and cried loudly, "My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!"
5 Joab went into the king's house and said, "Today you have shamed all your men. They saved your life and the lives of your sons, daughters, wives, and slave women.
6 You have shamed them because you love those who hate you, and you hate those who love you. Today you have made it clear that your commanders and men mean nothing to you. What if Absalom had lived and all of us were dead? I can see you would be pleased.
7 Now go out and encourage your servants. I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, no man will be left with you by tonight! That will be worse than all the troubles you have had from your youth until today."
8 So the king went to the city gate. When the news spread that the king was at the gate, everyone came to see him. All the Israelites who had followed Absalom had run away to their homes.
9 People in all the tribes of Israel began to argue, saying, "The king saved us from the Philistines and our other enemies, but he left the country because of Absalom.
10 We appointed Absalom to rule us, but now he has died in battle. We should make David the king again."
11 King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, that said, "Speak to the older leaders of Judah. Say, `Even in my house I have heard what all the Israelites are saying. So why are you the last tribe to bring the king back to his palace?
12 You are my brothers, my own family. Why are you the last tribe to bring back the king?'
13 And say to Amasa, `You are part of my own family. May God punish me terribly if I don't make you commander of the army in Joab's place!' "
14 David touched the hearts of all the people of Judah at once. They sent a message to the king that said, "Return with all your men."
15 Then the king returned as far as the Jordan River. The men of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and to bring him across the Jordan.
16 Shimei son of Gera, a Benjaminite who lived in Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
17 With Shimei came a thousand Benjaminites. Ziba, the servant from Saul's family, also came, bringing his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him. They all hurried to the Jordan River to meet the king.
18 The people went across the Jordan to help bring the king's family back to Judah and to do whatever the king wanted. As the king was crossing the river, Shimei son of Gera came to him and bowed facedown on the ground in front of the king.
19 He said to the king, "My master, don't hold me guilty. Don't remember the wrong I did when you left Jerusalem! Don't hold it against me.
20 I know I have sinned. That is why I am the first person from Joseph's family to come down and meet you today, my master and king!"
21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shimei should die because he cursed you, the LORD' s appointed king!"
22 David said, "This does not concern you, sons of Zeruiah! Today you're against me! No one will be put to death in Israel today. Today I know I am king over Israel!"
23 Then the king promised Shimei, "You won't die."
24 Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet King David. Mephibosheth had not cared for his feet, cut his beard, or washed his clothes from the time the king had left Jerusalem until he returned safely.
25 When Mephibosheth came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, "Mephibosheth, why didn't you go with me?"
26 He answered, "My master, my servant Ziba tricked me! I said to Ziba, `I am crippled, so saddle a donkey. Then I will ride it so I can go with the king.'
27 But he lied about me to you. You, my master and king, are like an angel from God. Do what you think is good.
28 You could have killed all my grandfather's family. Instead, you put me with those people who eat at your own table. So I don't have a right to ask anything more from the king!"
29 The king said to him, "Don't say anything more. I have decided that you and Ziba will divide the land."
30 Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let Ziba take all the land now that my master the king has arrived safely home."
31 Barzillai of Gilead came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan River with the king.
32 Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He had taken care of the king when David was staying at Mahanaim, because Barzillai was a very rich man.
33 David said to Barzillai, "Cross the river with me. Come with me to Jerusalem, and I will take care of you."
34 But Barzillai answered the king, "Do you know how old I am? Do you think I can go with you to Jerusalem?
35 I am eighty years old! I am too old to taste what I eat or drink. I am too old to hear the voices of men and women singers. Why should you be bothered with me?
36 I am not worthy of a reward from you, but I will cross the Jordan River with you.
37 Then let me go back so I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and mother. But here is Kimham, your servant. Let him go with you, my master and king. Do with him whatever you want."
38 The king answered, "Kimham will go with me. I will do for him anything you wish, and I will do anything for you that you wish."
39 The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai returned home, and the king and all the people crossed the Jordan.
40 When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham went with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel led David across the river.
41 Soon all the Israelites came to the king and said to him, "Why did our relatives, the people of Judah, steal you away? Why did they bring you and your family across the Jordan River with your men?"
42 All the people of Judah answered the Israelites, "We did this because the king is our close relative. Why are you angry about it? We have not eaten food at the king's expense or taken anything for ourselves!"
43 The Israelites answered the people of Judah, "We have ten tribes in the kingdom, so we have more right to David than you do! But you ignored us! We were the first ones to talk about bringing our king back!" But the people of Judah spoke even more unkindly than the people of Israel.
1 Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom. 2 As the people heard of the king's deep grief for his son, the joy of that day's wonderful victory was turned into deep sadness. 3 The entire army crept back into the city as though they were ashamed and had been beaten in battle.
4 The king covered his face with his hands and kept on weeping, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom my son, my son!"
5 Then Joab went to the king's room and said to him, "We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and concubines; and yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed, as though we had done something wrong. 6 You seem to love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. Apparently we don't mean anything to you; if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be happy. 7 Now go out there and congratulate the troops, for I swear by Jehovah that if you don't, not a single one of them will remain here during the night; then you will be worse off than you have ever been in your entire life."
8-10 So the king went out and sat at the city gates, and as the news spread throughout the city that he was there, everyone went to him.
Meanwhile, there was much discussion and argument going on all across the nation: "Why aren't we talking about bringing the king back?" was the great topic everywhere. "For he saved us from our enemies, the Philistines; and Absalom, whom we made our king instead, chased him out of the country, but now Absalom is dead. Let's ask David to return and be our king again."
11-12 Then David sent Zadok and Abiathar the priests to say to the elders of Judah, "Why are you the last ones to reinstate the king? For all Israel is ready, and only you are holding out. Yet you are my own brothers, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood!"
13 And he told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my nephew, may God strike me dead if I do not appoint you as commander-in-chief of my army in place of Joab." 14 Then Amasa convinced all the leaders of Judah, and they responded as one man. They sent word to the king, "Return to us and bring back all those who are with you."
15 So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, it seemed as if everyone in Judah had come to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river! 16 Then Shimei (the son of Gera the Benjaminite), the man from Bahurim, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David. 17 A thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the servant of Saul, and Ziba's fifteen sons and twenty servants; they rushed down to the Jordan to arrive ahead of the king. 18 They all worked hard ferrying the king's household and troops across, and helped them in every way they could.
As the king was crossing, Shimei fell down before him, 19 and pleaded, "My lord the king, please forgive me and forget the terrible thing I did when you left Jerusalem; 20 for I know very well how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all the tribe of Joseph to greet you."
21 Abishai asked, "Shall not Shimei die, for he cursed the Lord's chosen king!"
22 "Don't talk to me like that!" David exclaimed. "This is not a day for execution but for celebration! I am once more king of Israel!"
23 Then, turning to Shimei, he vowed, "Your life is spared."
24-25 Now Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, arrived from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not washed his feet or clothes nor trimmed his beard since the day the king left Jerusalem.
"Why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?" the king asked him.
26 And he replied, "My lord, O king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, `Saddle my donkey so that I can go with the king.' For as you know I am lame. 27 But Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that you are as an angel of God, so do what you think best. 28 I and all my relatives could expect only death from you, but instead you have honored me among all those who eat at your own table! So how can I complain?"
29 "All right," David replied. "My decision is that you and Ziba will divide the land equally between you."
30 "Give him all of it," Mephibosheth said. "I am content just to have you back again!"
31-32 Barzillai, who had fed the king and his army during their exile in Mahanaim, arrived from Rogelim to conduct the king across the river. He was very old now, about eighty, and very wealthy.
33 "Come across with me and live in Jerusalem," the king said to Barzillai. "I will take care of you there."
34 "No," he replied, "I am far too old for that. 35 I am eighty years old today, and life has lost its excitement. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and entertainment is not much fun; I would only be a burden to my lord the king. 36 Just to go across the river with you is all the honor I need! 37 Then let me return again to die in my own city, where my father and mother are buried. But here is Chimham. Let him go with you and receive whatever good things you want to give him."
38 "Good," the king agreed. "Chimham shall go with me, and I will do for him whatever I would have done for you."
39 So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king; and after David had kissed and blessed Barzillai, he returned home. 40 The king then went on to Gilgal, taking Chimham with him. And most of Judah and half of Israel were there to greet him. 41 But the men of Israel complained to the king because only men from Judah had ferried him and his household across the Jordan.
42 "Why not?" the men of Judah replied. "The king is one of our own tribe. Why should this make you angry? We have charged him nothing-he hasn't fed us or given us gifts!"
43 "But there are ten tribes in Israel," the others replied, "so we have ten times as much right in the king as you do; why didn't you invite the rest of us? And, remember, we were the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again."
The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah were very rough in their replies.
1,1,1,1
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31,32,32,4304
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38,38,38,5100
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42,42,42,5595
43,43,44,5770
THE CROWD 2SAMU 19:8-10
Just a few days before, Absalom had turned the hearts of Israel away from David. Here the people wanted David back as their king. Because crowds are known to be fickle, there must be a higher moral code to follow than the pleasure of the majority. Following the moral principles given in God's word will help you avoid being swayed by the crowd.
2SAMU020
1 It happened that a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri from the tribe of Benjamin was there. He blew the trumpet and said: "We have no share in David! We have no part in the son of Jesse! People of Israel, let's go home!"
2 So all the Israelites left David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the people of Judah stayed with their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.
3 David came back to his palace in Jerusalem. He had left ten of his slave women there to take care of the palace. Now he put them in a locked house. He gave them food, but he did not have sexual relations with them. So they lived like widows until they died.
4 The king said to Amasa, "Tell the men of Judah to meet with me in three days, and you must also be here."
5 So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he took more time than the king had said.
6 David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is more dangerous to us than Absalom was. Take my men and chase him before he finds walled cities and escapes from us."
7 So Joab's men, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and all the soldiers went with Abishai. They went out from Jerusalem to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
8 When Joab and the army came to the great rock at Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was wearing his uniform, and at his waist he wore a belt that held his sword in its case. As Joab stepped forward, his sword fell out of its case.
9 Joab asked Amasa, "Brother, is everything all right with you?" Then with his right hand he took Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
10 Amasa was not watching the sword in Joab's hand. So Joab pushed the sword into Amasa's stomach, causing Amasa's insides to spill onto the ground. Joab did not have to stab Amasa again; he was already dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
11 One of Joab's young men stood by Amasa's body and said, "Everyone who is for Joab and David should follow Joab!"
12 Amasa lay in the middle of the road, covered with his own blood. When the young man saw that everyone was stopping to look at the body, he dragged it from the road, laid it in a field, and put a cloth over it.
13 After Amasa's body was taken off the road, all the men followed Joab to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
14 Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah. All the Berites also came together and followed him.
15 So Joab and his men came to Abel Beth Maacah and surrounded it. They piled dirt up against the city wall, and they began hacking at the walls to bring them down.
16 But a wise woman shouted out from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here. I want to talk to him!"
17 So Joab came near her. She asked him, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "Yes, I am." Then she said, "Listen to what I say." Joab said, "I'm listening."
18 Then the woman said, "In the past people would say, `Ask for advice at Abel,' and the problem would be solved.
19 I am one of the peaceful people of Israel. You are trying to destroy an important city of Israel. Why must you destroy what belongs to the LORD?"
20 Joab answered, "I would prefer not to destroy or ruin anything!
21 That is not what I want. But there is a man here from the mountains of Ephraim, who is named Sheba son of Bicri. He has turned against King David. If you bring him to me, I will leave the city alone." The woman said to Joab, "His head will be thrown over the wall to you."
22 Then the woman spoke very wisely to all the people of the city. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri and threw it over the wall to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and the army left the city. Every man returned home, and Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
23 Joab was commander of all the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada led the Kerethites and Pelethites.
24 Adoniram was in charge of the men who were forced to do hard work. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder.
25 Sheba was the royal secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests,
26 and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.
1 Then a hothead whose name was Sheba (son of Bichri, a Benjaminite) blew a trumpet and yelled, "We want nothing to do with David. Come on, you men of Israel, let's get out of here. He's not our king!"
2 So all except Judah and Benjamin turned around and deserted David and followed Sheba! But the men of Judah stayed with their king, accompanying him from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 3 When he arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, the king instructed that his ten wives he had left to keep house should be placed in seclusion. Their needs were to be cared for, he said, but he would no longer sleep with them as his wives. So they remained in virtual widowhood until their deaths.
4 Then the king instructed Amasa to mobilize the army of Judah within three days and to report back at that time. 5 So Amasa went out to notify the troops, but it took him longer than the three days he had been given.
6 Then David said to Abishai, "That fellow Sheba is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my bodyguard and chase after him before he gets into a fortified city where we can't reach him."
7 So Abishai and Joab set out after Sheba with an elite guard from Joab's army and the king's own bodyguard. 8-10 As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, they came face-to-face with Amasa. Joab was wearing his uniform with a dagger strapped to his side. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he stealthily slipped the dagger from its sheath. "I'm glad to see you, my brother," Joab said, and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him. Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it, so that his bowels gushed out onto the ground. He did not need to strike again, and he died there. Joab and his brother, Abishai, left him lying there and continued after Sheba.
11 One of Joab's young officers shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for David, come and follow Joab."
12 But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and when Joab's young officers saw that a crowd was gathering around to stare at him, they dragged him off the road into a field and threw a garment over him. 13 With the body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba.
14 Meanwhile Sheba had traveled across Israel to mobilize his own clan of Bichri at the city of Abel in Beth-maacah. 15 When Joab's forces arrived, they besieged Abel and built a mound to the top of the city wall and began battering it down.
16 But a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."
17 As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?"
And he replied, "I am."
18 So she told him, "There used to be a saying, `If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at Abel.' For we always give wise counsel. 19 You are destroying an ancient, peace-loving city, loyal to Israel. Should you destroy what is the Lord's?"
20 And Joab replied, "That isn't it at all. 21 All I want is a man named Sheba from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you will deliver him to me, we will leave the city in peace."
"All right," the woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."
22 Then the woman went to the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet and called his troops back from the attack, and they returned to the king at Jerusalem.
23 Joab was commander-in-chief of the army, and Benaiah was in charge of the king's bodyguard.
24 Adoram was in charge of the forced labor battalions, and Jehoshaphat was the historian who kept the records. 25 Sheva was the secretary, and Zadok and Abiathar were the chief priests. 26 Ira the Jairite was David's personal chaplain.
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2,2,3,231
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6,6,11,875
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JUSTICE 2SAMU 20:7-10
Once again Joab's murderous treachery went unpunished, just as it did when he killed Abner (3:26-27). Eventually, however, justice caught up with him (1 Kings 2:28-35). It may seem that sin and treachery often go unpunished, but God's justice is not limited to this life's rewards. Even if Joab had died of old age, he would have to face the Judgment.
WISDOM 2SAMU 20:16
Joab's men were attacking the city, and it looked as if it would be destroyed. Though women in that society were usually quiet in public, this woman spoke out. She stopped Joab's attack, not with weapons, but with wise words and a plan of action. Sometimes the courage to speak a few sensible words can prevent great disaster.
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2SAMU021
1 During the time David was king, there was a shortage of food that lasted for three years. So David prayed to the LORD. The LORD answered, "Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for this shortage, because he killed the Gibeonites."
2 (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were a group of Amorites who were left alive. The Israelites had promised not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to kill them, because he was eager to help the people of Israel and Judah.) King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them.
3 He asked, "What can I do for you? How can I make up for the harm done so you can bless the LORD' s people?"
4 The Gibeonites said to David, "We cannot demand silver or gold from Saul or his family. And we don't have the right to kill anyone in Israel." Then David asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
5 The Gibeonites said, "Saul made plans against us and tried to destroy all our people who are left in the land of Israel.
6 So bring seven of his sons to us. Then we will kill them and hang them on stakes in the presence of the LORD at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the LORD' s chosen king." The king said, "I will give them to you."
7 But the king protected Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the promise he had made to Jonathan in the LORD' s name.
8 The king did take Armoni and Mephibosheth, sons of Rizpah and Saul. (Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah.) And the king took the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab. (Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite was the father of Merab's five sons.)
9 David gave these seven sons to the Gibeonites. Then the Gibeonites killed them and hung them on stakes on a hill in the presence of the LORD. All seven sons died together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Aiah's daughter Rizpah took the rough cloth that was worn to show sadness and put it on a rock for herself. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on her sons' bodies. During the day she did not let the birds of the sky touch her sons' bodies, and during the night she did not let the wild animals touch them.
11 People told David what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's slave woman, was doing.
12 Then David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the men of Jabesh Gilead. (The Philistines had hung the bodies of Saul and Jonathan in the public square of Beth Shan after they had killed Saul at Gilboa. Later the men of Jabesh Gilead had secretly taken them from there.)
13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from Gilead. Then the people gathered the bodies of Saul's seven sons who were hanged on stakes.
14 The people buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in Benjamin in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. The people did everything the king commanded. Then God answered the prayers for the land.
15 Again there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went out to fight the Philistines, but David became tired.
16 ISHBI-BENOB, one of the sons of Rapha, had a bronze spearhead weighing about seven and one-half pounds and a new sword. He planned to kill David,
17 but Abishai son of Zeruiah killed the Philistine and saved David's life. Then David's men made a promise to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle. If you were killed, Israel would lose its greatest leader."
18 Later, at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another one of the sons of Rapha.
19 Later, there was another battle at Gob with the Philistines. Elhanan son of JAARE-OREGIM from Bethlehem killed Goliath from Gath. His spear was as large as a weaver's rod.
20 At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot- twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was one of the sons of Rapha.
21 When he challenged Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.
22 These four sons of Rapha from Gath were killed by David and his men.
1 There was a famine during David's reign that lasted year after year for three years, and David spent much time in prayer about it. Then the Lord said, "The famine is because of the guilt of Saul and his family, for they murdered the Gibeonites."
2 So King David summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were what was left of the nation of the Amorites. Israel had sworn not to kill them; but Saul, in his nationalistic zeal, had tried to wipe them out.
3 David asked them, "What can I do for you to rid ourselves of this guilt and to induce you to ask God to bless us?"
4 "Well, money won't do it," the Gibeonites replied, "and we don't want to see Israelites executed in revenge."
"What can I do, then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."
5-6 "Well, then," they replied, "give us seven of Saul's sons-the sons of the man who did his best to destroy us. We will hang them before the Lord in Gibeon, the city of King Saul."
"All right," the king said, "I will do it."
7 He spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson, because of the oath between himself and Jonathan. 8 But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five adopted sons of Michal that she brought up for Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel. 9 The men of Gibeon impaled them in the mountain before the Lord. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah, the mother of two of the men, spread sackcloth upon a rock and stayed there through the entire harvest season to prevent the vultures from tearing at their bodies during the day and the wild animals from eating them at night. 11 When David learned what she had done, 12-14 he arranged for the men's bones to be buried in the grave of Saul's father, Kish. At the same time he sent a request to the men of Jabesh-gilead, asking them to bring him the bones of Saul and Jonathan. They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth-shan where the Philistines had impaled them after they had died in battle on Mount Gilboa. So their bones were brought to him. Then at last God answered prayer and ended the famine.
15 Once when the Philistines were at war with Israel, and David and his men were in the thick of the battle, David became weak and exhausted. 16 Ishbi-benob, a giant whose speartip weighed more than twelve pounds and who was sporting a new suit of armor, closed in on David and was about to kill him. 17 But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, came to his rescue and killed the Philistine. After that David's men declared, "You are not going out to battle again! Why should we risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"
18 Later, during a war with the Philistines at Gob, Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another giant. 19 At still another time and at the same place, Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear handle was as huge as a weaver's beam! 20-21 And once when the Philistines and the Israelis were fighting at Gath, a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot defied Israel, and David's nephew Jonathan-the son of David's brother Shimei-killed him. 22 These four were from the tribe of giants in Gath and were killed by David's troops.
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2SAMU022
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1 David sang this song to the LORD when the LORD saved him from Saul and all his other enemies.
2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my protection, my Savior.
3 My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender and my place of safety. The LORD saves me from those who want to harm me.
4 I will call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I will be saved from my enemies.
5 "The waves of death came around me; the deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of death wrapped around me. The traps of death were before me.
7 In my trouble I called to the LORD; I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my call for help reached his ears.
8 "The earth trembled and shook. The foundations of heaven began to shake. They trembled because the LORD was angry.
9 Smoke came out of his nose, and burning fire came out of his mouth. Burning coals went before him.
10 He tore open the sky and came down with dark clouds under his feet.
11 He rode a creature with wings and flew. He raced on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his shelter, surrounded by fog and clouds.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence came flashes of lightning.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High raised his voice.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies. His bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
16 The LORD spoke strongly. The wind blew from his nose. Then the valleys of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the earth were seen.
17 "The LORD reached down from above and took me; he pulled me from the deep water.
18 He saved me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at my time of trouble, but the LORD supported me.
20 He took me to a safe place. Because he delights in me, he saved me.
21 "The LORD spared me because I did what was right. Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.
22 I have followed the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 I remember all his laws and have not broken his rules.
24 I am innocent before him; I have kept myself from doing evil.
25 The LORD rewarded me because I did what was right, because I did what the LORD said was right.
26 "LORD, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good.
27 You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are evil.
28 You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud.
29 LORD, you give light to my lamp. The LORD brightens the darkness around me.
30 With your help I can attack an army. With God's help I can jump over a wall.
31 "The ways of God are without fault; the LORD' s words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him.
32 Who is God? Only the LORD. Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33 God is my protection. He makes my way free from fault.
34 He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains.
35 He trains my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You protect me with your saving shield. You have stooped to make me great.
37 You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them. I did not quit till they were destroyed.
39 I destroyed and crushed them so they couldn't rise up again. They fell beneath my feet.
40 You gave me strength in battle. You made my enemies bow before me.
41 You made my enemies turn back, and I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They called for help, but no one came to save them. They called to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat my enemies into pieces, like dust on the ground. I poured them out and walked on them like mud in the streets.
44 "You saved me when my people attacked me. You kept me as the leader of nations. People I never knew serve me.
45 Foreigners obey me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46 They all become afraid and tremble in their hiding places.
47 "The LORD lives! May my Rock be praised! Praise God, the Rock, who saves me!
48 God gives me victory over my enemies and brings people under my rule.
49 He frees me from my enemies. "You set me over those who hate me. You saved me from cruel men.
50 So I will praise you, LORD, among the nations. I will sing praises to your name.
51 The LORD gives great victories to his king. He is loyal to his appointed king, to David and his descendants forever."
1 David sang this song to the Lord after he had rescued him from Saul and from all his other enemies:
2 "Jehovah is my rock,
My fortress and my savior.
3 I will hide in God,
Who is my rock and my refuge.
He is my shield
And my salvation,
My refuge and high tower.
Thank you, O my Savior,
For saving me from all my enemies.
4 I will call upon the Lord,
Who is worthy to be praised;
He will save me from all my enemies.
5 The waves of death surrounded me;
Floods of evil burst upon me;
6 I was trapped and bound
By hell and death;
7 But I called upon the Lord in my distress,
And he heard me from his Temple.
My cry reached his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the heavens quaked
Because of his wrath.
9 Smoke poured from his nostrils;
Fire leaped from his mouth
And burned up all before him,
Setting fire to the world.
10 He bent the heavens down and came to earth;
He walked upon dark clouds.
11 He rode upon the glorious-
On the wings of the wind.
12 Darkness surrounded him,
And clouds were thick around him;
13 The earth was radiant with his brightness.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
The God above all gods gave out a mighty shout.
15 He shot forth his arrows of lightning
And routed his enemies.
16 By the blast of his breath
Was the sea split in two.
The bottom of the sea appeared.
17 From above, he rescued me.
He drew me out from the waters;
18 He saved me from powerful enemies,
From those who hated me
And from those who were too strong for me.
19 They came upon me
In the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my salvation.
20 He set me free and rescued me,
For I was his delight.
21 The Lord rewarded me for my goodness,
For my hands were clean;
22 And I have not departed from my God.
23 I knew his laws,
And I obeyed them.
24 I was perfect in obedience
And kept myself from sin.
25 That is why the Lord has done so much for me,
For he sees that I am clean.
26 You are merciful to the merciful;
You show your perfections
To the blameless.
27 To those who are pure,
You show yourself pure;
But you destroy those who are evil.
28 You will save those in trouble,
But you bring down the haughty;
For you watch their every move.
29 O Lord, you are my light!
You make my darkness bright.
30 By your power I can crush an army;
By your strength I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is true.
He shields all who hide behind him.
32 Our Lord alone is God;
We have no other Savior.
33 God is my strong fortress;
He has made me safe.
34 He causes the good to walk a steady tread
Like mountain goats upon the rocks.
35 He gives me skill in war
And strength to bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You have made wide steps for my feet,
To keep them from slipping.
38 I have chased my enemies
And destroyed them.
I did not stop till all were gone.
39 I have destroyed them
So that none can rise again.
They have fallen beneath my feet.
40 For you have given me strength for the battle
And have caused me to subdue
All those who rose against me.
41 You have made my enemies
Turn and run away;
I have destroyed them all.
42 They looked in vain for help;
They cried to God,
But he refused to answer.
43 I beat them into dust;
I crushed and scattered them
Like dust along the streets.
44 You have preserved me
From the rebels of my people;
You have preserved me
As the head of the nations.
Foreigners shall serve me
45 And shall quickly submit to me
When they hear of my power.
46 They shall lose heart
And come, trembling,
From their hiding places.
47 The Lord lives.
Blessed be my Rock.
Praise to him-
The Rock of my salvation.
48 Blessed be God
Who destroys those who oppose me
49 And rescues me from my enemies.
Yes, you hold me safe above their heads.
You deliver me from violence.
50 No wonder I give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations,
And sing praises to your name.
51 He gives wonderful deliverance to his king
And shows mercy to his anointed-
To David and his family,
Forever."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,101
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,344
5,5,9,437
6,6,11,513
7,7,13,592
8,8,15,727
9,9,17,848
10,10,19,953
11,11,21,1028
12,12,23,1110
13,13,25,1177
14,14,27,1249
15,15,29,1320
16,16,31,1421
17,17,33,1564
18,18,35,1652
19,19,37,1759
20,20,39,1833
21,21,41,1908
22,22,43,2015
23,23,45,2105
24,24,47,2167
25,25,49,2236
26,26,51,2338
27,27,53,2430
28,28,55,2513
29,29,57,2581
30,30,59,2664
31,31,61,2748
32,32,63,2858
33,33,65,2923
34,34,67,2985
35,35,69,3081
36,36,71,3152
37,37,73,3234
38,38,75,3304
39,39,77,3392
40,40,79,3487
41,41,81,3561
42,42,83,3635
43,43,85,3747
44,44,87,3872
45,45,89,3989
46,46,91,4055
47,47,93,4121
48,48,95,4205
49,49,97,4282
50,50,99,4383
51,51,101,4471
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,104
3,3,5,162
4,4,13,356
5,5,17,462
6,6,19,534
7,7,21,585
8,8,25,699
9,9,29,807
10,10,34,939
11,11,37,1022
12,12,40,1086
13,13,42,1154
14,14,44,1205
15,15,47,1296
16,16,50,1369
17,17,54,1468
18,18,56,1536
19,19,60,1652
20,20,64,1742
21,21,67,1807
22,22,69,1879
23,23,71,1924
24,24,74,1971
25,25,77,2035
26,26,80,2121
27,27,84,2213
28,28,88,2310
29,29,92,2420
30,30,95,2486
31,31,98,2569
32,32,102,2681
33,33,105,2740
34,34,108,2797
35,35,111,2886
36,36,114,2960
37,37,117,3054
38,38,120,3131
39,39,124,3225
40,40,128,3324
41,41,132,3444
42,42,136,3529
43,43,140,3618
44,44,144,3713
45,45,149,3859
46,46,152,3929
47,47,156,4012
48,48,161,4106
49,49,163,4163
50,50,167,4280
51,51,170,4381
GOD'S MAN 2SAMU 22:51
The book of 2 Samuel describes David's reign. Since the Israelites first entered the Promised Land under Joshua, they had been struggling to unite the nation and drive out the wicked inhabitants. At this time, after more than 400 years, Israel was finally at peace. David had accomplished what no leader before him, judge or king, had done. His administration was run on the principle of dedication to God and to the well-being of the people. Yet David also sinned. Despite his sins, however, the Bible calls David a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), because when he sinned he recognized it and confessed it before God. David committed his life to God and remained loyal to God throughout his lifetime. Reading the Psalms gives an even deeper insight into David's love for God.
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Scrapbook: "Mike: God gives you strength" ,!page "mike1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
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2SAMU023
1 These are the last words of David. This is the message of David son of Jesse. The man made great by the Most High God speaks. He is the appointed king of the God of Jacob; he is the sweet singer of Israel:
2 "The LORD' s Spirit spoke through me, and his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me: `Whoever rules fairly over people, who rules with respect for God,
4 is like the morning light at dawn, like a morning without clouds. He is like sunshine after a rain that makes the grass sprout from the ground.'
5 "This is how God has cared for my family. God made a lasting agreement with me, right and sure in every way. He will accomplish my salvation and satisfy all my desires.
6 "But all evil people will be thrown away like thorns that cannot be held in a hand.
7 No one can touch them except with a tool of iron or wood. They will be thrown in the fire and burned where they lie."
8 These are the names of David's warriors: JOSHEB-BASSHEBETH, the Tahkemonite, was head of the Three. He killed eight hundred men at one time.
9 Next was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. Eleazar was one of the three soldiers who were with David when they challenged the Philistines. The Philistines were gathered for battle, and the Israelites drew back.
10 But Eleazar stayed where he was and fought the Philistines until he was so tired his hand stuck to his sword. The LORD gave a great victory for the Israelites that day. The troops came back after Eleazar had won the battle, but only to take weapons and armor from the enemy.
11 Next there was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines came together to fight in a vegetable field. Israel's troops ran away from the Philistines,
12 but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and fought for it and killed the Philistines. And the LORD gave a great victory.
13 Once, three of the Thirty, David's chief soldiers, came down to him at the cave of Adullam during harvest. The Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and some of the Philistines were in Bethlehem.
15 David had a strong desire for some water. He said, "Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!"
16 So the three warriors broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem. Then they brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out before the LORD,
17 saying, "May the LORD keep me from drinking this water! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives!" So David refused to drink it. These were the brave things that the three warriors did.
18 Abishai, brother of Joab son of Zeruiah, was captain of the Three. Abishai fought three hundred soldiers with his spear and killed them. He became as famous as the Three
19 and was more honored than the Three. He became their commander even though he was not one of them.
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel who did mighty things. He killed two of the best warriors from Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day.
21 Benaiah killed a large Egyptian who had a spear in his hand. Benaiah had a club, but he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
22 These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the Three.
23 He received more honor than the Thirty, but he did not become a member of the Three. David made him leader of his bodyguards.
24 The following men were among the Thirty: Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
25 Shammah the Harodite; Elika the Harodite;
26 Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
27 Abiezer the Anathothite; Mebunnai the Hushathite;
28 Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite;
29 Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite; Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin;
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite; Hiddai from the ravines of Gaash;
31 ABI-ALBON the Arbathite; Azmaveth the Barhumite;
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite; the sons of Jashen; Jonathan
33 son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite;
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
35 Hezro the Carmelite; Paarai the Arbite;
36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah; the son of Hagri;
37 Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Beerothite, who carried the armor of Joab son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
1 These are the last words of David:
"David, the son of Jesse, speaks.
David, the man to whom God gave such wonderful success;
David, the anointed of the God of Jacob;
David, sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And his word was on my tongue.
3 The Rock of Israel said to me:
`One shall come who rules righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God.
4 He shall be as the light of the morning;
A cloudless sunrise
When the tender grass
Springs forth upon the earth;
As sunshine after rain.'
5 And it is my family
He has chosen!
Yes, God has made
An everlasting covenant with me;
His agreement is eternal, final, sealed.
He will constantly look after
My safety and success.
6 But the godless are as thorns to be thrown away,
For they tear the hand that touches them.
7 One must be armed to chop them down;
They shall be burned."
8 These are the names of the Top Three-the most heroic men in David's army: the first was Josheb-basshebeth from Tahchemon, known also as Adino, the Eznite. He once killed eight hundred men in one battle.
9 Next in rank was Eleazar, the son of Dodo and grandson of Ahohi. He was one of the three men who, with David, held back the Philistines that time when the rest of the Israeli army fled. 10 He killed the Philistines until his hand was too tired to hold his sword; and the Lord gave him a great victory. (The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the loot!)
11-12 After him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. Once during a Philistine attack, when all his men deserted him and fled, he stood alone at the center of a field of lentils and beat back the Philistines; and God gave him a great victory.
13 One time when David was living in the cave of Adullam and the invading Philistines were at the valley of Rephaim, three of the Thirty-the top-ranking officers of the Israeli army-went down at harvest time to visit him. 14 David was in the stronghold at the time, for Philistine marauders had occupied the nearby city of Bethlehem.
15 David remarked, "How thirsty I am for some of that good water in the city well!" (The well was near the city gate.)
16 So the three men broke through the Philistine ranks and drew water from the well and brought it to David. But he refused to drink it! Instead, he poured it out before the Lord.
17 "No, my God," he exclaimed, "I cannot do it! This is the blood of these men who have risked their lives."
18-19 Of those three men, Abishai, the brother of Joab (son of Zeruiah), was the greatest. Once he took on three hundred of the enemy single-handed and killed them all. It was by such feats that he earned a reputation equal to the Three, though he was not actually one of them. But he was the greatest of the Thirty-the top-ranking officers of the army-and was their leader.
20 There was also Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), a heroic soldier from Kabzeel. Benaiah killed two giants, sons of Ariel of Moab. Another time he went down into a pit and, despite the slippery snow on the ground, took on a lion that was caught there and killed it. 21 Another time, armed only with a staff, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear; he wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it. 22 These were some of the deeds that gave Benaiah almost as much renown as the Top Three. 23 He was one of the greatest of the Thirty, but was not actually one of the Top Three. And David made him chief of his bodyguard.
24-39 Asahel, the brother of Joab, was also one of the Thirty. Others were:
Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem;
Shammah from Harod;
Elika from Harod;
Helez from Palti;
Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa;
Abiezer from Anathoth;
Mebunnai from Hushath;
Zalmon from Ahoh;
Maharai from Netophah;
Heleb (son of Baanah) from Netophah;
Ittai (son of Ribai) from Gibeah, of the tribe of Benjamin;
Benaiah of Pirathon;
Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash;
Abi-albon from Arbath;
Azmaveth from Bahurim;
Eliahba from Shaalbon;
The sons of Jashen;
Jonathan;
Shammah from Harar;
Ahiam (the son of Sharar) from Harar;
Eliphelet (son of Ahasbai) from Maacah;
Eliam (the son of Ahithophel) from Gilo;
Hezro from Carmel;
Paarai from Arba;
Igal (son of Nathan) from Zobah;
Bani from Gad;
Zelek from Ammon;
Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab (son of Zeruiah);
Ira from Ithra;
Gareb from Ithra;
Uriah the Hittite-thirty-seven in all.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,213
3,3,5,288
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,568
6,6,11,743
7,7,13,833
8,8,15,957
9,9,17,1104
10,10,19,1321
11,11,21,1603
12,12,23,1767
13,13,25,1900
14,14,27,2071
15,15,29,2167
16,16,31,2312
17,17,33,2530
18,18,35,2752
19,19,37,2929
20,20,39,3035
21,21,41,3231
22,22,43,3404
23,23,45,3493
24,24,47,3626
25,25,49,3734
26,26,51,3783
27,27,53,3839
28,28,55,3896
29,29,57,3949
30,30,59,4038
31,31,61,4104
32,32,63,4160
33,33,65,4221
34,34,67,4291
35,35,69,4377
36,36,71,4424
37,37,73,4478
38,38,75,4575
39,39,77,4618
1,1,1,1
2,2,6,215
3,3,9,292
4,4,13,405
5,5,18,560
6,6,26,765
7,7,29,864
8,8,32,934
9,10,34,1142
11,12,36,1526
13,14,38,1775
15,15,40,2112
16,16,42,2234
17,17,44,2417
18,19,46,2529
20,23,48,2907
24,24,50,3563
2SAMU024
1 The LORD was angry with Israel again, and he caused David to turn against the Israelites. He said, "Go, count the people of Israel and Judah."
2 So King David said to Joab, the commander of the army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people. Then I will know how many there are."
3 But Joab said to the king, "May the LORD your God give you a hundred times more people, and may my master the king live to see this happen. Why do you want to do this?"
4 But the king commanded Joab and the commanders of the army, so they left the king to count the Israelites.
5 After crossing the Jordan River, they camped near Aroer on the south side of the city in the ravine. They went through Gad and on to Jazer.
6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim Hodshi and to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon.
7 They went to the strong, walled city of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went to southern Judah, to Beersheba.
8 After nine months and twenty days, they had gone through all the land. Then they came back to Jerusalem.
9 Joab gave the list of the people to the king. There were eight hundred thousand men in Israel who could use the sword and five hundred thousand men in Judah.
10 David felt ashamed after he had counted the people. He said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly by what I have done. LORD, I beg you to forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish."
11 When David got up in the morning, the LORD spoke his word to Gad, who was a prophet and David's seer.
12 The LORD told Gad, "Go and tell David, `This is what the LORD says: I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it to you.' "
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Should three years of hunger come to you and your land? Or should your enemies chase you for three months? Or should there be three days of disease in your land? Think about it. Then decide which of these things I should tell the LORD who sent me."
14 David said to Gad, "I am in great trouble. Let the LORD punish us, because the LORD is very merciful. Don't let my punishment come from human beings!"
15 So the LORD sent a terrible disease on Israel. It began in the morning and continued until the chosen time to stop. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand people died.
16 When the angel raised his arm toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. He said to the angel who was destroying the people, "That is enough! Put down your arm!" The angel of the LORD was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel that killed the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who sinned and did wrong. These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. Please punish me and my family."
18 That day Gad came to David and said, "Go and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
19 So David did what Gad told him to do, just as the LORD commanded.
20 Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming to him. So he went out and bowed facedown on the ground before the king.
21 He said, "Why has my master the king come to me?" David answered, "To buy the threshing floor from you so I can build an altar to the LORD. Then the terrible disease will stop."
22 Araunah said to David, "My master and king, you may take anything you want for a sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the whole burnt offering and the threshing boards and the yokes for the wood.
23 My king, I give everything to you." Araunah also said to the king, "May the LORD your God be pleased with you."
24 But the king answered Araunah, "No, I will pay you for the land. I won't offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for one and one-fourth pounds of silver.
1 Once again the anger of the Lord flared against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a national census. "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah," the Lord told him.
2 So the king said to Joab, commander-in-chief of his army, "Take a census of all the people from one end of the nation to the other, so that I will know how many of them there are."
3 But Joab replied, "God grant that you will live to see the day when there will be a hundred times as many people in your kingdom as there are now! But you have no right to rejoice in their strength."
4 But the king's command overcame Joab's remonstrance; so Joab and the other army officers went out to count the people of Israel. 5 First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the city that lies in the middle of the valley of Gad, near Jazer; 6 then they went to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon; 7 and then to the stronghold of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and south to Judah as far as Beersheba. 8 Having gone through the entire land, they completed their task in nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab reported the number of the people to the king-800,000 men of conscription age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.
10 But after he had taken the census, David's conscience began to bother him, and he said to the Lord, "What I did was very wrong. Please forgive this foolish wickedness of mine."
11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David's contact with God.
The Lord said to Gad, 12 "Tell David that I will give him three choices."
13 So Gad came to David and asked him, "Will you choose seven years of famine across the land, or to flee for three months before your enemies, or to submit to three days of plague? Think this over and let me know what answer to give to God."
14 "This is a hard decision," David replied, "but it is better to fall into the hand of the Lord (for his mercy is great) than into the hands of men."
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days; and seventy thousand men died throughout the nation. 16 But as the death angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was sorry for what was happening and told him to stop. He was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time.
17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, "Look, I am the one who has sinned! What have these sheep done? Let your anger be only against me and my family."
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19 So David went to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came forward and fell flat on the ground with his face in the dust.
21 "Why have you come?" Araunah asked.
And David replied, "To buy your threshing floor, so that I can build an altar to the Lord, and he will stop the plague."
22 "Use anything you like," Araunah told the king. "Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing instruments and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, and may the Lord God accept your sacrifice."
24 But the king said to Araunah, "No, I will not have it as a gift. I will buy it, for I don't want to offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing."
So David paid him for the threshing floor and the oxen. 25 And David built an altar there to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer, and the plague was stopped.
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Profile: David's Mighty Men ,!page "^davidmm" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
V1KING
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To contrast the lives of those who live for God with the lives of those who refuse to do so, using the history of the kings of Israel and Judah
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Possibly Jeremiah or a group of prophets.
SETTING:
The once great nation of Israel turns into a divided land, both physically and spiritually
The books of 1 and 2 Kings were originally one bookkkkkkkkkkkkC
Here's a quick quiz. What do you think of when you hear each of these names: Solomon . . . Elijah . . . Ahab . . . Jezebel . . . Nadab? The usual response for Solomon would be "wisdom" or "the temple." For Elijah, you might answer, "prophet" or "defeated the Baal worshipers on the mountain." Ahab and Jezebel are most certainly associated with evil. And you may not even have heard of Nadab. It's amazing what people remember about other people, even after they're gone. Whether good or evil, a person's reputation often remains long after his or her death. First Kings tells the stories of many of the leaders of Israel. Some, like Solomon, take chapters to relate. Others, like Nadab, just take a line or two. No matter what the length, when we read these accounts we gain a snapshot of what these people were like-their character and their lives. As we read, we can learn what it takes to be someone who is remembered for good and not for evil, for following God and not self. What would your friends and acquaintances say if given your name in a similar quiz? What kind of a reputation are you building?
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
1KING001
:(:>=t>
1 At this time King David was very old, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.
2 They said to him, "We will look for a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm."
3 After searching everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman, they found a girl named Abishag from Shunam and brought her to the king.
4 The girl was very beautiful, and she cared for the king and served him. But the king did not have sexual relations with her.
5 Adonijah was the son of King David and Haggith, and he was very proud. "I will be the king," he said. So he got chariots and horses for himself and fifty men for his personal bodyguard.
6 Now David had never interfered with Adonijah by questioning what he did. Born next after Absalom, Adonijah was a very handsome man.
7 Adonijah spoke with Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest, and they agreed to help him.
8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and King David's special guard did not join Adonijah.
9 Then Adonijah killed some sheep, cows, and fat calves for sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring of Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come, as well as all the men of Judah.
10 But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, his father's special guard, or his brother Solomon.
11 When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. "Have you heard that Adonijah, Haggith's son, has made himself king?" Nathan asked. "Our real king, David, does not know it.
12 I strongly advise you to save yourself and your sons.
13 Go to King David and tell him, `My master and king, you promised that my son Solomon would be king and would rule on your throne after you. Why then has Adonijah become king?'
14 While you are still talking to the king, I will come in and tell him that what you have said about Adonijah is true."
15 So Bathsheba went in to see the aged king in his bedroom, where Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him.
16 Bathsheba bowed and knelt before the king. He asked, "What do you want?"
17 She answered, "My master, you made a promise to me in the name of the LORD your God. You said, `Your son Solomon will become king after me, and he will rule on my throne.'
18 But now, unknown to you, Adonijah has become king.
19 He has killed many cows, fat calves, and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite Solomon, who serves you.
20 My master and king, all the Israelites are watching you, waiting for you to decide who will be king after you.
21 As soon as you die, Solomon and I will be treated as criminals."
22 While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.
23 The servants told the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." So Nathan went to the king and bowed facedown on the ground before him.
24 Nathan said, "My master and king, have you said that Adonijah will be the king after you and that he will rule on your throne?
25 Today he has sacrificed many cows, fat calves, and sheep, and he has invited all your other sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, `Long live King Adonijah!'
26 But he did not invite me, your own servant, or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your son Solomon.
27 Did you do this? Since we are your servants, why didn't you tell us who should be king after you?"
28 Then the king said, "Tell Bathsheba to come in!" So she came in and stood before the king.
29 Then the king made this promise, "The LORD has saved me from all trouble. As surely as he lives,
30 I will do today what I have promised you in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. I promised that your son Solomon would be king after me and rule on my throne in my place."
31 Then Bathsheba bowed facedown on the ground and knelt before the king and said, "Long live my master King David!"
32 Then King David said, "Tell Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to come in." When they came before the king,
33 he said to them, "Take my servants with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Take him down to the spring called Gihon.
34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet should pour olive oil on him and make him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, `Long live King Solomon!'
35 Then come back up here with him. He will sit on my throne and rule in my place, because he is the one I have chosen to be the ruler over Israel and Judah."
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! This is what the LORD, the God of my master, has declared!
37 The LORD has always helped you, our king. May he also help Solomon and make King Solomon's throne an even greater throne than yours."
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada left with the Kerethites and Pelethites. They put Solomon on King David's mule and took him to the spring called Gihon.
39 Zadok the priest took the container of olive oil from the Holy Tent and poured the oil on Solomon's head to show he was the king. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!"
40 All the people followed Solomon into the city. Playing flutes and shouting for joy, they made so much noise the ground shook.
41 At this time Adonijah and all the guests with him were finishing their meal. When he heard the sound from the trumpet, Joab asked, "What does all that noise from the city mean?"
42 While Joab was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, "Come in! You are an important man, so you must be bringing good news."
43 But Jonathan answered, "No! Our master King David has made Solomon the new king.
44 King David sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and all the king's bodyguards with him, and they have put Solomon on the king's own mule.
45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet poured olive oil on Solomon at Gihon to make him king. After that they went into the city, shouting with joy. Now the whole city is excited, and that is the noise you hear.
46 Solomon has now become the king.
47 All the king's officers have your God make Solomon even more famous than you and an even greater king than you.' "Jonathan continued, "And King David bowed down on his bed to worship God,
48 saying, `Bless the LORD, the God of Israel. Today he has made one of my sons the king and allowed me to see it.' "
49 Then all of Adonijah's guests were afraid, and they left quickly and scattered.
50 Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon, so he went and took hold of the corners of the altar.
51 Then someone told Solomon, "Adonijah is afraid of you, so he is at the altar, holding on to its corners. He says, `Tell King Solomon to promise me today that he will not kill me.' "
52 So Solomon answered, "Adonijah must show that he is a man of honor. If he does that, I promise he will not lose even a single hair from his head. But if he does anything wrong, he will die."
53 Then King Solomon sent some men to get Adonijah. When he was brought from the altar, he came before King Solomon and bowed down. Solomon told him, "Go home."
1 In his old age King David was confined to his bed; but no matter how many blankets were heaped upon him, he was always cold.
2 "The cure for this," his aides told him, "is to find a young virgin to be your concubine and nurse. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm."
3-4 So they searched the country from one end to the other to find the most beautiful girl in all the land. Abishag, from Shunam, was finally selected. They brought her to the king, and she lay in his arms to warm him (but he had no sexual relations with her).
5 At about that time, David's son Adonijah (his mother was Haggith) decided to crown himself king in place of his aged father. So he hired chariots and drivers and recruited fifty men to run down the streets before him as royal footmen. 6 Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time - not so much as by a single scolding! He was a very handsome man and was Absalom's younger brother. 7 He took General Joab and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. 8 But among those who remained loyal to King David and refused to endorse Adonijah were the priests Zadok and Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David's army chiefs.
9 Adonijah went to En-rogel where he sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fat young goats at the Serpent's Stone. Then he summoned all of his brothers - the other sons of King David - and all the royal officials of Judah, requesting that they come to his coronation. 10 But he didn't invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the loyal army officers, or his brother Solomon.
11 Then Nathan the prophet went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and asked her, "Do you realize that Haggith's son, Adonijah, is now the king and that our lord David doesn't even know about it? 12 If you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon - do exactly as I say! 13 Go at once to King David and ask him, `My lord, didn't you promise me that my son Solomon would be the next king and would sit upon your throne? Then why is Adonijah reigning?' 14 And while you are still talking with him, I'll come and confirm everything you've said."
15 So Bathsheba went into the king's bedroom. He was an old, old man now, and Abishag was caring for him. 16 Bathsheba bowed low before him.
"What do you want?" he asked her.
17 She replied, "My lord, you vowed to me by the Lord your God that my son Solomon would be the next king and would sit upon your throne. 18 But instead, Adonijah is the new king, and you don't even know about it. 19 He has celebrated his coronation by sacrificing oxen, fat goats, and many sheep and has invited all your sons and Abiathar the priest and General Joab. But he didn't invite Solomon. 20 And now, my lord the king, all Israel is waiting for your decision as to whether Adonijah is the one you have chosen to succeed you. 21 If you don't act, my son Solomon and I will be arrested and executed as criminals as soon as you are dead."
22-23 While she was speaking, the king's aides told him, "Nathan the prophet is here to see you."
Nathan came in and bowed low before the king, 24 and asked, "My lord, have you appointed Adonijah to be the next king? Is he the one you have selected to sit upon your throne? 25 Today he celebrated his coronation by sacrificing oxen, fat goats, and many sheep, and has invited your sons to attend the festivities. He also invited General Joab and Abiathar the priest; and they are feasting and drinking with him and shouting, `Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah and Solomon and I weren't invited. 27 Has this been done with your knowledge? For you haven't said a word as to which of your sons you have chosen to be the next king."
28 "Call Bathsheba," David said. So she came back in and stood before the king.
29 And the king vowed, "As the Lord lives who has rescued me from every danger, 30 I decree that your son Solomon shall be the next king and shall sit upon my throne, just as I swore to you before by the Lord God of Israel."
31 Then Bathsheba bowed low before him and exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, sir. May my lord the king live forever!"
32 "Call Zadok the priest," the king ordered, "and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah."
When they arrived, 33 he said to them, "Take Solomon and my officers to Gihon. Solomon is to ride on my personal mule, 34 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him there as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpets and shout, `Long live King Solomon!' 35 When you bring him back here, place him upon my throne as the new king; for I have appointed him king of Israel and Judah."
36 "Amen! Praise God!" replied Benaiah, and added, 37 "May the Lord be with Solomon as he has been with you, and may God make Solomon's reign even greater than yours!"
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, and David's bodyguard took Solomon to Gihon, riding on King David's own mule. 39 At Gihon, Zadok took a flask of sacred oil from the Tabernacle and poured it over Solomon; and the trumpets were blown and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!"
40 Then they all returned with him to Jerusalem, making a joyous and noisy celebration all along the way.
41 Adonijah and his guests heard the commotion and shouting just as they were finishing their banquet.
"What's going on?" Joab demanded. "Why is the city in such an uproar?"
42 And while he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, rushed in.
"Come in," Adonijah said to him, "for you are a good man; you must have good news."
43 "Our lord King David has declared Solomon as king!" Jonathan shouted. 44-45 "The king sent him to Gihon with Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah, protected by the king's own bodyguard; and he rode on the king's own mule. And Zadok and Nathan have anointed him as the new king! They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing. That's what all the noise is. 46-47 Solomon is sitting on the throne, and all the people are congratulating King David, saying, `May God bless you even more through Solomon than he has blessed you personally! May God make Solomon's reign even greater than yours!' And the king is lying in bed, acknowledging their blessings. 48 He is saying, `Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has selected one of my sons to sit upon my throne while I am still alive to see it.' "
49-50 Then Adonijah and his guests jumped up from the banquet table and fled in panic; for they were fearful for their lives. Adonijah rushed into the Tabernacle and caught hold of the horns of the sacred altar. 51 When word reached Solomon that Adonijah was claiming sanctuary in the Tabernacle, and pleading for clemency, 52 Solomon replied, "If he behaves himself, he will not be harmed; but if he does not, he shall die." 53 So King Solomon summoned him, and they brought him down from the altar. He came to bow low before the king; and then Solomon curtly dismissed him.
"Go on home," he said.
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ACTION 1KING 1:5-14
When Nathan learned of Adonijah's conspiracy, he immediately tried to stop it. He was a man of both faith and action. Nathan knew the right course to take-that Solomon should be king-and he moved quickly when he saw someone trying to block what was right. We often know what is right, but don't act on it. Perhaps we don't want to get involved, or maybe we are lazy. Don't stop with prayer, good intentions, or angry feelings. Take the action needed to correct the situation.
GOD FIRST 1KING 1:49-50
Sometimes it takes getting caught before someone is willing to give up his scheme. When Adonijah learned that his plans had been exposed, he ran in panic to the sacred altar, the highest symbol of God's mercy and forgiveness. He went there, however, after his plans for treason were exposed. If Adonijah had first considered what God wanted, he might have avoided trouble. Don't wait until you have made a mess of things to run to God; it's much better to seek God's guidance before you act.
B(:>=t>
Profile: Solomon ,!page "^solomon" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1KING002
MOTIVES
1 Since it was almost time for David to die, he gave his son Solomon his last commands.
2 David said, "My time to die is near. Be a good and strong leader.
3 Obey the LORD your God. Follow him by obeying his demands, his commands, his laws, and his rules that are written in the teachings of Moses. If you do these things, you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go.
4 And if you obey the LORD, he will keep the promise he made to me. He said: `If your descendants live as I tell them and have complete faith in me, a man from your family will always be king over the people of Israel.'
5 "Also, you remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed the two commanders of Israel's armies: Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He did this as if he and they were at war, although it was a time of peace. He put their blood on the belt around his waist and on his sandals on his feet.
6 Punish him in the way you think is wisest, but do not let him die peacefully of old age.
7 "Be kind to the children of Barzillai of Gilead, and allow them to eat at your table. They welcomed me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.
8 "And remember, Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite, is here with you. He cursed me the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised him before the LORD, `Shimei, I will not kill you.'
9 But you should not leave him unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what to do to him, but you must be sure he is killed."
10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem.
11 He had ruled over Israel forty years- seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 Solomon became king after David, his father, and he was in firm control of his kingdom.
13 At this time Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. "Do you come in peace?" Bathsheba asked. "Yes. This is a peaceful visit," Adonijah answered.
14 "I have something to say to you." "You may speak," she said.
15 "You remember that at one time the kingdom was mine," Adonijah said. "All the people of Israel recognized me as their king, but things have changed. Now my brother is the king, because the LORD chose him.
16 Now I have one thing to ask you; please do not refuse me." Bathsheba answered, "What do you want?"
17 "I know King Solomon will do anything you ask him," Adonijah continued. "Please ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite to be my wife."
18 "Very well," she answered. "I will speak to the king for you."
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. When Solomon saw her, he stood up to meet her, then bowed down, and sat on the throne. He told some servants to bring another throne for his mother. Then she sat down at his right side.
20 Bathsheba said, "I have one small thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me." "Ask, mother," the king answered. "I will not refuse you."
21 So she said, "Allow Abishag the Shunammite to marry your brother Adonijah."
22 King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you ask me to give him Abishag? Why don't you also ask for him to become the king since he is my older brother? Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah would support him!"
23 Then King Solomon swore by the name of the LORD, saying, "May God punish me terribly if this doesn't cost Adonijah his life!
24 By the LORD who has given me the throne that belonged to my father David and who has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my people, Adonijah will die today!"
25 Then King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went and killed Adonijah.
26 King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, "I should kill you too, but I will allow you to go back to your fields in Anathoth. I will not kill you at this time, because you helped carry the Ark of the Lord GOD while marching with my father David. And I know you shared in all the hard times with him."
27 Then Solomon removed Abiathar from being the LORD' s priest. This happened as the LORD had said it would, when he was speaking in Shiloh about the priest Eli and his descendants.
28 When Joab heard about what had happened, he was afraid. He had supported Adonijah but not Absalom. So Joab ran to the Tent of the LORD and took hold of the corners of the altar.
29 Someone told King Solomon that Joab had run to the Tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him.
30 Benaiah went into the Tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, `Come out!' " But Joab answered, "No, I will die here." So Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said.
31 Then the king ordered Benaiah, "Do as he says! Kill him there and bury him. Then my family and I will be free of the guilt of Joab, who has killed innocent people.
32 Without my father knowing it, he killed two men who were much better than he was- Abner son of Ner, the commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, the commander of Judah's army. So the LORD will pay him back for those deaths.
33 Joab and his family will be forever guilty for their deaths, but there will be peace from the LORD for David, his descendants, his family, and his throne forever."
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab, and he was buried near his home in the desert.
35 The king then made Benaiah son of Jehoiada commander of the army in Joab's place. He also made Zadok the new high priest in Abiathar's place.
36 Next the king sent for Shimei. Solomon said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there. Don't leave the city.
37 The very day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, someone will kill you, and it will be your own fault."
38 So Shimei answered the king, "I agree with what you say. I will do what you say, my master and king." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But three years later two of Shimei's slaves ran away to Achish king of Gath, who was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath,
40 so he put his saddle on his donkey and went to Achish at Gath to find them. Then he brought them back from Gath.
41 Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned.
42 So Solomon sent for Shimei and said, "I made you promise in the name of the LORD not to leave Jerusalem. I warned you if you went out anywhere you would die, and you agreed to what I said.
43 Why did you break your promise to the LORD and disobey my command?"
44 The king also said, "You know the many wrong things you did to my father David, so now the LORD will punish you for those wrongs.
45 But the LORD will bless me and make the rule of David safe before the LORD forever."
46 Then the king ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. Now Solomon was in full control of his kingdom.
1 As the time of King David's death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon:
2 "I am going where every man on earth must some day go. I am counting on you to be a strong and worthy successor. 3 Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn. 4 If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise he gave me, that if my children and their descendants watch their step and are faithful to God, one of them shall always be the king of Israel - my dynasty will never end.
5 "Now listen to my instructions. You know that Joab murdered my two generals, Abner and Amasa. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace. 6 You are a wise man and will know what to do - don't let him die in peace. 7 But be kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. Make them permanent guests of the king, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 And do you remember Shimei, the son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim? He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was going to Mahanaim; but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised I wouldn't kill him. 9 But that promise doesn't bind you! You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him."
10 Then David died and was buried in Jerusalem. 11 He had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 And Solomon became the new king, replacing his father David; and his kingdom prospered.
13 One day Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to see Solomon's mother, Bathsheba.
"Have you come to make trouble?" she asked him.
"No," he replied, "I come in peace. 14 As a matter of fact, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?" she asked.
15 "Everything was going well for me," he said, "and the kingdom was mine: everyone expected me to be the next king. But the tables are turned, and everything went to my brother instead; for that is the way the Lord wanted it. 16 But now I have just a small favor to ask of you; please don't turn me down."
"What is it?" she asked.
17 He replied, "Speak to King Solomon on my behalf (for I know he will do anything you request) and ask him to give me Abishag, the Shunammite, as my wife."
18 "All right," Bathsheba replied, "I'll ask him."
19 So she went to ask the favor of King Solomon. The king stood up from his throne as she entered and bowed low to her. He ordered that a throne for his mother be placed beside his; so she sat at his right hand.
20 "I have one small request to make of you," she said. "I hope you won't turn me down."
"What is it, my mother?" he asked. "You know I won't refuse you."
21 "Then let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag," she replied.
22 "Are you crazy?" he demanded. "If I were to give him Abishag, I would be giving him the kingdom too! For he is my older brother! He and Abiathar the priest and General Joab would take over!" 23-24 Then King Solomon swore with a great oath, "May God strike me dead if Adonijah does not die this very day for this plot against me! I swear it by the living God who has given me the throne of my father David and this kingdom he promised me."
25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah to execute him, and he killed him with a sword.
26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go back to your home in Anathoth. You should be killed, too, but I won't do it now. For you carried the Ark of the Lord during my father's reign, and you suffered right along with him in all of his troubles."
27 So Solomon forced Abiathar to give up his position as the priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the decree of Jehovah at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli
28 When Joab heard about Adonijah's death (Joab had joined Adonijah's revolt, though not Absalom's) he ran to the Tabernacle for sanctuary and caught hold of the horns of the altar. 29 When news of this reached King Solomon, he sent Benaiah to execute him.
30 Benaiah went into the Tabernacle and said to Joab, "The king says to come out!"
"No," he said, "I'll die here."
So Benaiah returned to the king for further instructions.
31 "Do as he says," the king replied. "Kill him there beside the altar and bury him. This will remove the guilt of his senseless murders from me and from my father's family. 32 Then Jehovah will hold him personally responsible for the murders of two men who were better than he. For my father was no party to the deaths of General Abner, commander-in-chief of the army of Israel, and General Amasa, commander-in-chief of the army of Judah. 33 May Joab and his descendants be forever guilty of these murders, and may the Lord declare David and his descendants guiltless concerning their deaths."
34 So Benaiah returned to the Tabernacle and killed Joab; and he was buried beside his house in the desert.
35 Then the king appointed Benaiah as commander-in-chief, and Zadok as priest instead of Abiathar.
36-37 The king now sent for Shimei and told him, "Build a house here in Jerusalem, and don't step outside the city on pain of death. The moment you go beyond Kidron Brook, you die; and it will be your own fault."
38 "All right," Shimei replied, "whatever you say." So he lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But three years later two of Shimei's slaves escaped to King Achish of Gath. When Shimei learned where they were, 40 he saddled a donkey and went to Gath to visit the king. And when he had found his slaves, he took them back to Jerusalem.
41 When Solomon heard that Shimei had left Jerusalem and had gone to Gath and returned, 42 he sent for him and demanded, "Didn't I command you in the name of God to stay in Jerusalem or die? You replied, `Very well, I will do as you say.' 43 Then why have you not kept your agreement and obeyed my commandment? 44 And what about all the wicked things you did to my father, King David? May the Lord take revenge on you, 45 but may I receive God's rich blessings, and may one of David's descendants always sit upon this throne."
46 Then, at the king's command, Benaiah took Shimei outside and killed him.
So Solomon's grip upon the kingdom became secure.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,167
4,4,7,397
5,5,9,626
6,6,11,938
7,7,13,1033
8,8,15,1188
9,9,17,1427
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28,28,55,4244
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30,30,59,4580
31,31,61,4784
32,32,63,4959
33,33,65,5202
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36,36,71,5626
37,37,73,5768
38,38,75,5883
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40,40,79,6195
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42,42,83,6412
43,43,85,6610
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46,46,91,6915
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,90
5,9,4,605
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13,14,8,1598
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30,30,36,4055
31,33,40,4233
34,34,42,4831
35,35,44,4942
36,37,46,5044
38,38,48,5260
39,40,50,5357
41,45,52,5602
46,46,54,6132
MOTIVES 1KING 2:23-24
In this plot against Solomon, all the conspirators lost. Adonijah and Joab were killed, and the priest, Abiathar, lost his job. They all thought they would gain something by their alliance: influence, position, recognition, authority. But they had a poor leader and wrong motives. Consider your motives carefully before making alliances with others.
1KING003
1 Solomon made an agreement with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter and bringing her to Jerusalem. At this time Solomon was still building his palace and the Temple of the LORD, as well as a wall around Jerusalem.
2 The Temple for the worship of the LORD had not yet been finished, so people were still sacrificing at altars in many places of worship.
3 Solomon showed he loved the LORD by following the commands his father David had given him, except many other places of worship were still used to offer sacrifices and to burn incense.
4 King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice, because it was the most important place of worship. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 While he was at Gibeon, the LORD appeared to him in a dream during the night. God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
6 Solomon answered, "You were very kind to your servant, my father David. He obeyed you, and he was honest and lived right. You showed great kindness to him when you allowed his son to be king after him.
7 LORD my God, now you have made me, your servant, king in my father's place. But I am like a little child; I don't know how to do what must be done.
8 I, your servant, am here among your chosen people, and there are too many of them to count.
9 I ask that you give me an obedient heart so I can rule the people in the right way and will know the difference between right and wrong. Otherwise, it is impossible to rule this great people of yours."
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked this.
11 So God said to him, "You did not ask for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies. Since you asked for wisdom to make the right decisions,
12 I will do what you asked. I will give you wisdom and understanding that is greater than anyone has had in the past or will have in the future.
13 I will also give you what you did not ask for: riches and honor. During your life no other king will be as great as you.
14 If you follow me and obey my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will also give you a long life."
15 After Solomon woke up from the dream, he went to Jerusalem. He stood before the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord, where he made burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. After that, he gave a feast for all his leaders and officers.
16 One day two women who were prostitutes came to Solomon. As they stood before him,
17 one of the women said, "My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there with me.
18 Three days later this woman also gave birth to a baby. No one else was in the house with us; it was just the two of us.
19 One night this woman rolled over on her baby, and he died.
20 So she took my son from my bed during the night while I was asleep, and she carried him to her bed. Then she put the dead baby in my bed.
21 The next morning when I got up to feed my baby, I saw that he was dead! When I looked at him more closely, I realized he was not my son."
22 "No!" the other woman cried. "The living baby is my son, and the dead baby is yours!" But the first woman said, "No! The dead baby is yours, and the living one is mine!" So the two women argued before the king.
23 Then King Solomon said, "One of you says, `My son is alive and your son is dead.' Then the other one says, `No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.' "
24 The king sent his servants to get a sword. When they brought it to him,
25 he said, "Cut the living baby into two pieces, and give each woman half."
26 The real mother of the living child was full of love for her son. So she said to the king, "Please, my master, don't kill him! Give the baby to her!" But the other woman said, "Neither of us will have him. Cut him into two pieces!"
27 Then King Solomon said, "Don't kill him. Give the baby to the first woman, because she is the real mother."
28 When the people of Israel heard about King Solomon's decision, they respected him very much. They saw he had wisdom from God to make the right decisions.
1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to Jerusalem to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple and the wall around the city.
2 At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings on altars in the hills, for the Temple of the Lord hadn't yet been built.
3 (Solomon loved the Lord and followed all of his father David's instructions except that he continued to sacrifice in the hills and to offer incense there.) 4 The most famous of the hilltop altars was at Gibeon, and now the king went there and sacrificed one thousand burnt offerings! 5 The Lord appeared to him in a dream that night and told him to ask for anything he wanted, and it would be given to him!
6 Solomon replied, "You were wonderfully kind to my father David because he was honest and true and faithful to you, and obeyed your commands. And you have continued your kindness to him by giving him a son to succeed him. 7 Lord my God, now you have made me the king instead of my father David, but I am as a little child who doesn't know his way around. 8 And here I am among your own chosen people, a nation so great that there are almost too many people to count! 9 Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. For who by himself is able to carry such a heavy responsibility?"
10 The Lord was pleased with his reply and was glad that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So he replied, "Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and haven't asked for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the defeat of your enemies - 12 yes, I'll give you what you asked for! I will give you a wiser mind than anyone else has ever had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you didn't ask for - riches and honor! And no one in all the world will be as rich and famous as you for the rest of your life! 14 And I will give you a long life if you follow me and obey my laws as your father David did."
15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and went into the Tabernacle. And as he stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all of his officials to a great banquet.
16 Soon afterwards two young prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.
17-18 "Sir," one of them began, "we live in the same house, just the two of us, and recently I had a baby. When it was three days old, this woman's baby was born too. 19 But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it in her sleep and smothered it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep, and laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21 And in the morning when I tried to feed my baby it was dead! But when it became light outside, I saw that it wasn't my son at all."
22 Then the other woman interrupted, "It certainly was her son, and the living child is mine."
"No," the first woman said, "the dead one is yours and the living one is mine." And so they argued back and forth before the king.
23 Then the king said, "Let's get the facts straight: both of you claim the living child, and each says that the dead child belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword." So a sword was brought to the king. 25 Then he said, "Divide the living child in two and give half to each of these women!"
26 Then the woman who really was the mother of the child, and who loved him very much, cried out, "Oh no, sir! Give her the child - don't kill him!"
But the other woman said, "All right, it will be neither yours nor mine; divide it between us!"
27 Then the king said, "Give the baby to the woman who wants him to live, for she is the mother!"
28 Word of the king's decision spread quickly throughout the entire nation, and all the people were awed as they realized the great wisdom God had given him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,231
3,3,5,373
4,4,7,568
5,5,9,737
6,6,11,879
7,7,13,1088
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9,9,17,1350
10,10,19,1559
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13,13,25,1937
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22,22,43,3144
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26,26,51,3684
27,27,53,3924
28,28,55,4039
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2,2,3,242
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22,22,17,3029
23,25,20,3259
26,26,22,3565
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28,28,27,3915
STANDARDS 1KING 3:1
Marriage between royal families was a common practice in the ancient Near East because it secured peace. Although Solomon's marital alliances built friendships with surrounding nations, they were also the beginning of his downfall. These relationships became inroads for pagan ideas and practices. Solomon's foreign wives brought their idols to Jerusalem and eventually lured him into idolatry (11:1-8).
It is easy to minimize religious differences in order to encourage the development of a friendship. But seemingly small differences can have an enormous impact upon a relationship. God gives us standards to follow for all our relationships, including marriage. If we follow God's will, we will not be lured away from our true focus.
WISDOM 1KING 3:6-9
When given a chance to have anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could lead well and make right decisions. We can ask God for this same wisdom (James 1:5). Notice that Solomon asked for wisdom to carry out his job. He did not ask God to do the job for him. We should not ask God to do for us what he wants to equip us to do ourselves. Instead we should ask God to give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to follow through on it.
1KING004
IDEAL
1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel.
2 These are the names of his leading officers: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, recorded what happened in the courts; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud recorded the history of the people;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar was responsible for everything in the palace; Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the labor force.
7 Solomon placed twelve governors over the districts of Israel, who gathered food from their districts for the king and his family. Each governor was responsible for bringing food to the king one month of each year.
8 These are the names of the twelve governors: BEN-HUR was governor of the mountain country of Ephraim.
9 BEN-DEKER was governor of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan.
10 BEN-HESED was governor of Arubboth, Socoh, and all the land of Hepher.
11 BEN-ABINADAB was governor of Naphoth Dor. (He was married to Taphath, Solomon's daughter.)
12 Baana son of Ahilud was governor of Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan. This was below Jezreel from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across from Jokmeam.
13 BEN-GEBER was governor of Ramoth in Gilead. (He was governor of all the towns of Jair in Gilead. Jair was the son of Manasseh. BEN-GEBER was also over the district of Argob in Bashan, which had sixty large, walled cities with bronze bars on their gates.)
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was governor of Mahanaim.
15 Ahimaaz was governor of Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, Solomon's daughter.)
16 Baana son of Hushai was governor of Asher and Aloth.
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was governor of Issachar.
18 Shimei son of Ela was governor of Benjamin.
19 Geber son of Uri was governor of Gilead. Gilead had been the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. But Geber was the only governor over this district.
20 There were as many people in Judah and Israel as grains of sand on the seashore. The people ate, drank, and were happy.
21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought Solomon the payments he demanded, and they were under his control all his life.
22 Solomon needed much food each day to feed himself and all the people who ate at his table: one hundred ninety-five bushels of fine flour, three hundred ninety bushels of grain,
23 ten cows that were fed on good grain, twenty cows that were raised in the fields, one hundred sheep, three kinds of deer, and fattened birds.
24 Solomon controlled all the countries west of the Euphrates River- the land from Tiphsah to Gaza. And he had peace on all sides of his kingdom.
25 During Solomon's life Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, also lived in peace; all of his people were able to sit under their own fig trees and grapevines.
26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses.
27 Each month one of the district governors gave King Solomon all the food he needed- enough for every person who ate at the king's table. The governors made sure he had everything he needed.
28 They also brought enough barley and straw for Solomon's chariot and work horses; each person brought this grain to the right place.
29 God gave Solomon great wisdom so he could understand many things. His wisdom was as hard to measure as the grains of sand on the seashore.
30 His wisdom was greater than any wisdom of the East, or any wisdom in Egypt.
31 He was wiser than anyone on earth. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, as well as Heman, Calcol, and Darda- the three sons of Mahol. King Solomon became famous in all the surrounding countries.
32 During his life he spoke three thousand wise sayings and also wrote one thousand five songs.
33 He taught about many kinds of plants- everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the weeds that grow out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, crawling things, and fish.
34 People from all nations came to listen to King Solomon's wisdom. The kings of all nations sent them to him, because they had heard of Solomon's wisdom.
1 Here is a list of King Solomon's cabinet members:
Azariah (son of Zadok) was the High Priest;
Elihoreph and Ahijah (sons of Shisha) were secretaries;
Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the official historian and in charge of the archives;
Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was commander-in-chief of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
Azariah (son of Nathan) was secretary of state;
Zabud (son of Nathan) was the king's personal priest and special friend;
Ahishar was manager of palace affairs;
Adoniram (son of Abda) was superintendent of public works.
7 There were also twelve officials of Solomon's court - one man from each tribe - responsible for requisitioning food from the people for the king's household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year.
8-19 The names of these twelve officers were:
Ben-hur, whose area for this taxation was the hill country of Ephraim;
Ben-deker, whose area was Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
Ben-hesed, whose area was Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher;
Ben-abinadab (who married Solomon's daughter, the princess Taphath), whose area was the highlands of Dor;
Baana (son of Ahilud), whose area was Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam;
Ben-geber, whose area was Ramoth-gilead, including the villages of Jair (the son of Manasseh) in Gilead; and the region of Argob in Bashan, including sixty walled cities with bronze gates;
Ahinadab (the son of Iddo), whose area was Mahanaim;
Ahimaaz (who married Princess Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters), whose area was Naphtali;
Baana (son of Hushai), whose areas were Asher and Bealoth;
Jehoshaphat (son of Paruah), whose area was Issachar;
Shimei (son of Ela), whose area was Benjamin;
Geber (son of Uri), whose area was Gilead, including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
A general manager supervised these officials and their work.
20 Israel and Judah were a wealthy, populous, contented nation at this time. 21 King Solomon ruled the whole area from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and down to the borders of Egypt. The conquered peoples of those lands sent taxes to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
22 The daily food requirements for the palace were 195 bushels of fine flour, 390 bushels of meal, 23 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, and, from time to time, deer, gazelles, roebucks, and plump fowl.
24 His dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace throughout the land.
25 Throughout the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety; and each family had its own home and garden.
26 Solomon owned forty thousand chariot horses and employed twelve thousand charioteers. 27 Each month the tax officials provided food for King Solomon and his court, 28 also the barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.
29 God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and a mind with broad interests. 30 In fact, his wisdom excelled that of any of the wise men of the East, including those in Egypt. 31 He was wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he was famous among all the surrounding nations. 32 He was the author of 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. 33 He was a great naturalist, with interest in animals, birds, snakes, fish, and trees - from the great cedars of Lebanon down to the tiny hyssop which grows in cracks in the wall. 34 And kings from many lands sent their ambassadors to him for his advice.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,43
3,3,5,131
4,4,7,275
5,5,9,365
6,6,11,492
7,7,13,607
8,8,15,827
9,9,17,935
10,10,19,1018
11,11,21,1096
12,12,23,1194
13,13,25,1369
14,14,27,1631
15,15,29,1685
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17,17,33,1836
18,18,35,1895
19,19,37,1946
20,20,39,2127
21,21,41,2254
22,22,43,2489
23,23,45,2673
24,24,47,2822
25,25,49,2972
26,26,51,3140
27,27,53,3231
28,28,55,3427
29,29,57,3566
30,30,59,3712
31,31,61,3795
32,32,63,4003
33,33,65,4103
34,34,67,4302
1,6,1,1
7,7,12,574
8,19,14,797
20,21,29,2069
22,23,31,2387
24,24,33,2626
25,25,35,2768
26,28,37,2906
29,34,39,3142
IDEAL 1KING 4:20-25
Throughout most of his reign, Solomon applied his wisdom well because he sought after God. The fruits of this wisdom were peace, security, and prosperity for the nation. Solomon's era is often looked upon as the ideal of what any nation can become when united in trust and obedience to God.
1KING005
1 Hiram, the king of Tyre, had always been David's friend. When Hiram heard that Solomon had been made king in David's place, he sent his messengers to Solomon.
2 Solomon sent this message back to King Hiram:
3 "You remember my father David had to fight many wars with the countries around him, so he was never able to build a temple for worshiping the LORD his God. David was waiting until the LORD allowed him to defeat all his enemies.
4 But now the LORD my God has given me peace on all sides of my country. I have no enemies now, and no danger threatens my people.
5 "The LORD promised my father David, `I will make your son king after you, and he will build a temple for worshiping me.' Now, I plan to build that temple for worshiping the LORD my God.
6 So send your men to cut down cedar trees for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay them whatever wages you decide. We don't have anyone who can cut down trees as well as the people of Sidon."
7 When Hiram heard what Solomon asked, he was very happy. He said, "Praise the LORD today! He has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation!"
8 Then Hiram sent back this message to Solomon: "I received the message you sent, and I will give you all the cedar and pine trees you want.
9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. There I will tie them together and float them along the shore to the place you choose. Then I will separate the logs there, and you can take them away. In return it is my wish that you give food to all those who live with me."
10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much cedar and pine as he wanted.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram about one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat each year to feed the people who lived with him. Solomon also gave him about one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of pure olive oil every year.
12 The LORD gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; these two kings made a treaty between themselves.
13 King Solomon forced thirty thousand men of Israel to help in this work.
14 He sent a group of ten thousand men each month to Lebanon. Each group worked in Lebanon one month, then went home for two months. A man named Adoniram was in charge.
15 Solomon forced eighty thousand men to work in the hill country, cutting stone, and he had seventy thousand men to carry the stones.
16 There were also thirty-three hundred men who directed the workers.
17 King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of fine stone to be used for the foundation of the Temple.
18 Solomon's and Hiram's builders and the men from Byblos carved the stones and prepared the stones and the logs for building the Temple.
1 King Hiram of Tyre had always been a great admirer of David, so when he learned that David's son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to extend congratulations and good wishes. 2-3 Solomon replied with a proposal about the Temple of the Lord he wanted to build. His father David, Solomon pointed out to Hiram, had not been able to build it because of the numerous wars going on, and he had been waiting for the Lord to give him peace.
4 "But now," Solomon said to Hiram, "the Lord my God has given Israel peace on every side; I have no foreign enemies or internal rebellions. 5 So I am planning to build a Temple for the Lord my God, just as he instructed my father that I should do. For the Lord told him, `Your son, whom I will place upon your throne, shall build me a Temple.' 6 Now please assist me with this project. Send your woodsmen to the mountains of Lebanon to cut cedar timber for me, and I will send my men to work beside them, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask; for as you know, no one in Israel can cut timber like you Sidonians!"
7 Hiram was very pleased with the message from Solomon. "Praise God for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel," he said. 8 Then he sent this reply to Solomon: "I have received your message and I will do as you have asked concerning the timber. I can supply both cedar and cypress. 9 My men will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and build them into rafts. We will float them along the coast to wherever you need them; then we will break the rafts apart and deliver the timber to you. You can pay me with food for my household."
10 So Hiram produced for Solomon as much cedar and cypress timber as he desired, 11 and in return Solomon sent him an annual payment of 125,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 96 20 gallons of pure olive oil. 12 So the Lord gave great wisdom to Solomon just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.
13 Then Solomon drafted thirty thousand laborers from all over Israel, 14 and rotated them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, so that each man was a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was the general superintendent of this labor camp. 15 Solomon also had seventy thousand additional laborers, eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country, 16 and thirty-three hundred foremen. 17 The stonecutters quarried and shaped huge blocks of stone - a very expensive job - for the foundation of the Temple. 18 Men from Gebal helped Solomon's and Hiram's builders in cutting the timber and making the boards, and in preparing the stone for the Temple.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,166
3,3,5,218
4,4,7,452
5,5,9,587
6,6,11,779
7,7,13,1005
8,8,15,1163
9,9,17,1308
10,10,19,1599
11,11,21,1665
12,12,23,1895
13,13,25,2048
14,14,27,2127
15,15,29,2300
16,16,31,2439
17,17,33,2513
18,18,35,2627
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,460
7,9,5,1087
10,12,7,1678
13,18,9,2021
FAMILY 1KING 5:13-14
Solomon drafted three times the number of workers needed for the temple project and then arranged their schedules so they didn't have to be away from home for long periods of time. This showed his concern for the welfare of his workers and the importance he placed on family life. The strength of a nation is in direct proportion to the strength of its families. Solomon wisely recognized that family should always be a top priority. As you structure your own work or arrange the schedules of others, watch for the impact of your plans on your family.
I Wonder: How to pray ,!page "^W0011" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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1KING006
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1 Solomon began to build the Temple four hundred eighty years after the people of Israel had left Egypt. This was during the fourth year of King Solomon's rule over Israel. It was the second month, the month of Ziv.
2 The Temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high.
3 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was fifteen feet deep and thirty feet wide. This room ran along the front of the Temple itself. Its width was equal to that of the Temple.
4 The Temple also had windows that opened and closed.
5 Solomon also built some side rooms against the walls of the main room and the inner room of the Temple. He built rooms all around.
6 The rooms on the bottom floor were seven and one-half feet wide. Those on the middle floor were nine feet wide, and the rooms above them were ten and one-half feet wide. The Temple wall that formed the side of each room was thinner than the wall in the room below. These rooms were pushed against the Temple wall, but they did not have their main beams built into this wall.
7 The stones were prepared at the same place where they were cut from the ground. Since these stones were the only ones used to build the Temple, there was no noise of hammers, axes, or any other iron tools at the Temple.
8 The entrance to the lower rooms beside the Temple was on the south side. From there, stairs went up to the second-floor rooms. And from there, stairs went on to the third-floor rooms.
9 Solomon put a roof made from beams and cedar boards on the Temple. So he finished building the Temple
10 as well as the bottom floor that was beside the Temple. This bottom floor was seven and one-half feet high and was attached to the Temple by cedar beams.
11 The LORD said to Solomon:
12 "If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your father David.
13 I will live among the Israelites in this Temple, and I will never leave my people Israel."
14 So Solomon finished building the Temple.
15 The inside walls were covered from floor to ceiling with cedar boards. The floor was made from pine boards.
16 A room thirty feet long was built in the back part of the Temple. This room, called the Most Holy Place, was separated from the rest of the Temple by cedar boards which reached from floor to ceiling.
17 The main room, the one in front of the Most Holy Place, was sixty feet long.
18 Everything inside the Temple was covered with cedar, which was carved with pictures of flowers and plants. A person could not see the stones of the wall, only the cedar.
19 Solomon prepared the inner room at the back of the Temple to keep the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD.
20 This inner room was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high. He covered this room with pure gold, and he also covered the altar of cedar.
21 He covered the inside of the Temple with pure gold, placing gold chains across the front of the inner room, which was also covered with gold.
22 So all the inside of the Temple, as well as the altar of the Most Holy Place, was covered with gold.
23 Solomon made two creatures from olive wood and placed them in the Most Holy Place. Each creature was fifteen feet tall
24 and had two wings. Each wing was seven and one-half feet long, so it was fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other.
25 The creatures were the same size and shape;
26 each was fifteen feet tall.
27 These creatures were put beside each other in the Most Holy Place with their wings spread out. One creature's wing touched one wall, and the other creature's wing touched the other wall with their wings touching each other in the middle of the room.
28 These two creatures were covered with gold.
29 All the walls around the Temple were carved with pictures of creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers. This was true for both the main room and the inner room.
30 The floors of both rooms were covered with gold.
31 Doors made from olive wood were placed at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. These doors had five-sided frames.
32 Creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers, were also carved on the two olive wood doors that were covered with gold. The creatures and the palm trees on the doors were covered with gold as well.
33 At the entrance to the main room there was a square door frame made of olive wood.
34 Two doors were made from pine. Each door had two parts so the doors folded.
35 The doors were covered with pictures of creatures with wings, as well as palm trees and flowers. All of the carvings were covered with gold, which was evenly spread over them.
36 The inner courtyard was enclosed by walls, which were made of three rows of cut stones and one row of cedar boards.
37 Work began on the Temple in Ziv, the second month, during the fourth year Solomon was king over Israel.
38 The Temple was finished during the eleventh year he was king, in the eighth month, the month of Bul. It was built exactly as it was planned. Solomon had spent seven years building it.
1 It was in the spring of the fourth year of Solomon's reign that he began the actual construction of the Temple. (This was 480 years after the people of Israel left their slavery in Egypt.) 2 The Temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 3 All along the front of the Temple was a porch thirty feet long and fifteen feet deep. 4 Narrow windows were used throughout.
5 An annex of rooms was built along the full length of both sides of the Temple against the outer walls. 6 These rooms were three stories high, the lower floor being 7
feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the upper floor 10
feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on blocks built out from the wall - so the beams were not inserted into the walls themselves.
7 The stones used in the construction of the Temple were prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without the sound of hammer, ax, or any other tool at the building site.
8 The bottom floor of the side rooms was entered from the right side of the Temple, and there were winding stairs going up to the second floor; another flight of stairs led from the second to the third. 9 After completing the Temple, Solomon paneled it all, including the beams and pillars, with cedar. 10 As already stated, there was an annex on each side of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the annex was 7
feet high.
11-12 Then the Lord sent this message to Solomon concerning the Temple he was building: "If you do as I tell you to and follow all of my commandments and instructions, I will do what I told your father David I would do: 13 I will live among the people of Israel and never forsake them."
14 At last the Temple was finished. 15 The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with cedar, and the floors were made of cypress boards. 16 The thirty-foot inner room at the far end of the Temple - the Most Holy Place - was also paneled from the floor to the ceiling with cedar boards. 17 The remainder of the Temple - other than the Most Holy Place - was sixty feet long. 18 Throughout the Temple the cedar paneling laid over the stone walls was carved with designs of rosebuds and open flowers.
19 The inner room was where the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was placed. 20 This inner sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high. Its walls and ceiling were overlaid with pure gold, and Solomon made a cedar-wood altar for this room. 21-22 Then he overlaid the interior of the remainder of the Temple - including the cedar altar - with pure gold; and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place.
23-28 Within the inner sanctuary Solomon placed two statues of Guardian Angels made from olive wood, each fifteen feet high. They were placed so that their outspread wings reached from wall to wall, while their inner wings touched each other at the center of the room; each wing was 7
feet long, so each Angel measured fifteen feet from wing tip to wing tip. The two Angels were identical in all dimensions, and each was overlaid with gold.
29 Figures of Guardian Angels, palm trees, and open flowers were carved on all the walls of both rooms of the Temple, 30 and the floor of both rooms was overlaid with gold.
31 The doorway to the inner sanctuary was a five-sided opening, 32 and its two olive-wood doors were carved with Guardian Angels, palm trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold.
33 Then he made square doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the Temple. 34 There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and each door was hinged to fold back upon itself. 35 Angels, palm trees, and open flowers were carved on these doors and carefully overlaid with gold.
36 The wall of the inner court had three layers of hewn stone and one layer of cedar beams.
37 The foundation of the Temple was laid in the month of May in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, 38 and the entire building was completed in every detail in November of the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,221
3,3,5,304
4,4,7,499
5,5,9,558
6,6,11,695
7,7,13,1076
8,8,15,1302
9,9,17,1492
10,10,19,1600
11,11,21,1761
12,12,23,1794
13,13,25,1893
14,14,27,1991
15,15,29,2039
16,16,31,2154
17,17,33,2361
18,18,35,2445
19,19,37,2622
20,20,39,2735
21,21,41,2897
22,22,43,3046
23,23,45,3154
24,24,47,3280
25,25,49,3423
26,26,51,3474
27,27,53,3509
28,28,55,3766
29,29,57,3817
30,30,59,3999
31,31,61,4055
32,32,63,4176
33,33,65,4392
34,34,67,4482
35,35,69,4565
36,36,71,4748
37,37,73,4871
38,38,75,4982
1,4,1,1
5,6,3,401
7,7,5,814
8,10,7,1008
11,13,9,1475
14,18,11,1765
19,22,13,2277
23,28,15,2730
29,30,17,3176
31,32,19,3352
33,35,21,3539
36,36,23,3822
37,38,25,3917
1KING007
WORSHIP
1 King Solomon also built a palace for himself; it took him thirteen years to finish it.
2 Built of cedars from the Forest of Lebanon, it was one hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. It had four rows of cedar columns which supported the cedar beams.
3 There were forty-five beams on the roof, with fifteen beams in each row, and the ceiling was covered with cedar above the beams.
4 Windows were placed in three rows facing each other.
5 All the doors were square, and the three doors at each end faced each other.
6 Solomon also built the porch that had pillars. This porch was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. Along the front of the porch was a roof supported by pillars.
7 Solomon also built a throne room where he judged people, called the Hall of Justice. This room was covered with cedar from the floor to the ceiling.
8 The palace where Solomon lived was built like the Hall of Justice, and it was behind this hall. Solomon also built the same kind of palace for his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt.
9 All these buildings were made with blocks of fine stone. First they were carefully cut. Then they were trimmed with a saw in the front and back. These fine stones went from the foundations of the buildings to the top of the walls. Even the courtyard was made with blocks of stone.
10 The foundations were made with large blocks of fine stone, some as long as fifteen feet. Others were twelve feet long.
11 On top of these foundation stones were other blocks of fine stone and cedar beams.
12 The palace courtyard, the courtyard inside the Temple, and the porch of the Temple were surrounded by walls. All of these walls had three rows of stone blocks and one row of cedar beams.
13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and had Huram brought to him.
14 Huram's mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was from Tyre and had been skilled in making things from bronze. Huram was also very skilled and experienced in bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all the bronze work.
15 He made two bronze pillars, each one twenty-seven feet tall and eighteen feet around.
16 He also made two bronze capitals that were seven and one-half feet tall, and he put them on top of the pillars.
17 Then he made a net of seven chains for each capital, which covered the capitals on top of the two pillars.
18 He made two rows of bronze pomegranates to go on the nets. These covered the capitals at the top of the pillars.
19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies, and they were six feet tall.
20 The capitals were on top of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped section and next to the nets. At that place there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around the capitals.
21 Huram put these two bronze pillars at the porch of the Temple. He named the south pillar He Establishes and the north pillar In Him Is Strength.
22 The capitals on top of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work on the pillars was finished.
23 Then Huram made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea. It was forty-five feet around, fifteen feet across, and seven and one-half feet deep.
24 Around the outer edge of the bowl was a rim. Under this rim were two rows of bronze plants which surrounded the bowl. There were ten plants every eighteen inches, and these plants were made in one piece with the bowl.
25 The bowl rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.
26 The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and it held about eleven thousand gallons. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.
27 Then Huram made ten bronze stands, each one six feet long, six feet wide, and four and one-half feet high.
28 The stands were made from square sides, which were put on frames.
29 On the sides were bronze lions, bulls, and creatures with wings. On the frames above and below the lions and bulls were designs of flowers hammered into the bronze.
30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a large bowl, and the supports had designs of flowers.
31 There was a frame on top of the bowls, eighteen inches high above the bowls. The opening of the bowl was round, twenty-seven inches deep. Designs were carved into the bronze on the frame, which was square, not round.
32 The four wheels, placed under the frame, were twenty-seven inches high. The axles between the wheels were made as one piece with the stand.
33 The wheels were like a chariot's wheels. Everything on the wheels- the axles, rims, spokes, and hubs- were made of bronze.
34 The four supports were on the four corners of each stand. They were made as one piece with the stand.
35 A strip of bronze around the top of each stand was nine inches deep. It was also made as one piece with the stand.
36 The sides of the stand and the frames were covered with carvings of creatures with wings, as well as lions, palm trees, and flowers.
37 This is the way Huram made the ten stands. The bronze for each stand was melted and poured into a mold, so all the stands were the same size and shape.
38 Huram also made ten bronze bowls, one bowl for each of the ten stands. Each bowl was six feet across and could hold about two hundred thirty gallons.
39 Huram put five stands on the south side of the Temple and five on the north side. He put the large bowl in the southeast corner of the Temple.
40 Huram also made bowls, shovels, and small bowls. So Huram finished all his work for King Solomon on the Temple of the LORD:
41 two pillars; two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars; two nets to cover the two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;
42 four hundred pomegranates for the two nets (there were two rows of pomegranates for each net covering the bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars);
43 ten stands with a bowl on each stand;
44 the large bowl with twelve bulls under it;
45 the pots, shovels, small bowls, and all the utensils for the Temple of the LORD. Huram made everything King Solomon wanted from polished bronze.
46 The king had these things poured into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan.
47 Solomon never weighed the bronze used to make these things, because there was too much to weigh. So the total weight of all the bronze was never known.
48 Solomon also made all the items for the Temple of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table which held the bread that shows God's people are in his presence;
49 the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right side and five on the left side in front of the Most Holy Place); the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold;
50 the pure gold bowls, wick trimmers, small bowls, pans, and dishes used to carry coals; the gold hinges for the doors of the Most Holy Place and the main room of the Temple.
51 Finally the work King Solomon did for the Temple of the LORD was finished. Solomon brought in everything his father David had set apart for the Temple- silver, gold, and other articles. He put everything in the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD.
1 Then Solomon built his own palace, which took thirteen years to construct.
2 One of the rooms in the palace was called the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon. It was huge - measuring 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The great cedar ceiling beams rested upon four rows of cedar pillars. 3-4 There were forty-five windows in the hall, set in three tiers, one tier above the other, five to a tier, facing each other from three walls. 5 Each of the doorways and windows had a square frame.
6 Another room was called the Hall of Pillars. It was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide, with a porch in front covered by a canopy that was supported by pillars.
7 There was also the Throne Room or Judgment Hall, where Solomon sat to hear legal matters; it was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.
8 His cedar-paneled living quarters surrounded a courtyard behind this hall. (He designed similar living quarters, the same size, in the palace that he built for Pharaoh's daughter - one of his wives.) 9 These buildings were constructed entirely from huge, expensive stones, cut to measure. 10 The foundation stones were twelve to fifteen feet across. 11 The huge stones in the walls were also cut to measure and were topped with cedar beams. 12 The Great Court had three courses of hewn stone in its walls, topped with cedar beams, just like the inner court of the Temple and the porch of the palace.
13 King Solomon then asked for a man named Hiram to come from Tyre, for he was a skilled craftsman in bronze work. 14 He was half Jewish, being the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a foundry worker from Tyre. So he came to work for King Solomon.
15 He cast two hollow bronze pillars, each twenty-seven feet high and eighteen feet around, with three-inch-thick walls. 16-22 At the tops of the pillars he made two lily-shaped capitals from molten bronze, each 7
feet high. The upper part of each capital was shaped like a lily, six feet high. Each capital was decorated with seven sets of bronze, chain-designed lattices and four hundred pomegranates in two rows. Hiram set these pillars at the entrance of the Temple. The one on the south was named the Jachin Pillar, and the one on the north, the Boaz Pillar.
23 Then Hiram cast a round bronze tank, 7
feet high and 15 feet from brim to brim; 45 feet in circumference. 24 On the underside of the rim were two rows of ornaments an inch or two apart, which were cast along with the tank. 25 It rested on twelve bronze oxen standing tail to tail, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east. 26 The sides of the tank were four inches thick; its brim was shaped like a goblet, and it had a twelve thousand gallon capacity.
27-30 Then he made ten four-wheeled movable stands, each 6 feet square and 4
feet high. They were constructed with undercarriages braced with crosspieces. These crosspieces were decorated with carved lions, oxen, and Guardian Angels. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreath decorations. Each of these movable stands had four bronze wheels and bronze axles, and at each corner of the stands were supporting posts made of bronze and decorated with wreaths on each side. 31 The top of each stand was a round piece 1
feet high. Its center was concave, 2
feet deep, decorated on the outside with wreaths. Its panels were square, not round.
32 The stands rode on four wheels which were connected to axles that had been cast as part of the stands. The wheels were twenty-seven inches high 33 and were similar to chariot wheels. All the parts of the stands were cast from molten bronze, including the axles, spokes, rims, and hubs. 34 There were supports at each of the four corners of the stands, and these, too, were cast with the stands. 35 A nine-inch rim surrounded the tip of each stand, banded with lugs. All was cast as one unit with the stand. 36 Guardian Angels, lions, and palm trees surrounded by wreaths were engraved on the borders of the band wherever there was room. 37 All ten stands were the same size and were made alike, for each was cast from the same mold.
38 Then he made ten brass vats, and placed them on the stands. Each vat was six feet square and contained 240 gallons of water. 39 Five of these vats were arranged on the left and five on the right-hand side of the room. The tank was in the southeast corner, on the right-hand side of the room. 40 Hiram also made the necessary pots, shovels, and basins and at last completed the work in the Temple of the Lord that had been assigned to him by King Solomon.
41-46 Here is a list of the items he made:
Two pillars;
A capital at the top of each pillar;
Latticework covering the bases of the capitals of each pillar;
Four hundred pomegranates in two rows on the latticework, to cover the bases of the two capitals;
Ten movable stands holding ten vats;
One large tank and twelve oxen supporting it;
Pots;
Shovels;
Basins.
All these items were made of burnished bronze and were cast at the plains of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 The total weight of these pieces was not known because they were too heavy to weigh!
48 All the utensils and furniture used in the Temple were made of solid gold. This included the altar, the table where the Bread of the Presence of God was displayed, 49 the lampstands (five on the right-hand side and five on the left, in front of the Most Holy Place), the flowers, lamps, tongs, 50 cups, snuffers, basins, spoons, firepans, the hinges of the doors to the Most Holy Place, and the main entrance doors of the Temple. Each of these was made of solid gold.
51 When the Temple was finally finished, Solomon took into the treasury of the Temple the silver, the gold, and all the vessels dedicated for that purpose by his father David.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,94
3,3,5,297
4,4,7,432
5,5,9,491
6,6,11,574
7,7,13,753
8,8,15,908
9,9,17,1110
10,10,19,1397
11,11,21,1523
12,12,23,1613
13,13,25,1807
14,14,27,1870
15,15,29,2124
16,16,31,2217
17,17,33,2336
18,18,35,2450
19,19,37,2570
20,20,39,2679
21,21,41,2863
22,22,43,3015
23,23,45,3124
24,24,47,3295
25,25,49,3525
26,26,51,3716
27,27,53,3884
28,28,55,3999
29,29,57,4075
30,30,59,4254
31,31,61,4416
32,32,63,4643
33,33,65,4791
34,34,67,4922
35,35,69,5033
36,36,71,5157
37,37,73,5297
38,38,75,5456
39,39,77,5613
40,40,79,5763
41,41,81,5894
42,42,83,6053
43,43,85,6215
44,44,87,6260
45,45,89,6310
46,46,91,6462
47,47,93,6596
48,48,95,6756
49,49,97,6925
50,50,99,7086
51,51,101,7270
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,81
6,6,5,504
7,7,7,683
8,12,9,835
13,14,11,1440
15,22,13,1721
23,26,15,2290
27,31,17,2770
32,37,19,3422
38,40,21,4161
41,47,23,4622
48,50,35,5216
51,51,37,5690
5.5$8
WORSHIP 1KING 7:41-46
Hiram's items of bronze and brass would look strange in today's churches, but some Christians use other articles to enhance worship. Stained-glass windows, crosses, pulpits, hymn books, baptisteries, and communion tables serve as aids to worship. While the instruments of worship may change, the purpose to give honor and praise to God should never change.
1KING008
'1 King Solomon called for the older leaders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families to come to him in Jerusalem. He wanted them to bring the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD from the older part of the city.
2 So all the Israelites came together with King Solomon during the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When all the older leaders of Israel arrived, the priests lifted up the Ark.
4 They carried the Ark of the LORD, the Meeting Tent, and the holy utensils; the priests and the Levites brought them up.
5 King Solomon and all the Israelites gathered before the Ark and sacrificed so many sheep and cattle no one could count them all.
6 Then the priests put the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD in its place inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple, under the wings of the golden creatures.
7 The wings of these creatures were spread out over the place for the Ark, covering it and its carrying poles.
8 The carrying poles were so long that anyone standing in the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place could see the ends of the poles, but no one could see them from outside the Holy Place. The poles are still there today.
9 The only things inside the Ark were two stone tablets that Moses had put in the Ark at Mount Sinai. That was where the LORD made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10 When the priests left the Holy Place, a cloud filled the Temple of the LORD.
11 The priests could not continue their work, because the Temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.
12 Then Solomon said, "The LORD said he would live in a dark cloud.
13 LORD, I have truly built a wonderful Temple for you- a place for you to live forever."
14 While all the Israelites were standing there, King Solomon turned to them and blessed them.
15 Then he said, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel. He has done what he promised to my father David. The LORD said,
16 `Since the time I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel where a temple will be built for me. But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.'
17 "My father David wanted to build a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
18 But the LORD said to my father David, `It was good that you wanted to build a temple for me.
19 But you are not the one to build it. Your son, who comes from your own body, is the one who will build my temple.'
20 "Now the LORD has kept his promise. I am the king now in place of David my father. Now I rule Israel as the LORD promised, and I have built the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
21 I have made a place there for the Ark, in which is the Agreement the LORD made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt."
22 Then Solomon stood facing the LORD' s altar, and all the Israelites were standing behind him. He spread out his hands toward the sky
23 and said: "LORD, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep your agreement of love with your servants who truly follow you.
24 You have kept the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You spoke it with your own mouth and finished it with your hands today.
25 Now LORD, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You said, `If your sons are careful to obey me as you have obeyed me, there will always be someone from your family ruling Israel.'
26 Now, God of Israel, please continue to keep that promise you made to your servant David, my father.
27 "But, God, can you really live here on the earth? The sky and the highest place in heaven cannot contain you. Surely this house which I have built cannot contain you.
28 But please listen to my prayer and my request, because I am your servant. LORD my God, hear this prayer your servant prays to you today.
29 Night and day please watch over this Temple where you have said, `I will be worshiped there.' Hear the prayer I pray facing this Temple.
30 Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel when we pray facing this place. Hear from your home in heaven, and when you hear, forgive us.
31 "If someone wrongs another person, he will be brought to the altar in this Temple. If he swears an oath that he is not guilty,
32 then hear in heaven. Judge the case, punish the guilty, but declare that the innocent person is not guilty.
33 "When your people, the Israelites, sin against you, their enemies will defeat them. But if they come back to you and praise you and pray to you in this Temple,
34 then hear them in heaven. Forgive the sins of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 "When they sin against you, you will stop the rain from falling on their land. Then they will pray, facing this place and praising you; they will stop sinning when you make them suffer.
36 When this happens, please hear their prayer in heaven, and forgive the sins of your servants, the Israelites. Teach them to do what is right. Then please send rain to this land you have given particularly to them.
37 "At times the land will become so dry that no food will grow, or a great sickness will spread among the people. Sometimes all the crops will be destroyed by locusts or grasshoppers. Your people will be attacked in their cities by their enemy or will become sick.
38 When any of these things happen, the people will become truly sorry. If your people spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple,
39 then hear their prayers from your home in heaven. Forgive and treat each person as he should be treated because you know what is in a person's heart. Only you know what is in everyone's heart.
40 Then your people will respect you as long as they live in this land you gave to our ancestors.
41 "People who are not Israelites, foreigners from other lands, will hear about your greatness and power. They will come from far away to pray at this Temple.
42 [see verse 41]
43 Then hear from your home in heaven, and do whatever they ask you. Then people everywhere will know you and respect you, just as your people in Israel do. Then everyone will know I built this Temple as a place to worship you.
44 "When your people go out to fight their enemies along some road on which you send them, your people will pray to you, facing the city which you have chosen and the Temple I have built for you.
45 Then hear in heaven their prayers, and do what is right.
46 "Everyone sins, so your people will also sin against you. You will become angry with them and hand them over to their enemies. Their enemies will capture them and take them away to their countries far or near.
47 Your people will be sorry for their sins when they are held as prisoners in another country. They will be sorry and pray to you in the land where they are held as prisoners, saying, `We have sinned. We have done wrong and acted wickedly.'near.
48 They will truly turn back to you in the land of their enemies. They will pray to you, facing this land you gave their ancestors, this city you have chosen, and the Temple I have built for you.
49 Then hear their prayers from your home in heaven, and do what is right.
50 Forgive your people of all their sins and for turning against you. Make those who have captured them show them mercy.
51 Remember, they are your special people. You brought them out of Egypt, as if you were pulling them out of a blazing furnace.
52 "Give your attention to my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel. Listen to them anytime they ask you for help.
53 You chose them from all the nations on earth to be your very own people. This is what you promised through Moses your servant when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord GOD."
54 Solomon prayed this prayer to the LORD, kneeling in front of the altar with his arms raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he got up.
55 Then, in a loud voice, he stood and blessed all the people of Israel, saying:
56 "Praise the LORD! He promised he would give rest to his people Israel, and he has given us rest. The LORD has kept all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
57 May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us,
58 and may he turn us to himself so we will follow him. Let us obey all the laws and commands he gave our ancestors.
59 May the LORD our God remember this prayer day and night and do what is right for his servant and his people Israel day by day.
60 Then all the people of the world will know the LORD is the only true God.
61 You must fully obey the LORD our God and follow all his laws and commands. Continue to obey in the future as you do now."
62 Then King Solomon and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to the LORD.
63 Solomon killed twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep as fellowship offerings. So the king and all the people gave the Temple to the LORD.
64 On that day King Solomon made holy the middle part of the courtyard which is in front of the Temple of the LORD. There he offered whole burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings. He offered them in the courtyard, because the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to hold all the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.ur@
65 Solomon and all the Israelites celebrated the other festival that came at that time. People came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the brook of Egypt. A great many people celebrated before the LORD for seven days, then seven more days, for a total of fourteen days.
66 On the following day Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king as they went, happy because of all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
S!S!1 Then Solomon called a convocation at Jerusalem of all the leaders of Israel - the heads of the tribes and clans - to observe the transferring of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the Tabernacle in Zion, the City of David, to the Temple. 2 This celebration occurred at the time of the Tabernacle Festival in the month of October. 3-4 During the festivities the priests carried the Ark to the Temple, along with all the sacred vessels that had previously been in the Tabernacle. 5 King Solomon and all the people gathered before the Ark, sacrificing uncounted sheep and oxen.
6 Then the priests took the Ark into the inner sanctuary of the Temple - the Most Holy Place - and placed it under the wings of the statues of the Guardian Angels. 7 The Angels had been constructed in such a manner that their wings spread out over the spot where the Ark would be placed; so now their wings overshadowed the Ark and its carrying poles. 8 The poles were so long that they stuck out past the Angels and could be seen from the next room, but not from the outer court; and they remain there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the Ark at that time except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Horeb at the time the Lord made his covenant with the people of Israel after they left Egypt.
10 Look! As the priests are returning from the inner sanctuary, a bright cloud fills the Temple! 11 The priests have to go outside because the glory of the Lord is filling the entire building!
12-13 Now King Solomon prayed this invocation:
"The Lord has said that he would live in the thick darkness;
But, O Lord, I have built you a lovely home on earth, a place for you to live forever."
14 Then the king turned around and faced the people as they stood before him, and blessed them.
15 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," he said, "who has done today what he promised my father David: 16 for he said to him, `When I brought my people from Egypt, I didn't appoint a place for my Temple, but I appointed a man to be my people's leader.' 17 This man was my father David. He wanted to build a Temple for the Lord God of Israel, 18 but the Lord told him not to. `I am glad you want to do it,' he said, 19 `but your son is the one who shall build my Temple.' 20 And now the Lord has done what he promised; for I have followed my father as king of Israel, and now this Temple has been built for the Lord God of Israel. 21 And I have prepared a place in the Temple for the Ark that contains the covenant made by the Lord with our fathers, at the time that he brought them out of the land of Egypt."
22-23 Then, as all the people watched, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord with his hands spread out toward heaven and said, "O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or earth, for you are loving and kind and you keep your promises to your people if they do their best to do your will. 24 Today you have fulfilled your promise to my father David, who was your servant; 25 and now, O Lord God of Israel, fulfill your further promise to him: that if his descendants follow your ways and try to do your will as he did, one of them shall always sit upon the throne of Israel. 26 Yes, O God of Israel, fulfill this promise too.
27 "But is it possible that God would really live on earth? Why, even the skies and the highest heavens cannot contain you, much less this Temple I have built! 28 And yet, O Lord my God, you have heard and answered my request: 29 Please watch over this Temple night and day - this place you have promised to live in - and as I face toward the Temple and pray, whether by night or by day, please listen to me and answer my requests. 30 Listen to every plea of the people of Israel whenever they face this place to pray; yes, hear in heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.
31 "If a man is accused of doing something wrong and then, standing here before your altar, swears that he didn't do it, 32 hear him in heaven and do what is right; judge whether or not he did it.
33-34 "And when your people sin and their enemies defeat them, hear them from heaven and forgive them if they turn to you again and confess that you are their God. Bring them back again to this land which you have given to their fathers.
35-36 "And when the skies are shut up and there is no rain because of their sin, hear them from heaven and forgive them when they pray toward this place and confess your name. And after you have punished them, help them to follow the good ways in which they should walk, and send rain upon the land that you have given your people.
37 "If there is a famine in the land caused by plant disease or locusts or caterpillars, or if Israel's enemies besiege one of her cities, or if the people are struck by an epidemic or plague - or whatever the problem is - 38 then when the people realize their sin and pray toward this Temple, 39 hear them from heaven and forgive and answer all who have made an honest confession; for you know each heart. 40 In this way they will always learn to reverence you as they continue to live in this land that you have given their fathers.
41-42 "And when foreigners hear of your great name and come from distant lands to worship you (for they shall hear of your great name and mighty miracles) and pray toward this Temple, 43 hear them from heaven and answer their prayers. And all the nations of the earth will know and fear your name just as your own people Israel do; and all the earth will know that this is your Temple.
44 "When you send your people out to battle against their enemies and they pray to you, looking toward your chosen city of Jerusalem and toward this Temple that I have built in your name, 45 hear their prayer and help them.
46 "If they sin against you (and who doesn't?) and you become angry with them and let their enemies lead them away as captives to some foreign land, whether far or near, 47 and they come to their senses and turn to you and cry to you saying, `We have sinned, we have done wrong'; 48 if they honestly return to you and pray toward this land that you have given their fathers, and toward this city of Jerusalem that you have chosen, and toward this Temple that I have built for your name, 49 hear their prayers and pleadings from heaven where you live, and come to their assistance.
50 "Forgive your people for all of their evil deeds, and make their captors merciful to them; 51 for they are your people - your inheritance that you brought out from the Egyptian furnace. 52 May your eyes be open and your ears listening to their pleas. O Lord, hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you, 53 for when you brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt, you told your servant Moses that you had chosen Israel from among all the nations of the earth to be your own special people."
54-55 Solomon had been kneeling with his hands outstretched toward heaven. As he finished this prayer, he rose from before the altar of Jehovah and cried out this blessing upon all the people of Israel:
56 "Blessed be the Lord who has fulfilled his promise and given rest to his people Israel; not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises proclaimed by his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never forsake us. 58 May he give us the desire to do his will in everything, and to obey all the commandments and instructions he has given our ancestors. 59 And may these words of my prayer be constantly before him day and night, so that he helps me and all of Israel in accordance with our daily needs. 60 May people all over the earth know that the Lord is God and that there is no other god at all. 61 O my people, may you live good and perfect lives before the Lord our God; may you always obey his laws and commandments, just as you are doing today."
62-63 Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple by sacrificing peace offerings to the Lord - a total of 22,000 oxen and 1,000 sheep and goats! 64 As a temporary measure the king sanctified the court in front of the Temple for the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: for the bronze altar was too small to handle so much. 65 The celebration lasted for fourteen days, and a great crowd came from one end of the land to the other. 66 Afterwards Solomon sent the people home, happy for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to his servant David and to his people Israel. And they blessed the king.
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GOD'S HOME 1KING 8:27
Solomon declared that even the highest heavens couldn't contain God. Isn't it amazing that, though the heavens can't contain him, he is willing to live in the hearts of those who love him? The God of the universe has taken up residence in the lives of his people-he lives in us! What are you doing to welcome him home?
PRAYER 1KING 8:56-61
Solomon blessed the people and prayed for them. His prayer can be a pattern for our prayers. He had five basic requests: (1)for God's presence (8:57); (2)for the desire to do God's will in everything (8:58); (3)for help with daily needs (8:59); (4)for the desire to live good and perfect lives (8:61); (5)for the ability to obey God's laws and commandments (8:61). These prayer requests are just as appropriate today as they were in Solomon's time.
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1KING009
1 Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD and his royal palace and everything he wanted to build.
2 Then the LORD appeared to him again just as he had done before, in Gibeon.
3 The LORD said to him: "I have heard your prayer and what you have asked me to do. You built this Temple, and I have made it a holy place. I will be worshiped there forever and will watch over it and protect it always.
4 "But you must serve me as your father David did; he was fair and sincere. You must obey all I have commanded and keep my laws and rules.
5 If you do, I will make your kingdom strong. This is the promise I made to your father David- that someone from his family would always rule Israel.
6 "But you and your children must follow me and obey the laws and commands I have given you. You must not serve or worship other gods.
7 If you do, I will force Israel to leave the land I have given them, and I will leave this Temple that I have made holy. All the nations will make fun of Israel and speak evil about them.
8 If the Temple is destroyed, everyone who passes by will be shocked. They will make fun of you and ask, `Why did the LORD do this terrible thing to this land and this Temple?'
9 People will answer, `This happened because they left the LORD their God. This was the God who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they decided to follow other gods. They worshiped and served those gods, so the LORD brought all this disaster on them.' "
10 By the end of twenty years, King Solomon had built two buildings- the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace.
11 At that time King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had helped with the buildings. Hiram had given Solomon all the cedar, pine, and gold he wanted.
12 So Hiram traveled from Tyre to see the towns Solomon had given him, but when he saw them, he was not pleased.
13 He asked, "What good are these towns you have given me, my brother?" So he named them the Land of Cabul, and they are still called that today.
14 Hiram had sent Solomon about nine thousand pounds of gold.
15 This is the account of the forced labor Solomon used to build the Temple and the palace. He had them fill in the land and build the wall around Jerusalem. He also had them rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 (In the past the king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. After burning it, he killed the Canaanites who lived there. Then he gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who married Solomon.
17 So Solomon rebuilt it.) He also built the cities of Lower Beth Horon
18 and Baalath, as well as Tadmor, which is in the desert.
19 King Solomon also built cities for storing grain and supplies and cities for his chariots and horses. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.
20 There were other people in the land who were not Israelites- Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
21 They were descendants of people that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves, as is still true today.
22 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites. They were his soldiers, government leaders, officers, captains, chariot commanders, and drivers.
23 These were his most important officers over the work. There were five hundred fifty supervisors over the people who did the work on Solomon's projects.
24 The daughter of the king of Egypt moved from the old part of Jerusalem to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then Solomon filled in the surrounding land.
25 Three times each year Solomon offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD. He also burned incense before the LORD. So he finished the work on the Temple.
26 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, a town near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram had skilled sailors, so he sent them to serve in these ships with Solomon's men.
28 The ships sailed to Ophir and brought back about thirty-two thousand pounds of gold to King Solomon.
1 When Solomon had finished building the Temple and the palace and all the other buildings he had always wanted, 2-3 the Lord appeared to him the second time (the first time had been at Gibeon) and said to him, "I have heard your prayer. I have hallowed this Temple that you have built and have put my name here forever. I will constantly watch over it and rejoice in it. 4 And if you live in honesty and truth as your father David did, always obeying me, 5 then I will cause your descendants to be the kings of Israel forever, just as I promised your father David when I told him, `One of your sons shall always be upon the throne of Israel.'
6 "However, if you or your children turn away from me and worship other gods and do not obey my laws, 7 then I will take away the people of Israel from this land that have given them. I will take them from this Temple which I have hallowed for my name, and I will cast them out of my sight; and Israel will become a joke to the nations and an example and proverb of sudden disaster. 8 This Temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone passing by will be amazed and will whistle with astonishment, asking, `Why has the Lord done such things to this land and this Temple?' 9 And the answer will be, `The people of Israel abandoned the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt; they worshiped other gods instead. That is why the Lord has brought this evil upon them.' "
10 At the end of the twenty years during which Solomon built the Temple and the palace, 11-12 he gave twenty cities in the land of Galilee to King Hiram of Tyre as payment for all the cedar and cypress lumber and gold he had furnished for the construction of the palace and Temple. Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities, but he wasn't at all pleased with them.
13 "What sort of deal is this, my brother?" he asked. "These cities are a wasteland!" (And they are still known as "The Wasteland" today.) 14 For Hiram had sent gold to Solomon valued at $3,500,000!
15 Solomon had conscripted forced labor to build the Temple, his palace, Fort Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 Gezer was the city the king of Egypt conquered and burned, killing the Israeli population; later he had given the city to his daughter as a dowry - she was one of Solomon's wives. 17-18 So now Solomon rebuilt Gezer along with Lower Beth-horon, Baalath, and Tamar, a desert city. 19 He also built cities for grain storage, cities in which to keep his chariots, cities for homes for his cavalry and chariot drivers, and resort cities near Jerusalem and in the Lebanon mountains and elsewhere throughout the land.
20-21 Solomon conscripted his labor forces from those who survived in the nations he conquered - the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. For the people of Israel had not been able to wipe them out completely at the time of the invasion and conquest of Israel, and they continue as slaves even today. 22 Solomon didn't conscript any Israelis for this work, although they became soldiers, officials, army officers, chariot commanders, and cavalrymen. 23 And there were 550 men of Israel who were overseers of the labor forces.
Miscellaneous Notes:
24 King Solomon moved Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David - the old sector of Jerusalem - to the new quarters he had built for her in the palace. Then he built Fort Millo.
25 After the Temple was completed, Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings three times a year on the altar he had built. And he also burned incense upon it.
26 King Solomon had a shipyard in Ezion-geber near Eloth on the Red Sea in the land of Edom, where he built a fleet of ships.
27-28 King Hiram supplied experienced sailors to accompany Solomon's crews. They used to sail back and forth from Ophir, bringing gold to King Solomon, the total value of which was several million dollars each trip.
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1KING010
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to test him with hard questions.
2 She traveled to Jerusalem with a large group of servants and camels carrying spices, jewels, and much gold. When she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all she had in mind,
3 and Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.
4 The queen of Sheba learned that Solomon was very wise. She saw the palace he had built,
5 the food on his table, his many officers, the palace servants, and their good clothes. She saw the servants who served him at feasts and the whole burnt offerings he made in the Temple of the LORD. All these things amazed her.
6 So she said to King Solomon, "What I heard in my own country about your achievements and wisdom is true.
7 I could not believe it then, but now I have come and seen it with my own eyes. I was not told even half of it! Your wisdom and wealth are much greater than I had heard.
8 Your men and officers are very lucky, because in always serving you, they are able to hear your wisdom.
9 Praise the LORD your God, who was pleased to make you king of Israel. The LORD has constant love for Israel, so he made you king to keep justice and to rule fairly."
10 Then she gave the king about nine thousand pounds of gold and many spices and jewels. No one since that time has brought more spices than the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 (Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir, as well as much juniper wood and jewels.
12 Solomon used the juniper wood to build supports for the Temple of the LORD and the palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Such fine juniper wood has not been brought in or been seen since that time.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, in addition to what he had already given her of his wealth. Then she and her servants returned to her own country.
14 Every year King Solomon received about fifty thousand pounds of gold.
15 Besides that, he also received gold from the traders and merchants, as well as from the kings of Arabia and governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about seven and one-half pounds of gold.
17 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about four pounds of gold. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 The king built a large throne of ivory and covered it with fine gold.
19 The throne had six steps on it, and its back was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it.
20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom.
21 All of Solomon's drinking cups, as well as the dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. Nothing was made from silver, because silver was not valuable in Solomon's time.
22 King Solomon also had many trading ships at sea, along with Hiram's ships. Every three years the ships returned, bringing back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
23 So Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth.
24 People everywhere wanted to see King Solomon and listen to the wisdom God had given him.
25 Every year those who came brought gifts of silver and gold, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. He kept some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem.
27 In Jerusalem Solomon made silver as common as stones and cedar trees as common as the fig trees on the western hills.
28 He imported horses from Egypt and Kue. His traders bought them in Kue.
29 A chariot from Egypt cost about fifteen pounds of silver, and a horse cost nearly four pounds of silver. Solomon's traders also sold horses and chariots to all the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.
1 When the queen of Sheba heard how wonderfully the Lord had blessed Solomon with wisdom she decided to test him with some hard questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a long train of camels carrying spices, gold, and jewels; and she told him all her problems. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him, for the Lord gave him the right answers every time. 4 She soon realized that everything she had ever heard about his great wisdom was true. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built, 5 and when she saw the wonderful foods on his table, the great number of servants and aides who stood around in splendid uniforms, his cupbearers, and the many offerings he sacrificed by fire to the Lord - well, there was no more spirit in her!
6 She exclaimed to him, "Everything I heard in my own country about your wisdom and about the wonderful things going on here is all true. 7 I didn't believe it until I came, but now I have seen it for myself! And really! The half had not been told me! Your wisdom and prosperity are far greater than anything I've ever heard of! 8 Your people are happy and your palace aides are content - but how could it be otherwise, for they stand here day after day listening to your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the Lord your God who chose you and set you on the throne of Israel. How the Lord must love Israel - for he gave you to them as their king! And you give your people a just, good government!"
10 Then she gave the king a gift of $3,500,000 in gold, along with a huge quantity of spices and precious gems; in fact, it was the largest single gift of spices King Solomon had ever received.
11 (And when King Hiram's ships brought gold to Solomon from Ophir, they also brought along a great supply of algum trees and gems. 12 Solomon used the algum wood to make pillars for the Temple and the palace, and for harps and harpsichords for his choirs. Never before or since has there been such a supply of beautiful wood.)
13 In exchange for the gifts from the queen of Sheba, King Solomon gave her everything she asked him for, besides the presents he had already planned. Then she and her servants returned to their own land.
14 Each year Solomon received gold worth a quarter of a billion dollars, 15 besides sales taxes and profits from trade with the kings of Arabia and the other surrounding territories. 16-17 Solomon had some of the gold beaten into two hundred pieces of armor (gold worth $6,000 went into each piece) and three hundred shields ($1,800 worth of gold in each). And he kept them in his palace in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 He also made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 It had six steps and a rounded back, with arm rests; and a lion standing on each side. 20 And there were two lions on each step - twelve in all. There was no other throne in all the world so splendid as that one.
21 All of King Solomon's cups were of solid gold, and in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon his entire dining service was made of solid gold. (Silver wasn't used because it wasn't considered to be of much value!)
22 King Solomon's merchant fleet was in partnership with King Hiram's, and once every three years a great load of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks arrived at the Israeli ports.
23 So King Solomon was richer and wiser than all the kings of the earth. 24 Great men from many lands came to interview him and listen to his God-given wisdom. 25 They brought him annual tribute of silver and gold dishes, beautiful cloth, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon built up a great stable of horses with a vast number of chariots and cavalry - 1,400 chariots in all and 12,000 cavalrymen, who lived in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 Silver was as common as stones in Jerusalem in those days, and cedar was of no greater value than the common sycamore! 28 Solomon's horses were brought to him from Egypt and southern Turkey, where his agents purchased them at wholesale prices. 29 An Egyptian chariot delivered to Jerusalem cost $400, and the horses were valued at $150 each. Many of these were then resold to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,287
4,4,7,383
5,5,9,477
6,6,11,711
7,7,13,822
8,8,15,1003
9,9,17,1115
10,10,19,1287
11,11,21,1473
12,12,23,1562
13,13,25,1787
14,14,27,1984
15,15,29,2066
16,16,31,2204
17,17,33,2339
18,18,35,2519
19,19,37,2596
20,20,39,2757
21,21,41,2896
22,22,43,3103
23,23,45,3277
24,24,47,3359
25,25,49,3456
26,26,51,3569
27,27,53,3738
28,28,55,3863
29,29,57,3942
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,774
10,10,5,1461
11,12,7,1658
13,13,9,1989
14,17,11,2197
18,20,13,2626
21,21,15,2913
22,22,17,3128
23,25,19,3315
26,29,21,3591
1KING011
1 King Solomon loved many women who were not from Israel. He loved the daughter of the king of Egypt, as well as women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.
2 The LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not marry people of other nations. If you do, they will cause you to follow their gods." But Solomon fell in love with these women.
3 He had seven hundred wives who were from royal families and three hundred slave women who gave birth to his children. His wives caused him to turn away from God.
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives caused him to follow other gods. He did not follow the LORD completely as his father David had done.
5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the people of Sidon, and Molech, the hated god of the Ammonites.
6 So Solomon did what the LORD said was wrong and did not follow the LORD completely as his father David had done.
7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built two places for worship. One was a place to worship Chemosh, the hated god of the Moabites, and the other was a place to worship Molech, the hated god of the Ammonites.
8 Solomon did the same thing for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.
9 The LORD had appeared to Solomon twice, but the king turned away from following the LORD, the God of Israel. The LORD was angry with Solomon,
10 because he had commanded Solomon not to follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey the LORD' s command.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have chosen to break your agreement with me and have not obeyed my commands, I will tear your kingdom away from you and give it to one of your officers.
12 But I will not take it away while you are alive because of my love for your father David. I will tear it away from your son when he becomes king.
13 I will not tear away all the kingdom from him, but I will leave him one tribe to rule. I will do this because of David, my servant, and because of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen."
14 The LORD caused Hadad the Edomite, a member of the family of the king of Edom, to become Solomon's enemy.
15 Earlier, David had defeated Edom. When Joab, the commander of David's army, went into Edom to bury the dead, he killed all the males.
16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed in Edom for six months and killed every male in Edom.
17 At that time Hadad was only a young boy, so he ran away to Egypt with some of his father's officers.
18 They left Midian and went to Paran, where they were joined by other men. Then they all went to Egypt to see the king, who gave Hadad a house, some food, and some land.
19 The king liked Hadad so much he gave Hadad a wife- the sister of Tahpenes, the king's wife.
20 They had a son named Genubath. Queen Tahpenes brought him up in the royal palace with the king's own children.
21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had died and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead also. So Hadad said to the king, "Let me go; I will return to my own country."
22 "Why do you want to go back to your own country?" the king asked. "What haven't I given you here?" "Nothing," Hadad answered, "but please, let me go."
23 God also caused another man to be Solomon's enemy- Rezon son of Eliada. Rezon had run away from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24 After David defeated the army of Zobah, Rezon gathered some men and became the leader of a small army. They went to Damascus and settled there, and Rezon became king of Damascus.
25 Rezon ruled Aram, and he hated Israel. So he was an enemy of Israel all the time Solomon was alive. Both Rezon and Hadad made trouble for Israel.
26 Jeroboam son of Nebat was one of Solomon's officers. He was an Ephraimite from the town of Zeredah, and he was the son of a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam turned against the king.
27 This is the story of how Jeroboam turned against the king. Solomon was filling in the land and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, the city of David, his father.
28 Jeroboam was a capable man, and Solomon saw that this young man was a good worker. So Solomon put him over all the workers from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
29 One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh, who was wearing a new coat, met him on the road. The two men were alone out in the country.
30 Ahijah took his new coat and tore it into twelve pieces.
31 Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces of this coat for yourself. The LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I will tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give you ten tribes.
32 But I will allow him to control one tribe. I will do this for the sake of my servant David and for Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.
33 I will do this because Solomon has stopped following me and has worshiped the Sidonian god Ashtoreth, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Molech. Solomon has not obeyed me by doing what I said is right and obeying my laws and commands, as his father David did.
34 "`But I will not take all the kingdom away from Solomon. I will let him rule all his life because of my servant David, whom I chose, who obeyed all my commands and laws.
35 But I will take the kingdom away from his son, and I will allow you to rule over the ten tribes.
36 I will allow Solomon's son to continue to rule over one tribe so that there will always be a descendant of David, my servant, in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to be worshiped.
37 But I will make you rule over everything you want. You will rule over all of Israel,
38 and I will always be with you if you do what I say is right. You must obey all my commands. If you obey my laws and commands as David did, I will be with you. I will make your family a lasting family of kings, as I did for David, and give Israel to you.
39 I will punish David's children because of this, but I will not punish them forever.' "
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he ran away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he stayed until Solomon died.
41 Everything else King Solomon did, and the wisdom he showed, is written in the book of the history of Solomon.
42 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
43 Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. And his son Rehoboam became king in his place.
1 King Solomon married many other girls besides the Egyptian princess. Many of them came from nations where idols were worshiped - Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from the Hittites - 2 even though the Lord had clearly instructed his people not to marry into those nations, because the women they married would get them started worshiping their gods. Yet Solomon did it anyway. 3 He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; and sure enough, they turned his heart away from the Lord, 4 especially in his old age. They encouraged him to worship their gods instead of trusting completely in the Lord as his father David had done. 5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the horrible god of the Ammonites. 6 Thus Solomon did what was clearly wrong and refused to follow the Lord as his father David did. 7 He even built a temple on the Mount of Olives, across the valley from Jerusalem, for Chemosh, the depraved god of Moab, and another for Molech, the unutterably vile god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon built temples for these foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
9-10 Jehovah was very angry with Solomon about this, for now Solomon was no longer interested in the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice to warn him specifically against worshiping other gods. But he hadn't listened, 11 so now the Lord said to him, "Since you have not kept our agreement and have not obeyed my laws, I will tear the kingdom away from you and your family and give it to someone else. 12-13 However, for the sake of your father David, I won't do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so I will let him be king of one tribe, for David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city."
14 So the Lord caused Hadad the Edomite to grow in power. And Solomon became apprehensive, for Hadad was a member of the royal family of Edom. 15 Years before, when David had been in Edom with Joab to arrange for the burial of some Israeli soldiers who had died in battle, the Israeli army had killed nearly every male in the entire country. 16-18 It took six months to accomplish this, but they finally killed all except Hadad and a few royal officials who took him to Egypt (he was a very small child at the time). They slipped out of Midian and went to Paran, where others joined them and accompanied them to Egypt, and Pharaoh had given them homes and food.
19 Hadad became one of Pharaoh's closest friends, and he gave him a wife - the sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20 She presented him with a son, Genubath, who was brought up in Pharaoh's palace among Pharaoh's own sons. 21 When Hadad, there in Egypt, heard that David and Joab were both dead, he asked Pharaoh for permission to return to Edom.
22 "Why?" Pharaoh asked him. "What do you lack here? How have we disappointed you?"
"Everything is wonderful," he replied, "but even so, I'd like to go back home."
23 Another of Solomon's enemies whom God raised to power was Rezon, one of the officials of King Hadadezer of Zobah who had deserted his post and fled the country. 24 He had become the leader of a gang of bandits - men who fled with him to Damascus (where he later became king) when David destroyed Zobah. 25 During Solomon's entire lifetime, Rezon and Hadad were his enemies, for they hated Israel intensely.
26 Another rebel leader was Jeroboam (the son of Nebat), who came from the city of Zeredah in Ephraim; his mother was Zeruah, a widow. 27-28 Here is the story of his rebellion: Solomon was rebuilding Fort Millo, repairing the walls of this city his father had built. Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of his labor battalions from the tribe of Joseph.
29 One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh (who had put on a new robe for the occasion) met him and called him aside to talk to him. And as the two of them were alone in the field, 30 Ahijah tore his new robe into twelve parts 31 and said to Jeroboam, "Take ten of these pieces, for the Lord God of Israel says, `I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and give ten of the tribes to you! 32 But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen above all the other cities of Israel. 33 For Solomon has forsaken me and worships Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; and Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my paths and has not done what I consider right; he has not kept my laws and instructions as his father David did. 34 I will not take the kingdom from him now, however; for the sake of my servant David, my chosen one who obeyed my commandments, I will let Solomon reign for the rest of his life.
35 " `But I will take away the kingdom from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. 36 His son shall have the other one so that the descendants of David will continue to reign in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name to be enshrined. 37 And I will place you on the throne of Israel and give you absolute power. 38 If you listen to what I tell you and walk in my path and do whatever I consider right, obeying my commandments as my servant David did, then I will bless you; and your descendants shall rule Israel forever. (I once made this same promise to David. 39 But because of Solomon's sin, I will punish the descendants of David - though not forever.)' "
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until the death of Solomon.
41 The rest of what Solomon did and said is written in the book The Acts of Solomon. 42 He ruled in Jerusalem for forty years, 43 and then died and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,196
3,3,5,382
4,4,7,551
5,5,9,696
6,6,11,811
7,7,13,930
8,8,15,1150
9,9,17,1276
10,10,19,1427
11,11,21,1540
12,12,23,1743
13,13,25,1898
14,14,27,2088
15,15,29,2202
16,16,31,2347
17,17,33,2444
18,18,35,2552
19,19,37,2727
20,20,39,2828
21,21,41,2948
22,22,43,3140
23,23,45,3298
24,24,47,3443
25,25,49,3629
26,26,51,3785
27,27,53,3974
28,28,55,4141
29,29,57,4317
30,30,59,4497
31,31,61,4561
32,32,63,4742
33,33,65,4914
34,34,67,5196
35,35,69,5378
36,36,71,5485
37,37,73,5676
38,38,75,5773
39,39,77,6038
40,40,79,6136
41,41,81,6264
42,42,83,6382
43,43,85,6449
1,8,1,1
9,13,3,1142
14,18,5,1809
19,21,7,2474
22,22,9,2814
23,25,12,2982
26,28,14,3395
29,34,16,3805
35,39,18,4864
40,40,19,5552
41,43,21,5672
OBEDIENCE 1KING 11:2
Although Solomon had clear instructions from God not to marry women from foreign nations, he chose to disregard God's commands. He married not one, but many heathen wives, who subsequently led him away from God. God knows our human strengths and weaknesses, and his commands are always for our good. Some people ignore God's commands, but there are inevitable negative consequences resulting from such action. It is not enough to know God's word or even to believe it; we must follow it and apply it to life's daily activities and decisions. Take God's commands seriously. Like Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, we are not as strong as we may think.
PRESSURE 1KING 11:4
Solomon handled great pressures in running the government, but he could not handle the pressures from his wives who wanted him to worship their gods. In marriage and other close friendships, it is difficult to resist pressure to compromise. Our love leads us to identify with the desires of those we care about.
Faced with such pressure, Solomon at first resisted it, maintaining pure faith. Then he tolerated a more widespread practice of idolatry. Finally he himself became involved in idolatrous worship; he rationalized away the potential danger to himself and the kingdom. It is because we naturally wish to identify with those we love that God told Solomon (and us) not to marry those who do not share our commitment to him.
Moral Dilemmas: Dating ,!page "^M0015" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1KING012
d&|&r(h)
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had gone to make him king.
2 Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt, where he had gone to escape from Solomon. When Jeroboam heard about Rehoboam being made king, he was living in Egypt.
3 After the people sent for him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him,
4 "Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, serve you."
5 Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days, and then come back to me." So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam asked the older leaders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, "How do you think I should answer these people?"
7 They said, "You should be like a servant to them today. If you serve them and give them a kind answer, they will serve you always."
8 But Rehoboam rejected this advice. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and who served as his advisers.
9 Rehoboam asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who said, `Don't make us work as hard as your father did'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, "Those people said to you, `Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.' You should tell them, `My little finger is bigger than my father's legs.
11 He forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.' "
12 Rehoboam had told the people, "Come back to me in three days." So after three days Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam.
13 King Rehoboam spoke cruel words to them, because he had rejected the advice the older leaders had given him.
14 He followed the advice of the young men and said to the people, "My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points."
15 So the king did not listen to the people. The LORD caused this to happen to keep the promise he had made to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, they said to the king, "We have no share in David! We have no part in the son of Jesse! People of Israel, let's go to our own homes! Let David's son rule his own people!" So the Israelites went home.
17 But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. When Rehoboam sent him to the people of Israel, they threw stones at him until he died. But King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 Since then, Israel has been against the family of David.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they called him to a meeting and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah continued to follow the family of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered one hundred eighty thousand of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. As son of Solomon, Rehoboam wanted to fight the people of Israel to take back his kingdom.
22 But God spoke his word to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,
23 "Speak to Solomon's son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people. Say to them,
24 `The LORD says you must not go to war against your brothers, the Israelites. Every one of you should go home, because I made all these things happen.' "So they obeyed the LORD' s command and went home as the LORD had commanded.
25 Then Jeroboam made Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim a very strong city, and he lived there. He also went to the city of Peniel and made it stronger.
26 Jeroboam said to himself, "The kingdom will probably go back to David's family.
27 If the people continue going to the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, they will want to be ruled again by Rehoboam. Then they will kill me and follow Rehoboam king of Judah."
28 King Jeroboam asked for advice. Then he made two golden calves. "It is too long a journey for you to go to Jerusalem to worship," he said to the people. "Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt."
29 Jeroboam put one golden calf in the city of Bethel and the other in the city of Dan.
30 This became a very great sin, because the people traveled as far as Dan to worship the calf there.
31 Jeroboam built temples on the places of worship. He also chose priests from all the people, not just from the tribe of Levi.
32 And he started a new festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. During that time the king offered sacrifices on the altar, along with sacrifices to the calves in Bethel he had made. He also chose priests in Bethel to serve at the places of worship he had made.
33 So Jeroboam chose his own time for a festival for the Israelites- the fifteenth day of the eighth month. During that time he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. He set up a festival for the Israelites and offered sacrifices on the altar.
1 Rehoboam's inauguration was at Shechem, and all Israel came for the coronation ceremony. 2-4 Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon, heard about the plans from his friends. They urged him to attend, so he joined the rest of Israel at Shechem and was the ringleader in getting the people to make certain demands upon Rehoboam.
"Your father was a hard master," they told Rehoboam. "We don't want you as our king unless you promise to treat us better than he did."
5 "Give me three days to think this over," Rehoboam replied. "Come back then for my answer." So the people left.
6 Rehoboam talked it over with the old men who had counseled his father Solomon.
"What do you think I should do?" he asked them.
7 And they replied, "If you give them a pleasant reply and agree to be good to them and serve them well, you can be their king forever."
8 But Rehoboam refused the old men's counsel and called in the young men with whom he had grown up.
9 "What do you think I should do?" he asked them.
10 And the young men replied, "Tell them, `If you think my father was hard on you, well, I'll be harder! 11 Yes, my father was harsh, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!' "
12 So when Jeroboam and the people returned three days later, 13-14 the new king answered them roughly. He ignored the old men's advice and followed that of the young men; 15 so the king refused the people's demands. (But the Lord's hand was in it - he caused the new king to do this in order to fulfill his promise to Jeroboam, made through Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh.)
16-17 When the people realized that the king meant what he said and was refusing to listen to them, they began shouting, "Down with David and all his relatives! Let's go home! Let Rehoboam be king of his own family!"
And they all deserted him except for the tribe of Judah, who remained loyal and accepted Rehoboam as their king. 18 When King Rehoboam sent Adoram (who was in charge of the draft) to conscript men from the other tribes, a great mob stoned him to death. But King Rehoboam escaped by chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel has been in rebellion against the dynasty of David to this day.
20 When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam's return from Egypt, he was asked to come before an open meeting of all the people; and there he was made king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah continued under the kingship of the family of David.
21 When King Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned his army - all the able-bodied men of Judah and Benjamin: 180,000 special troops - to force the rest of Israel to acknowledge him as their king. 22 But God sent this message to Shemaiah, the prophet:
23-24 "Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin that they must not fight against their brothers, the people of Israel. Tell them to disband and go home, for what has happened to Rehoboam is according to my wish." So the army went home as the Lord had commanded.
25 Jeroboam now built the city of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and it became his capital. Later he built Penuel. 26 Jeroboam thought, "Unless I'm careful, the people will want a descendant of David as their king. 27 When they go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple, they will become friendly with King Rehoboam; then they will kill me and ask him to be their king instead."
28 So on the advice of his counselors, the king had two golden calf idols made and told the people, "It's too much trouble to go to Jerusalem to worship; from now on these will be your gods - they rescued you from your captivity in Egypt!"
29 One of these calf idols was placed in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 This was of course a great sin, for the people worshiped them. 31 He also made shrines on the hills and ordained priests from the rank and file of the people - even those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi. 32-33 Jeroboam also announced that the annual Tabernacle Festival would be held at Bethel on the first of November (a date he decided upon himself ), similar to the annual festival at Jerusalem; he himself offered sacrifices upon the altar to the calves at Bethel and burned incense to them. And it was there at Bethel that he ordained priests for the shrines on the hills.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,251
4,4,7,340
5,5,9,405
6,6,11,502
7,7,13,643
8,8,15,786
9,9,17,918
10,10,19,1061
11,11,21,1292
12,12,23,1457
13,13,25,1598
14,14,27,1714
15,15,29,1946
16,16,31,2127
17,17,33,2412
18,18,35,2497
19,19,37,2702
20,20,39,2767
21,21,41,2965
22,22,43,3210
23,23,45,3277
24,24,47,3424
25,25,49,3663
26,26,51,3822
27,27,53,3911
28,28,55,4114
29,29,57,4336
30,30,59,4431
31,31,61,4538
32,32,63,4672
33,33,65,4983
1,4,1,1
5,5,4,499
6,6,6,615
7,7,9,748
8,8,11,888
9,9,13,991
10,11,15,1044
12,15,16,1261
16,19,18,1640
20,20,21,2252
21,22,23,2503
23,24,24,2760
25,27,26,3074
28,28,28,3473
29,33,30,3716
ADVICE 1KING 12:6-8
Rehoboam asked for advice, but he didn't carefully evaluate that advice. If he had, he would have realized that the advice offered by the older men was wiser than that of his peers. To evaluate advice, ask if it is realistic, workable, and consistent with the Bible. Determine if the results of following the advice will be fair, make improvements, and give a positive solution or direction. Seek counsel from those more experienced and wiser. Advice is helpful only if we evaluate it with God's standards in mind.
DO RIGHT 1KING 12:28
All Jewish men were required to travel to the temple three times each year (Deuteronomy 16:16), but Jeroboam set up his own worship centers and told his people it was too much trouble to travel all the way to Jerusalem. Those who obeyed Jeroboam were disobeying God. Some ideas, although practical, may include suggestions that lead you away from God. Don't let anyone talk you out of doing what is right by telling you that your actions are not worth the effort. Do what God wants no matter what the cost in time, energy, reputation, or resources.
1KING013
1 The LORD commanded a man of God from Judah to go to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer a sacrifice.
2 The LORD had commanded the man of God to speak against the altar. The man said, "Altar, altar, the LORD says to you: `David's family will have a son named Josiah. The priests for the places of worship now make their sacrifices on you, but Josiah will sacrifice those priests on you. Human bones will be burned on you.' "]
3 That same day the man of God gave proof that these things would happen. "This is the LORD' s sign that this will happen," he said. "This altar will break apart, and the ashes on it will fall to the ground."
4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God said about the altar in Bethel, the king raised his hand from the altar and pointed at the man. "Take him!" he said. But when the king said this, his arm was paralyzed, and he could not move it.
5 The altar also broke into pieces, and its ashes fell to the ground. This was the sign the LORD had told the man of God to give.
6 Then the king said to the man of God, "Please pray to the LORD your God for me, and ask him to heal my arm." So the man of God prayed to the LORD, and the king's arm was healed, becoming as it was before.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, "Please come home and eat with me, and I will give you a gift."
8 But the man of God answered the king, "Even if you gave me half of your kingdom, I would not go with you. I will not eat or drink anything in this place.
9 The LORD commanded me not to eat or drink anything nor to return on the same road by which I came."
10 So he took a different road and did not return on the same road by which he had come to Bethel.
11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to King Jeroboam.
12 The father asked, "Which road did he use when he left?" So his sons showed him the road the man of God from Judah had taken.
13 Then the prophet told his sons to put a saddle on his donkey. So they saddled the donkey, and he left.
14 He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. The prophet asked, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" The man answered, "Yes, I am."
15 The prophet said, "Please come home and eat with me."
16 "I can't go home with you," the man of God answered. "I can't eat or drink with you in this place.
17 The LORD said to me, `Don't eat or drink anything there or return on the same road by which you came.' "
18 Then the old prophet said, "But I also am a prophet like you." Then he told a lie. He said, "An angel from the LORD came to me and told me to bring you to my home. He said you should eat and drink with me."
19 So the man of God went to the old prophet's house, and he ate and drank with him there.
20 While they were sitting at the table, the LORD spoke his word to the old prophet.
21 The old prophet cried out to the man of God from Judah, the LORD said you did not obey him! He said you did not do what the LORD your God commanded you.
22 The LORD commanded you not to eat or drink anything in this place, but you came back and ate and drank. So your body will not be buried in your family grave."
23 After the man of God finished eating and drinking, the prophet put a saddle on his donkey for him, and the man left.
24 As he was traveling home, a lion attacked and killed him. His body lay on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing nearby.
25 Some men who were traveling on that road saw the body and the lion standing nearby. So they went to the city where the old prophet lived and told what they had seen.
26 The old prophet who had brought back the man of God heard what had happened. "It is the man of God who did not obey the LORD' s command," he said. "So the LORD sent a lion to kill him, just as he said he would."
27 Then the prophet said to his sons, "Put a saddle on my donkey," which they did.
28 The old prophet went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing nearby. The lion had not eaten the body or hurt the donkey.
29 The prophet put the body on his donkey and carried it back to the city to have a time of sadness for him and to bury him.
30 The prophet buried the body in his own family grave, and they were sad for the man of God and said, "Oh, my brother."
31 After the prophet buried the body, he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in this same grave. Put my bones next to his.
32 Through him the LORD spoke against the altar at Bethel and against the places of worship in the towns of Samaria. What the LORD spoke through him will certainly come true."
33 After this incident King Jeroboam did not stop doing evil. He continued to choose priests for the places of worship from among all the people. Anyone who wanted to be a priest for the places of worship was allowed to be one.
34 In this way the family of Jeroboam sinned, and this sin caused its ruin and destruction from the earth.
1 As Jeroboam approached the altar to burn incense to the golden calf idol, a prophet of the Lord from Judah walked up to him. 2 Then, at the Lord's command, the prophet shouted, "O altar, the Lord says that a child named Josiah shall be born into the family line of David, and he shall sacrifice upon you the priests from the shrines on the hills who come here to burn incense; and men's bones shall be burned upon you."
3 Then he gave this proof that his message was from the Lord: "This altar will split apart, and the ashes on it will spill to the ground."
4 The king was very angry with the prophet for saying this. He shouted to his guards, "Arrest that man!" and shook his fist at him. Instantly the king's arm became paralyzed in that position; he couldn't pull it back again! 5 At the same moment a wide crack appeared in the altar and the ashes poured out, just as the prophet had said would happen. For this was the prophet's proof that God had been speaking through him.
6 "Oh, please, please," the king cried out to the prophet, "beg the Lord your God to restore my arm again."
So he prayed to the Lord, and the king's arm became normal again.
7 Then the king said to the prophet, "Come to the palace with me and rest awhile and have some food; and I'll give you a reward because you healed my arm."
8 But the prophet said to the king, "Even if you gave me half your palace, I wouldn't go into it; nor would I eat or drink even water in this place! 9 For the Lord has given me strict orders not to eat anything or drink any water while I'm here, and not to return to Judah by the road I came on."
10 So he went back another way.
11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons went home and told him what the prophet from Judah had done and what he had said to the king.
12 "Which way did he go?" the old prophet asked. So they told him.
13 "Quick, saddle the donkey," the old man said. And when they had saddled the donkey for him, 14 he rode after the prophet and found him sitting under an oak tree.
"Are you the prophet who came from Judah?" he asked him.
"Yes," he replied, "I am."
15 Then the old man said to the prophet, "Come home with me and eat."
16-17 "No," he replied, "I can't; for I am not allowed to eat anything or to drink any water at Bethel. The Lord strictly warned me against it; and he also told me not to return home by the same road I came on."
18 But the old man said, "I am a prophet too, just as you are; and an angel gave me a message from the Lord. I am to take you home with me and give you food and water."
But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the prophet ate some food and drank some water at the old man's home.
20 Then, suddenly, while they were sitting at the table, a message from the Lord came to the old man, 21-22 and he shouted at the prophet from Judah, "The Lord says that because you have been disobedient to his clear command and have come here, and have eaten and drunk water in the place he told you not to, therefore your body shall not be buried in the grave of your fathers."
23 After finishing the meal, the old man saddled the prophet's donkey, 24-25 and the prophet started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. Those who came by and saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing quietly beside it, reported it in Bethel where the old prophet lived.
26 When he heard what had happened he exclaimed, "It is the prophet who disobeyed the Lord's command; the Lord fulfilled his warning by causing the lion to kill him."
27 Then he said to his sons, "Saddle my donkey!" And they did.
28 He found the prophet's body lying in the road; and the donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. 29 So the prophet laid the body upon the donkey and took it back to the city to mourn over it and bury it.
30 He laid the body in his own grave, exclaiming, "Alas, my brother!"
31 Afterwards he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in the grave where the prophet is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the Lord told him to shout against the altar in Bethel, and his curse against the shrines in the cities of Samaria shall surely be fulfilled."
33 Despite the prophet's warning, Jeroboam did not turn away from his evil ways; instead, he made more priests than ever from the common people, to offer sacrifices to idols in the shrines on the hills. Anyone who wanted to could be a priest. 34 This was a great sin and resulted in the destruction of Jeroboam's kingdom and the death of all of his family.
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GOD'S WORD 1KING 13:7-31
This prophet had been given strict orders from God not to eat or drink anything while on his mission (13:9). He died because he listened to a man who claimed to have a message from God, rather than to God himself. The prophet should have followed God's word instead of hearsay. Trust what Scripture says rather than what someone claims is true. And disregard what others claim to be messages from God if their words contradict the Bible.
1KING014
VALUE
1 At that time Jeroboam's son Abijah became very sick.
2 So Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go to Shiloh to see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said I would become king of Israel. But dress yourself so people won't know you are my wife.
3 Take the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Then ask him what will happen to our son, and he will tell you."
4 So the king's wife did as he said and went to Ahijah's home in Shiloh. Now Ahijah was very old and blind.
5 The LORD said to him, "Jeroboam's son is sick, and Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about him. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else." Then the LORD told Ahijah what to say.
6 When Ahijah heard her walking to the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have bad news for you.
7 Go back and tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `Jeroboam, I chose you from among all the people and made you the leader of my people Israel.
8 I tore the kingdom away from David's family, and I gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who always obeyed my commands and followed me with all his heart. He did only what I said was right.
9 But you have done more evil than anyone who ruled before you. You have quit following me and have made other gods and idols of metal. This has made me very angry,
10 so I will soon bring disaster to your family. I will kill all the men in your family, both slaves and free men. I will destroy your family as completely as fire burns up manure.
11 Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the fields will be eaten by the birds. The LORD has spoken.' "
12 Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam's wife, "Go home now. As soon as you enter your city, your son will die,
13 and all Israel will be sad for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam's family who will be buried, because he is the only one in the king's family who pleased the LORD, the God of Israel.
14 "The LORD will put a new king over Israel, who will destroy Jeroboam's family, and this will happen soon.
15 Then the LORD will punish Israel, which will be like grass moving in the water. The LORD will pull up Israel from this good land, the land he gave their ancestors. He will scatter Israel beyond the Euphrates River, because he is angry with the people. They made the LORD angry when they set up idols to worship Asherah.&
16 Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the people of Israel sin. So the LORD will let the people of Israel be defeated."
17 Then Jeroboam's wife left and returned to Tirzah. As soon as she entered her home, the boy died.
18 After they buried him, all Israel had a time of sadness for him, just as the LORD had said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Everything else Jeroboam did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. He fought wars and continued to rule the people,
20 serving as king for twenty-two years. Then he died, and his son Nadab became king in his place.
21 Solomon's son Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king of Judah. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. Rehoboam ruled in Jerusalem for seventeen years. (The LORD had chosen that city from all the land of Israel as the place where he would be worshiped.)
22 The people of Judah did what the LORD said was wrong. Their sins made the LORD very angry, even more angry than he had been at their ancestors.
23 The people built stone pillars and places to worship gods and Asherah idols on every high hill and under every green tree.
24 There were even male prostitutes in the land. They acted like the people who had lived in the land before the Israelites. They had done many evil things, and God had taken the land away from them.
25 During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.
26 He took the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and the king's palace. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made.
27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to put in their place and gave them to the commanders of the guards for the palace gates.
28 Whenever the king went to the Temple of the LORD, the guards carried the shields. Later, they would put them back in the guardroom.
29 Everything else King Rehoboam did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam the whole time.
31 Rehoboam, son of Naamah from Ammon, died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Abijah became king in his place.
1 Jeroboam's son Abijah now became very sick. 2 Jeroboam told his wife, "Disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you as the queen, and go to Ahijah the prophet at Shiloh - the man who told me that I would become king. 3 Take him a gift of ten loaves of bread, some fig bars, and a jar of honey, and ask him whether the boy will recover."
4 So his wife went to Ahijah's home at Shiloh. He was an old man now and could no longer see. 5 But the Lord told him that the queen, pretending to be someone else, would come to ask about her son, for he was very sick. And the Lord told him what to tell her.
6 So when Ahijah heard her at the door, he called out, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else?" Then he told her, "I have sad news for you. 7 Give your husband this message from the Lord God of Israel: `I promoted you from the ranks of the common people and made you king of Israel. 8 I ripped the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you, but you have not obeyed my commandments as my servant David did. His heart's desire was always to obey me and to do whatever I wanted him to. 9 But you have done more evil than all the other kings before you; you have made other gods and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have refused to acknowledge me, 10 I will bring disaster upon your home and will destroy all of your sons - this boy who is sick and all those who are well. I will sweep away your family as a stable hand shovels out manure. 11 I vow that those of your family who die in the city shall be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field shall be eaten by birds.' "
12 Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam's wife, "Go on home, and when you step into the city, the child will die. 13 All of Israel will mourn for him and bury him, but he is the only member of your family who will come to a quiet end. For this child is the only good thing that the Lord God of Israel sees in the entire family of Jeroboam. 14 And the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. 15 Then the Lord will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream; he will uproot the people of Israel from this good land of their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for they have angered the Lord by worshiping idol-gods. 16 He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and made all of Israel sin along with him."
17 So Jeroboam's wife returned to Tirzah; and the child died just as she walked through the door of her home. 18 And there was mourning for him throughout the land, just as the Lord had predicted through Ahijah.
19 The rest of Jeroboam's activities - his wars and the other events of his reign - are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 20 Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years, and when he died, his son Nadab took the throne.
21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam the son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he was on the throne seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which, among all the cities of Israel, the Lord had chosen to live in. (Rehoboam's mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.) 22 During his reign the people of Judah, like those in Israel, did wrong and angered the Lord with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. 23 They built shrines and obelisks and idols on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There was homosexuality throughout the land, and the people of Judah became as depraved as the heathen nations which the Lord drove out to make room for his people.
25 In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt attacked and conquered Jerusalem. 26 He ransacked the Temple and the palace and stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 Afterwards Rehoboam made bronze shields as substitutes, and the palace guards used these instead. 28 Whenever the king went to the Temple, the guards paraded before him and then took the shields back to the guard chamber.
29 The other events in Rehoboam's reign are written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 30 There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 When Rehoboam died - his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess - he was buried among his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Abijam took the throne.
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:$R$(&
VALUE 1KING 14:25
Just five years after Solomon died, the Temple and palace were ransacked by foreign invaders. How quickly the glory, power, and money disappeared! When the people became spiritually corrupt and immoral (14:24), it was just a short time until they lost everything. Their possessions and wealth had become more important to them than God. When we remove God from our lives, everything else becomes useless, no matter how valuable it seems.
1KING015
$0$&&
1 Abijah became king of Judah during the eighteenth year Jeroboam son of Nebat was king of Israel.
2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3 He did all the same sins his father before him had done. Abijah was not faithful to the LORD his God as David, his great-grandfather, had been.
4 Because the LORD loved David, the LORD gave him a kingdom in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The LORD also kept Jerusalem safe.
5 David always did what the LORD said was right and obeyed his commands all his life, except the one time when David sinned against Uriah the Hittite.
6 There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam during Abijah's lifetime.
7 Everything else Abijah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. During the time Abijah ruled, there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
8 Abijah died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Asa became king in his place.
9 During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah.
10 His grandmother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.
11 Asa did what the LORD said was right, as his ancestor David had done.
12 He forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country. He also took away the idols that his ancestors had made.
13 His grandmother Maacah had made a terrible Asherah idol, so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down that idol and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 The places of worship to gods were not removed. Even so, Asa was faithful to the LORD all his life.
15 Asa brought into the Temple of the LORD the gifts he and his father had given: gold, silver, and utensils.
16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all the time they were kings.
17 Baasha attacked Judah, and he made the town of Ramah strong so he could keep people from leaving or entering Judah, Asa's country.
18 Asa took the rest of the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and his own palace and gave it to his officers. Then he sent them to BEN-HADAD son of Tabrimmon, who was the son of Hezion. BEN-HADAD was the king of Aram and ruled in the city of Damascus. Asa said,
19 "Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will leave my land."
20 BEN-HADAD agreed with King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies to attack the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all Galilee and the area of Naphtali.
21 When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped building up Ramah and returned to Tirzah.
22 Then King Asa gave an order to all the people of Judah; everyone had to help. They carried away all the stones and wood Baasha had been using in Ramah, and they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.
23 Everything else Asa did- his victories and the cities he built- is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet.
24 After Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David, his ancestor. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa's son, became king in his place.
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel during the second year Asa was king of Judah. Nadab was king of Israel for two years,
26 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Nadab sinned in the same way as his father Jeroboam.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, made plans to kill Nadab. Nadab and all Israel were attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon, so Baasha killed Nadab there.
28 This happened during Asa's third year as king of Judah, and Baasha became the next king of Israel.
29 As soon as Baasha became king, he killed all of Jeroboam's family, leaving no one in Jeroboam's family alive. He destroyed them all as the LORD had said would happen through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh.
30 King Jeroboam had sinned very much and had led the people of Israel to sin, so he made the LORD, the God of Israel, very angry.
31 Everything else Nadab did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
32 There was war between Asa king of Judah and Baasha king of Israel all the time they ruled.
33 Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel during Asa's third year as king of Judah. Baasha ruled in Tirzah for twenty-four years,
34 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Baasha sinned in the same way as Jeroboam.
1 Abijam began his three-year reign as king of Judah in Jerusalem during the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel. (Abijam's mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.) 3 He was as great a sinner as his father was, and his heart was not right with God, as King David's was. 4 But despite Abijam's sin, the Lord remembered David's love and did not end the line of David's royal descendants. 5 For David had obeyed God during his entire life except for the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. 6 During Abijam's reign there was constant war between Israel and Judah.
7 The rest of Abijam's history is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 8 When he died he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Asa reigned in his place.
9 Asa became king of Judah, in Jerusalem, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam over Israel, 10 and reigned forty-one years. (His grandmother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.) 11 He pleased the Lord like his ancestor King David. 12 He executed the male prostitutes and removed all the idols his father had made. 13 He deposed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother because she had made an idol - which he cut down and burned at Kidron Brook. 14 However, the shrines on the hills were not removed, for Asa did not realize that these were wrong. 15 He made permanent exhibits in the Temple of the bronze shields his grandfather had dedicated, along with the silver and gold vessels he himself had donated.
16 There was lifelong war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 17 King Baasha built the fortress city of Ramah in an attempt to cut off all trade with Jerusalem. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the Temple treasury and all the treasures of the palace, and gave them to his officials to take to Damascus, to King Ben-hadad of Syria, with this message:
19 "Let us be allies just as our fathers were. I am sending you a present of gold and silver. Now break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone."
20 Ben-hadad agreed and sent his armies against some of the cities of Israel; and he destroyed Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all of Chinneroth, and all the cities in the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha received word of the attack, he discontinued building the city of Ramah and returned to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, asking every able-bodied man to help demolish Ramah and haul away its stones and timbers. And King Asa used these materials to build the city of Geba in Benjamin and the city of Mizpah.
23 The rest of Asa's biography - his conquests and deeds and the names of the cities he built - is found in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased, 24 and when he died, he was buried in the royal cemetery in Jerusalem. Then his son Jehoshaphat became the new king of Judah.
25 Meanwhile over in Israel, Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, had become king. He reigned two years, beginning in the second year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. 26 But he was not a good king; like his father, he worshiped many idols and led all of Israel into sin.
27 Then Baasha (the son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar) plotted against him and assassinated him while he was with the Israeli army laying siege to the Philistine city of Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha replaced Nadab as the king of Israel in Tirzah during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. 29 He immediately killed all of the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had said would happen when he spoke through Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh. 30 This was done because Jeroboam had angered the Lord God of Israel by sinning and leading the rest of Israel into sin.
31 Further details of Baasha's reign are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
32-33 There was continuous warfare between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. Baasha reigned for twenty-four years, 34 but all that time he continually disobeyed the Lord. He followed the evil paths of Jeroboam, for he led the people of Israel into the sin of worshiping idols.
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1KING016
&4&*(
1 Jehu son of Hanani spoke the word of the LORD against King Baasha.
2 The LORD said, "You were nothing, but I took you and made you a leader over my people Israel. But you have followed the ways of Jeroboam and have led my people Israel to sin. Their sins have made me angry,
3 so, Baasha, I will soon destroy you and your family. I will do to you what I did to the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
4 Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone from your family who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds."
5 Everything else Baasha did and all his victories are written down in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
6 So Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place.
7 The LORD spoke his word against Baasha and his family through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. Baasha had done many things the LORD said were wrong, which made the LORD very angry. He did the same evil deeds that Jeroboam's family had done before him. The LORD also spoke against Baasha because he killed all of Jeroboam's family.
8 Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel during Asa's twenty-sixth year as king of Judah, and Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years.
9 Zimri, one of Elah's officers, commanded half of Elah's chariots. Zimri made plans against Elah while the king was in Tirzah, getting drunk at Arza's home. (Arza was in charge of the palace at Tirzah.)
10 Zimri went into Arza's house and killed Elah during Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Then Zimri became king of Israel in Elah's place.
11 As soon as Zimri became king, he killed all of Baasha's family, not allowing any of Baasha's family or friends to live.
12 So Zimri destroyed all of Baasha's family just as the LORD had said it would happen through the prophet Jehu.
13 Baasha and his son Elah sinned and led the people of Israel to sin, and they made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry because of their worthless idols.
14 Everything else Elah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
15 So during Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah, Zimri became king of Israel and ruled in Tirzah seven days. The army of Israel was camped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town.
16 The men in the camp heard that Zimri had made secret plans against King Elah and had killed him. So that day in the camp they made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel.
17 So Omri and all the Israelite army left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.
18 When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the palace and set it on fire, burning the palace and himself with it.
19 So Zimri died because he had sinned by doing what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zimri sinned in the same way as Jeroboam.
20 Everything else Zimri did and the story of how he turned against King Elah are written down in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
21 The people of Israel were divided into two groups. Half of the people wanted Tibni son of Ginath to be king, while the other half wanted Omri.
22 Omri's followers were stronger than the followers of Tibni son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23 Omri became king of Israel during the thirty-first year Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled Israel for twelve years, six of those years in the city of Tirzah.
24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for about one hundred fifty pounds of silver. Omri built a city on that hill and called it Samaria after the name of its earlier owner, Shemer.
25 But Omri did what the LORD said was wrong; he did more evil than all the kings who came before him.
26 Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Omri sinned in the same way as Jeroboam. The Israelites made the LORD, the God of Israel, very angry because they worshiped worthless idols.
27 Everything else Omri did and all his successes are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
28 So Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king in his place.
29 Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel during Asa's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, and Ahab ruled Israel in the city of Samaria for twenty-two years.
30 More than any king before him, Ahab son of Omri did many things the LORD said were wrong.
31 He sinned in the same ways as Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he did even worse things. He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Then Ahab began to serve Baal and worship him.
32 He built a temple in Samaria for worshiping Baal and put an altar there for Baal.
33 Ahab also made an idol for worshiping Asherah. He did more things to make the LORD, the God of Israel, angry than all the other kings before him.
34 During the time of Ahab, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt the city of Jericho. It cost Hiel the life of Abiram, his oldest son, to begin work on the city, and it cost the life of Segub, his youngest son, to build the city gates. This happened just as the LORD, speaking through Joshua son of Nun, said it would happen.
1 A message of condemnation from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha at this time by the prophet Jehu:
2 "I lifted you out of the dust," the message said, "to make you king of my people Israel; but you have walked in the evil paths of Jeroboam. You have made my people sin, and I am angry! 3 So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I did the descendants of Jeroboam. 4-7 Those of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the fields will be eaten by the birds."
The message was sent to Baasha and his family because he had angered the Lord by all his evil deeds. He was as evil as Jeroboam despite the fact that the Lord had destroyed all of Jeroboam's descendants for their sins.
The rest of Baasha's biography - his deeds and conquests - are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
8 Elah, Baasha's son, began reigning during the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, but he reigned only two years. 9 Then General Zimri, who had charge of half the royal chariot troops, plotted against him. One day King Elah was half drunk at the home of Arza, the superintendent of the palace, in the capital city of Tirzah. 10 Zimri simply walked in and struck him down and killed him. (This occurred during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.) Then Zimri declared himself to be the new king of Israel.
11 He immediately killed the entire royal family - leaving not a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. 12 This destruction of the descendants of Baasha was in line with what the Lord had predicted through the prophet Jehu. 13 The tragedy occurred because of the sins of Baasha and his son Elah; for they had led Israel into worshiping idols, and the Lord was very angry about it. 14 The rest of the history of Elah's reign is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
15-16 But Zimri lasted only seven days; for when the army of Israel, which was then engaged in attacking the Philistine city of Gibbethon, heard that Zimri had assassinated the king, they decided on General Omri, commander-in-chief of the army, as their new ruler. 17 So Omri led the army of Gibbethon to besiege Tirzah, Israel's capital. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the palace and burned it over him and died in the flames. 19 For he, too, had sinned like Jeroboam; he had worshiped idols and had led the people of Israel to sin with him. 20 The rest of the story of Zimri and his treason are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
21 But now the kingdom of Israel was split in two; half the people were loyal to General Omri, and the other half followed Tibni, the son of Ginath. 22 But General Omri won and Tibni was killed; so Omri reigned without opposition.
23 King Asa of Judah had been on the throne thirty-one years when Omri began his reign over Israel, which lasted twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 24 Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for $4,000 and built a city on it, calling it Samaria in honor of Shemer. 25 But Omri was worse than any of the kings before him; 26 he worshiped idols as Jeroboam had and led Israel into this same sin. So God was very angry. 27 The rest of Omri's history is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 28 When Omri died he was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king in his place.
29 King Asa of Judah had been on the throne thirty-eight years when Ahab became the king of Israel; and Ahab reigned for twenty-two years. 30 But he was even more wicked than his father Omri; he was worse than any other king of Israel! 31 And as though that were not enough, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and then began worshiping Baal. 32 First he built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he made other idols and did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than any of the other kings of Israel before him.
34 (It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid the foundations, his oldest son, Abiram, died; and when he finally completed it by setting up the gates, his youngest son, Segub, died. For this was the Lord's curse upon Jericho as declared by Joshua, the son of Nun.)
1,1,1,1
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11,14,8,1393
15,20,10,1899
21,22,12,2576
23,28,14,2810
29,33,16,3432
34,34,18,3993
&4&*(
MISTAKES 1KING 16:1-7
God destroyed Jeroboam's descendants for their flagrant sins, and yet King Baasha repeated the same mistakes. He did not learn from the example of those who went before him; he did not stop to think that his sin would be punished. Make sure you learn the lessons from your own past, the lives of others, and the lives of those whose stories are told in the Bible. Don't repeat their mistakes.
1KING017
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet from the settlers in Gilead. "I serve the LORD, the God of Israel," Elijah said to Ahab. "As surely as the LORD lives, no rain or dew will fall during the next few years unless I command it."
2 Then the LORD spoke his word to Elijah:
3 "Leave this place and go east and hide near Kerith Ravine east of the Jordan River.
4 You may drink from the stream, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there."
5 So Elijah did what the LORD said; he went to Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and lived there.
6 The birds brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and evening, and he drank water from the stream.
7 After a while the stream dried up because there was no rain.
8 Then the LORD spoke his word to Elijah,
9 "Go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I have commanded a widow there to take care of you."
10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he reached the town gate, he saw a widow gathering wood for a fire. Elijah asked her, "Would you bring me a little water in a cup so I may have a drink."
11 As she was going to get his water, Elijah said, "Please bring me a piece of bread, too."
12 The woman answered, "As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread. I have only a handful of flour in a jar and only a little olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather some wood so I could go home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger."
13 "Don't worry," Elijah said to her. "Go home and cook your food as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread from the flour you have, and bring it to me. Then cook something for yourself and your son.
14 The LORD, the God of Israel, says, `That jar of flour will never be empty, and the jug will always have oil in it, until the day the LORD sends rain to the land.' "
15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And the woman and her son and Elijah had enough food every day.
16 The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty, just as the LORD, through Elijah, had promised.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing.
18 The woman said to Elijah, "Man of God, what have you done to me? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and to kill my son?"
19 Elijah said to her, "Give me your son." Elijah took the boy from her, carried him upstairs, and laid him on the bed in the room where he was staying.
20 Then he prayed to the LORD: "LORD my God, this widow is letting me stay in her house. Why have you done this terrible thing to her and caused her son to die?"
21 Then Elijah lay on top of the boy three times. He prayed to the LORD, "LORD my God, let this boy live again!"
22 The LORD answered Elijah's prayer; the boy began breathing again and was alive.
23 Elijah carried the boy downstairs and gave him to his mother and said, "See! Your son is alive!"
24 "Now I know you really are a man from God," the woman said to Elijah. "I know that the LORD truly speaks through you!"
1 Then Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, "As surely as the Lord God of Israel lives - the God whom I worship and serve - there won't be any dew or rain for several years until I say the word!"
2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 "Go to the east and hide by Cherith Brook at a place east of where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to feed you."
5 So he did as the Lord had told him to and camped beside the brook. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.
8-9 Then the Lord said to him, "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. There is a widow there who will feed you. I have given her my instructions."
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the city he saw a widow gathering sticks; and he asked her for a cup of water.
11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, "Bring me a bite of bread too."
12 But she said, "I swear by the Lord your God that I haven't a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jar. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I must die of starvation."
13 But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and cook that `last meal,' but bake me a little loaf of bread first; and afterwards there will still be enough food for you and your son. 14 For the Lord God of Israel says that there will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!"
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat from her supply of flour and oil as long as it was needed. 16 For no matter how much they used, there was always plenty left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah!
17 But one day the woman's son became sick and died.
18 "O man of God," she cried, "what have you done to me? Have you come here to punish my sins by killing my son?"
19 "Give him to me," Elijah replied. And he took the boy's body from her and carried it upstairs to the guest room where he lived, and laid the body on his bed, and then cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, why have you killed the son of this widow with whom I am staying?"
21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, please let this child's spirit return to him."
22 And the Lord heard Elijah's prayer; and the spirit of the child returned, and he became alive again! 23 Then Elijah took him downstairs and gave him to his mother.
"See! He's alive!" he beamed.
24 "Now I know for sure that you are a prophet," she told him afterward, "and that whatever you say is from the Lord!"
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2,2,3,243
3,3,5,289
4,4,7,379
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6,6,11,573
7,7,13,682
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18,18,21,2105
19,20,23,2222
21,21,25,2502
22,23,27,2650
24,24,30,2851
PROVIDENCE 1KING 17:1
In a nation that was required by law to care for its prophets, it is ironic that God turned to ravens (unclean birds) and a widow (a foreigner from Jezebel's home territory) to care for Elijah. God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways that go beyond our narrow definitions or expectations. No matter how bitter our trials or how seemingly hopeless our situation, we should look for God's hand of care. We may find his providence in some strange places!
TRIALS 1KING 17:17
Even when God has done a miracle in our lives, our troubles may not be over. The famine was a terrible experience, but the worst was yet to come. God's provision is never given in order to let us rest upon it. We are to depend on him as each new trial faces us.
Profile: Elijah ,!page "^elijah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Ult. Issues: The Prophets ,!page "^prophets" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1KING018
R7j7 :
1 During the third year without rain, the LORD spoke his word to Elijah: "Go and meet King Ahab, and I will soon send rain."
2 So Elijah went to meet Ahab. By this time there was no food in Samaria.
3 King Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the king's palace. (Obadiah was a true follower of the LORD.
4 When Jezebel was killing all the LORD' s prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. He also brought them food and water.)
5 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Let's check every spring and valley in the land. Maybe we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules alive and not have to kill our animals."
6 So each one chose a part of the country to search; Ahab went in one direction and Obadiah in another.
7 While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized Elijah, so he bowed down to the ground and said, "Elijah? Is it really you, master?"
8 "Yes," Elijah answered. "Go tell your master that I am here."
9 Then Obadiah said, "What wrong have I done for you to hand me over to Ahab like this? He will put me to death.
10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, the king has sent people to every country to search for you. If the ruler said you were not there, Ahab forced the ruler to swear you could not be found in his country.
11 Now you want me to go to my master and tell him, `Elijah is here'?
12 The Spirit of the LORD may carry you to some other place after I leave. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesn't find you, he will kill me! I have followed the LORD since I was a boy.
13 Haven't you been told what I did? When Jezebel was killing the LORD' s prophets, I hid a hundred of them, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. I brought them food and water.
14 Now you want me to go and tell my master you are here? He will kill me!"
15 Elijah answered, "As surely as the LORD ALL-POWERFUL lives, whom I serve, I will be seen by Ahab today."
16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him where Elijah was. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When he saw Elijah, he asked, "Is it you- the biggest troublemaker in Israel?"
18 Elijah answered, "I have not made trouble in Israel. You and your father's family have made all this trouble by not obeying the LORD' s commands. You have gone after the Baals.
19 Now tell all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Also bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab called all the Israelites and those prophets to Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah approached the people and said, "How long will you not decide between two choices? If the LORD is the true God, follow him, but if Baal is the true God, follow him!" But the people said nothing.
22 Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the LORD here, but there are four hundred fifty prophets of Baal.
23 Bring two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull and kill it and cut it into pieces. Then let them put the meat on the wood, but they are not to set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull, putting the meat on the wood but not setting fire to it.
24 You prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to his wood is the true God." All the people agreed that this was a good idea.
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "There are many of you, so you go first. Choose a bull and prepare it. Pray to your god, but don't start the fire."
26 So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon, shouting "Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound, and no one answered. They danced around the altar they had built.
27 At noon Elijah began to make fun of them. "Pray louder!" he said. "If Baal really is a god, maybe he is thinking, or busy, or traveling! Maybe he is sleeping so you will have to wake him!"
28 The prophets prayed louder, cutting themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed, which was the way they worshiped.
29 The afternoon passed, and the prophets continued to act like this until it was time for the evening sacrifice. But no voice was heard; Baal did not answer, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Now come to me." So they gathered around him, and Elijah rebuilt the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down.
31 He took twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes, the number of Jacob's sons. (The LORD changed Jacob's name to Israel.)
32 Elijah used these stones to rebuild the altar in honor of the LORD. Then he dug a ditch around the altar that was big enough to hold about thirteen quarts of seed.
33 Elijah put the wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.
34 Then he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the meat and on the wood." Then Elijah said, "Do it again," and they did it again. Then he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it the third time.
35 So the water ran off the altar and filled the ditch.
36 At the time for the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah went near the altar. "LORD, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," he prayed. "Prove that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that you commanded me to do all these things.
37 LORD, answer my prayer so these people will know that you, LORD, are God and that you will change their minds."
38 Then fire from the LORD came down and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. It also dried up the water in the ditch.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell down to the ground, crying, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
40 Then Elijah said, "Capture the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them run away!" The people captured all the prophets. Then Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley, where he killed them.
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Now, go, eat, and drink, because a heavy rain is coming."
42 So King Ahab went to eat and drink. At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bent down to the ground with his head between his knees.
43 Then Elijah said to his servant, "Go and look toward the sea." The servant went and looked. "I see nothing," he said. Elijah told him to go and look again. This happened seven times.
44 The seventh time, the servant said, "I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea." Elijah told the servant, "Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him."
45 After a short time the sky was covered with dark clouds. The wind began to blow, and soon a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.
46 The LORD gave his power to Elijah, who tightened his clothes around him and ran ahead of King Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
1 It was three years later that the Lord said to Elijah, "Go and tell King Ahab that I will soon send rain again!"
2 So Elijah went to tell him. Meanwhile the famine had become very severe in Samaria.
3-4 The man in charge of Ahab's household affairs was Obadiah, who was a devoted follower of the Lord. Once when Queen Jezebel had tried to kill all of the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had hidden one hundred of them in two caves - fifty in each - and had fed them with bread and water.
5 That same day, while Elijah was on the way to see King Ahab, the king said to Obadiah, "We must check every stream and brook to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules. You go one way and I'll go the other, and we will search the entire land."
6 So they did, each going alone. 7 Suddenly Obadiah saw Elijah coming toward him! Obadiah recognized him at once and fell to the ground before him.
"Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" he asked.
8 "Yes, it is," Elijah replied. "Now go and tell the king I am here."
9 "Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death? 10 For I swear by God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time when he was told `Elijah isn't here,' King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 11 And now you say, `Go and tell him Elijah is here'! 12 But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away, who knows where, and when Ahab comes and can't find you, he will kill me; yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life. 13 Has no one told you about the time when Queen Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord's prophets, and I hid a hundred of them in two caves and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, `Go tell the king that Elijah is here'! Sir, if I do that, I'm dead!"
15 But Elijah said, "I swear by the Lord God of the armies of heaven, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab today."
16 So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come; and Ahab went out to meet him.
17 "So it's you, is it? - the man who brought this disaster upon Israel!" Ahab exclaimed when he saw him.
18 "You're talking about yourself," Elijah answered. "For you and your family have refused to obey the Lord and have worshiped Baal instead. 19 Now bring all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel, with all 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel."
20 So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to Mount Carmel.
21 Then Elijah talked to them. "How long are you going to waver between two opinions?" he asked the people. "If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!"
22 Then Elijah spoke again. "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left," he told them, "but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two young bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without putting any fire under the wood; and I will prepare the other young bull and lay it on the wood on the Lord's altar, with no fire under it. 24 Then pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord; and the god who answers by sending fire to light the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed to this test.
25 Then Elijah turned to the prophets of Baal. "You first," he said, "for there are many of you; choose one of the bulls and prepare it and call to your god; but don't put any fire under the wood."
26 So they prepared one of the young bulls and placed it on the altar; and they called to Baal all morning, shouting, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they began to dance around the altar. 27 About noontime, Elijah began mocking them.
"You'll have to shout louder than that," he scoffed, "to catch the attention of your god! Perhaps he is talking to someone, or is out sitting on the toilet, or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!"
28 So they shouted louder and, as was their custom, cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but there was no reply, no voice, no answer.
30 Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here."
And they all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,
32 and used the stones to rebuild the Lord's altar. Then he dug a trench about three feet wide around the altar. 33 He piled wood upon the altar and cut the young bull into pieces and laid the pieces on the wood.
"Fill four barrels with water," he said, "and pour the water over the carcass and the wood."
After they had done this he said, 34 "Do it again." And they did.
"Now, do it once more!" And they did; 35 and the water ran off the altar and filled the trench.
36 At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah walked up to the altar and prayed, "O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant; prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."
38 Then, suddenly, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even evaporated all the water in the ditch!
39 And when the people saw it, they fell to their faces upon the ground shouting, "Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!"
40 Then Elijah told them to grab the prophets of Baal. "Don't let a single one escape," he commanded.
So they seized them all, and Elijah took them to Kishon Brook and killed them there.
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go and enjoy a good meal! For I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"
42 So Ahab prepared a feast. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and got down on his knees, with his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the sea."
He did, but returned to Elijah and told him, "I didn't see anything."
Then Elijah told him, "Go again, and again, and again, seven times!"
44 Finally, the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea."
Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him to get into his chariot and get down the mountain, or he'll be stopped by the rain!"
45 And sure enough, the sky was soon black with clouds, and a heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm. Ahab left hastily for Jezreel, 46 and the Lord gave special strength to Elijah so that he was able to run ahead of Ahab's chariot to the entrance of the city!
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STAND FIRM 1KING 18:21
Elijah challenged the people to take a stand-to follow whoever was the true God. Why did so many people waver between the two choices? Perhaps some were not sure. Many, however, knew that the Lord was God, but they enjoyed the sinful pleasures and other benefits that came with following Ahab and his idolatrous worship. It is important to take a stand for the Lord. If we just drift along with whatever is pleasant and easy, we will someday discover that we have been worshipping a false god-ourselves.
RESOURCES 1KING 18:36-37
Just as God flashed fire from heaven for Elijah, he will help us accomplish what he commands us to do. The proof may not be as dramatic in our lives as in Elijah's, but God will make resources available to us in creative ways to accomplish his purposes. He will give us the wisdom to raise a family, the courage to take a stand for truth, or the means to provide help for someone in need. Like Elijah, we can have faith that, whatever God commands us to do, he will provide what we need to carry it through.
1KING019
1 King Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how Elijah had killed all the prophets with a sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "May the gods punish me terribly if by this time tomorrow I don't kill you just as you killed those prophets."
3 When Elijah heard this, he was afraid and ran for his life, taking his servant with him. When they came to Beersheba in Judah, Elijah left his servant there.
4 Then Elijah walked for a whole day into the desert. He sat down under a bush and asked to die. "I have had enough, LORD," he prayed. "Let me die. I am no better than my ancestors."
5 Then he lay down under the tree and slept. Suddenly an angel came to him and touched him. "Get up and eat," the angel said.
6 Elijah saw near his head a loaf baked over coals and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he went back to sleep.
7 Later the LORD' s angel came to him a second time. The angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat. If you don't, the journey will be too hard for you."
8 So Elijah got up and ate and drank. The food made him strong enough to walk for forty days and nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
9 There Elijah went into a cave and stayed all night. Then the LORD spoke his word to him: "Elijah! Why are you here?"
10 He answered, "LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, I have always served you as well as I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
11 The LORD said to Elijah, "Go, stand in front of me on the mountain, and I will pass by you." Then a very strong wind blew until it caused the mountains to fall apart and large rocks to break in front of the LORD. But the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. +
12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle sound.
13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice said to him, "Elijah! Why are you here?"
14 He answered, "LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, I have always served you as well as I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back on the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Enter that city, and pour olive oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram.
16 Then pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel. Next, pour oil on Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to make him a prophet in your place.
17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes from Hazael's sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes from Jehu's sword.
18 I have seven thousand people left in Israel who have never bowed down before Baal and whose mouths have never kissed his idol."
19 So Elijah left that place and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. He owned twelve teams of oxen and was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah came up to Elisha, took off his coat, and put it on Elisha.
20 Then Elisha left his oxen and ran to follow Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye," Elisha said. "Then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "Go back. It does not matter to me."
21 So Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and killed them. He used their wooden yoke for a fire. Then he cooked the meat and gave it to the people. After they ate it, Elisha left and followed Elijah and became his helper.
1 When Ahab told Queen Jezebel what Elijah had done, and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal, 2 she sent this message to Elijah: "You killed my prophets, and now I swear by the gods that I am going to kill you by this time tomorrow night."
3 So Elijah fled for his life; he went to Beersheba, a city of Judah, and left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day, and sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might die.
"I've had enough," he told the Lord. "Take away my life. I've got to die sometime, and it might as well be now."
5 Then he lay down and slept beneath the broom bush. But as he was sleeping, an Angel touched him and told him to get up and eat! 6 He looked around and saw some bread baking on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 Then the Angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, "Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you."
8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, 9 where he lived in a cave.
But the Lord said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have worked very hard for the Lord God of the heavens; but the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you and torn down your altars and killed your prophets, and only I am left; and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 "Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain; it was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his scarf and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, "Why are you here, Elijah?"
14 He replied again, "I have been working very hard for the Lord God of the armies of heaven, but the people have broken their covenant and have torn down your altars; they have killed every one of your prophets except me; and now they are trying to kill me too."
15 Then the Lord told him, "Go back by the desert road to Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then anoint Jehu (son of Nimshi) to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha (the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah) to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael shall be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu shall be killed by Elisha! 18 And incidentally, there are 7,000 men in Israel who have never bowed to Baal nor kissed him!"
19 So Elijah went and found Elisha who was plowing a field with eleven other teams ahead of him; he was at the end of the line with the last team. Elijah went over to him and threw his coat across his shoulders and walked away again.
20 Elisha left the oxen standing there and ran after Elijah and said to him, "First let me go and say good-bye to my father and mother, and then I'll go with you!"
Elijah replied, "Go on back! Why all the excitement?"
21 Elisha then returned to his oxen, killed them, and used wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the other plowmen, and they all had a great feast. Then he went with Elijah, as his assistant.
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DEPRESSION 1KING 19:3-4
Elijah experienced the depths of fatigue and discouragement just after his two great spiritual victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and the answered prayer for rain. Often discouragement sets in after great spiritual experiences, especially those requiring physical effort or producing emotional excitement. To lead him out of depression, God first let Elijah rest and eat. Then God confronted him with the need to return to his mission in life-to be God's prophet. Elijah's battles were not over; there was still work for him to do. When you feel let down after a great spiritual experience, remember that God's purpose for your life is not over yet.
WHISPERS 1KING 19:11-13
Elijah knew that the gentle whisper was God's voice. He realized that God doesn't reveal himself only in powerful, miraculous ways. To look for God only in something big (camps, churches, conferences, visible leaders) may be to miss him, because he is often found gently whispering in the quietness of a humbled heart. Are you listening for God? Step back from the noise and activity of your busy life and listen humbly and quietly for his guidance. It may come when you least expect it.
1KING020
1 BEN-HADAD king of Aram gathered together all his army. There were thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots who went with him and surrounded Samaria and attacked it.
2 The king sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel. This was his message: "BEN-HADAD says,
3 `Your silver and gold belong to me, as well as the best of your wives and children.' "
4 Ahab king of Israel answered, "My master and king, I agree to what you say. I and everything I have belong to you."
5 Then the messengers came to Ahab again. They said, "BEN-HADAD says, `I told you before that you must give me your silver and gold, your wives and your children.
6 About this time tomorrow I will send my men, who will search everywhere in your palace and in the homes of your officers. Whatever they want they will take and carry off.' "
7 Then Ahab called a meeting of all the older leaders of his country. He said, "BEN-HADAD is looking for trouble. First he said I had to give him my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I have not refused him."
8 The older leaders and all the people said, "Don't listen to him or agree to this."
9 So Ahab said to BEN-HADAD'S messengers, "Tell my master the king: `I will do what you said at first, but I cannot allow this second command.' "And King BEN-HADAD'S men carried the message back to him.
10 Then BEN-HADAD sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods punish me terribly if I don't completely destroy Samaria. There won't be enough left for each of my men to get a handful of dust!"
11 Ahab answered, "Tell BEN-HADAD, `The man who puts on his armor should not brag. It's the man who lives to take it off who has the right to brag.' "
12 BEN-HADAD was drinking in his tent with the other rulers when the message came from Ahab. BEN-HADAD commanded his men to prepare to attack the city, and they moved into place for battle.
13 At the same time a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel. The prophet said, "Ahab, the LORD says to you, `Do you see that big army? I will hand it over to you today so you will know I am the LORD.' "
14 Ahab asked, "Who will you use to defeat them?" The prophet answered, "The LORD says, `The young officers of the district governors will defeat them.' " Then the king asked, "Who will command the main army?" The prophet answered, "You will."' "
15 So Ahab gathered the young officers of the district governors, two hundred thirty-two of them. Then he called together the army of Israel, about seven thousand people in all.
16 They marched out at noon, while BEN-HADAD and the thirty-two rulers helping him were getting drunk in their tents.
17 The young officers of the district governors attacked first. BEN-HADAD sent out scouts who told him that soldiers were coming from Samaria.
18 BEN-HADAD said, "They may be coming to fight, or they may be coming to ask for peace. In either case capture them alive."
19 The young officers of the district governors led the attack, followed by the army of Israel.
20 Each officer of Israel killed the man who came against him. The men from Aram ran away as Israel chased them, but BEN-HADAD king of Aram escaped on a horse with some of his horsemen.
21 Ahab king of Israel led the army and destroyed the Arameans' horses and chariots. King Ahab thoroughly defeated the Aramean army.
22 Then the prophet went to Ahab king of Israel and said, "The king of Aram will attack you again next spring. So go home now and strengthen your army and see what you need to do."
23 Meanwhile the officers of BEN-HADAD king of Aram said to him, "The gods of Israel are mountain gods. Since we fought in a mountain area, Israel won. Let's fight them on the flat land, and then we will win.
24 This is what you should do. Don't allow the thirty-two rulers to command the armies, but put other commanders in their places.
25 Gather an army like the one that was destroyed and as many horses and chariots as before. We will fight the Israelites on flat land, and then we will win." BEN-HADAD agreed with their advice and did what they said.
26 The next spring BEN-HADAD gathered the army of Aram and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27 The Israelites also had prepared for war. They marched out to meet the Arameans and camped opposite them. The Israelites looked like two small flocks of goats, but the Arameans covered the area.
28 A man of God came to the king of Israel with this message: "The LORD says, `The people of Aram say that I, the LORD, am a god of the mountains, not a god of the valleys. So I will allow you to defeat this huge army, and then you will know I am the LORD.' "
29 The armies were camped across from each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites killed one hundred thousand Aramean soldiers in one day.
30 The rest of them ran away to the city of Aphek, where a city wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of them. BEN-HADAD also ran away to the city and hid in a room.
31 His officers said to him, "We have heard that the kings of Israel are trustworthy. Let's dress in rough cloth to show our sadness, and wear ropes on our heads. Then we will go to the king of Israel, and perhaps he will let you live."
32 So they dressed in rough cloth and wore ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, "Your servant BEN-HADAD says, `Please let me live.' " Ahab answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."
33 BEN-HADAD'S men had wanted a sign from Ahab. So when Ahab called BEN-HADAD his brother, they quickly said, "Yes! BEN-HADAD is your brother." Ahab said, "Bring him to me." When BEN-HADAD came, Ahab asked him to join him in the chariot.
34 BEN-HADAD said to him, "Ahab, I will give you back the cities my father took from your father. And you may put shops in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Ahab said, "If you agree to this, I will allow you to go free." So the two kings made a peace agreement. Then Ahab let BEN-HADAD go free.
35 One prophet from one of the groups of prophets told another, "Hit me!" He said this because the LORD had commanded it, but the other man refused.
36 The prophet said, "You did not obey the LORD' s command, so a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." When the man left, a lion found him and killed him.
37 The prophet went to another man and said, "Hit me, please!" So the man hit him and hurt him.
38 The prophet wrapped his face in a cloth so no one could tell who he was. Then he went and waited by the road for the king.
39 As Ahab king of Israel passed by, the prophet called out to him. "I went to fight in the battle," the prophet said. "One of our men brought an enemy soldier to me. Our man said, `Guard this man. If he runs away, you will have to give your life in his place. Or, you will have to pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver.'
40 But I was busy doing other things, so the man ran away." The king of Israel answered, "You have already said what the punishment is. You must do what the man said."
41 Then the prophet quickly took the cloth from his face. When the king of Israel saw him, he knew he was one of the prophets.
42 The prophet said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: `You freed the man I said should die, so your life will be taken instead of his. The lives of your people will also be taken instead of the lives of his people.' "
43 Then King Ahab went back to his palace in Samaria, angry and upset.
1 King Ben-hadad of Syria now mobilized his army and, with thirty-two allied nations and their hordes of chariots and horses, besieged Samaria, the Israeli capital. 2-3 He sent this message into the city to King Ahab of Israel: "Your silver and gold are mine, as are your prettiest wives and the best of your children!"
4 "All right, my lord," Ahab replied. "All that I have is yours!"
5-6 Soon Ben-hadad's messengers returned again with another message: "You must not only give me your silver, gold, wives, and children, but about this time tomorrow I will send my men to search your palace and the homes of your people, and they will take away whatever they like!"
7 Then Ahab summoned his advisors. "Look what this man is doing," he complained to them. "He is stirring up trouble despite the fact that I have already told him he could have my wives and children and silver and gold, just as he demanded."
8 "Don't give him anything more," the elders advised.
9 So he told the messengers from Ben-hadad, "Tell my lord the king, `I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but your men may not search the palace and the homes of the people.' " So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad.
10 Then the Syrian king sent this message to Ahab: "May the gods do more to me than I am going to do to you if I don't turn Samaria into handfuls of dust!"
11 The king of Israel retorted, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"
12 This reply of Ahab's reached Ben-hadad and the other kings as they were drinking in their tents.
"Prepare to attack!" Ben-hadad commanded his officers.
13 Then a prophet came to see King Ahab and gave him this message from the Lord: "Do you see all these enemy forces? I will deliver them all to you today. Then at last you will know that I am the Lord."
14 Ahab asked, "How will he do it?"
And the prophet replied, "The Lord says, `By the troops from the provinces.' "
"Shall we attack first?" Ahab asked.
"Yes," the prophet answered.
15 So he mustered the troops from the provinces, 232 of them, then the rest of his army of 7,000 men. 16 About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two allied kings were still drinking themselves drunk, the first of Ahab's troops marched out of the city.
17 As they approached, Ben-hadad's scouts reported to him, "Some troops are coming!"
18 "Take them alive," Ben-hadad commanded, "whether they have come for truce or for war."
19 By now Ahab's entire army had joined the attack. 20 Each one killed a Syrian soldier, and suddenly the entire Syrian army panicked and fled. The Israelis chased them, but King Ben-hadad and a few others escaped on horses. 21 However, the great bulk of the horses and chariots were captured, and most of the Syrian army was killed in a great slaughter.
22 Then the prophet approached King Ahab and said, "Get ready for another attack by the king of Syria."
23 For after their defeat, Ben-hadad's officers said to him, "The Israeli God is a god of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains. 24 Only this time replace the kings with generals! 25 Recruit another army like the one you lost; give us the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight against them in the plains; there's not a shadow of a doubt that we will beat them." So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested. 26 The following year he called up the Syrian army and marched out against Israel again, this time at Aphek. 27 Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and moved into the battle; but the Israeli army looked like two little flocks of baby goats in comparison to the vast Syrian forces that filled the countryside!
28 Then a prophet went to the king of Israel with this message from the Lord: "Because the Syrians have declared, `The Lord is a God of the hills and not of the plains,' I will help you defeat this vast army, and you shall know that I am indeed the Lord."
29 The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. And the Israelis killed 100,000 Syrian infantrymen that first day. 30 The rest fled behind the walls of Aphek, but the wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Ben-hadad fled into the city and hid in the inner room of one of the houses.
31 "Sir," his officers said to him, "we have heard that the kings of Israel are very merciful. Let us wear sackcloth and put ropes on our heads and go out to King Ahab to see if he will let you live."
32 So they went to the king of Israel and begged, "Your servant Ben-hadad pleads, `Let me live!' "
"Oh, is he still alive?" the king of Israel asked. "He is my brother!"
33 The men were quick to grab this straw of hope and hurried to clinch the matter by exclaiming, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad!"
"Go and get him," the king of Israel told them. And when Ben-hadad arrived, he invited him up into his chariot!
34 Ben-hadad told him, "I will restore the cities my father took from your father, and you may establish trading posts in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."
35 Meanwhile, the Lord instructed one of the prophets to say to another man, "Strike me with your sword!" But the man refused.
36 Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, a lion shall kill you as soon as you leave me." And sure enough, as he turned to go a lion attacked and killed him.
37 Then the prophet turned to another man and said, "Strike me with your sword." And he did, wounding him.
38 The prophet waited for the king beside the road, having placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself.
39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Sir, I was in the battle, and a man brought me a prisoner and said, `Keep this man; if he gets away, you must die, or else pay me $2,000!' 40 But while I was busy doing something else, the prisoner disappeared!"
"Well, it's your own fault," the king replied. "You'll have to pay."
41 Then the prophet yanked off the bandage from his eyes, and the king recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 Then the prophet told him, "The Lord says, `Because you have spared the man I said must die, now you must die in his place, and your people shall perish instead of his.' "
43 So the king of Israel went home to Samaria angry and sullen.
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#d"u#
1KING021
1 After these things had happened, this is what followed. A man named Naboth owned a vineyard in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab king of Israel.
2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard. It is near my palace, and I want to make it into a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or, if you prefer, I will pay you what it is worth."
3 Naboth answered, "May the LORD keep me from ever giving my land to you. It belongs to my family."
4 Ahab went home angry and upset, because he did not like what Naboth from Jezreel had said. (Naboth had said, "I will not give you my family's land.") Ahab lay down on his bed, turned his face to the wall, and refused to eat.
5 His wife, Jezebel, came in and asked him, "Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat?"
6 Ahab answered, "I talked to Naboth, the man from Jezreel. I said, `Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.' But Naboth refused."
7 Jezebel answered, "Is this how you rule as king over Israel? Get up, eat something, and cheer up. I will get Naboth's vineyard for you."
8 So Jezebel wrote some letters, signed Ahab's name to them, and used his own seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and important men who lived in Naboth's town.
9 The letter she wrote said: "Declare a day during which the people are to give up eating. Call the people together, and give Naboth a place of honor among them.
10 Seat two troublemakers across from him, and have them say they heard Naboth speak against God and the king. Then take Naboth out of the city and kill him with stones."
11 The older leaders and important men of Jezreel obeyed Jezebel's command, just as she wrote in the letters.
12 They declared a special day on which the people were to give up eating. And they put Naboth in a place of honor before the people.
13 Two troublemakers sat across from Naboth and said in front of everybody that they had heard him speak against God and the king. So the people carried Naboth out of the city and killed him with stones.
14 Then the leaders sent a message to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been killed."
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been killed, she told Ahab, "Naboth of Jezreel is dead. Now you may go and take for yourself the vineyard he would not sell to you."
16 When Ahab heard that Naboth of Jezreel was dead, he got up and went to the vineyard to take it for his own.
17 At this time the LORD spoke his word to the prophet Elijah the Tishbite. The LORD said,
18 "Go to Ahab king of Israel in Samaria. He is at Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take it as his own.
19 Tell Ahab that I, the LORD, say to him, `You have murdered Naboth and taken his land. So I tell you this: In the same place the dogs licked up Naboth's blood, they will also lick up your blood!' "
20 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "So you have found me, my enemy!" Elijah answered, "Yes, I have found you. You have always chosen to do what the LORD says is wrong.
21 So the LORD says to you, `I will soon destroy you. I will kill you and every male in your family, both slave and free.
22 Your family will be like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah. I will destroy you, because you have made me angry and have led the people of Israel to sin.'
23 "And the LORD also says, `Dogs will eat the body of Jezebel in the city of Jezreel.'
24 "Anyone in your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds."
25 There was no one like Ahab who had chosen so often to do what the LORD said was wrong, because his wife Jezebel influenced him to do evil.
26 Ahab sinned terribly by worshiping idols, just as the Amorite people did. And the LORD had taken away their land and given it to the people of Israel.
27 After Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes. He put on rough cloth, refused to eat, and even slept in the rough cloth to show how sad and upset he was.
28 The LORD spoke his word to Elijah the Tishbite:
29 "I see that Ahab is now sorry for what he has done. So I will not cause the trouble to come to him during his life, but I will wait until his son is king. Then I will bring this trouble to Ahab's family."
1 Naboth, a man from Jezreel, had a vineyard on the outskirts of the city near King Ahab's palace. 2 One day the king talked to him about selling him this land.
"I want it for a garden," the king explained, "because it's so convenient to the palace." He offered cash or, if Naboth preferred, a piece of better land in trade.
3 But Naboth replied, "Not on your life! That land has been in my family for generations."
4 So Ahab went back to the palace angry and sullen. He refused to eat and went to bed with his face to the wall!
5 "What in the world is the matter?" his wife, Jezebel, asked him. "Why aren't you eating? What has made you so upset and angry?"
6 "I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or to trade it, and he refused!" Ahab told her.
7 "Are you the king of Israel or not?" Jezebel demanded. "Get up and eat and don't worry about it. I'll get you Naboth's vineyard!"
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and addressed them to the civic leaders of Jezreel, where Naboth lived. 9 In her letter she commanded: "Call the citizens together for fasting and prayer. Then summon Naboth, 10 and find two scoundrels who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and execute him."
11 The city fathers followed the queen's instructions. 12 They called the meeting and put Naboth on trial. 13 Then two men who had no conscience accused him of cursing God and the king; and he was dragged outside the city and stoned to death. 14 The city officials then sent word to Jezebel that Naboth was dead.
15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, "You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn't sell you? Well, you can have it now! He's dead!"
16 So Ahab went down to the vineyard to claim it.
17 But the Lord said to Elijah, 18 "Go to Samaria to meet King Ahab. He will be at Naboth's vineyard, taking possession of it. 19 Give him this message from me: `Isn't killing Naboth bad enough? Must you rob him too? Because you have done this, dogs shall lick your blood outside the city just as they licked the blood of Naboth!' "
20 "So my enemy has found me!" Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.
"Yes," Elijah answered, "I have come to place God's curse upon you because you have sold yourself to the devil. 21 The Lord is going to bring great harm to you and sweep you away; he will not let a single one of your male descendants survive! 22 He is going to destroy your family as he did the family of King Jeroboam and the family of King Baasha, for you have made him very angry and have led all of Israel into sin. 23 The Lord has also told me that the dogs of Jezreel shall tear apart the body of your wife, Jezebel. 24 The members of your family who die in the city shall be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the country shall be eaten by vultures."
25 No one else was so completely sold out to the devil as Ahab, for his wife, Jezebel, encouraged him to do every sort of evil. 26 He was especially guilty because he worshiped idols just as the Amorites did - the people whom the Lord had chased out of the land to make room for the people of Israel. 27 When Ahab heard these prophecies, he tore his clothing, put on rags, fasted, slept in sackcloth, and went about in deep humility.
28 Then another message came to Elijah: 29 "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime; it will happen to his sons; I will destroy his descendants."
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!Z"a#
BLINDNESS 1KING 21:20
Ahab still refused to admit his sin against God. Instead he accused Elijah of being his enemy. When we are blinded by envy and hatred, it is almost impossible to see our own sin.
Profile: Ahab ,!page "^ahab" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1KING022
1 For three years there was peace between Israel and Aram.
2 During the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to visit Ahab king of Israel.
3 At that time Ahab asked his officers, "Do you remember that the king of Aram took Ramoth in Gilead from us? Why have we done nothing to get it back?"
4 So Ahab asked King Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth in Gilead?" "I will go with you," Jehoshaphat answered. "My soldiers are yours, and my horses are yours."
5 Jehoshaphat also said to Ahab, "But first we should ask if this is the LORD' s will."
6 Ahab called about four hundred prophets together and asked them, "Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?" They answered, "Go, because the Lord will hand them over to you."
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the LORD here? Let's ask him what we should do."
8 Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one other prophet. We could ask the LORD through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, but something bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat said, "King Ahab, you shouldn't say that!"
9 So Ahab king of Israel told one of his officers to bring Micaiah to him at once.
10 Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah had on their royal robes and were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor, near the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were standing before them, speaking their messages.<
11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made some iron horns. He said to Ahab, "This is what the LORD says, `You will use these horns to fight the Arameans until they are destroyed.' "
12 All the other prophets said the same thing. "Attack Ramoth in Gilead and win, because the LORD will hand the Arameans over to you."
13 The messenger who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets are saying King Ahab will succeed. You should agree with them and give the king a good answer."
14 But Micaiah answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me."
15 When Micaiah came to Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth in Gilead or not?" Micaiah answered, "Attack and win! The LORD will hand them over to you."
16 But Ahab said to Micaiah, "How many times do I have to tell you to speak only the truth to me in the name of the LORD?"
17 So Micaiah answered, "I saw the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The LORD said, `They have no leaders. They should go home and not fight.' "
18 Then Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I told you! He never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad."
19 But Micaiah said, "Hear the message from the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with his heavenly army standing near him on his right and on his left.
20 The LORD said, `Who will trick Ahab into attacking Ramoth in Gilead where he will be killed?' "Some said one thing; some said another.
21 Then one spirit came and stood before the LORD and said, `I will trick him.'
22 "The LORD asked, `How will you do it?' "The spirit answered, `I will go to Ahab's prophets and make them tell lies.' "So the LORD said, `You will succeed in tricking him. Go and do it.' "
23 Micaiah said, "Ahab, the LORD has made your prophets lie to you, and the LORD has decided that disaster should come to you."
24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up to Micaiah and slapped him in the face. Zedekiah said, "Has the LORD' s spirit left me to speak through you?"
25 Micaiah answered, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room."
26 Then Ahab king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son.
27 Tell them I said to put this man in prison and give him only bread and water until I return safely from the battle."
28 Micaiah said, "Ahab, if you come back safely from battle, the LORD has not spoken through me. Remember my words, all you people!"
29 So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead.
30 King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "I will go into battle, but I will wear other clothes so no one will recognize me. But you wear your royal clothes." So Ahab wore other clothes and went into battle.
31 The king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Don't fight with anyone- important or unimportant- except the king of Israel."
32 When these commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was certainly the king of Israel, so they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat began shouting.
33 When they saw he was not King Ahab, they stopped chasing him.
34 By chance, a soldier shot an arrow, but he hit Ahab king of Israel between the pieces of his armor. King Ahab said to his chariot driver, "Turn around and get me out of the battle, because I am hurt!"
35 The battle continued all day. King Ahab was held up in his chariot and faced the Arameans. His blood flowed down to the bottom of the chariot. That evening he died.
36 Near sunset a cry went out through the army of Israel: "Each man go back to his own city and land."
37 In that way King Ahab died. His body was carried to Samaria and buried there.
38 The men cleaned Ahab's chariot at a pool in Samaria where prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked his blood from the chariot. These things happened as the LORD had said they would.
39 Everything else Ahab did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. It tells about the palace Ahab built and decorated with ivory and the cities he built.
40 So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah during Ahab's fourth year as king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43 Jehoshaphat was good, like his father Asa, and he did what the LORD said was right. But Jehoshaphat did not destroy the places where gods were worshiped, so the people continued offering sacrifices and burning incense there.
44 Jehoshaphat was at peace with the king of Israel.
45 Jehoshaphat fought many wars, and these wars and his successes are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
46 There were male prostitutes still in the places of worship from the days of his father, Asa. So Jehoshaphat forced them to leave.
47 During this time the land of Edom had no king; it was ruled by a governor.
48 King Jehoshaphat built trading ships to sail to Ophir for gold. But the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber, so they never set sail.
49 Ahaziah son of Ahab went to help Jehoshaphat, offering to give Jehoshaphat some men to sail with his men, but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David, his ancestor. Then his son Jehoram became king in his place.
51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat's seventeenth year as king over Judah. Ahaziah ruled Israel for two years,
52 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. He did the same evil his father Ahab, his mother Jezebel, and Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. All these rulers led the people of Israel into more sin.
1 For three years there was no war between Syria and Israel. 2 But during the third year, while King Jehoshaphat of Judah was visiting King Ahab of Israel, 3 Ahab said to his officials, "Do you realize that the Syrians are still occupying our city of Ramoth-gilead? And we're sitting here without doing a thing about it!"
4 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked him, "Will you send your army with mine to recover Ramoth-gilead?"
And King Jehoshaphat of Judah replied, "Of course! You and I are brothers; my people are yours to command, and my horses are at your service. 5 But," he added, "we should ask the Lord first, to be sure of what he wants us to do."
6 So King Ahab summoned his 400 heathen prophets and asked them, "Shall I attack Ramoth-gilead, or not?"
And they all said, "Yes, go ahead, for God will help you conquer it."
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the Lord here? I'd like to ask him too."
8 "Well, there's one," King Ahab replied, "but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good. He always has something gloomy to say. His name is Micaiah, the son of Imlah."
"Oh, come now!" Jehoshaphat replied. "Don't talk like that!"
9 So King Ahab called to one of his aides, "Go get Micaiah. Hurry!"
10 Meanwhile, all the prophets continued prophesying before the two kings, who were dressed in their royal robes and were sitting on thrones placed on the threshing floor near the city gate. 11 One of the prophets, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), made some iron horns and declared, "The Lord promises that you will push the Syrians around with these horns until they are destroyed."
12 And all the others agreed. "Go ahead and attack Ramoth-gilead," they said, "for the Lord will cause you to triumph!"
13 The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him what the other prophets were saying and urged him to say the same thing.
14 But Micaiah told him, "This I vow, that I will say only what the Lord tells me to!"
15 When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we attack Ramoth-gilead, or not?"
"Why, of course! Go right ahead!" Micaiah told him. "You will have a great victory, for the Lord will cause you to conquer!"
16 "How many times must I tell you to speak only what the Lord tells you to?" the king demanded.
17 Then Micaiah told him, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, `Their king is dead; send them to their homes.' "
18 Turning to Jehoshaphat, Ahab complained, "Didn't I tell you this would happen? He never tells me anything good. It's always bad."
19 Then Micaiah said, "Listen to this further word from the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the armies of heaven stood around him.
20 "Then the Lord said, `Who will entice Ahab to go and die at Ramoth-gilead?'
"Various suggestions were made, 21 until one angel approached the Lord and said, `I'll do it!'
22 " `How?' the Lord asked.
"And he replied, `I will go as a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.'
"And the Lord said, `That will do it; you will succeed. Go ahead.'
23 "Don't you see? The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets, but the fact of the matter is that the Lord has decreed disaster upon you."
24 Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked over and slapped Micaiah on the face.
"When did the Spirit of the Lord leave me and speak to you?" he demanded.
25 And Micaiah replied, "You will have the answer to your question when you find yourself hiding in an inner room."
26 Then King Ahab ordered Micaiah's arrest.
"Take him to Amon, the mayor of the city, and to my son Joash. 27 Tell them, `The king says to put this fellow in jail and feed him with bread and water - and only enough to keep him alive - until I return in peace.' "
28 "If you return in peace," Micaiah replied, "it will prove that the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he turned to the people standing nearby and said, "Take note of what I've said."
29 So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies to Ramoth-gilead.
30 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "You wear your royal robes, but I'll not wear mine!"
So Ahab went into the battle disguised in an ordinary soldier's uniform. 31 For the king of Syria had commanded his thirty-two chariot captains to fight no one except King Ahab himself. 32-33 When they saw King Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they thought, "That's the man we're after." So they wheeled around to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat shouted out to identify himself, they turned back! 34 However, someone shot an arrow at random and it struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor.
"Take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded," he groaned to his chariot driver.
35 The battle became more and more intense as the day wore on, and King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot with the blood from his wound running down onto the floorboards. Finally, toward evening, he died. 36-37 Just as the sun was going down the cry ran through his troops. "It's all over - return home! The king is dead!"
And his body was taken to Samaria and buried there. 38 When his chariot and armor were washed beside the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed, dogs came and licked the king's blood just as the Lord had said would happen.
39 The rest of Ahab's history - including the story of the ivory palace and the cities he built - is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 40 So Ahab was buried among his ancestors, and Ahaziah, his son, became the new king of Israel.
41 Meanwhile, over in Judah, Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king during the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He did as his father Asa had done, obeying the Lord in all but one thing: he did not destroy the shrines on the hills, so the people sacrificed and burned incense there. 44 He also made peace with Ahab, the king of Israel. 45 The rest of the deeds of Jehoshaphat and his heroic achievements and his wars are described in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.
46 He also closed all the houses of male prostitution that still continued from the days of his father Asa. 47 (There was no king in Edom at that time, only a deputy.)
48 King Jehoshaphat built great freighters to sail to Ophir for gold; but they never arrived, for they were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Ahaziah, King Ahab's son and successor, had proposed to Jehoshaphat that his men go, too, but Jehoshaphat had refused the offer.
50 When King Jehoshaphat died he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of his forefather David; and his son Jehoram took the throne. 51 It was during the seventeenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah that Ahaziah, Ahab's son, began to reign over Israel in Samaria; and he reigned two years. 52-53 But he was not a good king, for he followed in the footsteps of his father and mother and of Jeroboam, who had led Israel into the sin of worshiping idols. So Ahaziah made the Lord God of Israel very angry.
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9,9,14,1185
10,11,16,1256
12,12,18,1639
13,13,20,1762
14,14,22,1888
15,15,24,1978
16,16,27,2197
17,17,29,2297
18,18,30,2469
19,19,32,2609
20,21,34,2759
22,22,36,2935
23,23,39,3115
24,24,41,3282
25,25,44,3441
26,27,46,3560
28,28,48,3825
29,29,50,4017
30,34,52,4111
35,38,56,4783
39,40,59,5351
41,45,61,5599
46,47,63,6261
48,49,65,6432
50,53,67,6699
JUDGMENT 1KING 22:34
Ahab could not escape God's judgment. Ben-hadad sent 32 of his best chariot captains with the sole purpose of killing Ahab. Thinking he could escape, Ahab tried a disguise, but a random shot struck him while the chariots chased the wrong king, Jehoshaphat. It was foolish for Ahab to think he could escape with a disguise. Sometimes people today try to escape reality by disguising themselves: acting differently, changing schools, moving to a new town. Yet when God judges a person, attempted escape is futile.
DIVIDED 1KING 22:52-53
The book of 1 Kings begins with a united nation under King David, the most devout king in Israel's history. The book ends with a divided kingdom and the death of Ahab, the most wicked king of all. What happened? The people forgot to acknowledge God as their ultimate leader, they appointed human leaders who failed to acknowledge God, and then they conformed to the life-styles of these evil leaders. Occasional wrongdoing gradually turned into wrongdoing as a way of life. Their blatant wickedness could only be met with great judgment from God, who allowed enemy nations to arise and defeat Israel and Judah in battle as punishment for their sins. Failing to acknowledge God as the ultimate leader of our lives is the first step toward ruin.
V2KING
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To demonstrate the fate that awaits all who refuse to make God their true leader
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Possibly Jeremiah or a group of prophets.
SETTING:
The once united nation of Israel has been divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, for over a century
The 17 prophetic books at the end of the Old Testament give great insights into the time period of 2 Kings
"He used to be such a nice guy. But since he became president, he thinks he owns the school!" "We used to be friends. But she turned into a snob about a week after making cheerleader!" Maybe you've heard, thought, or even spoken lines like that. It's amazing, isn't it, how some people change when they get a little power or an important position? Suddenly they're in the spotlight, and you're not good enough or popular enough or rich enough to be seen with them. Someone else put it this way: "Power corrupts." Of course, it doesn't always happen that way. Now and then someone who has made it to the top will remember who he or she is and the people who put him or her there. But with so many examples on the other side (politicians, businessmen, athletes, entertainment stars, etc.), it's clear that such people are the exceptions. Second Kings tells about the leaders of the two nations of Israel and Judah. These kings could have used their power to help their people and lead them God's way. But of the 12 northern kings (in Israel) and the 16 southern kings (in Judah) whose stories are recorded in 2 Kings, only 2-Hezekiah and Josiah-are called "good." As you read, learn from the negative examples of the kings and determine to be God's person-even if you win the race, get elected, or gain the prize.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
2KING001
1 After Ahab died, Moab broke away from Israel's rule.
2 Ahaziah fell down through the wooden bars in his upstairs room in Samaria and was badly hurt. He sent messengers and told them, "Go, ask BAAL-ZEBUB, god of Ekron, if I will recover from my injuries."
3 But the LORD' s angel said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers sent by the king of Samaria. Ask them, `Why are you going to ask questions of BAAL-ZEBUB, god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no God in Israel?'uries."
4 This is what the LORD says: `You will never get up from the bed you are lying on; you will die.' "Then Elijah left.
5 When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he asked them, "Why have you returned?"
6 They said, "A man came to meet us. He said, `Go back to the king who sent you and tell him what the LORD says: "Why do you send messengers to ask questions of BAAL-ZEBUB, god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no God in Israel? You will never get up from the bed you are lying on; you will die."' "
7 Ahaziah asked them, "What did the man look like who met you and told you this?"
8 They answered, "He was a hairy man and wore a leather belt around his waist." Ahaziah said, "It was Elijah the Tishbite."
9 Then he sent a captain with his fifty men to Elijah. The captain went to Elijah, who was sitting on top of the hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, `Come down!' "
10 Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and burn up you and your fifty men." Then fire came down from heaven and burned up the captain and his fifty men.
11 Ahaziah sent another captain and fifty men to Elijah. The captain said to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says: `Come down quickly!' "
12 Elijah answered, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and burn up you and your fifty men!" Then fire came down from heaven and burned up the captain and his fifty men.
13 Ahaziah then sent a third captain with his fifty men. The third captain came and fell down on his knees before Elijah and begged, "Man of God, please respect my life and the lives of your fifty servants.
14 See, fire came down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifty with all their men. But now, respect my life."
15 The LORD' s angel said to Elijah, "Go down with him and don't be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went down with him to see the king.
16 Elijah told Ahaziah, "This is what the LORD says: `You have sent messengers to ask questions of BAAL-ZEBUB, god of Ekron. Is it because you think there is no God in Israel to ask? Because of this, you will never get up from your bed; you will die.' "wr&w
17 So Ahaziah died, just as the LORD, through Elijah, had said he would. Joram became king in Ahaziah's place during the second year Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Joram ruled because Ahaziah had no son to take his place.
18 The other things Ahaziah did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
1 After King Ahab's death the nation of Moab declared its independence and refused to pay tribute to Israel any longer.
2 Israel's new king, Ahaziah, had fallen off the upstairs porch of his palace at Samaria and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to the temple of the god Baal-zebub at Ekron to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the Angel of the Lord told Elijah the prophet "Go and meet the messengers and ask them, `Is it true that there is no God in Israel? Is that why you are going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will get well? 4-5 Because King Ahaziah has done this, the Lord says that he will never leave the bed he is lying on; he will surely die.' "
When Elijah told the messengers this, they returned immediately to the king.
"Why have you returned so soon?" he asked them.
6 "A man came up to us," they said, "and told us to go back to the king and tell him, `The Lord wants to know why you are asking questions of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel? Now, since you have done this, you will not leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.' "
7 "Who was this fellow?" the king demanded. "What did he look like?"
8 "He was a hairy man," they replied, "with a wide leather belt."
"It was Elijah the prophet!" the king exclaimed. 9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, "O man of God, the king has commanded you to come along with us."
10 But Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" Then lightning struck them and killed them all!
11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men to demand, "O man of God, the king says that you must come down right away."
12 Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men." And again the fire from God burned them up.
13 Once more the king sent fifty men, but this time the captain fell to his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him, "O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 Have mercy on us! Don't destroy us as you did the others."
15 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Don't be afraid. Go with him." So Elijah went to the king.
16 "Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask about your sickness?" Elijah demanded. "Is it because there is no God in Israel to ask? Because you have done this, you shall not leave this bed; you will surely die."
17 So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah, and his brother Joram became the new king - for Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him. This occurred in the second year of the reign of King Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat) of Judah. 18 The rest of the history of Ahaziah's reign is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,60
3,3,5,266
4,4,7,517
5,5,9,639
6,6,11,726
7,7,13,1039
8,8,15,1125
9,9,17,1253
10,10,19,1436
11,11,21,1640
12,12,23,1790
13,13,25,1982
14,14,27,2193
15,15,29,2325
16,16,31,2470
17,17,33,2732
18,18,35,2973
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,5,5,340
6,6,9,832
7,7,10,1146
8,9,12,1218
10,10,15,1535
11,11,17,1700
12,12,19,1831
13,14,21,1988
15,15,23,2252
16,16,25,2361
17,18,27,2604
ATTITUDE 2KING 1:13-15
Notice how the third captain went to Elijah. Although the first two captains called Elijah man of God, they were not being genuine. The third captain also called him man of God, but he humbly begged for mercy. His attitude, which showed respect for God and his power, saved the lives of his men. Effective living begins with a right attitude toward God. Let respect characterize your attitude toward God and others.
2KING002
1 It was almost time for the LORD to take Elijah by a whirlwind up into heaven. While Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal,
2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here. The LORD has told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you live, I won't leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
3 The groups of prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know the LORD will take your master away from you today?" Elisha said, "Yes, I know, but don't talk about it."
4 Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha, because the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you live, I won't leave you." So they went to Jericho.
5 The groups of prophets at Jericho came to Elisha and said, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" Elisha answered, "Yes, I know, but don't talk about it."
6 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here. The LORD has sent me to the Jordan River." Elisha answered, "As the LORD lives, and as you live, I won't leave you." So the two of them went on.
7 Fifty men of the groups of prophets came and stood far from where Elijah and Elisha were by the Jordan.
8 Elijah took off his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. The water divided to the right and to the left, and Elijah and Elisha crossed over on dry ground.
9 After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "What can I do for you before I am taken from you?" Elisha said, "Leave me a double share of your spirit."
10 Elijah said, "You have asked a hard thing. But if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours. If you don't, it won't happen."
11 As they were walking and talking, a chariot and horses of fire appeared and separated Elijah from Elisha. Then Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12 Elisha saw it and shouted, "My father! My father! The chariots of Israel and their horsemen!" And Elisha did not see him anymore. Then Elisha grabbed his own clothes and tore them to show how sad he was.
13 He picked up Elijah's coat that had fallen from him. Then he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 Elisha hit the water with Elijah's coat and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When he hit the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
15 The groups of prophets at Jericho were watching and said, "Elisha now has the spirit Elijah had." And they came to meet him, bowing down to the ground before him.
16 They said to him, "There are fifty strong men with us. Please let them go and look for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the LORD has taken Elijah up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley." But Elisha answered, "No, don't send them."
17 When the groups of prophets had begged Elisha until he couldn't refuse them anymore, he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men who looked for three days, but they could not find him.
18 Then they came back to Elisha at Jericho where he was staying. He said to them, "I told you not to go, didn't I?"
19 The people of the city said to Elisha, "Look, master, this city is a nice place to live as you can see. But the water is so bad the land cannot grow crops."
20 Elisha said, "Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.
21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt in it. He said, "This is what the LORD says: `I have healed this water. From now on it won't cause death, and it won't keep the land from growing crops.' "
22 So the water has been healed to this day just as Elisha had said.
23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. On the way some boys came out of the city and made fun of him. They said to him, "Go up too, you baldhead! Go up too, you baldhead!"
24 Elisha turned around, looked at them, and put a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two mother bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.
25 Elisha went to Mount Carmel and from there he returned to Samaria.
1 Now the time came for the Lord to take Elijah to heaven - by means of a whirlwind! Elijah said to Elisha as they left Gilgal, "Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel."
But Elisha replied, "I swear to God that I won't leave you!"
So they went on together to Bethel. 3 There the young prophets of Bethel Seminary came out to meet them and asked Elisha, "Did you know that the Lord is going to take Elijah away from you today?"
"Quiet!" Elisha snapped. "Of course I know it."
4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here in Bethel, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho."
But Elisha replied again, "I swear to God that I won't leave you." So they went on together to Jericho.
5 Then the students at Jericho Seminary came to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your master today?"
"Will you please be quiet?" he commanded. "Of course I know it!"
6-7 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan River."
But Elisha replied as before, "I swear to God that I won't leave you."
So they went on together and stood beside the Jordan River as fifty of the young prophets watched from a distance. 8 Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it; and the river divided and they went across on dry ground!
9 When they arrived on the other side Elijah said to Elisha, "What wish shall I grant you before I am taken away?"
And Elisha replied, "Please grant me twice as much prophetic power as you have had."
10 "You have asked a hard thing," Elijah replied. "If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won't."
11 As they were walking along, talking, suddenly a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appeared and drove between them, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and the charioteers!"
As they disappeared from sight he tore his robe. 13-14 Then he picked up Elijah's cloak and returned to the bank of the Jordan River, and struck the water with it.
"Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" he cried out. And the water parted and Elisha went across!
15 When the young prophets of Jericho saw what had happened, they exclaimed, "The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!" And they went to meet him and greeted him respectfully.
16 "Sir," they said, "just say the word and fifty of our best athletes will search the wilderness for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has left him on some mountain or in some ravine."
"No," Elisha said, "don't bother."
17 But they kept urging until he was embarrassed and finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then fifty men searched for three days, but didn't find him.
18 Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. "Didn't I tell you not to go?" he growled.
19 Now a delegation of the city officials of Jericho visited Elisha. "We have a problem," they told him. "This city is located in beautiful natural surroundings, as you can see; but the water is bad and causes our women to have miscarriages."
20 "Well," he said, "bring me a new bowl filled with salt." So they brought it to him.
21 Then he went out to the city well and threw the salt in and declared, "The Lord has healed these waters. They shall no longer cause death or miscarriage."
22 And sure enough! The water was purified, just as Elisha had said.
23 From Jericho he went to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a gang of young men from the city began mocking and making fun of him because of his bald head. 24 He turned around and cursed them in the name of the Lord; and two female bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of them. 25 Then he went to Mount Carmel and finally returned to Samaria.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,320
4,4,7,514
5,5,9,701
6,6,11,894
7,7,13,1080
8,8,15,1190
9,9,17,1353
10,10,19,1518
11,11,21,1662
12,12,23,1821
13,13,25,2032
14,14,27,2146
15,15,29,2332
16,16,31,2502
17,17,33,2756
18,18,35,2949
19,19,37,3070
20,20,39,3234
21,21,41,3323
22,22,43,3536
23,23,45,3609
24,24,47,3786
25,25,49,3966
1,3,1,1
4,4,6,495
5,5,9,700
6,8,12,908
9,9,16,1325
10,10,19,1529
11,11,21,1684
12,14,23,1881
15,15,27,2243
16,16,29,2421
17,17,32,2656
18,18,34,2810
19,19,36,2907
20,20,38,3153
21,21,40,3243
22,22,42,3404
23,25,44,3476
MOTIVES 2KING 2:9
Elisha asked for twice as much power as Elijah had. This was a bold request, but God granted it. Why? Because Elisha's motives were pure. His main goal was not to be better or more powerful than Elijah, but to accomplish more for God. If our motives are pure, we don't have to be afraid to ask great things from God. When we ask God for great power or ability, we need to examine our desires and get rid of any selfishness we find.
RIDICULE 2KING 2:23-25
These young men made fun of God's messenger and paid for it with their lives. Making fun of religious leaders has been a popular sport through the ages. To take a stand for God is to be different from the world and vulnerable to verbal abuse. When we are cynical and sarcastic toward religious leaders, we are in danger of mocking not just the man, but also his spiritual message. We need to pray for leaders, not laugh at them. True leaders, those who follow God, need to be heard with respect and encouraged in their ministry.
Ult. Issues: Miracles ,!page "^miracles" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING003
1 Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in Jehoshaphat's eighteenth year as king of Judah. And Joram ruled twelve years.
2 He did what the LORD said was wrong, but he was not like his father and mother; he removed the stone pillars his father had made for Baal.
3 But he continued to sin like Jeroboam son of Nebat who had led Israel to sin. Joram did not stop doing these same sins.
4 Mesha king of Moab raised sheep. He paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand sheep.
5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab turned against the king of Israel.
6 So King Joram went out from Samaria and gathered Israel's army.
7 He also sent messangers to Jehoshaphat king of Judah. "The king of Moab has turned against me," he said. "Will you go with me to fight Moab?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I will go with you. My soldiers and my horses are yours."
8 Jehoshaphat asked, "Which way should we attack?" Joram answered, "Through the Desert of Edom."
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After they had marched seven days, there was no more water for the army or for their animals that were with them.
10 The king of Israel said, "This is terrible! The LORD has called us three kings together to hand us over to the Moabites!"
11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet of the LORD here? We can ask the LORD through him." An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's servant."
12 Jehoshaphat said, "He speaks the LORD' s truth." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to see Elisha.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "I have nothing to do with you. Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother!" The king of Israel said to Elisha, "No, the LORD has called us three kings together to hand us over to the Moabites."
14 Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD ALL-POWERFUL lives, whom I serve, I tell you the truth. I wouldn't even look at you or notice you if Jehoshaphat king of Judah were not here. I respect him.
15 Now bring me someone who plays the harp." While the harp was being played, the LORD gave Elisha power.
16 Then Elisha said, "The LORD says to dig holes in the valley.
17 The LORD says you won't see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water. Then you, your cattle, and your other animals can drink.
18 This is easy for the LORD to do; he will also hand Moab over to you.
19 You will destroy every strong, walled city and every important town. You will cut down every good tree and stop up all springs. You will ruin every good field with rocks."
20 The next morning, about the time the sacrifice was offered, water came from the direction of Edom and filled the valley.
21 All the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So they gathered everyone old enough to put on armor and waited at the border.
22 But when the Moabites got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. They saw the water across from them, and it looked as red as blood.
23 Then they said, "This is blood! The kings must have fought and killed each other! Come, Moabites, let's take the valuables from the dead bodies!"
24 When the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites came out and fought them until they ran away. Then the Israelites went on into the land, killing the Moabites.
25 They tore down the cities and threw rocks all over every good field. They stopped up all the springs and cut down all the good trees. Kir Hareseth was the only city with its stones still in place, but the men with slingshots surrounded it and conquered it, too.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too much for him, he took seven hundred men with swords to try to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not break through.
27 Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would have been king after him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. So there was great anger against the Israelites, who left and went back to their own land.
1 Ahab's son Joram began his reign over Israel during the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah; and he reigned twelve years. His capital was Samaria. 2 He was a very evil man, but not as wicked as his father and mother had been, for he at least tore down the pillar to Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he still clung to the great sin of Jeroboam (the son of Nebat), who had led the people of Israel into the worship of idols.
4 King Mesha of Moab and his people were sheep ranchers. They paid Israel an annual tribute of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams; 5 but after Ahab's death, the king of Moab rebelled against Israel. 6-8 So King Joram mustered the Israeli army and sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you help me fight him?"
"Of course I will," Jehoshaphat replied. "My people and horses are yours to command. What are your battle plans?"
"We'll attack from the wilderness of Edom," Joram replied.
9 So their two armies, now joined also by troops from Edom, moved along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven days; but there was no water for the men or their pack animals.
10 "Oh, what shall we do?" the king of Israel cried out. "The Lord has brought us here to let the king of Moab defeat us."
11 But Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the Lord with us? If so, we can find out what to do!"
"Elisha is here," one of the king of Israel's officers replied. Then he added, "He was Elijah's assistant."
12 "Fine," Jehoshaphat said. "He's just the man we want." So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom went to consult Elisha.
13 "I want no part of you," Elisha snarled at King Joram of Israel. "Go to the false prophets of your father and mother!"
But King Joram replied, "No! For it is the Lord who has called us here to be destroyed by the king of Moab!"
14 "I swear by the Lord God that I wouldn't bother with you except for the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah," Elisha replied. 15 "Now bring me someone to play the lute." And as the lute was played, the message of the Lord came to Elisha:
16 "The Lord says to fill this dry valley with trenches to hold the water he will send. 17 You won't see wind nor rain, but this valley will be filled with water, and you will have plenty for yourselves and for your animals! 18 But this is only the beginning, for the Lord will make you victorious over the army of Moab! 19 You will conquer the best of their cities - even those that are fortified - and ruin all the good land with stones."
20 And sure enough, the next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered - look! Water! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.
21 Meanwhile, when the people of Moab heard about the three armies marching against them, they mobilized every man who could fight, old and young, and stationed themselves along their frontier. 22 But early the next morning the sun looked red as it shone across the water!
23 "Blood!" they exclaimed. "The three armies have attacked and killed each other! Let's go and collect the loot!"
24 But when they arrived at the Israeli camp, the army of Israel rushed out and began killing them; and the army of Moab fled. Then the men of Israel moved forward into the land of Moab, destroying everything as they went. 25 They destroyed the cities, threw stones on every good piece of land, stopped up the wells, and felled the fruit trees; finally, only Fort Kir-hareseth was left, but even that finally fell to them.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle had been lost, he led 700 of his swordsmen in a last desperate attempt to break through to the king of Edom; but he failed. 27 Then he took his oldest son, who was to have been the next king, and to the horror of the Israeli army, killed him and sacrificed him as a burnt offering upon the wall. So the army of Israel turned back in disgust to their own land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,141
3,3,5,286
4,4,7,412
5,5,9,549
6,6,11,627
7,7,13,697
8,8,15,925
9,9,17,1026
10,10,19,1218
11,11,21,1347
12,12,23,1550
13,13,25,1690
14,14,27,1953
15,15,29,2153
16,16,31,2263
17,17,33,2331
18,18,35,2479
19,19,37,2555
20,20,39,2734
21,21,41,2862
22,22,43,3021
23,23,45,3181
24,24,47,3334
25,25,49,3513
26,26,51,3782
27,27,53,3970
1,3,1,1
4,8,3,464
9,9,7,1017
10,10,9,1208
11,11,11,1334
12,12,14,1572
13,13,16,1697
14,15,19,1932
16,19,20,2176
20,20,22,2620
21,22,24,2808
23,23,26,3084
24,25,28,3202
26,27,30,3628
2KING004
1r4H6
1 The wife of a man from the groups of prophets said to Elisha, "Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know he honored the LORD. But now the man he owes money to is coming to take my two boys as his slaves!"
2 Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything there except a pot of oil."
3 Then Elisha said, "Go and get empty jars from all your neighbors. Don't ask for just a few.
4 Then go into your house and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and set the full ones aside."
5 So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. As they brought the jars to her, she poured out the oil.
6 When the jars were all full, she said to her son, "Bring me another jar." But he said, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told Elisha. And the prophet said to her, "Go, sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on what is left."
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where an important woman lived. She begged Elisha to stay and eat. So every time Elisha passed by, he stopped there to eat.
9 The woman said to her husband, "I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by our house all the time.
10 Let's make a small room on the roof and put a bed in the room for him. We can put a table, a chair, and a lampstand there. Then when he comes by, he can stay there."
11 One day Elisha came to the woman's house. After he went to his room and rested,
12 he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call the Shunammite woman." When the servant had called her, she stood in front of him.
13 Elisha had told his servant, "Now say to her, `You have gone to all this trouble for us. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?' " She answered, "I live among my own people."
14 Elisha said to Gehazi, "But what can we do for her?" He answered, "She has no son, and her husband is old."
15 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Call her." When he called her, she stood in the doorway.
16 Then Elisha said, "About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms." The woman said, "No, master, man of God, don't lie to me, your servant!"
17 But the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son at that time the next year, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew up and one day went out to his father, who was with the grain harvesters.
19 The boy said to his father, "My head! My head!" The father said to his servant, "Take him to his mother!"
20 The servant took him to his mother, and he lay on his mother's lap until noon. Then he died.
21 So she took him up and laid him on Elisha's bed. Then she shut the door and left.
22 She called to her husband, "Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. Then I can go quickly to the man of God and return."
23 The husband said, "Why do you want to go to him today? It isn't the New Moon or the Sabbath day." She said, "It will be all right."
24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on. Don't slow down for me unless I tell you."
25 So she went to Elisha, the man of God, at Mount Carmel. When he saw her coming from far away, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, there's the Shunammite woman!
26 Run to meet her and ask, `Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the boy all right?' " She answered, "Everything is all right."
27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, "Leave her alone. She's very upset, and the LORD has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me."
28 She said, "Master, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to lie to me?"
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Get ready. Take my walking stick in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don't say hello. If anyone greets you, don't respond. Lay my walking stick on the boy's face."
30 The boy's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I won't leave you!" So Elisha got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the walking stick on the boy's face, but the boy did not talk or move. Then Gehazi went back to meet Elisha. "The boy has not awakened," he said.
32 When Elisha came into the house, the boy was lying dead on his bed.
33 Elisha entered the room and shut the door, so only he and the boy were in the room. Then he prayed to the LORD.
34 He went to the bed and lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, and his hands on the boy's hands. He stretched himself out on top of the boy. Soon the boy's skin became warm.
35 Elisha turned away and walked around the room. Then he went back and put himself on the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite!" So he did. When she came, Elisha said, "Pick up your son."
37 She came in and fell at Elisha's feet, bowing facedown to the floor. Then she picked up her son and went out.
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a shortage of food in the land. While the groups of prophets were sitting in front of him, he said to his servant, "Put the large pot on the fire, and boil some stew for these men."
39 One of them went out into the field to gather plants. Finding a wild vine, he picked fruit from the vine and filled his robe with it. Then he came and cut up the fruit into the pot. But they didn't know what kind of fruit it was.
40 They poured out the stew for the others to eat. When they began to eat it, they shouted, "Man of God, there's death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
41 Elisha told them to bring some flour. He threw it into the pot and said, "Pour it out for the people to eat." Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.
42 A man from Baal Shalishah came to Elisha, bringing him twenty loaves of barley bread from the first harvest. He also brought fresh grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."
43 Elisha's servant asked, "How can I feed a hundred people with so little?" "Give the bread to the people to eat," Elisha said. "This is what the LORD says: `They will eat and will have food left over.' "
44 After he gave it to them, the people ate and had food left over, as the LORD had said.
1 One day the wife of one of the seminary students came to Elisha to tell him of her husband's death. He was a man who had loved God, she said. But he had owed some money when he died, and now the creditor was demanding it back. If she didn't pay, he said he would take her two sons as his slaves.
2 "What shall I do?" Elisha asked. "How much food do you have in the house?"
"Nothing at all, except a jar of olive oil," she replied.
3 "Then borrow many pots and pans from your friends and neighbors!" he instructed. 4 "Go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Then pour olive oil from your jar into the pots and pans, setting them aside as they are filled!"
5 So she did. Her sons brought the pots and pans to her, and she filled one after another! 6 Soon every container was full to the brim!
"Bring me another jar," she said to her sons.
"There aren't any more!" they told her. And then the oil stopped flowing!
7 When she told the prophet what had happened, he said to her, "Go and sell the oil and pay your debt, and there will be enough money left for you and your sons to live on!"
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman of the city invited him in to eat, and afterwards, whenever he passed that way, he stopped for dinner.
9 She said to her husband, "I'm sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy prophet. 10 Let's make a little room for him on the roof; we can put in a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, and he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by."
11-12 Once when he was resting in the room he said to his servant Gehazi, "Tell the woman I want to speak to her."
When she came, 13 he said to Gehazi, "Tell her that we appreciate her kindness to us. Now ask her what we can do for her. Does she want me to put in a good word for her to the king or to the general of the army?"
"No," she replied, "I am perfectly content."
14 "What can we do for her?" he asked Gehazi afterwards.
He suggested, "She doesn't have a son, and her husband is an old man."
15-16 "Call her back again," Elisha told him.
When she returned, he talked to her as she stood in the doorway. "Next year at about this time you shall have a son!"
"O man of God," she exclaimed, "don't lie to me like that!"
17 But it was true; the woman soon conceived and had a baby boy the following year, just as Elisha had predicted.
18 One day when her child was older, he went out to visit his father, who was working with the reapers. 19 He complained about a headache and soon was moaning in pain. His father said to one of the servants, "Carry him home to his mother."
20 So he took him home, and his mother held him on her lap; but around noontime he died. 21 She carried him up to the bed of the prophet and shut the door; 22 then she sent a message to her husband: "Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the prophet and come right back."
23 "Why today?" he asked. "This isn't a religious holiday."
But she said, "It's important. I must go."
24 So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, "Hurry! Don't slow down for my comfort unless I tell you to."
25 As she approached Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance and said to Gehazi, "Look, that woman from Shunem is coming. 26 Run and meet her and ask her what the trouble is. See if her husband is all right and if the child is well."
"Yes," she told Gehazi, "everything is fine."
27 But when she came to Elisha at the mountain she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the prophet said, "Leave her alone; something is deeply troubling her and the Lord hasn't told me what it is."
28 Then she said, "It was you who said I'd have a son. And I begged you not to lie to me!"
29 Then he said to Gehazi, "Quick, take my staff! Don't talk to anyone along the way. Hurry! Lay the staff upon the child's face."
30 But the boy's mother said, "I swear to God that I won't go home without you." So Elisha returned with her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff upon the child's face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, "The child is still dead."
32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there upon the prophet's bed. 33 He went in and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he lay upon the child's body, placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, and his eyes upon the child's eyes, and his hands upon the child's hands. And the child's body began to grow warm again! 35 Then the prophet went down and walked back and forth in the house a few times; returning upstairs, he stretched himself again upon the child. This time the little boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
36 Then the prophet summoned Gehazi. "Call her!" he said. And when she came in, he said, "Here's your son!"
37 She fell to the floor at his feet and then picked up her son and went out.
38 Elisha now returned to Gilgal, but there was a famine in the land. One day as he was teaching the young prophets, he said to Gehazi, "Make some stew for supper for these men."
39 One of the young men went out into the field to gather vegetables and came back with some wild gourds. He shredded them and put them into a kettle without realizing that they were poisonous. 40 But after the men had eaten a bite or two they cried out, "Oh, sir, there's poison in this stew!"
41 "Bring me some meal," Elisha said. He threw it into the kettle and said, "Now it's all right! Go ahead and eat!" And then it didn't harm them.
42 One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought Elisha a sack of fresh corn and twenty individual loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha told Gehazi to use it to feed the young prophets.
43 "What?" Gehazi exclaimed. "Feed one hundred men with only this?"
But Elisha said, "Go ahead, for the Lord says there will be plenty for all, and some will even be left over!"
44 And sure enough, there was, just as the Lord had said!
1,1,1,1
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29,29,57,3822
30,30,59,4035
31,31,61,4166
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35,35,69,4766
36,36,71,4921
37,37,73,5041
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31,31,51,4054
32,35,53,4240
36,36,55,4809
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38,38,59,5001
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41,41,63,5481
42,42,65,5630
43,43,67,5850
44,44,70,6032
FAITH 2KING 4:6
The woman and her sons collected pots and pans from their neighbors, and they began to pour oil into them from their one small jar. The oil stopped pouring only when they ran out of containers. The number of jars they gathered was an indication of their faith. God's provision was as large as their faith and willingness to obey. Beware of limiting God's blessings by a lack of faith and obedience.
CONCERN 2KING 4:32-36
Elisha's prayer and method of healing show God's personal care for hurting people. We must express genuine concern for others as we carry God's message to them. Only then will we faithfully represent our compassionate Father in heaven.
2KING005
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1 Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was honored by his master, and he had much respect because the LORD used him to give victory to Aram. He was a mighty and brave man, but he had a skin disease.
2 The Arameans had gone out to raid the Israelites and had taken a little girl as a captive. This little girl served Naaman's wife.
3 She said to her mistress, "I wish my master would meet the prophet who lives in Samaria. He would cure him of his disease."
4 Naaman went to the king and told him what the girl from Israel had said.
5 The king of Aram said, "Go ahead, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left and took with him about seven hundred fifty pounds of silver, as well as one hundred fifty pounds of gold and ten changes of clothes.
6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "I am sending my servant Naaman to you so you can heal him of his skin disease."
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was. He said, "I'm not God! I can't kill and make alive again! Why does this man send someone with a skin disease for me to heal? You can see that the king of Aram is trying to start trouble with me."
8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent the king this message: "Why have you torn your clothes? Let Naaman come to me. Then he will know there is a prophet in Israel."
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha's house and stood outside the door.
10 Elisha sent Naaman a messenger who said, "Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed, and you will be clean."
11 Naaman became angry and left. He said, "I thought Elisha would surely come out and stand before me and call on the name of the LORD his God. I thought he would wave his hand over the place and heal the disease.
12 The Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than all the waters of Israel. Why can't I wash in them and become clean?" So Naaman went away very angry.
13 Naaman's servants came near and said to him, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? Doesn't it make more sense just to do it? After all, he only told you, `Wash, and you will be clean.' " w
14 So Naaman went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, just as Elisha had said. Then his skin became new again, like the skin of a child. And he was clean.
15 Naaman and all his group returned to Elisha. He stood before Elisha and said, "Look, I now know there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now please accept a gift from me."
16 But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives whom I serve, I won't accept anything." Naaman urged him to take the gift, but he refused.
17 Then Naaman said, "If you won't take the gift, then please give me some soil- as much as two of my mules can carry. From now on I'll not offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods but the LORD.
18 But let the LORD pardon me for this: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship, he leans on my arm. Then I must bow in that temple. May the LORD pardon me when I do that."
19 Elisha said to him, "Go in peace." Naaman left Elisha and went a short way.
20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, "My master has not accepted what Naaman the Aramean brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I'll run after him and get something from him."
21 So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got off the chariot to meet Gehazi. He asked, "Is everything all right?"
22 Gehazi said, "Everything is all right. My master has sent me. He said, `Two young men from the groups of prophets in the mountains of Ephraim just came to me. Please give them seventy-five pounds of silver and two changes of clothes.' "
23 Naaman said, "Please take one hundred fifty pounds," and he urged Gehazi to take it. He tied one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes. Then he gave them to two of his servants to carry for Gehazi.
24 When they came to the hill, Gehazi took these things from Naaman's servants and put them in the house. Then he let Naaman's servants go, and they left.
25 When he came in and stood before his master, Elisha said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" "I didn't go anywhere," he answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, "My spirit was with you. I knew when the man turned from his chariot to meet you. This isn't a time to take money, clothes, olives, grapes, sheep, oxen, male servants, or female servants.
27 So Naaman's skin disease will come on you and your children forever." When Gehazi left Elisha, he had the disease and was as white as snow.
1 The king of Syria had high admiration for Naaman, the commander-in-chief of his army, for he had led his troops to many glorious victories. So he was a great hero, but he was a leper. 2 Bands of Syrians had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a little girl who had been given to Naaman's wife as a maid.
3 One day the little girl said to her mistress, "I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy!"
4 Naaman told the king what the little girl had said.
5 "Go and visit the prophet," the king told him. "I will send a letter of introduction for you to carry to the king of Israel."
So Naaman started out, taking gifts of $20,000 in silver, $60,000 in gold, and ten suits of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: "The man bringing this letter is my servant Naaman; I want you to heal him of his leprosy."
7 When the king of Israel read it, he tore his clothes and said, "This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can kill and give life? He is only trying to get an excuse to invade us again."
8 But when Elisha the prophet heard about the king of Israel's plight, he sent this message to him: "Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet of God here in Israel."
9 So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's home. 10 Elisha sent a messenger out to tell him to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed of every trace of his leprosy! 11 But Naaman was angry and stalked away.
"Look," he said, "I thought at least he would come out and talk to me! I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call upon the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? If it's rivers I need, I'll wash at home and get rid of my leprosy." So he went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!"
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the prophet had told him to. And his flesh became as healthy as a little child's, and he was healed! 15 Then he and his entire party went back to find the prophet; they stood humbly before him and Naaman said, "I know at last that there is no God in all the world except in Israel; now please accept my gifts."
16 But Elisha replied, "I swear by Jehovah my God that I will not accept them."
Naaman urged him to take them, but he absolutely refused. 17 "Well," Naaman said, "all right. But please give me two muleloads of earth to take back with me, for from now on I will never again offer any burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord. 18 However, may the Lord pardon me this one thing - when my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow too."
19 "All right," Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.
20 But Gehazi, Elisha's servant, said to himself, "My master shouldn't have let this fellow get away without taking his gifts. I will chase after him and get something from him."
21 So Gehazi caught up with him. When Naaman saw him coming, he jumped down from his chariot and ran to meet him.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
22 "Yes," he said, "but my master has sent me to tell you that two young prophets from the hills of Ephraim have just arrived, and he would like $2,000 in silver and two suits to give to them."
23 "Take $4,000," Naaman insisted. He gave him two expensive robes, tied up the money in two bags, and gave them to two of his servants to carry back with Gehazi. 24 But when they arrived at the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the bags from the servants and sent the men back. Then he hid the money in his house.
25 When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?"
"I haven't been anywhere," he replied.
26 But Elisha asked him, "Don't you realize that I was there in thought when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing and olive farms and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants? 27 Because you have done this, Naaman's leprosy shall be upon you and upon your children and your children's children forever."
And Gehazi walked from the room a leper, his skin as white as snow.
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26,26,51,4477
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8,8,12,1100
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16,18,21,2587
19,19,24,3131
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21,21,28,3375
22,22,31,3530
23,24,33,3727
25,25,35,4048
26,27,38,4174
LEPROSY 2KING 5:1
Leprosy, much like AIDS today, was one of the most feared diseases of the time. It was extremely contagious and, in many cases, incurable. In its worst forms, leprosy led to death. Many lepers were forced out of the cities into quarantined camps. Since Naaman still held his post, he probably had a mild form of the disease, or perhaps it was still in the early stages. In either case, his career would be tragically shortened by his disease.
HUMILITY 2KING 5:9-15
Naaman, a great hero, was used to getting respect, and he was outraged when Elisha treated him like an ordinary person. To wash in a great river would be one thing, but the Jordan was small and dirty. To wash in the Jordan, Naaman thought, was beneath a man of his position. But Naaman had to humble himself and obey Elisha's commands in order to be healed.
Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that his way is better than our own. We may not always understand his ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive his blessings. We must remember that (1)God's ways are best; (2)God wants our obedience more than anything else; and (3)God can use anything to accomplish his purposes.
MONEY 2KING 5:20
Gehazi saw a perfect opportunity to get rich by selfishly asking for the reward Elisha had refused. Unfortunately, there were three problems with his plan: (1)he willingly accepted money for what he didn't do; (2)he wrongly implied that money could be exchanged for God's free gift of healing and mercy; (3)he lied and tried to cover up his motives for accepting the money. Although Gehazi had been a helpful servant, personal gain had become more important to him than serving God.
This passage is not teaching that money is evil; instead, it is warning against obtaining it wrongly. True service is motivated by love and devotion to God and seeks no personal gain. As you serve God, check your motives-you can't serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).
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Profile: Elisha ,!page "^elisha" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING006
1 The groups of prophets said to Elisha, "The place where we meet with you is too small for us.
2 Let's go to the Jordan River. There everyone can get a log, and let's build a place there to live." Elisha said, "Go."
3 One of them said, "Please go with us." Elisha answered, "I will go,"
4 so he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they cut down some trees.
5 As one man was cutting down a tree, the head of his ax fell into the water. He yelled, "Oh, my master! I borrowed that ax!"
6 Elisha asked, "Where did it fall?" The man showed him the place. Then Elisha cut down a stick and threw it into the water, and it made the iron head float.
7 Elisha said, "Pick up the axhead." Then the man reached out and took it.
8 The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He had a council meeting with his officers and said, "I will set up my camp in this place."
9 Elisha, the man of God, sent a message to the king of Israel, saying, "Be careful! Don't pass that place, because the Arameans are going down there!"
10 The king of Israel checked the place about which Elisha had warned him. Elisha warned him several times, so the king protected himself there.
11 The king of Aram was angry about this. He called his officers together and demanded, "Tell me who of us is working for the king of Israel."
12 One of the officers said, "None, my master and king. It's Elisha, the prophet from Israel. He can tell you what you speak in your bedroom."
13 The king said, "Go and find him so I can send men and catch him." The servants came back and reported, "He is in Dothan."
14 Then the king sent horses, chariots, and many troops to Dothan. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.
15 Elisha's servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, "Oh, my master, what can we do?"
16 Elisha said, "Don't be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us."
17 Then Elisha prayed, "LORD, open my servant's eyes, and let him see." The LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 As the enemy came down toward Elisha, he prayed to the LORD, "Make these people blind." So he made the Aramean army blind, as Elisha had asked.
19 Elisha said to them, "This is not the right road or the right city. Follow me and I'll take you to the man you are looking for." Then Elisha led them to Samaria.
20 After they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "LORD, open these men's eyes so they can see." So the LORD opened their eyes, and the Aramean army saw that they were inside the city of Samaria!
21 When the king of Israel saw the Aramean army, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
22 Elisha answered, "Don't kill them. You wouldn't kill people whom you captured with your sword and bow. Give them food and water, and let them eat and drink and then go home to their master."
23 So he prepared a great feast for the Aramean army. After they ate and drank, the king sent them away, and they went home to their master. The soldiers of Aram did not come anymore into the land of Israel.
24 Later, BEN-HADAD king of Aram gathered his whole army and surrounded and attacked Samaria.
25 There was a shortage of food in Samaria. It was so bad that a donkey's head sold for about two pounds of silver, and half of a pint of dove's dung sold for about two ounces of silver.
26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman yelled out to him, "Help me, my master and king!"
27 The king said, "If the LORD doesn't help you, how can I? Can I get help from the threshing floor or from the winepress?"
28 Then the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, `Give up your son so we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.'
29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, `Give up your son so we can eat him.' But she had hidden him."
30 When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his clothes in grief. As he walked along the wall, the people looked and saw he had on rough cloth under his clothes to show his sadness.
31 He said, "May God punish me terribly if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat isn't cut off from his body today!"
32 The king sent a messenger to Elisha, who was sitting in his house with the older leaders. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to them, "See, this murderer is sending men to cut off my head. When the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it; don't let him in. The sound of his master's feet is behind him."
33 Elisha was still talking with the leaders when the messenger arrived. The king said, "This trouble has come from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"
1 One day the seminary students came to Elisha and told him, "As you can see, our dormitory is too small. Tell us, as our president, whether we can build a new one down beside the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs."
"All right," he told them, "go ahead."
3 "Please, sir, come with us," someone suggested.
"I will," he said.
4 When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees; 5 but as one of them was chopping, his axhead fell into the river.
"Oh, sir," he cried, "it was borrowed!"
6 "Where did it fall?" the prophet asked. The youth showed him the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water; and the axhead rose to the surface and floated! 7 "Grab it," Elisha said to him; and he did.
8 Once when the king of Syria was at war with Israel, he said to his officers, "We will mobilize our forces at ____" (naming the place).
9 Immediately Elisha warned the king of Israel, "Don't go near ____" (naming the same place) "for the Syrians are planning to mobilize their troops there!"
10 The king sent a scout to see if Elisha was right, and sure enough, he had saved him from disaster. This happened several times.
11 The king of Syria was puzzled. He called together his officers and demanded, "Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel about my plans?"
12 "It's not us, sir," one of the officers replied. "Elisha, the prophet, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!"
13 "Go and find out where he is, and we'll send troops to seize him," the king exclaimed.
And the report came back, "Elisha is at Dothan."
14 So one night the king of Syria sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. 15 When the prophet's servant got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere.
"Alas, my master, what shall we do now?" he cried out to Elisha.
16 "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For our army is bigger than theirs!"
17 Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" And the Lord opened the young man's eyes so that he could see horses of fire and chariots of fire everywhere upon the mountain!
18 As the Syrian army advanced upon them, Elisha prayed, "Lord, please make them blind." And he did.
19 Then Elisha went out and told them, "You've come the wrong way! This isn't the right city! Follow me and I will take you to the man you're looking for." And he led them to Samaria!
20 As soon as they arrived Elisha prayed, "Lord, now open their eyes and let them see." And the Lord did, and they discovered that they were in Samaria, the capital city of Israel!
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "Oh, sir, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
22 "Of course not!" Elisha told him. "Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again."
23 So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their king. And after that the Syrian raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.
24 Later on, however, King Ben-hadad of Syria mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria. 25 As a result there was a great famine in the city, and after a long while even a donkey's head sold for fifty dollars and a pint of dove's dung brought three dollars!
26-30 One day as the king of Israel was walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him, "Help, my lord the king!"
"If the Lord doesn't help you, what can I do?" he retorted. "I have neither food nor wine to give you. However, what's the matter?"
She replied, "This woman proposed that we eat my son one day and her son the next. So we boiled my son and ate him, but the next day when I said, `Kill your son so we can eat him,' she hid him."
When the king heard this he tore his clothes. (The people watching noticed through the rip he tore in them that he was wearing an inner robe made of sackcloth next to his flesh.)
31 "May God kill me if I don't execute Elisha this very day," the king vowed.
32 Elisha was sitting in his house at a meeting with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, "This murderer has sent a man to kill me. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out, for his master will soon follow him."
33 While Elisha was still saying this, the messenger arrived followed by the king.
"The Lord has caused this mess," the king stormed. "Why should I expect any help from him?"
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SIGHT 2KING 6:16-17
Elisha's servant was no longer afraid when he saw God's mighty army of angels. Faith reveals that God is doing more for his people than we could ever realize through sight alone. When you face situations that seem insurmountable, remember that spiritual resources are there even if you can't see them. Look through the eyes of faith and let God show you his resources. If you don't see God working in your life, there may be a problem with your spiritual eyesight.
Moral Dilemmas: Outspoken ,!page "^M0044" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING007
1 Elisha said, "Listen to the LORD' s word. This is what the LORD says: `About this time tomorrow seven quarts of fine flour will be sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver, and thirteen quarts of barley will be sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. This will happen at the gate of Samaria.' "
2 Then the officer who was close to the king answered Elisha, "Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, that couldn't happen." Elisha said, "You will see it with your eyes, but you will not eat any of it."
3 There were four men with a skin disease at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, "Why do we sit here until we die?
4 There is no food in the city. So if we go into the city, we will die there. If we stay here, we will die. So let's go to the Aramean camp. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, we die."
5 So they got up at twilight and went to the Aramean camp, but when they arrived, no one was there.
6 The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. They had said to each other, "The king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!"
7 So they got up and ran away in the twilight, leaving their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp standing and ran for their lives.
8 When the men with the skin disease came to the edge of the camp, they went into one of the tents and ate and drank. They carried silver, gold, and clothes out of the camp and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent. They carried things from this tent and hid them, also.
9 Then they said to each other, "We're doing wrong. Today we have good news, but we are silent. If we wait until the sun comes up, we'll be discovered. Let's go right now and tell the people in the king's palace."
10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They said, "We went to the Aramean camp, but no one is there; we didn't hear anyone. The horses and donkeys were still tied up, and the tents were still standing."
11 Then the gatekeepers shouted out and told the people in the palace.
12 The king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I'll tell you what the Arameans are doing to us. They know we are starving. They have gone out of the camp to hide in the field. They're saying, `When the Israelites come out of the city, we'll capture them alive. Then we'll enter the city.' "
13 One of his officers answered, "Let some men take five of the horses that are still left in the city. These men are like all the Israelites who are left; they are also about to die. Let's send them to see what has happened."
14 So the men took two chariots with horses. The king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, "Go and see what has happened."
15 The men followed the Aramean army as far as the Jordan River. The road was full of clothes and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away as they had hurriedly left. So the messengers returned and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and took valuables from the Aramean camp. So seven quarts of fine flour were sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver, and thirteen quarts of barley were sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver, just as the LORD had said.
17 The king chose the officer who was close to him to guard the gate, but the people trampled the officer to death. This happened just as Elisha had told the king when the king came to his house.
18 He had said, "Thirteen quarts of barley and seven quarts of fine flour will each sell for two-fifths of an ounce of silver about this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria."
19 But the officer had answered, "Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, that couldn't happen." And Elisha had told him, "You will see it with your eyes, but you won't eat any of it."
20 It happened to the officer just that way. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
1 Elisha replied, "The Lord says that by this time tomorrow two gallons of flour or four gallons of barley grain will be sold in the markets of Samaria for a dollar!"
2 The officer assisting the king said, "That couldn't happen if the Lord made windows in the sky!"
But Elisha replied, "You will see it happen, but you won't be able to buy any of it!"
3 Now there were four lepers sitting outside the city gates. "Why sit here until we die?" they asked each other. 4 "We will starve if we stay here and we will starve if we go back into the city; so we might as well go out and surrender to the Syrian army. If they let us live, so much the better; but if they kill us, we would have died anyway."
5 So that evening they went out to the camp of the Syrians, but there was no one there! 6 (For the Lord had made the whole Syrian army hear the clatter of speeding chariots and a loud galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. "The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us," they cried out. 7 So they panicked and fled into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else.)
8 When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it. 9 Finally they said to each other, "This isn't right. This is wonderful news, and we aren't sharing it with anyone! Even if we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon us; come on, let's go back and tell the people at the palace."
10 So they went back to the city and told the watchmen what had happened - they had gone out to the Syrian camp and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there was not a soul around. 11 Then the watchmen shouted the news to those in the palace.
12 The king got out of bed and told his officers, "I know what has happened. The Syrians know we are starving, so they have left their camp and have hidden in the fields, thinking that we will be lured out of the city. Then they will attack us and make slaves of us and get in."
13 One of his officers replied, "We'd better send out scouts to see. Let them take five of the remaining horses - if something happens to the animals it won't be any greater loss than if they stay here and die with the rest of us!"
14 Four chariot horses were found and the king sent out two charioteers to see where the Syrians had gone. 15 They followed a trail of clothing and equipment all the way to the Jordan River - thrown away by the Syrians in their haste. The scouts returned and told the king, 16 and the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So it was true that two gallons of flour and four gallons of barley were sold that day for one dollar, just as the Lord had said!
17 The king appointed his special assistant to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled and killed as the people rushed out. This is what Elisha had predicted on the previous day when the king had come to arrest him, 18 and the prophet had told the king that flour and barley would sell for so little on the following day.
19 The king's officer had replied, "That couldn't happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!"
And the prophet had said, "You will see it happen, but you won't be able to buy any of it!"
20 And he couldn't, for the people trampled him to death at the gate!
1,1,1,1
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EXPECT 2KING 7:1-2
When Elisha prophesied God's deliverance, the king's officer said it couldn't happen. The officer's faith and hope were gone, but God's words came true anyway (7:14-16)! Sometimes we become preoccupied with problems when we should be looking for opportunities. Instead of focusing on the negatives, develop an attitude of expectancy. To say that God cannot rescue someone or that a situation is impossible demonstrates a lack of faith.
SHARING 2KING 7:3-10
The lepers discovered the deserted camp and realized their lives had been spared. At first they kept the good news to themselves, forgetting their fellow citizens who were starving in the city. The Good News about Jesus Christ must be shared, too, for no news is more important. We must not forget those who are dying without it. We must not become so preoccupied with our own faith that we neglect sharing it with those around us. Our wonderful news, like that of the lepers, will not wait until morning.
2KING008
1 Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, "Get up and go with your family. Stay any place you can, because the LORD has called for a time without food that will last seven years."
2 So the woman got up and did as the man of God had said. She left with her family, and they stayed in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines and went to beg the king for her house and land.
4 The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had said, "Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done."
5 Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came and begged the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, "My master and king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha brought back to life."
6 The king asked the woman, and she told him about it. Then the king chose an officer to help her. "Give the woman everything that is hers," the king said. "Give her all the money made from her land from the day she left until now."
7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, where BEN-HADAD king of Aram was sick. Someone told him, "The man of God has arrived."
8 The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand and go meet him. Ask the LORD through him if I will recover from my sickness."
9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camels loaded with every good thing in Damascus. He came and stood before Elisha and said, "Your son BEN-HADAD king of Aram sent me to you. He asks if he will recover from his sickness."
10 Elisha said to Hazael, "Go and tell BEN-HADAD, `You will surely recover,' but the LORD has told me he will really die."
11 Hazael stared at Elisha until he felt ashamed. Then Elisha cried.
12 Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, master?" Elisha answered, "Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites. You will burn their strong, walled cities with fire and kill their young men with swords. You will throw their babies to the ground and split open their pregnant women."
13 Hazael said, "Am I a dog? How could I do such things?" Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram."
14 Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master. BEN-HADAD said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael answered, "He told me that you will surely recover."
15 But the next day Hazael took a blanket and dipped it in water. Then he put it over BEN-HADAD'S face, and he died. So Hazael became king in BEN-HADAD'S place.
16 While Jehoshaphat was king in Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah. This was during the fifth year Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel.
17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to rule, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem.
18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the family of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab's daughter. Jehoram did what the LORD said was wrong.
19 But the LORD would not destroy Judah because of his servant David. The LORD had promised that one of David's descendants would always rule.
20 In Jehoram's time Edom broke away from Judah's rule and chose their own king.
21 So Jehoram and all his chariots went to Zair. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders. Jehoram got up and attacked the Edomites at night, but his army ran away to their tents.
22 From then until now the country of Edom has fought against the rule of Judah. At the same time Libnah also broke away from Judah's rule.
23 The other acts of Jehoram and all the things he did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
24 Jehoram died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and Jehoram's son Ahaziah ruled in his place.
25 Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah during the twelfth year Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab's family. He did what the LORD said was wrong, as Ahab's family had done, because he was a son-in-law to Ahab.
28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to Ramoth in Gilead, where they fought against Hazael king of Aram. The Arameans wounded Joram.
29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to heal from the wound he had received from the Arameans at Ramoth when he fought Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he had been wounded.
1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, "Take your family and move to some other country, for the Lord has called down a famine on Israel that will last for seven years."
2 So the woman took her family and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 After the famine ended, she returned to the land of Israel and went to see the king about getting back her house and land. 4 Just as she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant, and saying, "Tell me some stories of the great things Elisha has done." 5 And Gehazi was telling the king about the time when Elisha brought a little boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in!
"Oh, sir!" Gehazi exclaimed. "Here is the woman now, and this is her son - the very one Elisha brought back to life!"
6 "Is this true?" the king asked her. And she told him that it was. So he directed one of his officials to see to it that everything she had owned was restored to her, plus the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.
7 Afterwards Elisha went to Damascus (the capital of Syria), where King Ben-hadad lay sick. Someone told the king that the prophet had come.
8-9 When the king heard the news, he said to Hazael, "Take a present to the man of God and tell him to ask the Lord whether I will get well again."
So Hazael took forty camel-loads of the best produce of the land as presents for Elisha and said to him, "Your son Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, has sent me to ask you whether he will recover."
10 And Elisha replied, "Tell him, `Yes.' But the Lord has shown me that he will surely die!"
11 Elisha stared at Hazael until he became embarrassed, and then Elisha started crying.
12 "What's the matter, sir?" Hazael asked him.
Elisha replied, "I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel: you will burn their forts, kill the young men, dash their babies against the rocks, and rip open the bellies of the pregnant women!"
13 "Am I a dog?" Hazael asked him. "I would never do that sort of thing."
But Elisha replied, "The Lord has shown me that you are going to be the king of Syria."
14 When Hazael went back, the king asked him, "What did he tell you?"
And Hazael replied, "He told me that you would recover."
15 But the next day Hazael took a blanket and dipped it in water and held it over the king's face until he smothered to death. And Hazael became king instead.
16 King Jehoram, the son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began his reign during the fifth year of the reign of King Joram of Israel, the son of Ahab. 17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. 18 But he was as wicked as Ahab and the other kings of Israel; he even married one of Ahab's daughters. 19 Nevertheless, because God had promised his servant David that he would watch over and guide his descendants, he did not destroy Judah.
20 During Jehoram's reign, the people in Edom revolted from Judah and appointed their own king. 21 King Jehoram tried unsuccessfully to crush the rebellion: he crossed the Jordan River and attacked the city of Zair, but was quickly surrounded by the army of Edom. Under cover of night he broke through their ranks, but his army deserted him and fled. 22 So Edom has maintained its independence to this day. Libnah also rebelled at that time.
23 The rest of the history of King Jehoram is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 24-25 He died and was buried in the royal cemetery in the City of David - the old section of Jerusalem.
Then his son Ahaziah became the new king during the twelfth year of the reign of King Joram of Israel, the son of Ahab. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, but he reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27 He was an evil king, just as all of King Ahab's descendants were - for he was related to Ahab by marriage.
28 He joined King Joram of Israel (son of Ahab) in his war against Hazael, the king of Syria, at Ramoth-gilead. King Joram was wounded in the battle, 29 so he went to Jezreel to rest and recover from his wounds. While he was there, King Ahaziah of Judah (son of Jehoram) came to visit him.
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SIN 2KING 8:12-13
Elisha told Hazael he would sin greatly. Hazael protested, I would never do that sort of thing. He did not acknowledge his personal potential for evil. In our enlightened society, it is easy to think we are above gross sin and can control our actions. We think that we would never sink so low. Instead, we should take a more biblical and realistic look at ourselves and admit our sinful potential. Then we will ask for God's strength to resist such evil.
I Wonder: Living and telling my faith ,!page "^W0012" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING009
,.D.z0
1 At the same time, Elisha the prophet called a man from the groups of prophets. Elisha said, "Get ready, and take this small bottle of olive oil in your hand. Go to Ramoth in Gilead.
2 When you arrive, find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in and make Jehu get up from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room.
3 Then take the bottle and pour the oil on Jehu's head and say, `This is what the LORD says: I have appointed you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run away. Don't wait!"
4 So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth in Gilead.
5 When he arrived, he saw the officers of the army sitting together. He said, "Commander, I have a message for you." Jehu asked, "For which one of us?" The young man said, "For you, commander."
6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu's head and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: `I have appointed you king over the LORD' s people Israel.
7 You must destroy the family of Ahab your master. I will punish Jezebel for the deaths of my servants the prophets and for all the LORD' s servants who were murdered.
8 All of Ahab's family must die. I will not let any male child in Ahab's family live in Israel, whether slave or free.
9 I will make Ahab's family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of Baasha son of Ahijah.
10 The dogs will eat Jezebel at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' " Then the young prophet opened the door and ran away.
11 When Jehu went back to his master's officers, one of them said to Jehu, "Is everything all right? Why did this crazy man come to you?" Jehu answered, "You know the man and how he talks."
12 They answered, "That's not true. Tell us." Jehu said, "He said to me, `This is what the LORD says: I have appointed you to be king over Israel.' "
13 Then the officers hurried, and each man took off his own coat and put it on the stairs for Jehu. They blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!"
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, made plans against Joram. Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth in Gilead from Hazael king of Aram.
15 But King Joram had to return to Jezreel to heal from the injuries the Arameans had given him when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Jehu said, "If you agree with this, don't let anyone leave the city. They might tell the news in Jezreel."w
16 Then he got into his chariot and set out for Jezreel, where Joram was resting. Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
17 The lookout was standing on the watchtower in Jezreel when he saw Jehu's troops coming. He said, "I see some soldiers!" Joram said, "Take a horseman and send him to meet them. Tell him to ask, `Is all in order?' "
18 The horseman rode out to meet Jehu, and he said, "This is what the king says: `Is all in order?' " Jehu said, "Why bother yourself with order? Come along behind me." The lookout reported, "The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.""
19 Then Joram sent out a second horseman. This rider came to Jehu's group and said, "This is what the king says: `Is all in order?' " Jehu answered, "Why bother yourself with order? Come along behind me."
20 The lookout reported, "The second man reached them, but he is not coming back. The man in the chariot is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi. He drives as if he were crazy!"
21 Joram said, "Get my chariot ready." Then the servant got Joram's chariot ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is all in order, Jehu?" Jehu answered, "There will never be any order as long as your mother Jezebel worships idols and uses witchcraft."
23 Joram turned the horses to run away and yelled to Ahaziah, "It's a trick, Ahaziah!"
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between his shoulders. The arrow went through Joram's heart, and he fell down in his chariot.
25 Jehu ordered Bidkar, his chariot officer, "Pick up Joram's body, and throw it into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember when you and I rode together with Joram's father Ahab. The LORD made this prophecy against him:
26 `Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons, says the LORD, so I will punish Ahab in his field, says the LORD.' Take Joram's body and throw it into the field, as the LORD has said."
27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he ran away toward Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, saying, "Shoot Ahaziah, too!" Ahaziah was wounded in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam. He got as far as Megiddo but died there.
28 Ahaziah's servants carried his body in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in Jerusalem.
29 (Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year Joram son of Ahab was king.)
30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She put on her eye makeup and fixed her hair. Then she looked out the window.
31 When Jehu entered the city gate, Jezebel said, "Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you who killed your master?"
32 Jehu looked up at the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three servants looked out the window at Jehu.
33 He said to them, "Throw her down." So they threw Jezebel down, and the horses ran over her. Some of her blood splashed on the wall and on the horses.
34 Jehu went into the house and ate and drank. Then he said, "Now see about this cursed woman. Bury her, because she is a king's daughter."
35 The men went to bury Jezebel, but they could not find her. They found only her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands.
36 When they came back and told Jehu, he said, "The LORD said this through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: `The dogs will eat Jezebel at Jezreel.
37 Her body will be like manure on the field in the land at Jezreel. No one will be able to say that this is Jezebel.' "
1 Meanwhile Elisha had summoned one of the young prophets.
"Get ready to go to Ramoth-gilead," he told him. "Take this vial of oil with you 2 and find Jehu (the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi). Call him into a private room away from his friends, 3 and pour the oil over his head. Tell him that the Lord has anointed him to be the king of Israel; then run for your life!"
4 So the young prophet did as he was told. When he arrived in Ramoth-gilead, 5 he found Jehu sitting around with the other army officers.
"I have a message for you, sir," he said.
"For which one of us?" Jehu asked.
"For you," he replied.
6 So Jehu left the others and went into the house, and the young man poured the oil over his head and said, "The Lord God of Israel says, `I anoint you king of the Lord's people, Israel. 7 You are to destroy the family of Ahab; you will avenge the murder of my prophets and of all my other people who were killed by Jezebel. 8 The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out - every male, no matter who. 9 I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam (son of Nebat) and of Baasha (son of Ahijah). 10 Dogs shall eat Ahab's wife Jezebel at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
11 Jehu went back to his friends and one of them asked him, "What did that crazy fellow want? Is everything all right?"
"You know very well who he was and what he wanted," Jehu replied.
12 "No, we don't," they said. "Tell us."
So he told them what the man had said and that he had been anointed king of Israel!
13 They quickly carpeted the bare steps with their coats and blew a trumpet, shouting, "Jehu is king!"
14 That is how Jehu (son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi) rebelled against King Joram. (King Joram had been with the army at Ramoth-gilead, defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Syria. 15 But he had returned to Jezreel to recover from his wounds.)
"Since you want me to be king," Jehu told the men who were with him, "don't let anyone escape to Jezreel to report what we have done."
16 Then Jehu jumped into a chariot and rode to Jezreel himself to find King Joram, who was lying there wounded. (King Ahaziah of Judah was there too, for he had gone to visit him.) 17 The watchman on the Tower of Jezreel saw Jehu and his company approaching and shouted, "Someone is coming."
"Send out a rider and find out if he is friend or foe," King Joram shouted back. 18 So a soldier rode out to meet Jehu.
"The king wants to know whether you are friend or foe," he demanded. "Do you come in peace?"
Jehu replied, "What do you know about peace? Get behind me!"
The watchman called out to the king that the messenger had met them but was not returning. 19 So the king sent out a second rider. He rode up to them and demanded in the name of the king to know whether their intentions were friendly or not.
Jehu answered, "What do you know about friendliness? Get behind me!"
20 "He isn't returning either!" the watchman exclaimed. "It must be Jehu, for he is driving so furiously."
21 "Quick! Get my chariot ready!" King Joram commanded.
Then he and King Ahaziah of Judah rode out to meet Jehu. They met him at the field of Naboth, 22 and King Joram demanded, "Do you come as a friend, Jehu?"
Jehu replied, "How can there be friendship as long as the evils of your mother Jezebel are all around us?"
23 Then King Joram reined the chariot horses around and fled, shouting to King Ahaziah, "There is treachery, Ahaziah! Treason!"
24 Then Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between the shoulders; and the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank down dead in his chariot.
25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his assistant, "Throw him into the field of Naboth, for once when you and I were riding along behind his father Ahab, the Lord revealed this prophecy to me: 26 `I will repay him here on Naboth's property for the murder of Naboth and his sons.' So throw him out on Naboth's field, just as the Lord said."
27 Meanwhile, King Ahaziah of Judah had fled along the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu rode after him, shouting, "Shoot him too."
So they shot him in his chariot at the place where the road climbs to Gur, near Ibleam. He was able to go on as far as Megiddo, but died there. 28 His officials took him by chariot to Jerusalem where they buried him in the royal cemetery. 29 (Ahaziah's reign over Judah had begun in the twelfth year of the reign of King Joram of Israel.)
30 When Jezebel heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. 31 When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, "How are you today, you murderer! You son of a Zimri who murdered his master!"
32 He looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, "Who is on my side?" And two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
33 "Throw her down!" he yelled.
So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses; and she was trampled by the horses' hoofs.
34 Then Jehu went into the palace for lunch. Afterwards he said, "Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king."
35 But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.
36 When they returned and told him, he remarked, "That is just what the Lord said would happen. He told Elijah the prophet that dogs would eat her flesh 37 and that her body would be scattered like manure upon the field, so that no one could tell whose it was."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,189
3,3,5,344
4,4,7,527
5,5,9,590
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28,28,55,4759
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32,32,63,5236
33,33,65,5361
34,34,67,5518
35,35,69,5662
36,36,71,5789
37,37,73,5940
1,3,1,1
4,5,4,383
6,10,9,627
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12,12,15,1455
13,13,18,1584
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16,19,23,2091
20,20,30,2976
21,22,32,3086
23,23,36,3409
24,24,38,3540
25,26,40,3701
27,29,42,4032
30,31,45,4499
32,32,47,4763
33,33,49,4886
34,34,52,5059
35,35,54,5203
36,37,56,5297
PEACE 2KING 9:18-19
The riders met Jehu and asked if he came in peace and friendship. But Jehu responded, What do you know about true peace and friendliness? These qualities, properly understood, come from God. They are not genuine except when rooted in belief in God and love for him. Jehu knew the men represented a disobedient, wicked king. Don't seek friendship with those who are enemies of the good and the true. Lasting peace and genuine friendship can come only from knowing the God who gave these to us.
2KING010
/*/@1V2
1 Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officers and older leaders of Jezreel and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab. Jehu said,
2 "You have your master's sons with you, and you have chariots, horses, a city with strong walls, and weapons. When you get this letter,
3 choose the best and most worthy person among your master's sons, and make him king. Then fight for your master's family."
4 But the officers and leaders of Jezreel were frightened. They said, "Two kings could not stand up to Jehu, so how can we?"
5 The palace manager, the city governor, the leaders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu. "We are your servants," they said. "We will do everything you tell us to do. We won't make any man king, so do whatever you think is best."
6 Then Jehu wrote a second letter, saying, "If you are on my side and will obey me, cut off the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time." Now the seventy sons of the king's family were with the leading men of the city who were their guardians.
7 When the leaders received the letter, they took the king's sons and killed all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
8 The messenger came to Jehu and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." Then Jehu said, "Lay the heads in two piles at the city gate until morning."
9 In the morning, Jehu went out and stood before the people and said to them, "You are innocent. Look, I made plans against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?
10 You should know that everything the LORD said about Ahab's family will come true. The LORD has spoken through his servant Elijah, and the LORD has done what he said."
11 So Jehu killed everyone of Ahab's family in Jezreel who was still alive. He also killed all Ahab's leading men, close friends, and priests. No one who had helped Ahab was left alive.
12 Then Jehu left and went to Samaria by way of the road to Beth Eked of the Shepherds.
13 There Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu asked, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are relatives of Ahaziah. We have come down to get revenge for the families of the king and the king's mother."
14 Then Jehu said, "Take them alive!" So they captured Ahaziah's relatives alive and killed them at the well near Beth Eked- forty-two of them. Jehu did not leave anyone alive.
15 After Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab son of Recab, who was also on his way to meet Jehu. Jehu greeted him and said, "Are you as good a friend to me as I am to you?" Jehonadab answered, "Yes, I am." Jehu said, "If you are, then give me your hand." So Jehonadab gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him into the chariot.
16 "Come with me," Jehu said. "You can see how strong my feelings are for the LORD." So Jehu had Jehonadab ride in his chariot.
17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all of Ahab's family in Samaria. He destroyed all those who were left, just as the LORD had told Elijah it would happen.
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve Baal much.
19 Now call for me all Baal's prophets and priests and all the people who worship Baal. Don't let anyone miss this meeting, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who is not there will not live." But Jehu was tricking them so he could destroy the worshipers of Baal.
20 He said, "Prepare a holy meeting for Baal." So they announced the meeting.
21 Then Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; not one stayed home. They came into the temple of Baal, and the temple was filled from one side to the other.
22 Jehu said to the man who kept the robes, "Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal." After he brought out robes for them,
23 Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, "Look around, and make sure there are no servants of the LORD with you. Be sure there are only worshipers of Baal."
24 Then the worshipers of Baal went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jehu had eighty men waiting outside. He had told them, "Don't let anyone escape. If you do, you must pay with your own life."
25 As soon as Jehu finished offering the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and the captains, "Go in and kill the worshipers of Baal. Don't let anyone come out." So the guards and captains killed the worshipers of Baal with the sword and threw their bodies out. Then they went to the inner rooms of the temple
26 and brought out the pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them.
27 They tore down the stone pillar of Baal, as well as the temple of Baal. And they made it into a sewage pit, as it is today.
28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel,
29 but he did not stop doing the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. Jeroboam had led Israel to sin by worshiping the golden calves in Bethel and Dan.
30 The LORD said to Jehu, "You have done well in obeying what I said was right. You have done to the family of Ahab as I wanted. Because of this, your descendants as far as your great-great-grandchildren will be kings of Israel."
31 But Jehu was not careful to follow the teachings of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not stop doing the same sins Jeroboam had done, by which he had led Israel to sin.
32 At that time the LORD began to make Israel smaller. Hazael defeated the Israelites in all the land of Israel,
33 taking all the land of the Jordan known as the land of Gilead. (It was the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh.) He took land from Aroer by the Arnon Ravine through Gilead to Bashan.
34 The other things Jehu did- everything he did and all his victories- are recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
35 Jehu died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz became king in his place.
36 Jehu was king over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.
1 Then Jehu wrote a letter to the city council of Samaria and to the guardians of Ahab's seventy sons - all of whom were living there.
2-3 "Upon receipt of this letter, select the best one of Ahab's sons to be your king, and prepare to fight for his throne. For you have chariots and horses and a fortified city and an armory."
4 But they were too frightened to do it. "Two kings couldn't stand against this man! What can we do?" they said.
5 So the manager of palace affairs and the city manager, together with the city council and the guardians of Ahab's sons, sent him this message:
"Jehu, we are your servants and will do anything you tell us to. We have decided that you should be our king instead of one of Ahab's sons."
6 Jehu responded with this message: "If you are on my side and are going to obey me, bring the heads of your master's sons to me at Jezreel at about this time tomorrow."
(These seventy sons of King Ahab were living in the homes of the chief men of the city, where they had been raised since childhood.) 7 When the letter arrived, all seventy of them were murdered, and their heads were packed into baskets and presented to Jehu at Jezreel. 8 When a messenger told Jehu that the heads of the king's sons had arrived, he said to pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate, and to leave them there until the next morning.
9-10 In the morning he went out and spoke to the crowd that had gathered around them. "You aren't to blame," he told them. "I conspired against my master and killed him, but I didn't kill his sons! The Lord has done that, for everything he says comes true. He declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen to Ahab's descendants."
11 Jehu then killed all the rest of the members of the family of Ahab who were in Jezreel, as well as all of his important officials, personal friends, and private chaplains. Finally, no one was left who had been close to him in any way. 12 Then he set out for Samaria and stayed overnight at a shepherd's inn along the way. 13 While he was there he met the brothers of King Ahaziah of Judah.
"Who are you?" he asked them.
And they replied, "We are brothers of King Ahaziah. We are going to Samaria to visit the sons of King Ahab and of the queen mother, Jezebel."
14 "Grab them!" Jehu shouted to his men. And he took them out to the cistern and killed all forty-two of them.
15 As he left the inn, he met Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. After they had greeted each other, Jehu said to him, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?"
"Yes," Jehonadab replied.
"Then give me your hand," Jehu said, and he helped him into the royal chariot.
16 "Now come along with me," Jehu said, "and see how much I have done for the Lord." So Jehonadab rode along with him. 17 When he arrived in Samaria he butchered all of Ahab's friends and relatives, just as Elijah, speaking for the Lord, had predicted.
Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the city and said to them, "Ahab hardly worshiped Baal at all in comparison to the way I am going to! 18-19 Summon all the prophets and priests of Baal, and call together all his worshipers. See to it that every one of them comes, for we worshipers of Baal are going to have a great celebration to praise him. Any of Baal's worshipers who don't come will be put to death."
But Jehu's plan was to exterminate them. 20-21 He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning those who worshiped Baal; and they all came and filled the temple of Baal from one end to the other. 22 He instructed the head of the robing room, "Be sure that every worshiper wears one of the special robes."
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab (son of Rechab) went into the temple to address the people: "Check to be sure that only those who worship Baal are here; don't let anyone in who worships the Lord!"
24 As the priests of Baal began offering sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu surrounded the building with eighty of his men and told them, "If you let anyone escape, you'll pay for it with your own life."
25 As soon as he had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, Jehu went out and told his officers and men, "Go in and kill the whole bunch of them. Don't let a single one escape."
So they slaughtered them all and dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu's men went into the inner temple, 26 dragged out the pillar used for the worship of Baal, and burned it. 27 They wrecked the temple and converted it into a public toilet, which it still is today. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal from Israel. 29 However, he didn't destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan - this was the great sin of Jeroboam (son of Nebat), for it resulted in all Israel sinning.
30 Afterwards the Lord said to Jehu, "You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. Because of this I will cause your son, your grandson, and your great-grandson to be the kings of Israel."
31 But Jehu didn't follow the Lord God of Israel with all his heart, for he continued to worship Jeroboam's gold calves that had been the cause of such great sin in Israel.
32-33 At about that time the Lord began to whittle down the size of Israel. King Hazael conquered several sections of the country east of the Jordan River, as well as all of Gilead, Gad, and Reuben; he also conquered parts of Manasseh from the Aroer River in the valley of the Arnon as far as Gilead and Bashan.
34 The rest of Jehu's activities are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 35 When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria; and his son Jehoahaz became the new king. 36 In all, Jehu reigned as king of Israel, in Samaria, for twenty-eight years.
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34,34,67,5830
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36,36,71,6060
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,139
4,4,5,335
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6,8,10,741
9,10,13,1377
11,13,15,1723
14,14,19,2293
15,15,21,2407
16,22,25,2699
23,23,29,3686
24,24,31,3881
25,29,33,4090
30,30,36,4755
31,31,38,4982
32,33,40,5158
34,36,42,5473
TOLERANCE 2KING 10:24
Israel was supposed to be intolerant of any religion which did not worship the true God. The religions of surrounding nations were evil and corrupt, based on sexual promiscuity, political favors, greed, and materialism. They were designed to destroy life, not uphold it. Israel was God's special nation, chosen to be an example of what was right, true, and fair. But Israel's kings, priests, and elders, contaminated by surrounding pagan beliefs, had become tolerant and apathetic. We are to be completely intolerant of sin and remove it from our lives. It is one thing to be tolerant of others' views, but we should not condone actions that lead people away from God's standards of living.
LIP SERVICE 2KING 10:30-31
Jehu did much of what the Lord told him to, but he did not obey him with all his heart. Jehu had become God's instrument for carrying out justice, but he had not become God's servant. As a result, Jehu gave only lip service to God while he worshipped the golden calves. Check the condition of your heart toward God. We can be very active in our work for God and still not give the heartfelt obedience he desires.
7*/@1V2
Scrapbook: "Amanda: How to be a leader" ,!page "amanda1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
2KING011
1 When Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she killed all the royal family.
2 But Jehosheba, King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister, took Joash, Ahaziah's son. She stole him from among the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, so he was not killed.
3 He hid with her in the Temple of the LORD for six years. During that time Athaliah ruled the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of groups of a hundred men, as well as the Carites. He brought them together in the Temple of the LORD and made an agreement with them. There, in the Temple of the LORD, he made them promise loyalty, and then he showed them the king's son.
5 He commanded them, "This is what you must do. A third of you who go on duty on the Sabbath will guard the king's palace.
6 A third of you will be at the Sur Gate, and another third will be at the gate behind the guard. This way you will guard the Temple.
7 The two groups who go off duty on the Sabbath must protect the Temple of the LORD for the king.
8 All of you must stand around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. If anyone comes near, kill him. Stay close to the king when he goes out and when he comes in."
9 The commanders over a hundred men obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest had commanded. Each one took his men who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest.
10 He gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the Temple of the LORD.
11 Then each guard took his place with his weapons in his hand. There were guards from the south side of the Temple to the north side. They stood by the altar and the Temple and around the king.
12 Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him a copy of the agreement. They appointed him king and poured olive oil on him. Then they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!"
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she went to them at the Temple of the LORD.
14 She looked, and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and trumpeters were standing beside him, and all the people of the land were very happy and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, "Traitors! Traitors!"
15 Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the commanders of a hundred men, who led the army. He said, "Surround her with soldiers and kill with a sword anyone who follows her." He commanded this because he had said, "Don't put Athaliah to death in the Temple of the LORD."
16 So they caught her when she came to the horses' entrance near the palace. There she was put to death.
17 Then Jehoiada made an agreement between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD' s special people. He also made an agreement between the king and the people.
18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing the altars and idols. They also killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest placed guards at the Temple of the LORD.
19 He took with him the commanders of a hundred men and the Carites, the royal bodyguards, as well as the guards and all the people of the land. Together they took the king out of the Temple of the LORD and went into the palace through the gate of the guards. Then the king sat on the royal throne.
20 So all the people of the land were very happy, and Jerusalem had peace, because Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the palace.
21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
1 When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she killed all of his children, 2-3 except for his year-old son Joash. Joash was rescued by his Aunt Jehosheba, who was a sister of King Ahaziah (for she was a daughter of King Jehoram, Ahaziah's father). She stole him away from among the rest of the king's children who were waiting to be slain and hid him and his nurse in a storeroom of the Temple.* They lived there for six years while Athaliah reigned as queen.
4 In the seventh year of Queen Athaliah's reign, Jehoiada the priest summoned the officers of the palace guard and the queen's bodyguard. He met them in the Temple, swore them to secrecy, and showed them the king's son.
5 Then he gave them their instructions: "A third of those who are on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the palace. 6-8 The other two-thirds shall stand guard at the Temple; surround the king, weapons in hand, and kill anyone who tries to break through. Stay with the king at all times."
9 So the officers followed Jehoiada's instructions. They brought to Jehoiada the men who were going off duty on the Sabbath and those who were coming on duty, 10 and he armed them from the Temple's supply of spears and shields that had belonged to King David. 11 The guards, with weapons ready, stood across the front of the sanctuary and surrounded the altar, which was near Joash's hideaway.
12 Then Jehoiada brought out the young prince and put the crown upon his head and gave him a copy of the Ten Commandments, and anointed him as king. Then everyone clapped and shouted, "Long live the king!"
13-14 When Athaliah heard all the noise, she ran into the Temple and saw the new king standing beside the pillar, as was the custom at times of coronation, surrounded by her bodyguard and many trumpeters; and everyone was rejoicing and blowing trumpets.
"Treason! Treason!" she screamed, and began to tear her clothes.
15 "Get her out of here," shouted Jehoiada to the officers of the guard. "Don't kill her here in the Temple. But kill anyone who tries to come to her rescue."
16 So they dragged her to the palace stables and killed her there.
17 Jehoiada made a treaty between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they would be the Lord's people. He also made a contract between the king and the people. 18 Everyone went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down, breaking the altars and images and killing Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altar. And Jehoiada set guards at the Temple of the Lord. 19 Then he and the officers and the guard and all the people led the king from the Temple, past the guardhouse, and into the palace. And he sat upon the king's throne.
20 So everyone was happy, and the city settled back into quietness after Athaliah's death. 21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,367
4,4,7,472
5,5,9,771
6,6,11,898
7,7,13,1036
8,8,15,1138
9,9,17,1317
10,10,19,1546
11,11,21,1677
12,12,23,1876
13,13,25,2097
14,14,27,2208
15,15,29,2489
16,16,31,2762
17,17,33,2871
18,18,35,3061
19,19,37,3306
20,20,39,3609
21,21,41,3757
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,506
5,8,5,729
9,11,7,1018
12,12,9,1415
13,14,11,1624
15,15,14,1947
16,16,16,2109
17,19,18,2179
20,21,20,2722
2KING012
1 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu's seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, and she was from Beersheba.
2 Joash did what the LORD said was right as long as Jehoiada the priest taught him.
3 But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed; the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
4 Joash said to the priests, "Take all the money brought as offerings to the Temple of the Lord. This includes the money each person owes in taxes and the money each person promises or brings freely to the LORD.
5 Each priest will take the money from the people he serves. Then the priests must repair any damage they find in the Temple."
6 But by the twenty-third year Joash was king, the priests still had not repaired the Temple.
7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage of the Temple? Don't take any more money from the people you serve, but hand over the money for the repair of the Temple."
8 The priests agreed not to take any more money from the people and not to repair the Temple themselves.
9 Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the top of it. Then he put it by the altar, on the right side as the people came into the Temple of the LORD. The priests guarding the doorway put all the money brought to the Temple of the LORD into the box.
10 Each time the priests saw that the box was full of money, the king's royal secretary and the high priest came. They counted the money that had been brought to the Temple of the LORD, and they put it into bags.
11 Next they weighed the money and gave it to the people in charge of the work on the Temple. With it they paid the carpenters and the builders who worked on the Temple of the LORD,
12 as well as the bricklayers and stonecutters. They also used the money to buy timber and cut stone to repair the damage of the Temple of the LORD. It paid for everything.
13 The money brought into the Temple of the LORD was not used to make silver cups, wick trimmers, bowls, trumpets, or gold or silver vessels.
14 They paid the money to the workers, who used it to repair the Temple of the LORD.
15 They did not demand to know how the money was spent, because the workers were honest.
16 The money from the penalty offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the Temple of the LORD, because it belonged to the priests.
17 About this time Hazael king of Aram attacked Gath and captured it. Then he went to attack Jerusalem.
18 Joash king of Judah took all the holy things given by his ancestors, the kings of Judah- Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah. He also took his own holy things as well as the gold that was found in the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the gold from the palace. Joash sent all this treasure to Hazael king of Aram, who turned away from Jerusalem.d<
19 Everything else Joash did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
20 His officers made plans against him and killed him at Beth Millo on the road down to Silla.
21 The officers who killed him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.
1 It was seven years after Jehu had become the king of Israel that Joash became king of Judah. He reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. (His mother was Zibiah, from Beersheba.) 2 All his life Joash did what was right because Jehoiada the High Priest instructed him. 3 Yet even so he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills - the people still sacrificed and burned incense there.
4-5 One day King Joash said to Jehoiada, "The Temple building needs repairing. Whenever anyone brings a contribution to the Lord, whether it is a regular assessment or some special gift, use it to pay for whatever repairs are needed."
6 But in the twenty-third year of his reign the Temple was still in disrepair. 7 So Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, "Why haven't you done anything about the Temple? Now don't use any more money for your own needs; from now on it must all be spent on getting the Temple into good condition."
8 So the priests agreed to set up a special repair fund that would not go through their hands, lest it be diverted to care for their personal needs. 9 Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the lid of a large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the Temple entrance. The doorkeepers put all of the people's contributions into it. 10 Whenever the chest became full, the king's financial secretary and the High Priest counted it, put it into bags, 11-12 and gave it to the construction superintendents to pay the carpenters, stonemasons, quarrymen, timber dealers, and stone merchants, and to buy the other materials needed to repair the Temple of the Lord. 13-14 It was not used to buy silver cups, gold snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or similar articles, but only for repairs to the building. 15 No accounting was required from the construction superintendents, for they were honest and faithful men. 16 However, the money that was contributed for guilt offerings and sin offerings was given to the priests for their own use. It was not put into the chest.
17 About this time, King Hazael of Syria went to war against Gath and captured it; then he moved on toward Jerusalem to attack it. 18 King Joash took all the sacred objects that his ancestors - Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah - had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated, and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent it to Hazael. So Hazael called off the attack.
19 The rest of the history of Joash is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. But his officers plotted against him and assassinated him in his royal residence at Millo on the road to Silla. 21 The assassins were Jozachar, the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer - both trusted aides He was buried in the royal cemetery in Jerusalem, and his son Amaziah became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,177
3,3,5,265
4,4,7,389
5,5,9,605
6,6,11,736
7,7,13,834
8,8,15,1085
9,9,17,1194
10,10,19,1459
11,11,21,1676
12,12,23,1862
13,13,25,2039
14,14,27,2185
15,15,29,2274
16,16,31,2367
17,17,33,2510
18,18,35,2618
19,19,37,2978
20,20,39,3072
21,21,41,3171
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,383
6,7,5,621
8,16,7,947
17,18,9,2019
19,21,11,2450
INPUT 2KING 12:2
God's input yields good output. Joash had a good teacher in Jehoiada, the high priest. As long as he lived, Jehoiada's faith in God influenced Joash for good. Good intent must be fortified with good content. As long as Joash heeded Jehoiada's good instruction, he fulfilled God's plan for his life. All our plans and actions must be guided by God, and his counsel is made clear to us in his word. Our lives will be productive if we heed God's counsel.
ACTIONS 2KING 12:2
Joash didn't go far enough in removing sin from the nation, but he did much that was good and right. When we aren't sure if we've gone far enough in correcting our actions, we can ask: (1)Does the Bible expressly prohibit this action? (2)Does this action take me away from loving, worshipping, or serving God? (3)Does it make me its slave? (4)Is it bringing out the best in me, consistent with God's purpose? (5)Does it benefit other believers?
2KING013
1 Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria during the twenty-third year Joash son of Ahaziah was king of Judah. Jehoahaz ruled seventeen years,
2 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jehoahaz did the same sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. Jeroboam had led Israel to sin, and Jehoahaz did not stop doing these same sins.
3 So the LORD was angry with Israel and handed them over to Hazael king of Aram and his son BEN-HADAD for a long time.
4 Then Jehoahaz begged the LORD, and the LORD listened to him. The LORD had seen the troubles of Israel; he saw how terribly the king of Aram was treating them.
5 He gave Israel a man to save them, and they escaped from the Arameans. The Israelites then lived in their own homes as they had before,
6 but they still did not stop doing the same sins that the family of Jeroboam had done. He had led Israel to sin, and they continued doing those sins. The Asherah idol also was left standing in Samaria.
7 Nothing was left of Jehoahaz's army except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers. The king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like chaff.
8 Everything else Jehoahaz did and all his victories are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
9 Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash became king in his place.
10 Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria during Joash's thirty-seventh year as king of Judah. Jehoash ruled sixteen years,
11 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. He did not stop doing the same sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. Jeroboam had led Israel to sin, and Jehoash continued to do the same thing.
12 Everything else he did and all his victories, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
13 Jehoash died, and Jeroboam took his place on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 At this time Elisha became sick. Before he died, Jehoash king of Israel went to Elisha and cried for him. Jehoash said, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and their horsemen!"
15 Elisha said to Jehoash, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows.
16 Then Elisha said to him, "Put your hand on the bow." So Jehoash put his hand on the bow. Then Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
17 Elisha said, "Open the east window." So Jehoash opened the window. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and Jehoash shot. Elisha said, "The LORD' s arrow of victory over Aram! You will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you destroy them."
18 Elisha said, "Take the arrows." So Jehoash took them. Then Elisha said to him, "Strike the ground." So Jehoash struck the ground three times and stopped.
19 The man of God was angry with him. "You should have struck five or six times!" Elisha said. "Then you would have struck Aram until you had completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."
20 Then Elisha died and was buried. At that time groups of Moabites would rob the land in the springtime.
21 Once as some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a group of Moabites coming. The Israelites threw the dead man into Elisha's grave. When the man touched Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood on his feet.
22 During all the days Jehoahaz was king, Hazael king of Aram troubled Israel.
23 But the LORD was kind to the Israelites; he had mercy on them and helped them because of his agreement with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To this day he has never wanted to destroy them or reject them.
24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son BEN-HADAD became king in his place.
25 During a war Hazael had taken some cities from Jehoahaz, Jehoash's father. Now Jehoash took back those cities from Hazael's son BEN-HADAD. He defeated BEN-HADAD three times and took back the cities of Israel.
1 Jehoahaz (the son of Jehu) began a seventeen-year reign over Israel during the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash of Judah. 2 But he was an evil king, and he followed the wicked paths of Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin. 3 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he continually allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-hadad to conquer them.
4 But Jehoahaz prayed for the Lord's help, and the Lord listened to him; for the Lord saw how terribly the king of Syria was oppressing Israel. 5 So the Lord raised up leaders among the Israelis to rescue them from the tyranny of the Syrians; and then Israel lived in safety again as they had in former days. 6 But they continued to sin, following the evil ways of Jeroboam; and they continued to worship the goddess Asherah at Samaria. 7 Finally the Lord reduced Jehoahaz's army to fifty mounted troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry; for the king of Syria had destroyed the others as though they were dust beneath his feet.
8 The rest of the history of Jehoahaz is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
9-10 Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Joash reigned in Samaria for sixteen years. He came to the throne in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah. 11 But he was an evil man, for, like Jeroboam, he encouraged the people to worship idols and led them into sin. 12 The rest of the history of the reign of Joash, including his wars against King Amaziah of Judah, are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 13 Joash died and was buried in Samaria with the other kings of Israel; and Jeroboam II became the new king.
14 When Elisha was in his last illness, King Joash visited him and wept over him.
"My father! My father! You are the strength of Israel!" he cried.
15 Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did.
16-17 "Open that eastern window," he instructed. Then he told the king to put his hand upon the bow, and Elisha laid his own hands upon the king's hands.
"Shoot!" Elisha commanded, and he did.
Then Elisha proclaimed, "This is the Lord's arrow, full of victory over Syria; for you will completely conquer the Syrians at Aphek. 18 Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the floor."
So the king picked them up and struck the floor three times. 19 But the prophet was angry with him. "You should have struck the floor five or six times," he exclaimed, "for then you would have beaten Syria until they were entirely destroyed; now you will be victorious only three times."
20-21 So Elisha died and was buried.
In those days bandit gangs of Moabites used to invade the land each spring. Once some men who were burying a friend spied these marauders so they hastily threw his body into the tomb of Elisha. And as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!
22 King Hazael of Syria had oppressed Israel during the entire reign of King Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. For God pitied them, and also he was honoring his contract with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And this is still true. 24 Then King Hazael of Syria died, and his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place.
25 King Joash of Israel (the son of Jehoahaz) was successful on three occasions in reconquering the cities that his father had lost to Ben-hadad.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,164
3,3,5,351
4,4,7,474
5,5,9,639
6,6,11,781
7,7,13,988
8,8,15,1161
9,9,17,1281
10,10,19,1374
11,11,21,1520
12,12,23,1712
13,13,25,1877
14,14,27,1997
15,15,29,2191
16,16,31,2276
17,17,33,2419
18,18,35,2655
19,19,37,2816
20,20,39,3033
21,21,41,3143
22,22,43,3381
23,23,45,3464
24,24,47,3670
25,25,49,3752
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,372
8,8,5,1011
9,13,7,1103
14,14,9,1667
15,15,12,1819
16,19,14,1883
20,21,19,2571
22,24,22,2899
25,25,24,3274
YES! 2KING 13:4-6
The Lord heard Jehoahaz's prayer for help. God delayed his judgment on Israel when they turned to him for help, but they did not sustain their dependence on God for long. Although there were periodic breaks in their idol worship, there was rarely evidence of genuine faith. It is not enough to say no to sin; we must also say yes to a life of commitment to God.
VICTORY 2KING 13:15-19
When Joash was told to strike the floor with the arrows, he did it only halfheartedly. As a result, Elisha told him that his victory over Syria would not be complete. Receiving the full benefits of God's plan for our lives requires full receptiveness of and obedience to God's commands. If we don't follow God's complete instructions, we should not be surprised if his full benefits and blessings are not present.
2KING014
Z!r!(#
1 Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah during the second year Jehoash son of Jehoahaz was king of Israel.
2 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jehoaddin, and she was from Jerusalem.
3 Amaziah did what the LORD said was right. He did everything his father Joash had done, but he did not do as his ancestor David had done.
4 The places where gods were worshiped were not removed, so the people still sacrificed and burned incense there.
5 As soon as Amaziah took control of the kingdom, he executed the officers who had murdered his father the king.
6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers because of the rule written in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. The LORD had commanded: "Parents must not be put to death when their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death when their parents do wrong. Each must die for his own sins."
7 In battle Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He also took the city of Sela. He called it Joktheel, as it is still called today.
8 Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel. They said, "Come, let's meet face to face."
9 Then Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah, "A thornbush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree in Lebanon. It said, `Let your daughter marry my son.' But then a wild animal from Lebanon came by, walking on and crushing the thornbush.
10 You have defeated Edom, but you have become proud. Stay at home and brag. Don't ask for trouble, or you and Judah will be defeated."
11 But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel went to attack. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah.
12 Israel defeated Judah, and every man of Judah ran away to his home.
13 At Beth Shemesh Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash, who was the son of Ahaziah.) Jehoash went up to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, which was about six hundred feet.
14 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils in the Temple of the LORD, and he took the treasuries of the palace and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
15 The other acts of Jehoash and his victories, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
16 Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and his son Jeroboam became king in his place.
17 Amaziah son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel.
18 The other things Amaziah did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
19 The people in Jerusalem made plans against him. So he ran away to the town of Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him.
20 They brought his body back on horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, in the city of David.
21 Then all the people of Judah made Uzziah king in place of his father Amaziah. Uzziah was sixteen years old.
22 He rebuilt the town of Elath and made it part of Judah again after Amaziah died.
23 Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria during the fifteenth year Amaziah was king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash.) Jeroboam ruled forty-one years,
24 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash did not stop doing the same sins.
25 Jeroboam won back Israel's border from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea. This happened as the LORD, the God of Israel, had said through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.
26 The LORD had seen how the Israelites, both slave and free, were suffering terribly. No one was left who could help Israel.
27 The LORD had not said he would completely destroy Israel from the world, so he saved the Israelites through Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28 Everything else Jeroboam did is written down- all his victories and how he won back from Judah the towns of Damascus and Hamath for Israel. All this is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
29 Jeroboam died and was buried with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. Jeroboam's son Zechariah became king in his place.
1 During the second year of the reign of King Joash of Israel, King Amaziah began his reign over Judah. 2 Amaziah was twenty-five years old at the time, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. (His mother was Jehoaddin, a native of Jerusalem.) 3 He was a good king in the Lord's sight, though not quite like his ancestor David; but he was as good a king as his father Joash. 4 However, he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills, so the people still sacrificed and burned incense there.
5 As soon as he had a firm grip on the kingdom, he killed the men who had assassinated his father; 6 but he didn't kill their children, for the Lord had commanded through the law of Moses that fathers shall not be killed for their children, nor children for the sins of their fathers: everyone must pay the penalty for his own sins. 7 Once Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in Salt Valley; he also conquered Sela and changed its name to Joktheel, as it is called to this day.
8 One day he sent a message to King Joash of Israel (the son of Jehoahaz and the grandson of Jehu), daring him to mobilize his army and come out and fight.
9 But King Joash replied, "The thistle of Lebanon demanded of the mighty cedar tree, `Give your daughter to be a wife for my son.' But just then a wild animal passed by and stepped on the thistle and trod it into the ground! 10 You have destroyed Edom and are very proud about it; but my advice to you is, be content with your glory and stay home! Why provoke disaster for both yourself and Judah?"
11 But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Joash of Israel mustered his army. The battle began at Beth-shemesh, one of the cities of Judah, 12 and Judah was defeated and the army fled home. 13 King Amaziah was captured, and the army of Israel marched on Jerusalem and broke down its wall from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, a distance of about six hundred feet. 14 King Joash took many hostages and all the gold and silver from the Temple and palace treasury, also the gold cups. Then he returned to Samaria.
15 The rest of the history of Joash and his war with King Amaziah of Judah are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16 When Joash died, he was buried in Samaria with the other kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam became the new king.
17 Amaziah lived fifteen years longer than Joash, 18 and the rest of his biography is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 19 There was a plot against his life in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but his enemies sent assassins and killed him there. 20 His body was returned on horses, and he was buried in the royal cemetery, in the City of David section of Jerusalem.
21 Then his son Azariah became the new king at the age of sixteen. 22 After his father's death, he built Elath and restored it to Judah.
23 Meanwhile, over in Israel, Jeroboam II had become king during the fifteenth year of the reign of King Amaziah of Judah. Jeroboam's reign lasted forty-one years. 24 But he was as evil as Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat), who had led Israel into the sin of worshiping idols. 25 Jeroboam II recovered the lost territories of Israel between Hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord God of Israel had predicted through Jonah (son of Amittai) the prophet from Gathhepher. 26 For the Lord saw the bitter plight of Israel - she had no one to help her. 27 And he had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel, so he used King Jeroboam II to save her.
28 The rest of Jeroboam's biography - all that he did, and his great power, and his wars, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath (which had been captured by Judah) - is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 29 When Jeroboam II died, he was buried with the other kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah became the new king of Israel.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,116
3,3,5,282
4,4,7,425
5,5,9,543
6,6,11,660
7,7,13,979
8,8,15,1138
9,9,17,1273
10,10,19,1533
11,11,21,1673
12,12,23,1834
13,13,25,1909
14,14,27,2192
15,15,29,2368
16,16,31,2532
17,17,33,2651
18,18,35,2783
19,19,37,2881
20,20,39,3030
21,21,41,3148
22,22,43,3263
23,23,45,3351
24,24,47,3532
25,25,49,3687
26,26,51,3889
27,27,53,4019
28,28,55,4159
29,29,57,4377
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,502
8,8,5,984
9,10,7,1143
11,14,9,1545
15,16,11,2065
17,20,13,2315
21,22,15,2700
23,27,17,2840
28,29,19,3495
2KING015
1 Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah during Jeroboam's twenty-seventh year as king of Israel.
2 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jecoliah, and she was from Jerusalem.
3 He did what the LORD said was right, just as his father Amaziah had done.
4 But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, so the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
5 The LORD struck Uzziah with a skin disease, which he had until the day he died. So he had to live in a separate house. Jotham, the king's son, was in charge of the palace, and he governed the people of the land.
6 All the other things Uzziah did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
7 Uzziah died and was buried near his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Jotham became king in his place.
8 Zechariah son of Jeroboam was king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for six months during Uzziah's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah.
9 Zechariah did what the LORD said was wrong, just as his ancestors had done. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zechariah did not stop doing the same sins.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh made plans against Zechariah and killed him in front of the people. Then Shallum became king in his place.
11 The other acts of Zechariah are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
12 The LORD had told Jehu: "Your sons down to your great-great-grandchildren will be kings of Israel," and the LORD' s word came true.
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king during Uzziah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ruled for a month in Samaria.
14 Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria. He killed him and became king in Shallum's place.
15 The other acts of Shallum and his secret plans are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
16 Menahem started out from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah, destroying the city and the area nearby. This was because the people had refused to open the city gate for him. He defeated them and ripped open all their pregnant women.
17 Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel during Uzziah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Menahem ruled ten years in Samaria,
18 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and all the time Menahem was king, he did not stop doing the same sins.
19 Pul king of Assyria came to attack the land. Menahem gave him about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver so Pul would support him and make his hold on the kingdom stronger.
20 Menahem taxed Israel to pay about one and one-fourth pounds of silver to each soldier of the king of Assyria. So the king left and did not stay in the land.
21 Everything else Menahem did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
22 Then Menahem died, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.
23 Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah's fiftieth year as king of Judah. Pekahiah ruled two years,
24 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekahiah did not stop doing the same sins.
25 Pekah son of Remaliah was one of Pekahiah's captains, and he made plans against Pekahiah. He took fifty men of Gilead with him and killed Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in the palace at Samaria. Then Pekah became king in Pekahiah's place.
26 Everything else Pekahiah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
27 Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah's fifty-second year as king of Judah. Pekah ruled twenty years,
28 and he did what the LORD said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekah did not stop doing the same sins.
29 TIGLATH-PILESER was king of Assyria. He attacked while Pekah was king of Israel, capturing the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead and Galilee and all the land of Naphtali and carried the people away to Assyria.
30 Then Hoshea son of Elah made plans against Pekah son of Remaliah and attacked and killed him. Then Hoseah became king in Pekah's place during the twentieth year Jotham son of Uzziah was king.
31 Everything else Pekah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
32 Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah during the second year Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel.
33 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
34 Jotham did what the LORD said was right, just as his father Uzziah had done.
35 But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, and the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the Temple of the LORD.
36 The other things Jotham did while he was king are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
37 At that time the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.
38 Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David, his ancestor. Then Jotham's son Ahaz became king in his place.
1 New king of Judah: Azariah
Father's name: Amaziah, the former king
His age at the beginning of his reign: 16 years old
Length of reign: 52 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Jecoliah of Jerusalem
Reigning in Israel at that time: King Jeroboam, who had been the king there for 27 years
3 Azariah was a good king, and he pleased the Lord just as his father Amaziah had. 4 But like his predecessors, he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense. 5 Because of this the Lord struck him with leprosy, which lasted until the day of his death; so he lived in a house by himself. And his son Jotham was the acting king. 6 The rest of the history of Azariah is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 7 When Azariah died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and his son Jotham became king.
8 New king of Israel: Zechariah
Father's name: Jeroboam
Length of reign: 6 months, in Samaria
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 38 years
9 But Zechariah was an evil king in the Lord's sight, just like his ancestors. Like Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat), he encouraged Israel in the sin of worshiping idols. 10 Then Shallum (the son of Jabesh) conspired against him and assassinated him at Ibleam and took the crown himself. 11 The rest of the history of Zechariah's reign is found in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 12 (So the Lord's statement to Jehu came true, that Jehu's son, grandson, and great-grandson would be kings of Israel.)
13 New king of Israel: Shallum
Father's name: Jabesh
Length of reign: 1 month, in Samaria
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Uzziah, who had been the king there for 39 years
14 One month after Shallum became king, Menahem (the son of Gadi) came to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him and took the throne. 15 Additional details about King Shallum and his conspiracy are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
16 Menahem destroyed the city of Tappuah and the surrounding countryside, for its citizens refused to accept him as their king; he killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.
17 New king of Israel: Menahem
Length of reign: 10 years, in Samaria
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 39 years
18 But Menahem was an evil king. He worshiped idols, as King Jeroboam I had done so long before, and he led the people of Israel into grievous sin. 19-20 Then King Pul of Assyria invaded the land; but King Menahem bought him off with a gift of $2,000,000, so he turned around and returned home. Menahem extorted the money from the rich, assessing each one $2,000 in the form of a special tax. 21 The rest of the history of King Menahem is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 22 When he died, his son Pekahiah became the new king.
23 New king of Israel: Pekahiah
Father's name: King Menahem
Length of reign: 2 years, in Samaria
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 50 years
24 But Pekahiah was an evil king, and he continued the idol worship begun by Jeroboam I (son of Nebat) who led Israel down that evil trail.
25 Then Pekah (son of Remaliah), the commanding general of his army, conspired against him with fifty men from Gilead and assassinated him in the palace at Samaria (Argob and Arieh were also slain in the revolt). So Pekah became the new king. 26 The rest of the history of King Pekahiah is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
27 New king of Israel: Pekah
Father's name: Remaliah
Length of reign: 20 years, in Samaria
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 52 years
28 Pekah, too, was an evil king, and he continued in the example of Jeroboam I (son of Nebat), who led all of Israel into the sin of worshiping idols. 29 It was during his reign that King Tiglath-pileser led an attack against Israel. He captured the cities of Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali; and he took the people away to Assyria as captives. 30 Then Hoshea (the son of Elah) plotted against Pekah and assassinated him; and he took the throne for himself.
New king of Israel: Hoshea
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Jotham (son of Uzziah), who had been the king there for 20 years
31 The rest of the history of Pekah's reign is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
32-33 New king of Judah: Jotham
Father's name: King Uzziah
His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old
Length of reign: 16 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Jerusha (daughter of Zadok)
Reigning in Israel at that time: King Pekah (son of Remaliah), who had been the king there for 2 years
34-35 Generally speaking, Jotham was a good king. Like his father Uzziah, he followed the Lord. But he didn't destroy the shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense. It was during King Jotham's reign that the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord was built. 36 The rest of Jotham's history is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 37 In those days the Lord caused King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah. 38 When Jotham died he was buried with the other kings of Judah in the royal cemetery, in the City of David section of Jerusalem. Then his son Ahaz became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,107
3,3,5,265
4,4,7,345
5,5,9,472
6,6,11,690
7,7,13,790
8,8,15,901
9,9,17,1043
10,10,19,1232
11,11,21,1368
12,12,23,1466
13,13,25,1605
14,14,27,1736
15,15,29,1896
16,16,31,2013
17,17,33,2245
18,18,35,2384
19,19,37,2549
20,20,39,2731
21,21,41,2895
22,22,43,2992
23,23,45,3065
24,24,47,3205
25,25,49,3345
26,26,51,3598
27,27,53,3696
28,28,55,3838
29,29,57,3975
30,30,59,4243
31,31,61,4442
32,32,63,4537
33,33,65,4651
34,34,67,4802
35,35,69,4886
36,36,71,5072
37,37,73,5187
38,38,75,5290
1,2,1,1
3,7,7,299
8,8,9,869
9,12,13,1058
13,13,15,1563
14,15,19,1747
16,16,21,1998
17,17,23,2197
18,22,26,2359
23,23,28,2904
24,24,32,3096
25,26,34,3239
27,27,36,3580
28,30,40,3766
31,33,43,4419
34,38,51,4826
MODELS 2KING 15:4
Although Azariah accomplished a great deal, he failed to destroy the heathen shrines in Judah, just as his father Amaziah and grandfather Joash had failed to do. Azariah imitated the kings he had heard stories about and watched while growing up. Although Azariah's father and grandfather were basically good kings, they were poor models in some important areas. To rise above the influence of poor models, we must find better ones. Christ provides a perfect model. No matter how you were raised or who influenced your life, you can move beyond those limitations by taking Christ as your example and consciously trying to live as he did.
INFLUENCE 2KING 15:9
Zechariah was an evil king because he encouraged Israel to sin by worshipping idols. Sin in our own lives is serious, but even more terrible than sinning ourselves is encouraging others to disobey God. We are responsible for the way we influence others. Beware of double sins: ones that not only hurt us, but also hurt others by encouraging them to sin.
PRIORITY 2KING 15:34-35
Jotham was a good king ... but. Much good can be said of Jotham and his reign as king of Judah, but he failed in a most critical area: he didn't destroy the shrines to the false gods, although leaving them clearly violated the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). Like Jotham, we may live basically good lives and yet miss doing what is most important. A lifetime of doing good is not enough if we make the crucial mistake of not follow- ing God with all our hearts. A true follower of God puts him first in all areas of life.
2KING016
WORSHIP
1 Ahaz was the son of Jotham king of Judah. Ahaz became king of Judah in the seventeenth year Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. Unlike his ancestor David, he did not do what the LORD his God said was right.
3 Ahaz did the same things the kings of Israel had done. He even made his son pass through fire. He did the same hateful sins as the nations had done whom the LORD had forced out of the land ahead of the Israelites.
4 Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense at the places where gods were worshiped, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to attack Jerusalem. They surrounded Ahaz but could not defeat him.
6 At that time Rezin king of Aram took back the city of Elath for Aram, and he forced out all the people of Judah. Then Edomites moved into Elath, and they still live there today.
7 Ahaz sent messengers to TIGLATH-PILESER king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your friend. Come and save me from the king of Aram and the king of Israel, who are attacking me."
8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that was in the Temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the palace, and he sent these as a gift to the king of Assyria.
9 So the king of Assyria listened to Ahaz. He attacked Damascus and captured it and sent all its people away to Kir. And he killed Rezin.
10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet TIGLATH-PILESER king of Assyria. Ahaz saw an altar at Damascus, and he sent plans and a pattern of this altar to Uriah the priest.
11 So Uriah the priest built an altar, just like the plans King Ahaz had sent him from Damascus. Uriah finished the altar before King Ahaz came back from Damascus.
12 When the king arrived from Damascus, he saw the altar and went near and offered sacrifices on it.
13 He burned his burnt offerings and grain offerings and poured out his drink offering. He also sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar.
14 Ahaz moved the bronze altar that was before the LORD at the front of the Temple. It was between Ahaz's altar and the Temple of the LORD, but he put it on the north side of his altar.
15 King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, "On the large altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and grain offering, and the whole burnt offering, the grain offering, and the drink offering for all the people of the land. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and of the sacrifice. But I will use the bronze altar to ask questions of God." .
16 So Uriah the priest did everything as King Ahaz commanded him.
17 Then King Ahaz took off the side panels from the bases and removed the washing bowls from the top of the bases. He also took the large bowl, which was called the Sea, off the bronze bulls that held it up, and he put it on a stone base.
18 Ahaz took away the platform for the royal throne, which had been built at the Temple of the LORD. He also took away the outside entrance for the king. He did these things because of the king of Assyria.
19 The other things Ahaz did as king are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
20 Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and Ahaz's son Hezekiah became king in his place.
1 New king of Judah: Ahaz
Father's name: Jotham
His age at the beginning of his reign: 20 years old
Length of reign: 16 years, in Jerusalem
Character of his reign: evil
Reigning in Israel at that time: King Pekah (son of Remaliah), who had been the king there for 17 years
2 But he did not follow the Lord as his ancestor David had; 3 he was as wicked as the kings of Israel. He even killed his own son by offering him as a burnt sacrifice to the gods, following the heathen customs of the nations around Judah - nations that the Lord destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land. 4 He also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines on the hills and at the numerous altars in the groves of trees.
5 Then King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah (son of Remaliah) of Israel declared war on Ahaz and besieged Jerusalem; but they did not conquer it. 6 However, at that time King Rezin of Syria recovered the city of Elath for Syria; he drove out the Jews and sent Syrians to live there, as they do to this day. 7 King Ahaz sent a messenger to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, begging him to help him fight the attacking armies of Syria and Israel. 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and from the royal vaults and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian king. 9 So the Assyrians attacked Damascus, the capital of Syria. They took away the population of the city as captives, resettling them in Kir, and King Rezin of Syria was killed.
10 King Ahaz now went to Damascus to meet with King Tiglath-pileser, and while he was there he noticed an unusual altar in a heathen temple. He jotted down its dimensions and made a sketch and sent it back to Uriah the priest with a detailed description. 11-12 Uriah built one just like it by following these directions and had it ready for the king, who, upon his return from Damascus, inaugurated it with an offering. 13 The king presented a burnt offering and a grain offering, poured a drink offering over it, and sprinkled the blood of peace offerings upon it. 14 Then he removed the old bronze altar from the front of the Temple (it had stood between the Temple entrance and the new altar), and placed it on the north side of the new altar. 15 He instructed Uriah the priest to use the new altar for the sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and grain offering, and the offerings of the people, including their drink offerings. The blood from the burnt offerings and sacrifices was also to be sprinkled over the new altar. So the old altar was used only for purposes of divination.
"The old bronze altar," he said, "will be only for my personal use."
16 Uriah the priest did as King Ahaz instructed him. 17 Then the king dismantled the wheeled stands in the Temple, removed their crosspieces and the water vats they supported, and removed the great tank from the backs of the bronze oxen and placed it upon the stone pavement. 18 In deference to the king of Assyria he also removed the festive passageway he had constructed between the palace and the Temple.
19 The rest of the history of the reign of King Ahaz is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 20 When Ahaz died he was buried in the royal cemetery, in the City of David sector of Jerusalem, and his son Hezekiah became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,141
3,3,5,314
4,4,7,534
5,5,9,666
6,6,11,814
7,7,13,998
8,8,15,1191
9,9,17,1351
10,10,19,1493
11,11,21,1671
12,12,23,1839
13,13,25,1944
14,14,27,2106
15,15,29,2296
16,16,31,2713
17,17,33,2783
18,18,35,3026
19,19,37,3236
20,20,39,3339
1,1,1,1
2,4,7,285
5,9,9,723
10,15,11,1464
16,18,14,2671
19,20,16,3082
WORSHIP 2KING 16:10-15
Evil King Ahaz copied heathen religious customs, changed the Temple services, and used the Temple altar for his personal benefit. In so doing, he demonstrated a callous disregard for God's commands. We condemn Ahaz for his action, but we do the same thing if we try to mold God's message to fit our personal preferences. We must worship God for who he is, not what we would selfishly like him to be.
2KING017
1 Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel during Ahaz's twelfth year as king of Judah. Hoshea ruled in Samaria nine years.
2 He did what the LORD said was wrong, but he was not as bad as the kings of Israel who had ruled before him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came to attack Hoshea. Hoshea had been Shalmaneser's servant and had made the payments to Shalmaneser that he had demanded.
4 But the king of Assyria found out that Hoshea had made plans against him by sending messengers to So, the king of Egypt. Hoshea had also stopped giving Shalmaneser the payments, which he had paid every year in the past. For that, the king put Hoshea in prison. land
5 Then the king of Assyria came and attacked all the land of Israel. He surrounded Samaria and attacked it for three years.
6 He defeated Samaria in the ninth year Hoshea was king, and he took the Israelites away to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 All these things happened because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God. He had brought them out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of the king of Egypt, but the Israelites had honored other gods.
8 They lived like the nations the LORD had forced out of the land ahead of them. They lived as their evil kings had shown them,
9 secretly sinning against the LORD their God. They built places to worship gods in all their cities, from the watchtower to the strong, walled city.
10 They put up stone pillars to gods and Asherah idols on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 The Israelites burned incense everywhere gods were worshiped, just as the nations who lived there before them had done, whom the LORD had forced out of the land. The Israelites did wicked things that made the LORD angry.
12 They served idols when the LORD had said, "You must not do this."
13 The LORD used every prophet and seer to warn Israel and Judah. He said, "Stop your evil ways and obey my commands and laws. Follow all the teachings that I commanded your ancestors, the teachings that I gave you through my servants the prophets."
14 But the people would not listen. They were stubborn, just as their ancestors had been who did not believe in the LORD their God.
15 They rejected the LORD' s laws and the agreement he had made with their ancestors. And they refused to listen to his warnings. They worshiped useless idols and became useless themselves. They did what the nations around them did, which the LORD had warned them not to do.
16 The people rejected all the commands of the LORD their God. They molded statues of two calves, and they made an Asherah idol. They worshiped all the stars of the sky and served Baal.
17 They made their sons and daughters pass through fire and tried to find out the future by magic and witchcraft. They always chose to do what the LORD said was wrong, which made him angry.
18 Because he was very angry with the people of Israel, he removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left.
19 But even Judah did not obey the commands of the LORD their God. They did what the Israelites had done,
20 so the LORD rejected all the people of Israel. He punished them and let others destroy them; he threw them out of his presence.
21 When the LORD separated them from the family of David, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam led the Israelites away from the LORD and led them to sin greatly.
22 So they continued to do all the sins Jeroboam did. They did not stop doing these sins
23 until the LORD removed the Israelites from his presence, just as he had said through all his servants the prophets. So the Israelites were taken out of their land to Assyria, and they have been there to this day.
24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and put them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites. These people took over Samaria and lived in the cities.
25 At first they did not worship the LORD, so he sent lions among them which killed some of them.
26 The king of Assyria was told, "You sent foreigners into the cities of Samaria who do not know the law of the god of the land. This is why he has sent lions among them. The lions are killing them because they don't know what the god wants."
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Send back one of the priests you took away. Let him live there and teach the people what the god wants."
28 So one of the priests who had been carried away from Samaria returned to live in Bethel. And he taught the people how to honor the LORD.
29 But each nation made gods of its own and put them in the cities where they lived and in the temples where gods were worshiped. These temples had been built by the Samaritans.
30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth their god. The people from Cuthah worshiped Nergal. The people of Hamath worshiped Ashima.
31 The Avvites worshiped Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire, sacrificing them to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 They also honored the LORD, but they chose priests for the places where gods were worshiped. The priests were chosen from among themselves, and they made sacrifices for the people.
33 The people honored the LORD but also served their own gods, just as the nations did from which they had been brought.
34 Even today they do as they did in the past. They do not worship the LORD nor obey his rules and commands. They do not obey the teachings or the commands of the LORD, which he gave to the children of Jacob, whom he had named Israel.
35 The LORD had made an agreement with them and had commanded them, "Do not honor other gods. Do not bow down to them or worship them or offer sacrifices to them.
36 Worship the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and strength. Bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him.
37 Always obey the rules, orders, teachings, and commands he wrote for you. Do not honor other gods.
38 Do not forget the agreement I made with you, and do not honor other gods.
39 Instead worship the LORD your God, who will save you from all your enemies."
40 But the Israelites did not listen. They kept on doing the same things they had done before.
41 So these nations honored the LORD but also worshiped their idols, and their children and grandchildren still do as their ancestors did.
1 New king of Israel: Hoshea
Father's name: Elah
Length of reign: 9 years, in Samaria
Character of his reign: evil - but not as bad as some of the other kings of Israel
Reigning in Judah at that time: King Ahaz, who had been the king there for 12 years
3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated King Hoshea, so Israel had to pay heavy annual taxes to Assyria. 4 Then Hoshea conspired against the king of Assyria by asking King So of Egypt to help him shake free of Assyria's power, but this treachery was discovered. At the same time he refused to pay the annual tribute to Assyria. So the king of Assyria put him in prison and in chains for his rebellion.
5 Now the land of Israel was filled with Assyrian troops for three years besieging Samaria, the capital city of Israel. 6 Finally, in the ninth year of King Hoshea's reign, Samaria fell and the people of Israel were exiled to Assyria. They were placed in colonies in the city of Halah and along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and among the cities of the Medes.
7 This disaster came upon the nation of Israel because the people worshiped other gods, thus sinning against the Lord their God who had brought them safely out of their slavery in Egypt. 8 They had followed the evil customs of the nations which the Lord had cast out from before them. 9 The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were wrong, and they had built altars to other gods throughout the land. 10 They had placed obelisks and idols at the top of every hill and under every green tree; 11 and they had burned incense to the gods of the very nations which the Lord had cleared out of the land when Israel came in. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, and the Lord was very angry. 12 Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord's specific and repeated warnings.
13 Again and again the Lord had sent prophets to warn both Israel and Judah to turn from their evil ways; he had warned them to obey his commandments which he had given to their ancestors through these prophets, 14 but Israel wouldn't listen. The people were as stubborn as their ancestors and refused to believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his laws and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and despised all his warnings. In their foolishness they worshiped heathen idols despite the Lord's stern warnings. 16 They defied all the commandments of the Lord their God and made two calves from molten gold. They made detestable, shameful idols and worshiped Baal and the sun, moon, and stars. 17 They even burned their own sons and daughters to death on the altars of Molech; they consulted fortune-tellers and used magic and sold themselves to evil. So the Lord was very angry. 18 He swept them from his sight until only the tribe of Judah remained in the land.
19 But even Judah refused to obey the commandments of the Lord their God; they too walked in the same evil paths as Israel had. 20 So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Jacob. He punished them by delivering them to their attackers until they were destroyed. 21 For Israel split off from the kingdom of David and chose Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat) as its king. Then Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord. He made them sin a great sin, 22 and the people of Israel never quit doing the evil things that Jeroboam led them into, 23 until the Lord finally swept them away, just as all his prophets had warned would happen. So Israel was carried off to the land of Assyria where they remain to this day.
24 And the king of Assyria transported colonies of people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and resettled them in the cities of Samaria, replacing the people of Israel. So the Assyrians took over Samaria and the other cities of Israel. 25 But since these Assyrian colonists did not worship the Lord when they first arrived, the Lord sent lions among them to kill some of them.
26 Then they sent a message to the king of Assyria: "We colonists here in Israel don't know the laws of the god of the land, and he has sent lions among us to destroy us because we have not worshiped him."
27-28 The king of Assyria then decreed that one of the exiled priests from Samaria should return to Israel and teach the new residents the laws of the god of the land. So one of them returned to Bethel and taught the colonists from Babylon how to worship the Lord.
29 But these foreigners also worshiped their own gods. They placed them in the shrines on the hills near their cities. 30 Those from Babylon worshiped idols of their god Succoth-benoth; those from Cuth worshiped their god Nergal; and the men of Hamath worshiped Ashima. 31 The gods Nibhaz and Tartak were worshiped by the Avvites, and the people from Sephar even burned their own children on the altars of their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 They also worshiped the Lord, and they appointed from among themselves priests to sacrifice to the Lord on the hilltop altars. 33 But they continued to follow the religious customs of the nations from which they came. 34 And this is still going on among them today - they follow their former practices instead of truly worshiping the Lord or obeying the laws he gave to the descendants of Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). 35-36 For the Lord had made a contract with them - that they were never to worship or make sacrifices to any heathen gods. They were to worship only the Lord who had brought them out of the land of Egypt with such tremendous miracles and power. 37 The descendants of Jacob were to obey all of God's laws and never worship other gods.
38 For God had said, "You must never forget the covenant I made with you; never worship other gods. 39 You must worship only the Lord; he will save you from all your enemies."
40 But Israel didn't listen, and the people continued to worship other gods. 41 These colonists from Babylon worshiped the Lord, yes - but they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their descendants do the same thing.
1,1,1,1
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38,38,75,6167
39,39,77,6248
40,40,79,6332
41,41,81,6431
1,2,1,1
3,4,6,263
5,6,8,680
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13,18,12,1855
19,23,14,2839
24,25,16,3558
26,26,18,3955
27,28,20,4164
29,31,22,4432
32,37,24,4880
38,39,26,5659
40,41,28,5841
COPYING 2KING 17:7-9
The Lord judged the people of Israel because they copied the evil customs of the surrounding nations, worshiping false gods, accommodating pagan customs, and following their own desires. It is not safe to copy the world's customs because godless people tend to live selfishly. And to live for yourself, as Israel learned, brings serious consequences from God. Sometimes it is difficult and painful to follow God, but consider the alternative. You can live for God, or die for yourself. Determine to be God's person and do what he says regardless of the cost. What God thinks of you is infinitely more important than what the world thinks. (See Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17.)
VALUES 2KING 17:27-29
The new settlers in Israel worshiped God without giving up their pagan customs. They worshiped God to appease him rather than to please him, treating him as a good luck charm or just another idol to add to their collection. A similar attitude is common today. Many people claim to believe in God while refusing to give up attitudes and actions that God denounces. God cannot be added to the values we already have. He must come first, and his word must shape all our actions and attitudes.
2KING018
1 Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah became king during the third year Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.
2 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
3 Hezekiah did what the LORD said was right, just as his ancestor David had done.
4 He removed the places where gods were worshiped. He smashed the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah idols. Also the Israelites had been burning incense to Nehushtan, the bronze snake Moses had made. But Hezekiah broke it into pieces.
5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.
6 Hezekiah was loyal to the LORD and did not stop following him; he obeyed the commands the LORD had given Moses.
7 And the LORD was with Hezekiah, so he had success in everything he did. He turned against the king of Assyria and stopped serving him.
8 Hezekiah defeated the Philistines all the way to Gaza and its borders, including the watchtowers and the strong, walled cities.
9 Shalmaneser king of Assyria surrounded Samaria and attacked it in the fourth year Hezekiah was king. This was the seventh year Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.
10 After three years the Assyrians captured Samaria. This was in the sixth year Hezekiah was king, which was Hoshea's ninth year as king of Israel.
11 The king of Assyria took the Israelites away to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
12 This happened because they did not obey the LORD their God. They broke his agreement and did not obey all that Moses, the LORD' s servant, had commanded. They would not listen to the commands or do them.
13 During Hezekiah's fourteenth year as king, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the strong, walled cities of Judah and captured them.
14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent a message to the king of Assyria at Lachish. He said, "I have done wrong. Leave me alone, and I will pay anything you ask." So the king of Assyria made Hezekiah pay about twenty-two thousand pounds of silver and two thousand pounds of gold.
15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was in the Temple of the LORD and in the palace treasuries.
16 Hezekiah stripped all the gold that covered the doors and doorposts of the Temple of the LORD. Hezekiah had put gold on these doors himself, but he gave it all to the king of Assyria.
17 The king of Assyria sent out his supreme commander, his chief officer, and his field commander. They went with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When they came near the waterway from the upper pool on the road where people do their laundry, they stopped.
18 They called for the king, so the king sent Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah out to meet them. Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.
19 The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah this: "`The great king, the king of Assyria, says: What can you trust in now?
20 You say you have battle plans and power for war, but your words mean nothing. Whom are you trusting for help so that you turn against me?
21 Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a splintered walking stick. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and hurt you. The king of Egypt will hurt all those who depend on him.
22 You might say, "We are depending on the LORD our God," but Hezekiah destroyed the LORD' s altars and the places of worship. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar in Jerusalem."
23 "`Now make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them.
24 You cannot defeat one of my master's least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen?
25 I have not come to attack and destroy this place without an order from the LORD. The LORD himself told me to come to this country and destroy it.' "
26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew, because the people on the city wall can hear you."
27 "No," the commander said, "my master did not send me to tell these things only to you and your king. He sent me to speak also to those people sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine like you."
28 Then the commander stood and shouted loudly in the Hebrew language, "Listen to what the great king, the king of Assyria, says!
29 The king says you should not let Hezekiah fool you, because he can't save you from my power.
30 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting the LORD by saying, `The LORD will surely save us. This city won't be handed over to the king of Assyria.'
31 "Don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, `Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own well.
32 After that I will come and take you to a land like your own- a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards, olives, and honey. Choose to live and not to die!' "Don't listen to Hezekiah. He is fooling you when he says, `The LORD will save us.'C
33 Has a god of any other nation saved his people from the power of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? They did not save Samaria from my power.
35 Not one of all the gods of these countries has saved his people from me. Neither can the LORD save Jerusalem from my power."
36 The people were silent. They didn't answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, "Don't answer him."
37 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes to show how upset they were. (Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.) The three men went to Hezekiah and told him what the field commander had said.
1 New king of Judah: Hezekiah
Father's name: Ahaz
His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old
Length of reign: 29 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Abi (daughter of Zechariah)
Character of his reign: good (similar to that of his ancestor David)
Reigning in Israel at that time: King Hoshea (son of Elah), who had been the king there for 3 years
4 He removed the shrines on the hills, broke down the obelisks, knocked down the shameful idols of Asherah, and broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had begun to worship it by burning incense to it; even though, as King Hezekiah pointed out to them, it was merely a piece of bronze. 5 He trusted very strongly in the Lord God of Israel. In fact, none of the kings before or after him were as close to God as he was. 6 For he followed the Lord in everything, and carefully obeyed all of God's commands to Moses. 7 So the Lord was with him and prospered everything he did. Then he rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to pay tribute any longer. 8 He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its suburbs, destroying cities both large and small.
9 It was during the fourth year of his reign (which was the seventh year of the reign of King Hoshea in Israel) that King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel and began a siege on the city of Samaria. 10 Three years later (during the sixth year of the reign of King Hezekiah and the ninth year of the reign of King Hoshea of Israel) Samaria fell. 11 It was at that time that the king of Assyria transported the Israelis to Assyria and put them in colonies in the city of Halath and along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 For they had refused to listen to the Lord their God or to do what he wanted them to do. Instead, they had transgressed his covenant and disobeyed all the laws given to them by Moses the servant of the Lord.
13 Later, during the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. 14 King Hezekiah sued for peace and sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute you demand if you will only go away." The king of Assyria then demanded a settlement of $1,500,000. 15 To gather this amount, King Hezekiah used all the silver stored in the Temple and in the palace treasury. 16 He even stripped off the gold from the Temple doors, and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and gave it all to the Assyrian king.
17 Nevertheless the king of Assyria sent his field marshal, his chief treasurer, and his chief of staff from Lachish with a great army; and they camped along the highway beside the field where cloth was bleached, near the conduit of the upper pool. 18 They demanded that King Hezekiah come out to speak to them, but instead he sent a truce delegation of the following men: Eliakim, his business manager; Shebnah, his secretary; and Joah, his royal historian.
19 Then the Assyrian general sent this message to King Hezekiah: "The great king of Assyria says, `No one can save you from my power! 20-21 You need more than mere promises of help before rebelling against me. But which of your allies will give you more than words? Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, you will find her to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The Egyptian Pharaoh is totally unreliable! 22 And if you say, "We're trusting the Lord to rescue us" - just remember that he is the very one whose hilltop altars you've destroyed. For you require everyone to worship at the altar in Jerusalem!' 23 I'll tell you what: Make a bet with my master, the king of Assyria! If you have two thousand men left who can ride horses, we'll furnish the horses! 24 And with an army as small as yours, you are no threat to even the least lieutenant in charge of the smallest contingent in my master's army. Even if Egypt supplies you with horses and chariots, it will do no good. 25 And do you think we have come here on our own? No! The Lord sent us and told us, `Go and destroy this nation!' "
26 Then Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah said to them, "Please speak in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don't use Hebrew, for the people standing on the walls will hear you."
27 But the Assyrian general replied, "Has my master sent me to speak only to you and to your master? Hasn't he sent me to the people on the walls too? For they are doomed with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine!"
28 Then the Assyrian ambassador shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall, "Listen to the great king of Assyria! 29 `Don't let King Hezekiah fool you. He will never be able to save you from my power. 30 Don't let him fool you into trusting in the Lord to rescue you. 31-32 Don't listen to King Hezekiah. Surrender! You can live in peace here in your own land until I take you to another land just like this one - with plentiful crops, grain, grapes, olive trees, and honey. All of this instead of death! Don't listen to King Hezekiah when he tries to persuade you that the Lord will deliver you. 33 Have any of the gods of the other nations ever delivered their people from the king of Assyria? 34 What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they rescue Samaria? 35 What god has ever been able to save any nation from my power? So what makes you think the Lord can save Jerusalem?' "
36 But the people on the wall remained silent, for the king had instructed them to say nothing. 37 Then Eliakim (son of Hilkiah) the business manager, and Shebnah the king's secretary, and Joah (son of Asaph) the historian went to King Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him what the Assyrian general had said.
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37,37,73,6039
1,3,1,1
4,8,8,368
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19,25,16,3066
26,26,17,4179
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28,35,21,4588
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IDOL CURE 2KING 18:4
The bronze serpent had been made to cure the Israelites of a deadly plague (Numbers 21:4-9). It demonstrated God's presence and power and reminded the people of his mercy and forgiveness. But it had become an object of worship instead of a reminder of whom to worship, so Hezekiah was forced to destroy it. We must be careful that the things we use to aid our worship don't become objects of worship themselves. Most objects are not made to be idols-they become idols by the way people use them.
2KING019
1 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad he was. Then he went into the Temple of the LORD.
2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the palace manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the older priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing rough cloth when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 They told Isaiah, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of sorrow and punishment and disgrace, as when a child should be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it.
4 The king of Assyria sent his field commander to make fun of the living God. Maybe the LORD your God will hear what the commander said and will punish him for it. So pray for the few of us who are left alive."
5 When Hezekiah's officers came to Isaiah,
6 he said to them, "Tell your master this: The LORD says, `Don't be afraid of what you have heard. Don't be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have spoken against me.
7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to die by the sword there.' "
8 The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.
9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 "Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don't be fooled by the god you trust. Don't believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.
11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do not think you will be saved.
12 Did the gods of those people save them? My ancestors destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar.
13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Temple of the LORD. He spread the letter out before the LORD
15 and prayed to the LORD: "LORD, God of Israel, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings, only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
16 Hear, LORD, and listen. Open your eyes, LORD, and see. Listen to the words Sennacherib has said to insult the living God.
17 It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed these countries and their lands.
18 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, but they were only wood and rock statues that people made. So the kings have destroyed them.
19 Now, LORD our God, save us from the king's power so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, LORD, are the only God."
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.
21 This is what the LORD has said against Sennacherib: `The people of Jerusalem hate you and make fun of you. The people of Jerusalem laugh at you as you run away.
22 You have insulted me and spoken against me; you have raised your voice against me. You have a proud look on your face, which is against me, the Holy One of Israel.
23 You have sent your messengers to insult the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have gone to the tops of the mountains, to the highest mountains of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its best pine trees. I have gone to its farthest places and to its best forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign countries and drunk water there. By the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt."
25 "`King of Assyria, surely you have heard. Long ago I, the LORD, planned these things. Long ago I designed them, and now I have made them happen. I allowed you to turn those strong, walled cities into piles of rocks.
26 The people in those cities were weak; they were frightened and put to shame. They were like grass in the field, like tender, young grass, like grass on the housetop that is burned by the wind before it can grow.
27 "`I know when you rest, when you come and go, and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me, and because I have heard your proud words, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. Then I will force you to leave my country the same way you came.'
29 "Then the LORD said, `Hezekiah, I will give you this sign: This year you will eat the grain that grows wild, and the second year you will eat what grows wild from that. But in the third year, plant grain and harvest it. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 Some of the people in the family of Judah will escape. Like plants that take root, they will grow strong and have many children.
31 A few people will come out of Jerusalem alive; a few from Mount Zion will live. The strong love of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will make this happen.'
32 "So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: `He will not enter this city or even shoot an arrow here. He will not fight against it with shields or build a ramp to attack the city walls.
33 He will return to his country the same way he came, and he will not enter this city,' says the LORD.
34 `I will defend and save this city for my sake and for the sake of David, my servant.' "
35 That night the angel of the LORD went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.
37 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped
1 When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the Temple to pray. 2 Then he told Eliakim, Shebnah, and some of the older priests to clothe themselves in sackcloth and to go to Isaiah (son of Amoz), the prophet, with this message:
3 "King Hezekiah says, `This is a day of trouble, insult, and dishonor. It is as when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver it. 4 Yet perhaps the Lord your God has heard the Assyrian general defying the living God and will rebuke him. Oh, pray for the few of us who are left.' "
5-6 Isaiah replied, "The Lord says, `Tell your master not to be troubled by the sneers these Assyrians have made against me.' 7 For the king of Assyria will receive bad news from home and will decide to return; and the Lord will see to it that he is killed when he arrives there."
8 Then the Assyrian general returned to his king at Libnah (for he received word that he had left Lachish). 9 Soon afterwards news reached the king that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was coming to attack him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent back this message to King Hezekiah:
10 "Don't be fooled by that god you trust in. Don't believe it when he says that I won't conquer Jerusalem. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone; they have completely destroyed everything. Why would you be any different? 12 Have the gods of the other nations delivered them - such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and Eden in the land of Telassar? The former kings of Assyria destroyed them all! 13 What happened to the king of Hamoth and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"
14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, read it, and went over to the Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 Then he prayed this prayer:
"O Lord God of Israel, sitting on your throne high above the angels, you alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend low, O Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, O Lord, and see. Listen to this man's defiance of the living God. 17 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all those nations 18 and have burned their idol-gods. But they weren't gods at all; they were destroyed because they were only things that men had made of wood and stone. 19 O Lord our God, we plead with you to save us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone are God."
20 Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: "The Lord God of Israel says, `I have heard you! 21 And this is my reply to King Sennacherib: The virgin daughter of Zion isn't afraid of you! The daughter of Jerusalem scorns and mocks at you. 22 Whom have you defied and blasphemed? And toward whom have you felt so cocky? It is the Holy One of Israel!
23 " `You have boasted, "My chariots have conquered the highest mountains, yes, the peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down the tallest cedars and choicest cypress trees and have conquered the farthest borders. 24 I have been refreshed at many conquered wells, and I destroyed the strength of Egypt just by walking by!"
25 " `Why haven't you realized long before this that it is I, the Lord, who lets you do these things? I decreed your conquest of all those fortified cities! 26 So of course the nations you conquered had no power against you! They were like grass shriveling beneath the hot sun, and like grain blighted before it is half grown. 27 I know everything about you. I know all your plans and where you are going next; and I also know the evil things you have said about me. 28 And because of your arrogance against me, I am going to put a hook in your nose and a bridle in your mouth and turn you back on the road by which you came. 29 And this is the proof that I will do as I have promised: This year my people will eat the volunteer wheat and use it as seed for next year's crop; and in the third year they will have a bountiful harvest.
30 " `O my people Judah, those of you who have escaped the ravages of the siege shall become a great nation again; you shall be rooted deeply in the soil and bear fruit for God. 31 A remnant of my people shall become strong in Jerusalem. The Lord is eager to cause this to happen.
32 " `And my command concerning the king of Assyria is that he shall not enter this city. He shall not stand before it with a shield, nor build a ramp against its wall, nor even shoot an arrow into it. 33 He shall return by the road he came, 34 for I will defend and save this city for the sake of my own name and for the sake of my servant David.' "
35 That very night the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in the morning.
36 Then King Sennacherib returned to Nineveh; 37 and as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him. They escaped into eastern Turkey - the land of Ararat - and his son Esarhaddon became the new king.
1,1,1,1
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35,35,20,4679
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PRAYER 2KING 19:1
Sennacherib, whose armies had captured all the fortified cities of Judah, sent a message to Hezekiah to surrender because resistance was futile. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Hezekiah went to the temple and prayed. He knew that God specializes in impossible situations. God answered Hezekiah's prayer and delivered Judah by sending an army to attack the Assyrian capital, forcing Sennacherib to leave at once. Prayer should be our first response in any crisis. Our problems are God's opportunities.
NO FEAR 2KING 19:15
Although Hezekiah came boldly to God, he did not take him for granted or approach him flippantly. Instead, he acknowledged God's sovereignty and Judah's total dependence upon him. Hezekiah's prayer provides a good model for us. We should not be afraid to approach God with our prayers, but we must come to him with respect for who he is and what he can do.
2KING020
FAITH
1 At that time Hezekiah became so sick he almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, "This is what the LORD says: Make arrangements because you are not going to live, but die."
2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 "LORD, please remember that I have always obeyed you. I have given myself completely to you and have done what you said was right." Then Hezekiah cried loudly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the LORD spoke his word to Isaiah:
5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: `This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears, so I will heal you. Three days from now you will go up to the Temple of the LORD.
6 I will add fifteen years to your life. I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria; I will protect the city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "
7 Then Isaiah said, "Make a paste from figs." So they made it and put it on Hezekiah's boil, and he got well.
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the Temple of the LORD on the third day?"
9 Isaiah said, "The LORD will do what he says. This is the sign from the LORD to show you: Do you want the shadow to go forward ten steps or back ten steps?"
10 Hezekiah answered, "It's easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps. Instead, let it go back ten steps."
11 Then Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and the LORD brought the shadow ten steps back up the stairway of Ahaz that it had gone down.
12 At that time MERODACH-BALADAN son of Baladan was king of Babylon. He sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah was sick.
13 Hezekiah listened to the messengers, so he showed them what was in his storehouses: the silver, gold, spices, expensive perfumes, his swords and shields, and all his wealth. He showed them everything in his palace and his kingdom.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "They came from a faraway country- from Babylon."
15 So Isaiah asked him, "What did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah said, "They saw everything in my palace. I showed them all my wealth."
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the words of the LORD:
17 `In the future everything in your palace and everything your ancestors have stored up until this day will be taken away to Babylon. Nothing will be left,' says the LORD.
18 `Some of your own children, those who will be born to you, will be taken away. And they will become servants in the palace of the king of Babylon.' "
19 Hezekiah told Isaiah, "These words from the LORD are good." He said this because he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
20 Everything else Hezekiah did- all his victories, his work on the pool, his work on the tunnel to bring water into the city- is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
21 Then Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.
1 Hezekiah now became deathly sick, and Isaiah the prophet went to visit him.
"Set your affairs in order and prepare to die," Isaiah told him. "The Lord says you won't recover."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall.
3 "O Lord," he pleaded, "remember how I've always tried to obey you and to please you in everything I do. . . . " Then he broke down and cried.
4 So before Isaiah had left the courtyard, the Lord spoke to him again.
5 "Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, and tell him that the Lord God of his ancestor David has heard his prayer and seen his tears. I will heal him, and three days from now he will be out of bed and at the Temple! 6 I will add fifteen years to his life and save him and this city from the king of Assyria. And it will all be done for the glory of my own name and for the sake of my servant David."
7 Isaiah then instructed Hezekiah to boil some dried figs and to make a paste of them and spread it on the boil. And he recovered!
8 Meanwhile, King Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "Do a miracle to prove to me that the Lord will heal me and that I will be able to go to the Temple again three days from now."
9 "All right, the Lord will give you a proof," Isaiah told him. "Do you want the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten points or backward ten points?"
10 "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied; "make it go backward."
11 So Isaiah asked the Lord to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten points backward on the sundial of Ahaz!
12 At that time Merodach-baladan (the son of King Baladan of Babylon) sent ambassadors with greetings and a present to Hezekiah, for he had learned of his sickness. 13 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them all his treasures - the silver, gold, spices, aromatic oils, the armory - everything.
14 Then Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men want? Where are they from?"
"From far away in Babylon," Hezekiah replied.
15 "What have they seen in your palace?" Isaiah asked.
And Hezekiah replied, "Everything. I showed them all my treasures."
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of the Lord: 17 The time will come when everything in this palace shall be carried to Babylon. All the treasures of your ancestors will be taken - nothing shall be left. 18 Some of your own sons will be taken away and made into eunuchs who will serve in the palace of the king of Babylon."
19 "All right," Hezekiah replied, "if this is what the Lord wants, it is good." But he was really thinking, "At least there will be peace and security during the remainder of my own life!"
20 The rest of the history of Hezekiah and his great deeds - including the pool and conduit he made and how he brought water into the city - are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 21 When he died, his son Manasseh became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,213
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19,19,32,2449
20,21,34,2641
FAITH 2KING 20:5-6
Over a 100-year period of Judah's history (732-640 <MS>B.C. ), Hezekiah was the only faithful king; but what a difference he made! Because of Hezekiah's faith and prayer, God healed him and saved his city from the Assyrians. You can make a difference, too, even if your faith puts you in the minority. Faith and prayer, if they are sincere and directed toward the one true God, can bring about change in any situation.
2KING021
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was king fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.
2 He did what the LORD said was wrong. He did the hateful things the other nations had done- the nations that the LORD had forced out of the land ahead of the Israelites.
3 Manasseh's father, Hezekiah, had destroyed the places where gods were worshiped, but Manasseh rebuilt them. He built altars for Baal, and he made an Asherah idol as Ahab king of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped all the stars of the sky and served them.
4 The LORD had said about the Temple, "I will be worshiped in Jerusalem," but Manasseh built altars in the Temple of the LORD.
5 He built altars to worship the stars in the two courtyards of the Temple of the LORD.
6 He made his own son pass through fire. He practiced magic and told the future by explaining signs and dreams, and he got advice from mediums and fortune-tellers. He did many things the LORD said were wrong, which made the LORD angry.
7 Manasseh carved an Asherah idol and put it in the Temple. The LORD had said to David and his son Solomon about the Temple, "I will be worshiped forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.
8 I will never again make the Israelites wander out of the land I gave their ancestors. But they must obey everything I have commanded them and all the teachings my servant Moses gave them."
9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them to do more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.
10 The LORD said through his servants the prophets,
11 "Manasseh king of Judah has done these hateful things. He has done more evil than the Amorites before him. He also has led Judah to sin with his idols.
12 So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I will bring so much trouble on Jerusalem and Judah that anyone who hears about it will be shocked.
13 I will stretch the measuring line of Samaria over Jerusalem, and the plumb line used against Ahab's family will be used on Jerusalem. I will wipe out Jerusalem as a person wipes a dish and turns it upside down.
14 I will throw away the rest of my people who are left. I will give them to their enemies, and they will be robbed by all their enemies,
15 because my people did what I said was wrong. They have made me angry from the day their ancestors left Egypt until now.' "
16 Manasseh also killed many innocent people, filling Jerusalem from one end to the other with their blood. This was besides the sin he led Judah to do; he led Judah to do what the LORD said was wrong.
17 The other things Manasseh did as king, even the sin he did, are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
18 Manasseh died and was buried in the garden of his own palace, the garden of Uzza. Then Manasseh's son Amon became king in his place.
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he was king for two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, who was from Jotbah.
20 Amon did what the LORD said was wrong, as his father Manasseh had done.
21 He lived in the same way his father had lived: he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and he bowed down before them.
22 Amon rejected the LORD, the God of his ancestors, and did not follow the ways of the LORD.
23 Amon's officers made plans against him and killed him in his palace.
24 Then the people of the land killed all those who had made plans to kill King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
25 Everything else Amon did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
26 He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.
1 New king of Judah: Manasseh
His age at the beginning of his reign: 12 years old
Length of reign: 55 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Hephzibah
Character of his reign: evil; he did the same things the nations had done that were thrown out of the land to make room for the people of Israel
3-5 He rebuilt the hilltop shrines that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for Baal and made a shameful Asherah idol, just as Ahab the king of Israel had done. Heathen altars to the sun god, moon god, and the gods of the stars were placed even in the Temple of the Lord - in the very city and building that the Lord had selected to honor his own name. 6 And he sacrificed one of his sons as a burnt offering on a heathen altar. He practiced black magic and used fortune-telling, and patronized mediums and wizards. So the Lord was very angry, for Manasseh was an evil man, in God's sight. 7 Manasseh even set up a shameful Asherah idol in the Temple - the very place that the Lord had spoken to David and Solomon about when he said, "I will place my name forever in this Temple, and in Jerusalem - the city I have chosen from among all the cities of the tribes of Israel. 8 If the people of Israel will only follow the instructions I gave them through Moses, I will never again expel them from this land of their fathers."
9 But the people did not listen to the Lord, and Manasseh enticed them to do even more evil than the surrounding nations had done, even though Jehovah had destroyed those nations for their evil ways when the people of Israel entered the land.
10 Then the Lord declared through the prophets, 11 "Because King Manasseh has done these evil things and is even more wicked than the Amorites who were in this land long ago, and because he has led the people of Judah into idolatry: 12 I will bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. 13 I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, and as I did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish and turns it upside down to dry. 14 Then I will reject even those few of my people who are left, and I will hand them over to their enemies. 15 For they have done great evil and have angered me ever since I brought their ancestors from Egypt."
16 In addition to the idolatry which God hated and into which Manasseh led the people of Judah, he murdered great numbers of innocent people. And Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with the bodies of his victims.
17 The rest of the history of Manasseh's sinful reign is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 18 When he died he was buried in the garden of his palace at Uzza, and his son Amon became the new king.
19-20 New king of Judah: Amon
His age at the beginning of his reign: 22 years old
Length of reign: 2 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Meshullemeth (daughter of Haruz, of Jotbah)
Character of his reign: evil
21 He did all the evil things his father had done: he worshiped the same idols 22 and turned his back on the Lord God of his ancestors. He refused to listen to God's instructions. 23 But his aides conspired against him and killed him in the palace. 24 Then a posse of civilians killed all the assassins and placed Amon's son Josiah upon the throne. 25 The rest of Amon's biography is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 26 He was buried in a crypt in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became the new king.
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2,2,3,138
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21,26,21,3009
OCCULT 2KING 21:6
Manasseh was an evil king, and he angered God with his sin. Listed among his sins are occult practices, black magic, fortune-telling, and the use of mediums and wizards. God has specific laws against the occult (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:9-13) because it demonstrates a lack of faith in him, involves sinful actions, and opens the door to demonic influences. Today, many books, television shows, and games emphasize fortune-telling, seances, and other occult practices. Don't let desire to know the future or the mistaken belief that superstition is harmless lead you into any occult practices. They are counterfeits of God's power and have as their root a system of beliefs totally opposed to God.
2KING022
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah, who was from Bozkath.
2 Josiah did what the LORD said was right. He lived as his ancestor David had lived, and he did not stop doing what was right.
3 In Josiah's eighteenth year as king, he sent Shaphan to the Temple of the LORD. Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, was the royal secretary. Josiah said,
4 "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and have him empty out the money the gatekeepers have gathered from the people. This is the money they have brought into the Temple of the LORD.
5 Have him give the money to the supervisors of the work on the Temple of the LORD. They must pay the workers who repair the Temple of the Lord,
6 the carpenter, builders, and bricklayers. Also use the money to buy timber and cut stone to repair the Temple.
7 They do not need to report how they use the money given to them, because they are working honestly."
8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the royal secretary, "I've found the Book of the Teachings in the Temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
9 Then Shaphan the royal secretary went to the king and reported to Josiah, "Your officers have paid out the money that was in the Temple of the LORD. They have given it to the workers and supervisors at the Temple."
10 Then Shaphan the royal secretary told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from the book to the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Teachings, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was.
12 He gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant. These were the orders:
13 "Go and ask the LORD about the words in the book that was found. Ask for me, for all the people, and for all Judah. The LORD' s anger is burning against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book; they did not do all the things written for us to do."
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, who took care of the king's clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city.ww#z
15 She said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,
16 `This is what the LORD says: I will bring trouble to this place and to the people living here, as it is written in the book which the king of Judah has read.
17 The people of Judah have left me and have burned incense to other gods. They have made me angry by all that they have done. My anger burns against this place like a fire, and it will not be put out.'
18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask the LORD, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the words you heard:
19 When you heard my words against this place and its people, you became sorry for what you had done and humbled yourself before me. I said they would be cursed and would be destroyed. You tore your clothes to show how upset you were, and you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the LORD.
20 So I will let you die, and you will be buried in peace. You won't see all the trouble I will bring to this place.' " So they took her message back to the king.
1 New king of Judah: Josiah
His age at the beginning of his reign: 8 years old
Length of reign: 31 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Jedidah (daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath)
Character of his reign: good; he followed in the steps of his ancestor King David, obeying the Lord completely
3-4 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent his secretary Shaphan (son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam) to the Temple to give instruction to Hilkiah, the High Priest:
"Collect the money given to the priests at the door of the Temple when the people come to worship. 5-6 Give this money to the building superintendents so that they can hire carpenters and masons to repair the Temple, and to buy lumber and stone."
7 (The building superintendents were not required to keep account of their expenditures, for they were honest men.)
8 One day Hilkiah the High Priest went to Shaphan the secretary and exclaimed, "I have discovered a scroll in the Temple, with God's laws written on it!"
He gave the scroll to Shaphan to read. 9-10 When Shaphan reported to the king about the progress of the repairs at the Temple, he also mentioned the scroll found by Hilkiah. Then Shaphan read it to the king. 11 When the king heard what was written in it, he tore his clothes in terror. 12-13 He commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, the king's assistant, and Ahikam (Shaphan's son), and Achbor (Michaiah's son) to ask the Lord, "What shall we do? For we have not been following the instructions of this book: you must be very angry with us, for neither we nor our ancestors have followed your commands."
14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the Mishneh section of Jerusalem to find Huldah the prophetess. (She was the wife of Shallum - son of Tikvah, son of Harhas - who was in charge of the palace tailor shop.) 15-16 She gave them this message from the Lord God of Israel:
"Tell the man who sent you to me that I am going to destroy this city and its people, just as I stated in that book you read. 17 For the people of Judah have thrown me aside and have worshiped other gods and have made me very angry; and my anger can't be stopped. 18-19 But because you were sorry and concerned and humbled yourself before the Lord when you read the book and its warnings that this land would be cursed and become desolate, and because you have torn your clothing and wept before me in contrition, I will listen to your plea. 20 The death of this nation will not occur until after you die - you will not see the evil that I will bring upon this place."
So they took the message to the king.
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2,2,3,171
3,3,5,302
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3,6,6,295
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14,20,14,1622
YOUTH 2KING 22:1-2
In reading the biblical lists of kings, it is rare to find one who obeyed God completely. Josiah was such a person, and he was only eight years old when he began to reign. For eighteen years he reigned obediently; then, when he was twenty-six, he began the reforms based on God's laws. Children are the future leaders of our churches and our world. A person's major work for God may have to wait until he is an adult, but no one is ever too young to take God seriously and obey him. Josiah's early years laid the base for his later task of reforming Judah.
REPENTANCE 2KING 22:19
When Josiah realized how corrupt his nation had become, he tore his clothes and wept before God. Then God had mercy on him. Josiah used the customs of his day to show his repentance. When we repent today, we are unlikely to tear our clothing, but weeping, fasting, and making restitution or apologies (if our sin has involved others) are all acts of repentance that demonstrate our sincerity. The hardest part of repentance is changing the behavior that originally produced the sin.
Profile: Hezekiah ,!page "^hezekiah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING023
8<:2;
1 Then the king gathered all the older leaders of Judah and Jerusalem together.
2 He went up to the Temple of the LORD, and all the people from Judah and Jerusalem went with him. The priests, prophets, and all the people- from the least important to the most important- went with him. He read to them all the words of the Book of the Agreement that was found in the Temple of the LORD.
3 The king stood by the pillar and made an agreement in the presence of the LORD to follow the LORD and obey his commands, rules, and laws with his whole being, and to obey the words of the agreement written in this book. Then all the people promised to obey the agreement.
4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the next rank and the gatekeepers to bring out of the Temple of the LORD everything made for Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. Then Josiah burned them outside Jerusalem in the open country of the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel.
5 The kings of Judah had chosen priests for these gods. These priests burned incense in the places where gods were worshiped in the cities of Judah and the towns around Jerusalem. They burned incense to Baal, the sun, the moon, the planets, and all the stars of the sky. But Josiah took those priests away.
6 He removed the Asherah idol from the Temple of the LORD and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it and beat it into dust. Then he threw the dust on the graves of the common people.
7 He also tore down the houses of the male prostitutes who were in the Temple of the LORD, where the women did weaving for Asherah.
8 King Josiah brought all the false priests from the cities of Judah. He ruined the places where gods were worshiped, where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the places of worship at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the ruler of the city, on the left side of the city gate.
9 The priests at the places where gods were worshiped were not allowed to serve at the LORD' s altar in Jerusalem. But they could eat bread made without yeast with their brothers.
10 Josiah ruined Topheth, in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could sacrifice his son or daughter to Molech.
11 Judah's kings had placed horses at the front door of the Temple of the LORD in the courtyard near the room of NATHAN-MELECH, an officer. These horses were for the worship of the sun. So Josiah removed them and burned the chariots that were for sun worship also.
12 The kings of Judah had built altars on the roof of the upstairs room of Ahaz. Josiah broke down these altars and the altars Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the Temple of the LORD. Josiah smashed them to pieces and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
13 King Josiah ruined the places where gods were worshiped east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives. Solomon king of Israel had built these places. One was for Ashtoreth, the hated goddess of the Sidonians. One was for Chemosh, the hated god of Moab. And one was for Molech, the hated god of the Ammonites.
14 Josiah smashed to pieces the stone pillars they worshiped, and he cut down the Asherah idols. Then he covered the places with human bones.
15 Josiah also broke down the altar at Bethel- the place of worship made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin. Josiah burned that place, broke the stones of the altar into pieces, then beat them into dust. He also burned the Asherah idol.
16 When he turned around, he saw the graves on the mountain. He had the bones taken from the graves, and he burned them on the altar to ruin it. This happened as the LORD had said it would through the man of God.
17 Josiah asked, "What is that monument I see?" The people of the city answered, "It's the grave of the man of God who came from Judah. This prophet announced the things you have done against the altar of Bethel."
18 Josiah said, "Leave the grave alone. No one may move this man's bones." So they left his bones and the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
19 The kings of Israel had built temples for worshiping gods in the cities of Samaria, which had caused the LORD to be angry. Josiah removed all those temples and did the same things as he had done at Bethel.
20 He killed all the priests of those places of worship; he killed them on the altars and burned human bones on the altars. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
21 The king commanded all the people, "Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this Book of the Agreement."
22 The Passover had not been celebrated like this since the judges led Israel. Nor had one like it happened while there were kings of Israel and kings of Judah.
23 This Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem in the eighteenth year of King Josiah's rule.
24 Josiah destroyed the mediums, fortune-tellers, house gods, and idols. He also destroyed all the hated gods seen in the land of Judah and Jerusalem. This was to obey the words of the teachings written in the book Hilkiah the priest had found in the Temple of the LORD.
25 There was no king like Josiah before or after him. He obeyed the LORD with all his heart, soul, and strength, following all the Teachings of Moses.
26 Even so, the LORD did not stop his strong and terrible anger. His anger burned against Judah because of all Manasseh had done to make him angry.
27 The LORD said, "I will send Judah out of my sight, as I have sent Israel away. I will reject Jerusalem, which I chose. And I will take away the Temple about which I said, `I will be worshiped there.' "
28 Everything else Josiah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
29 While Josiah was king, Neco king of Egypt went to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah marched out to fight against Neco, but at Megiddo, Neco faced him and killed him.
30 Josiah's servants carried his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own grave. Then the people of Judah chose Josiah's son Jehoahaz and poured olive oil on him to make him king in his father's place.
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for three months. His mother's name was Hamutal, who was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.
32 Jehoahaz did what the LORD said was wrong, just as his ancestors had done.
33 King Neco took Jehoahaz prisoner at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that Jehoahaz could not rule in Jerusalem. Neco made the people of Judah pay about seventy-five hundred pounds of silver and about seventy-five pounds of gold.
34 King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim the king in place of Josiah his father. Then Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died.
35 Jehoiakim gave King Neco the silver and gold he demanded. Jehoiakim taxed the land and took silver and gold from the people of the land to give to King Neco. Each person had to pay his share.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah, who was from Rumah.
37 Jehoiakim did what the LORD said was wrong, just as his ancestors had done.
1 Then the king sent for the elders and other leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to go to the Temple with him. So all the priests and prophets and the people, small and great, of Jerusalem and Judah gathered there at the Temple so that the king could read to them the entire book of God's laws which had been discovered in the Temple. 3 He stood beside the pillar in front of the people, and he and they made a solemn promise to the Lord to obey him at all times and to do everything the book commanded.
4 Then the king instructed Hilkiah the High Priest and the rest of the priests and the guards of the Temple to destroy all the equipment used in the worship of Baal, Asherah, and the sun, moon, and stars. The king had it all burned in the fields of the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and he carried the ashes to Bethel. 5 He killed the heathen priests who had been appointed by the previous kings of Judah, for they had burned incense in the shrines on the hills throughout Judah and even in Jerusalem. They had also offered incense to Baal and to the sun, moon, stars, and planets. 6 He removed the shameful idol of Asherah from the Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to Kidron Brook; there he burned it and beat it to dust and threw the dust on the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the houses of male prostitution around the Temple, where the women wove robes for the Asherah idol.
8 He brought back to Jerusalem the priests of the Lord, who were living in other cities of Judah, and tore down all the shrines on the hills where they had burned incense, even those as far away as Geba and Beersheba. He also destroyed the shrines at the entrance of the palace of Joshua, the former mayor of Jerusalem, located on the left side as one enters the city gate. 9 However, these priests did not serve at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, even though they ate with the other priests.
10 Then the king destroyed the altar of Topheth in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that no one could ever again use it to burn his son or daughter to death as a sacrifice to Molech. 11 He tore down the statues of horses and chariots located near the entrance of the Temple, next to the quarters of Nathan-melech the eunuch. These had been dedicated by former kings of Judah to the sun god. 12 Then he tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above the Ahaz Room. He also destroyed the altars that Manasseh had built in the two courts of the Temple; he smashed them to bits and scattered the pieces in Kidron Valley.
13 Next he removed the shrines on the hills east of Jerusalem and south of Destruction Mountain. (Solomon had built these shrines for Ashtoreth, the evil goddess of the Sidonians; and for Chemosh, the evil god of Moab; and for Milcom, the evil god of the Ammonites.) 14 He smashed the obelisks and cut down the shameful idols of Asherah; then he defiled these places by scattering human bones over them. 15 He also tore down the altar and shrine at Bethel that Jeroboam I had made when he led Israel into sin. He crushed the stones to dust and burned the shameful idol of Asherah.
16 As Josiah was looking around, he noticed several graves in the side of the mountain. He ordered his men to bring out the bones in them and to burn them there upon the altar at Bethel to defile it, just as the Lord's prophet had declared would happen to Jeroboam's altar.
17 "What is that monument over there?" he asked.
And the men of the city told him, "It is the grave of the prophet who came from Judah and proclaimed that what you have just done would happen here at the altar at Bethel!"
18 So King Josiah replied, "Leave it alone. Don't disturb his bones."
So they didn't burn his bones or those of the prophet from Samaria.
19 Josiah demolished the shrines on the hills in all of Samaria. They had been built by the various kings of Israel and had made the Lord very angry. But now he crushed them into dust, just as he had done at Bethel. 20 He executed the priests of the heathen shrines upon their own altars, and he burned human bones upon the altars to defile them. Finally he returned to Jerusalem.
21 The king then issued orders for his people to observe the Passover ceremonies as recorded by the Lord their God in The Book of the Covenant. 22 There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the days of the judges of Israel, and there was never another like it in all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. 23 This Passover was in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, and it was celebrated in Jerusalem.
24 Josiah also exterminated the mediums and wizards, and every kind of idol worship, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land. For Josiah wanted to follow all the laws that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Temple. 25 There was no other king who so completely turned to the Lord and followed all the laws of Moses; and no king since the time of Josiah has approached his record of obedience.
26 But the Lord still did not hold back his great anger against Judah, caused by the evils of King Manasseh. 27 For the Lord had said, "I will destroy Judah just as I have destroyed Israel; and I will discard my chosen city of Jerusalem and the Temple that I said was mine."
28 The rest of the biography of Josiah is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 29 In those days King Neco of Egypt went out to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. Then King Josiah went out with his troops to fight King Neco; but King Neco withstood him at Megiddo and killed him. 30 His officers took his body back in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in the grave he had selected. And his son Jehoahaz was chosen by the nation as its new king.
31-32 New king of Judah: Jehoahaz
His age at the beginning of his reign: 23 years old
Length of reign: 3 months, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Hamutal (the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah)
Character of his reign: evil, like the other kings who had preceded him
33 King Neco jailed him at Riblah in Hamath to prevent his reigning in Jerusalem, and he levied a tax against Judah totaling $230,000. 34 The Egyptian king then chose Eliakim, another of Josiah's sons, to reign in Jerusalem; and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. Then he took King Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died. 35 Jehoiakim taxed the people to get the money that the Pharaoh had demanded.
36-37 New king of Judah: Jehoiakim
His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old
Length of reign: 11 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Zebidah (daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah)
Character of his reign: evil, like the other kings who had preceded him
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,395
4,4,7,673
5,5,9,997
6,6,11,1308
7,7,13,1523
8,8,15,1659
9,9,17,1975
10,10,19,2159
11,11,21,2275
12,12,23,2544
13,13,25,2817
14,14,27,3135
15,15,29,3281
16,16,31,3539
17,17,33,3756
18,18,35,3974
19,19,37,4132
20,20,39,4345
21,21,41,4505
22,22,43,4641
23,23,45,4806
24,24,47,4913
25,25,49,5188
26,26,51,5343
27,27,53,5495
28,28,55,5704
29,29,57,5799
30,30,59,5999
31,31,61,6234
32,32,63,6422
33,33,65,6504
34,34,67,6739
35,35,69,6917
36,36,71,7116
37,37,73,7298
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,504
8,9,5,1411
10,12,7,1911
13,15,9,2568
16,16,11,3152
17,17,13,3429
18,18,16,3655
19,20,19,3797
21,23,21,4181
24,25,23,4621
26,27,25,5049
28,32,27,5327
33,37,34,6083
JUST DO IT! 2KING 23:4-7
When Josiah realized the terrible state of Judah's religious life, he did something about it. It is not enough to say we believe what is right; we must respond with action, doing what faith requires. This is what James was emphasizing when he wrote, believing is useless without doing what God wants you to (James 2:20). This will mean acting differently at home, school, work, or church.
PARTY TIME! 2KING 23:21-23
When Josiah rediscovered the Passover in The Book of the Covenant, he ordered everyone to observe the ceremonies exactly as prescribed. This Passover celebration was to have been a yearly holiday celebrated in remembrance of the entire nation's deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1<196>2), but it had not been kept for many years. As a result, there had not been a Passover celebration like that since the days of the judges. It is a common misconception that God is against celebration, wanting to take all the fun out of life. In reality, God wants to give us life in its fullness (John 10:10), and those who love him have the most to celebrate.
8<:2;
Profile: Josiah ,!page "^josiah" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2KING024
1 While Jehoiakim was king, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the land of Judah. So Jehoiakim became Nebuchadnezzar's servant for three years. Then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and broke away from his rule.
2 The LORD sent raiding parties from Babylon, Aram, Moab, and Ammon against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah. This happened as the LORD had said it would through his servants the prophets.
3 The LORD commanded this to happen to the people of Judah, to remove them from his presence, because of all the sins of Manasseh.
4 He had killed many innocent people and had filled Jerusalem with their blood. And the LORD would not forgive these sins.
5 The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king and all he did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.
6 Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
7 The king of Egypt did not leave his land again, because the king of Babylon had captured all that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he was king three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem.
9 Jehoiachin did what the LORD said was wrong, just as his father had done.
10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem. When they reached the city, they attacked it.
11 Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city while his officers were attacking it.
12 Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, along with Jehoiachin's mother, servants, older leaders, and officers. So Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin a prisoner in the eighth year he was king of Babylon.
13 Nebuchadnezzar took all the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and from the palace. He cut up all the gold objects Solomon king of Israel had made for the Temple of the LORD. This happened as the LORD had said it would.
14 Nebuchadnezzar took away all the people of Jerusalem, including all the leaders, all the wealthy people, and all the craftsmen and metal workers. There were ten thousand prisoners in all. Only the poorest people in the land were left.
15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king's mother and his wives, the officers, and the leading men of the land. They were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 The king of Babylon also took all seven thousand soldiers, who were strong and able to fight in war, and about a thousand craftsmen and metal workers. Nebuchadnezzar took them as prisoners to Babylon.
17 Then he made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in Jehoiachin's place. He also changed Mattaniah's name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.
19 Zedekiah did what the LORD said was wrong, just as Jehoiakim had done.
20 All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah because the LORD was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence. Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon.
1 During the reign of King Jehoiakim, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem. Jehoiakim surrendered and paid him tribute for three years, but then rebelled. 2 And the Lord sent bands of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah in order to destroy the nation, just as the Lord had warned through his prophets that he would. 3-4 It is clear that these disasters befell Judah at the direct command of the Lord. He had decided to wipe Judah out of his sight because of the many sins of Manasseh, for he had filled Jerusalem with blood, and the Lord would not pardon it.
5 The rest of the history of the life of Jehoiakim is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 6 When he died, his son Jehoiachin became the new king. 7 (The Egyptian Pharaoh never returned after that, for the king of Babylon occupied the entire area claimed by Egypt - all of Judah from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.)
8-9 New king of Judah: Jehoiachin
His age at the beginning of his reign: 18 years old
Length of reign: 3 months, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Nehushta (daughter of Elnathan, a citizen of Jerusalem)
10 During his reign the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged the city of Jerusalem. 11 Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived during the siege, 12 and King Jehoiachin, all of his officials, and the queen mother surrendered to him. The surrender was accepted, and Jehoiachin was imprisoned in Babylon during the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign.
13 The Babylonians carried home all the treasures from the Temple and the royal palace; and they cut apart all the gold bowls which King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple at the Lord's directions. 14 King Nebuchadnezzar took ten thousand captives from Jerusalem, including all the princes and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and smiths. So only the poorest and least skilled people were left in the land. 15 Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his wives and officials, and the queen mother, to Babylon. 16 He also took seven thousand of the best troops and one thousand craftsmen and smiths, all of whom were strong and fit for war. 17 Then the king of Babylon appointed King Jehoiachin's great-uncle, Mattaniah, to be the next king; and he changed his name to Zedekiah.
18-19 New king of Judah: Zedekiah
His age at the beginning of his reign: 21 years old
Length of reign: 11 years, in Jerusalem
Mother's name: Hamutal (daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah)
Character of his reign: evil, like that of Jehoiakim
20 So the Lord finally, in his anger, destroyed the people of Jerusalem and Judah. But now King Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,598
10,12,9,1145
13,19,11,1503
20,20,18,2537
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,222
3,3,5,409
4,4,7,544
5,5,9,671
6,6,11,810
7,7,13,881
8,8,15,1064
9,9,17,1236
10,10,19,1316
11,11,21,1451
12,12,23,1536
13,13,25,1763
14,14,27,1993
15,15,29,2235
16,16,31,2435
17,17,33,2643
18,18,35,2768
19,19,37,2941
20,20,39,3019
2KING025
1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army during Zedekiah's ninth year as king, on the tenth day of the tenth month. He made a camp around the city and piled dirt against the city walls to attack it.
2 The city was under attack until Zedekiah's eleventh year as king.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the hunger was terrible in the city. There was no food for the people to eat.
4 Then the city was broken into, and the whole army ran away at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden. While the Babylonians were still surrounding the city, Zedekiah and his men ran away toward the Jordan Valley.
5 But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All of his army was scattered from him,
6 so they captured Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There he passed sentence on Zedekiah.
7 They killed Zedekiah's sons as he watched. Then they put out his eyes and put bronze chains on him and took him to Babylon.
8 Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king's special guards. This officer of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem on the seventh day of the fifth month, in Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king of Babylon.
9 Nebuzaradan set fire to the Temple of the LORD and the palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building was burned.
10 The whole Babylonian army, led by the commander of the king's special guards, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, captured the people left in Jerusalem, those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the people.
12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to take care of the vineyards and fields.
13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze stands, and the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea, in the Temple of the LORD. Then they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14 They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the bronze objects used to serve in the Temple.
15 The commander of the king's special guards took away the pans for carrying hot coals, the bowls, and everything made of pure gold or silver.
16 There were two pillars and the large bronze bowl and the movable stands which Solomon had made for the Temple of the LORD. There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed.
17 Each pillar was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze capital on top of the pillar was about four and one-half feet high. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar also had a net design and was like the first pillar.
18 The commander of the guards took some prisoners- Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 Of the people who were still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, as well as five people who advised the king. He took the royal secretary who selected people for the army and sixty other men who were in the city.~
20 Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these people and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them killed. So the people of Judah were led away from their country as captives.
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. He appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor.
23 The army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, and their men.
24 Then Gedaliah promised these army captains and their men, "Don't be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and everything will go well for you."
25 In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama from the king's family, came with ten men and killed Gedaliah. They also killed the men of Judah and Babylon who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah.
26 Then all the people, from the least important to the most important, along with the army leaders, ran away to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.
27 Jehoiachin king of Judah was held in Babylon for thirty-seven years. In the thirty-seventh year EVIL-MERODACH became king of Babylon, and he let Jehoiachin out of prison on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month.
28 EVIL-MERODACH spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a seat of honor above the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 So Jehoiachin put away his prison clothes. For the rest of his life, he ate at the king's table.
1 Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon mobilized his entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem, arriving on March 25 of the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. 2 The siege continued into the eleventh year of his reign.
3 The last food in the city was eaten on July 24, 4-5 and that night the king and his troops made a hole in the inner wall and fled out toward the Arabah through a gate that lay between the double walls near the king's garden. The Babylonian troops surrounding the city took out after him and captured him in the plains of Jericho, and all his men scattered. 6 He was taken to Riblah, where he was tried and sentenced before the king of Babylon. 7 He was forced to watch as his sons were killed before his eyes; then his eyes were put out, and he was bound with chains and taken away to Babylon.
8 General Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal bodyguard, arrived at Jerusalem from Babylon on July 22 of the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. 9 He burned down the Temple, the palace, and all the other houses of any worth. 10 He then supervised the Babylonian army in tearing down the walls of Jerusalem. 11 The remainder of the people in the city and the Jewish deserters who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon were all taken as exiles to Babylon. 12 But the poorest of the people were left to farm the land.
13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars of the Temple and the bronze tank and its bases and carried all the bronze to Babylon. 14-15 They also took all the pots, shovels, firepans, snuffers, spoons, and other bronze instruments used for the sacrifices. The gold and silver bowls, with all the rest of the gold and silver, were melted down to bullion. 16 It was impossible to estimate the weight of the two pillars and the great tank and its bases - all made for the Temple by King Solomon - because they were so heavy. 17 Each pillar was 27 feet high, with an intricate bronze network of pomegranates decorating the 4
-foot capitals at the tops of the pillars.
18 The general took Seraiah, the chief priest, his assistant Zephaniah, and the three Temple guards to Babylon as captives. 19 A commander of the army of Judah, the chief recruiting officer, five of the king's counselors, and sixty farmers, all of whom were discovered hiding in the city, 20 were taken by General Nebuzaradan to the king of Babylon at Riblah, 21 where they were put to the sword and died.
So Judah was exiled from its land.
22 Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah (the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan) as governor over the people left in Judah. 23 When the Israeli guerrilla forces learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, some of these underground leaders and their men joined him at Mizpah. These included Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah; Johanan, the son of Kareah; Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite; and Jaazaniah, son of Maachathite, and their men.
24 Gedaliah vowed that if they would give themselves up and submit to the Babylonians, they would be allowed to live in the land and would not be exiled. 25 But seven months later, Ishmael, who was a member of the royal line, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah and his court - both the Jews and the Babylonians.
26 Then all the men of Judah and the guerrilla leaders fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.
27 King Jehoiachin was released from prison on the twenty-seventh day of the last month of the thirty-seventh year of his captivity.
This occurred during the first year of the reign of King Evil-merodach of Babylon. 28 He treated Jehoiachin kindly and gave him preferential treatment over all the other kings who were being held as prisoners in Babylon. 29 Jehoiachin was given civilian clothing to replace his prison garb, and for as long as he lived, he ate regularly at the king's table. 30 The king also gave him a daily cash allowance for the rest of his life.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,242
3,3,5,314
4,4,7,436
5,5,9,682
6,6,11,822
7,7,13,939
8,8,15,1069
9,9,17,1284
10,10,19,1422
11,11,21,1546
12,12,23,1712
13,13,25,1830
14,14,27,2022
15,15,29,2142
16,16,31,2290
17,17,33,2475
18,18,35,2751
19,19,37,2895
20,20,39,3144
21,21,41,3252
22,22,43,3394
23,23,45,3541
24,24,47,3825
25,25,49,4021
26,26,51,4234
27,27,53,4403
28,28,55,4628
29,29,57,4770
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,235
8,12,5,834
13,17,7,1386
18,21,9,2058
22,23,12,2503
24,25,14,2988
26,26,16,3316
27,30,18,3461
ALLIANCES 2KING 25:30
e book of 2 Kings opens with Elijah being carried to heaven-the destination awaiting those who follow God. But the book ends with the people of Judah being carried off to foreign lands as humiliated slaves-the result of failing to follow God. Second Kings is an illustration of what happens when we make anything more important than God, when we make ruinous alliances, when our consciences become desensitized to right and wrong, and when we are no longer able to discern God's purpose for our lives. We may fail, like the people of Judah and Israel, but God's promises do not. He is always there to help us straighten out our lives and start over. And that is just what happens in the book of Ezra. When the people acknowledged their sins, God was ready and willing to help them return to their land and start again.
V1CHRO
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To unify God's people, to trace the Davidic line, and to teach that genuine worship ought to be the center of individual and national life
AUTHOR:
Ezra, according to Jewish tradition
TO WHOM WRITTEN:
All Israel
DATE WRITTEN:
Approximately 430 B.C.; recording events which occurred about 1000-960 B.C.
SETTING:
First Chronicles parallels 2 Samuel and serves as a commentary on it. Written after the exile from a priestly point of view, 1 Chronicles emphasizes the religious history of Judah and Israel.
KEY PLACES:
Hebron, Jerusalem, the temple
"I promise that we will demolish them tonight!" The coach's voice booms over the PA in the packed gymnasium. With those words, the student body begins to clap and yell wildly. Somewhere in the back a few people start chanting. "Beat the Raiders! Beat the Raiders!" More people join in until soon everyone is screaming in unison. Pep rallies can draw a school together. And for those few moments, all differences are forgotten as the crowd focuses on the one objective-winning the big game. First Chronicles can be considered a written pep rally. Sent to the Jews who had returned to their homeland, the author attempts to form a sense of national conscience and awaken a sense of national pride and unity. Beginning with Adam, 1 Chronicles relates the exciting history of Israel. By recalling the past, the author hopes to spur the Israelites on to a great future. But 1 Chronicles is more than a history lesson. It is a recounting of the spiritual strength of the nation. That, the author writes, is the hope for the greatness of the new Israel. Only as the nation unites in its worship of God can it regain the importance and vitality it once had. We, too, have a great spiritual heritage-built by men and women who have contributed to any spiritual vitality we see today. As you read 1 Chronicles, learn to trace your heritage, and commit yourself to doing your part to pass on God's truth to the next generation.
1,10,1,1
1,1,1,1
1CHRO001
SPECIAL
1 Adam was the father of Seth. Seth was the father of Enosh. Enosh was the father of Kenan.
2 Kenan was the father of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the father of Jared. Jared was the father of Enoch.
3 Enoch was the father of Methuselah. Methuselah was the father of Lamech, and Lamech was the father of Noah.
4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 Japheth's sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
6 Gomer's sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
7 Javan's sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8 Ham's sons were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
9 Cush's sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah's sons were Sheba and Dedan.
10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew up to become a mighty warrior on the earth.
11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, and Naphtuhites,
12 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and Caphtorites. (The Philistines came from the Casluhites.)
13 Canaan's first child was Sidon. He was also the father of the Hittites,
14 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.
17 Shem's sons were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. Aram's sons were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber.
19 Eber had two sons. One son was named Peleg, because the people on the earth were divided into different languages during his life. Peleg's brother was named Joktan.
20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
22 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan's sons.
24 The family line included Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
27 and Abram, who was called Abraham.
28 Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael.
29 These were the sons of Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael's first son was Nebaioth. His other sons were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were Ishmael's sons.
32 Keturah, Abraham's slave woman, gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan's sons were Sheba and Dedan.
33 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
34 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac's sons were Esau and Israel.
35 Esau's sons were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36 Eliphaz's sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.
37 Reuel's sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 Seir's sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
39 Lotan's sons were Hori and Homam, and his sister was Timna.
40 Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah.
41 Anah's son was Dishon. Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
42 Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.
43 These kings ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel. Bela son of Beor was king of Edom, and his city was named Dinhabah.
44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah became king. He was from Bozrah.
45 When Jobab died, Husham became king. He was from the land of the Temanites.
46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king, and his city was named Avith. Hadad defeated Midian in the country of Moab.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah became king. He was from Masrekah.
48 When Samlah died, Shaul became king. He was from Rehoboth by the river.
49 When Shaul died, BAAL-HANAN son of Acbor became king.
50 When BAAL-HANAN died, Hadad became king, and his city was named Pau. Hadad's wife was named Mehetabel, and she was the daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of ME-ZAHAB.
51 Then Hadad died. The leaders of the family groups of Edom were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
54 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the leaders of Edom.
1 These are the earliest generations of mankind: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5-9 The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah.
The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Canaan, and Put.
The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca.
The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
10 Another of the sons of Cush was Nimrod, who became a great hero.
11-12 The clans named after the sons of Mizraim were: the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Caphtorim, and the Casluhim (the ancestors of the Philistines).
13-16 Among Canaan's sons were: Sidon (his firstborn) and Heth.
Canaan was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.
17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
18 Arpachshad's son was Shelah, and Shelah's son was Eber.
19 Eber had two sons: Peleg (which means "Divided," for it was during his lifetime that the people of the earth were divided into different language groups) and Joktan.
20-23 The sons of Joktan: Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab.
24-27 So the son of Shem was Arpachshad, the son of Arpachshad was Shelah, the son of Shelah was Eber, the son of Eber was Peleg, the son of Peleg was Reu, the son of Reu was Serug, the son of Serug was Nahor, the son of Nahor was Terah, the son of Terah was Abram (later known as Abraham ).
28-31 Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael.
The sons of Ishmael: Nebaioth (the oldest), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
32 Abraham also had sons by his concubine Keturah: Zimram, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Jokshan's sons were Sheba and Dedan.
33 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were the descendants of Abraham by his concubine Keturah.
34 Abraham's son Isaac had two sons, Esau and Israel.
35 The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.
37 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38-39 The sons of Esau also included Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; and Esau's daughter was named Timna. Lotan's sons: Hori and Homam.
40 The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah.
41 Anah's son was Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
42 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.
43 Here is a list of the names of the kings of Edom who reigned before the kingdom of Israel began:
Bela (the son of Beor), who lived in the city of Dinhabah.
44 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah became the new king.
45 When Jobab died, Husham from the country ofthe Temanites became the king.
46 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad - the one who destroyed the army of Midian in the fields of Moab - became king and ruled from the city of Avith.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah came to the throne.
48 When Samlah died, Shaul from the river town of Rehoboth became the new king.
49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king.
50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king and ruled from the city of Pai (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab).
51-54 At the time of Hadad's death, the kings of Edom were: Chief Timna, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth, Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,204
4,4,7,318
5,5,9,370
6,6,11,451
7,7,13,508
8,8,15,572
9,9,17,626
10,10,19,728
11,11,21,819
12,12,23,903
13,13,25,996
14,14,27,1075
15,15,29,1116
16,16,31,1150
17,17,33,1195
18,18,35,1305
19,19,37,1375
20,20,39,1547
21,21,41,1617
22,22,43,1647
23,23,45,1676
24,24,47,1740
25,25,49,1796
26,26,51,1821
27,27,53,1849
28,28,55,1891
29,29,57,1937
30,30,59,2063
31,31,61,2105
32,32,63,2168
33,33,65,2309
34,34,67,2415
35,35,69,2494
36,36,71,2559
37,37,73,2639
38,38,75,2700
39,39,77,2779
40,40,79,2846
41,41,81,2947
42,42,83,3031
43,43,85,3113
44,44,87,3249
45,45,89,3324
46,46,91,3407
47,47,93,3540
48,48,95,3606
49,49,97,3685
50,50,99,3746
51,51,101,3926
52,52,103,4019
53,53,105,4051
54,54,107,4080
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,157
10,10,10,536
11,12,12,609
13,16,14,802
17,17,17,1009
18,18,19,1104
19,19,21,1173
20,23,23,1348
24,27,25,1489
28,31,27,1793
32,32,30,1980
33,33,33,2129
34,34,35,2262
35,35,37,2324
36,36,39,2393
37,37,41,2475
38,39,43,2538
40,40,45,2710
41,41,47,2816
42,42,49,2907
43,43,51,2995
44,44,54,3158
45,45,56,3236
46,46,58,3316
47,47,60,3476
48,48,62,3552
49,49,64,3635
50,50,66,3700
51,54,68,3856
SPECIAL 1CHRO 1:1
This record of names demonstrates that God is interested not only in nations, but also in individuals. Although billions of people have lived since Adam, God knows and remembers the face and name of each person. Each individual is more than a name on a list. He or she is a special person whom God knows and loves. As we recognize and accept God's love, we discover that we are unique as individuals and that we belong with the rest of his family.
1CHRO002
1 The sons of Israel were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 Judah's sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah. A Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, was their mother. Judah's first son, Er, did what the LORD said was wicked, so the LORD put him to death.
4 Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar gave birth to Perez and Zerah. Judah was the father, so Judah had five sons.
5 Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.
6 Zerah had five sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda.
7 Carmi's son was Achan, who caused trouble for Israel because he took things that had been given to the LORD to be destroyed.
8 Ethan's son was Azariah.
9 Hezron's sons were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
10 Ram was Amminadab's father, and Amminadab was Nashon's father. Nahshon was the leader of the people of Judah.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salmon, who was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse's first son was Eliab. His second son was Abinadab, his third was Shimea,
14 his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai,
15 his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh son was David.
16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah's three sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa, and his father was Jether, an Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. Caleb and Azubah's sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath. They had a son named Hur,
20 who was the father of Uri, who was the father of Bezalel.
21 Later, when Hezron was sixty years old, he married the daughter of Makir, Gilead's father. Hezron had sexual relations with Makir's daughter, and she had a son named Segub.
22 Segub was the father of Jair. Jair controlled twenty-three cities in the country of Gilead.
23 (But Geshur and Aram captured the Towns of Jair, as well as Kenath and the small towns around it- sixty towns in all.) All these were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.
24 After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, his wife Abijah had his son, named Ashhur. Ashhur became the father of Tekoa.
25 Hezron's first son was Jerahmeel. Jerahmeel's sons were Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. Ram was Jerahmeel's first son.
26 Jerahmeel had another wife, named Atarah. She was the mother of Onam.
27 Jerahmeel's first son, Ram, had sons. They were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 Onam's sons were Shammai and Jada. Shammai's sons were Nadab and Abishur.
29 Abishur's wife was named Abihail, and their sons were Ahban and Molid.
30 Nadab's sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without having children.
31 Appaim's son was Ishi, who became the father of Sheshan. Sheshan was the father of Ahlai.
32 Jada was Shammai's brother, and Jada's sons were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without having children.
33 Jonathan's sons were Peleth and Zaza. These were Jerahmeel's descendants.
34 Sheshan did not have any sons, only daughters. He had a servant from Egypt named Jarha.
35 Sheshan let his daughter marry his servant Jarha, and she had a son named Attai.
36 Attai was the father of Nathan. Nathan was the father of Zabad.
37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal. Ephlal was the father of Obed.
38 Obed was the father of Jehu. Jehu was the father of Azariah.
39 Azariah was the father of Helez. Helez was the father of Eleasah.
40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai. Sismai was the father of Shallum.
41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
42 Caleb was Jerahmeel's brother. Caleb's first son was Mesha. Mesha was the father of Ziph, and his son Mareshah was the father of Hebron.
43 Hebron's sons were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44 Shema was the father of Raham, who was the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.
45 Shammai was the father of Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
46 Caleb's slave woman was named Ephah, and she was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.
47 Jahdai's sons were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Caleb had another slave woman named Maacah. She was the mother of Sheber, Tirhanah,
49 Shaaph, and Sheva. Shaaph was the father of Madmannah. Sheva was the father of Macbenah and Gibea. Caleb's daughter was Acsah.
50 These were Caleb's descendants: Caleb's son Hur was the first son of his mother Ephrathah. Hur's sons were Shobal, Salma, and Hareph. Shobal was the father of Kiriath Jearim. Salma was the father of Bethlehem. And Hareph was the father of Beth Gader.
51 [see verse 50]
52 Shobal was the father of Kiriath Jearim. Shobal's descendants were Haroeh, half the Manahathites,
53 and the family groups of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. The Zorathites and the Eshtaolites came from the Mishraite people.
54 Salma's descendants were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, and the Zorites.
55 His descendants included the families who lived at Jabez, who wrote and copied important papers. They were called the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites and were from the Kenite family group who came from Hammath. He was the father of the people living in Recab.
1 The sons of Israel were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.
3 Judah had three sons by Bathshua, a girl from Canaan: Er, Onan, and Shelah. But the oldest son, Er, was so wicked that the Lord killed him.
4 Then Er's widow, Tamar, and her father-in-law, Judah, became the parents of twin sons, Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five sons.
5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
6 The sons of Zerah were: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara.
7 (Achan, the son of Carmi, was the man who robbed God and was such a troublemaker for his nation.)
8 Ethan's son was Azariah.
9 The sons of Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
10 Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of Israel.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse's first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea, 14 his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai, 15 his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David. 16 He also had two girls (by the same wife) named Zeruiah and Abigail.
Zeruiah's sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
17 Abigail, whose husband was Jether from the land of Ishmael, had a son named Amasa.
18 Caleb (the son of Hezron ) had two wives, Azubah and Jerioth. These are the children of Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19 After Azubah's death, Caleb married Ephrath, who presented him with a son, Hur.
20 Hur's son was Uri, and Uri's son was Bezalel.
21 Hezron married Machir's daughter at the age of sixty, and she presented him with a son, Segub. (Machir was also the father of Gilead.)
22 Segub was the father of Jair, who ruled twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram wrested these cities from him and also took Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages.
24 Soon after his father Hezron's death, Caleb married Ephrathah, his father's widow, and she gave birth to Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.
25 These are the sons of Jerahmeel (the oldest son of Hezron ): Ram (the oldest), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
26 Jerahmeel's second wife Atarah was the mother of Onam.
27 The sons of Ram: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 Onam's sons were Shammai and Jada. Shammai's sons were Nadab and Abishur.
29 The sons of Abishur and his wife Abihail were Ahban and Molid.
30 Nadab's sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children, 31 but Appaim had a son named Ishi; Ishi's son was Sheshan; and Sheshan's son was Ahlai.
32 Shammai's brother Jada had two sons, Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children, 33 but Jonathan had two sons named Peleth and Zaza.
34-35 Sheshan had no sons, although he had several daughters. He gave one of his daughters to be the wife of Jarha, his Egyptian servant. And they had a son whom they named Attai.
36 Attai's son was Nathan; Nathan's son was Zabad; 37 Zabad's son was Ephlal; Ephlal's son was Obed; 38 Obed's son was Jehu; Jehu's son was Azariah; 39 Azariah's son was Helez; Helez's son was Eleasah; 40 Eleasah's son was Sismai; Sismai's son was Shallum; 41 Shallum's son was Jekamiah; Jekamiah's son was Elishama.
42 The oldest son of Caleb ( Jerahmeel's brother) was Mesha; he was the father of Ziph, who was father of Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44 Shema was the father of Raham, who was the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.
45 Shammai's son was Maon, the father of Bethzur.
46 Caleb's concubine Ephah bore him Haran, Moza, and Gazez; Haran had a son named Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48-49 Another of Caleb's concubines, Maacah, bore him Sheber, Tirhanah, Shaaph (the father of Madmannah), and Sheva (the father of Machbenah and of Gibea). Caleb also had a daughter, whose name was Achsah.
50 The sons of Hur (who was the oldest son of Caleb and Ephrathah) were Shobal (the father of Kiriath-jearim), 51 Salma (the father of Bethlehem), and Hareph (the father of Beth-gader).
52 Shobal 's sons included Kiriath-jearim and Haroeh, the ancestor of half of the Menuhoth tribe.
53 The families of Kiriath-jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites (from whom descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites).
54 The descendants of Salma were his son Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atrothbeth-joab, half the Manahathites, and the Zorites; 55 they also included the families of the writers living at Jabez - the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. All these are Kenites who descended from Hammath, the founder of the family of Rechab.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,134
4,4,7,327
5,5,9,440
6,6,11,482
7,7,13,549
8,8,15,680
9,9,17,711
10,10,19,763
11,11,21,880
12,12,23,949
13,13,25,1019
14,14,27,1106
15,15,29,1160
16,16,31,1218
17,17,33,1318
18,18,35,1400
19,19,37,1531
20,20,39,1605
21,21,41,1670
22,22,43,1850
23,23,45,1949
24,24,47,2134
25,25,49,2257
26,26,51,2387
27,27,53,2464
28,28,55,2542
29,29,57,2623
30,30,59,2701
31,31,61,2780
32,32,63,2877
33,33,65,2991
34,34,67,3072
35,35,69,3167
36,36,71,3255
37,37,73,3326
38,38,75,3396
39,39,77,3464
40,40,79,3537
41,41,81,3612
42,42,83,3696
43,43,85,3840
44,44,87,3900
45,45,89,4002
46,46,91,4078
47,47,93,4203
48,48,95,4278
49,49,97,4369
50,50,99,4503
51,51,101,4761
52,52,103,4783
53,53,105,4888
54,54,107,5056
55,55,109,5176
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,126
4,4,5,275
5,5,7,412
6,6,9,462
7,7,11,534
8,8,13,637
9,9,15,669
10,10,17,732
11,11,19,832
12,12,21,905
13,16,23,975
17,17,26,1283
18,18,28,1374
19,19,30,1508
20,20,32,1595
21,21,34,1653
22,23,36,1798
24,24,38,1999
25,25,40,2141
26,26,42,2262
27,27,44,2326
28,28,46,2374
29,29,48,2463
30,31,50,2534
32,33,52,2712
34,35,54,2868
36,41,56,3054
42,42,58,3376
43,43,60,3529
44,44,62,3594
45,45,64,3700
46,46,66,3755
47,47,68,3853
48,49,70,3928
50,51,72,4141
52,52,74,4336
53,53,76,4440
54,55,78,4602
EPITAPH 1CHRO 2:3
This long genealogy not only lists names, but also gives us insights into some of the people. Here, almost as an epitaph, the genealogy states that Er was so wicked that the Lord killed him. Now, centuries later, this is all we know of the man. Each of us is forging a reputation, developing personal qualities by which we will be remem- bered. How would God summarize your life up to now? Some defiantly claim that how they live is their own business, but Scripture teaches that the way you live today will determine how you will be remembered by others and how you will be judged by God. What you do now does matter.
1CHRO003
1 These are David's sons who were born in Hebron. The first was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. The second son was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel.
2 The third son was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. The fourth son was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.
3 The fifth son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth son was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah.
4 These six sons of David were born to him in Hebron, where David ruled for seven and one-half years. David ruled in Jerusalem thirty-three years.
5 These were his children who were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon- the four children of David and Bathsheba, Ammiel's daughter.
6 David's other nine children were Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
7 [see verse 6]
8 [see verse 6]
9 These were all of David's sons, except for those born to his slave women. David also had a daughter named Tamar.
10 Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abijah. Abijah's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat.
11 Jehoshaphat's son was Jehoram. Jehoram's son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah's son was Joash.
12 Joash's son was Amaziah. Amaziah's son was Azariah. Azariah's son was Jotham.
13 Jotham's son was Ahaz. Ahaz's son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah's son was Manasseh.
14 Manasseh's son was Amon, and Amon's son was Josiah.
15 These were Josiah's sons: His first son was Johanan, his second was Jehoiakim, his third was Zedekiah, and his fourth was Shallum.
16 Jehoiakim was followed by Jehoiachin, and he was followed by Zedekiah.
17 Jehoiachin was taken as a prisoner. His sons were Shealtiel,
18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19 Pedaiah's sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel's sons were Meshullam and Hananiah, and their sister was Shelomith.
20 Zerubbabel also had five other sons: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and JUSHAB-HESED.
21 Hananiah's descendants were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah.
22 Shecaniah's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat. There were six in all.
23 Neariah had three sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam.
24 Elioenai had seven sons: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.
1 King David's oldest son was Amnon, who was born to his wife, Ahinoam of Jezreel.
The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel.
2 The third was Absalom, the son of his wife Maacah, who was the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur.
The fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith.
3 The fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital.
The sixth was Ithream, the son of his wife Eglah.
4 These six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned seven and a half years. Then he moved the capital to Jerusalem, where he reigned another thirty-three years.
5 While he was in Jerusalem, his wife Bathsheba (the daughter of Ammiel) became the mother of his sons Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.
6-8 David also had nine other sons: Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
9 (This list does not include the sons of his concubines.) David also had a daughter Tamar.
10-14 These are the descendants of King Solomon: Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah,* Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.
15 The sons of Josiah were: Johanan, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, Shallum.
16 The sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah, Zedekiah.
17-18 These are the sons who were born to King Jeconiah during the years that he was under house arrest: Shealtiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, Nedabiah.
19-20 Pedaiah was the father of Zerubbabel and Shimei.
Zerubbabel's children were: Meshullam, Hananiah, Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed, Shelomith (a daughter).
21-22 Hananiah's sons were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah; Jeshaiah's son was Rephaiah; Rephaiah's son was Arnan; Arnan's son was Obadiah; Obadiah's son was Shecaniah. Shecaniah's son was Shemaiah; Shemaiah had six sons, including Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.
23 Neariah had three sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, Azrikam.
1 Judah's descendants were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 Reaiah was Shobal's son. Reaiah was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. They were the family groups of the Zorathite people.
3 Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrathah. Hur was the leader of Bethlehem. His three sons were Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam's sons were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. They had a sister named Hazzelelponi. Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.
4 [see verse 3]
5 Tekoa's father was Ashhur. Ashhur had two wives named Helah and Naarah.
6 The sons of Ashhur and Naarah were Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
7 Helah's sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,
8 and Koz. Koz was the father of Anub, Hazzobebah, and the Aharhel family group. Aharhel was the son of Harum.
9 There was a man named Jabez, who was respected more than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because she said, "I was in much pain when I gave birth to him."
10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, "Please do good things for me and give me more land. Stay with me, and don't let anyone hurt me. Then I won't have any pain." And God did what Jabez had asked.
11 Kelub, Shuhah's brother, was the father of Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton.
12 Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of the people from the town of Nahash. These people were from Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai.
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people from Craftsmen's Valley, named that because the people living there were craftsmen.
15 Caleb was Jephunneh's son. Caleb's sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah's son was Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel's sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 Ezrah's sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, the daughter of the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered also had a wife from Judah, who gave birth to Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered became the father of Gedor. Heber became the father of Soco. And Jekuthiel became the father of Zanoah.
18 [see verse 17]
19 Hodiah's wife was Naham's sister. The sons of Hodiah's wife were Eshtemoa and the father of Keilah. Keilah was from the Garmite people, and Eshtemoa was from the Maacathite people.
20 Shimon's sons were Amnon, Rinnah, BEN-HANAN, and Tilon. Ishi's sons were Zoheth and BEN-ZOHETH.
21 Shelah was Judah's son. Shelah's sons were Er, Laadah, Jokim, the men from Cozeba, Joash, and Saraph. Er was the father of Lecah. Laadah was the father of Mareshah and the family groups of linen workers at Beth Ashbea. Joash and Saraph ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. The writings about this family are very old.Q
22 [see verse 21]
23 These sons of Shelah were potters. They lived in Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.
24 Simeon's sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
25 Shaul's son was Shallum. Shallum's son was Mibsam. Mibsam's son was Mishma.
26 Mishma's son was Hammuel. Hammuel's son was Zaccur. Zaccur's son was Shimei.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so there were not as many people in their family group as there were in Judah.
28 Shimei's children lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. They lived in these cities until David became king.
32 The five villages near these cities were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan.
33 There were also other villages as far away as Baalath. This is where they lived. And they wrote the history of their family.
34 The men in this list were leaders of their family groups: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah (Joshibiah was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Asiel), Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and Ziza. (Ziza was the son of Shiphi, who was the son of Allon. Allon was the son of Jedaiah, who was the son of Shimri. And Shimri was the son of Shemaiah.
35 [see verse 34]
36 [see verse 34]
37 [see verse 34]
38 These families grew very large.
39 They went outside the city of Gedor to the east side of the valley to look for pasture for their flocks.
40 They found good pastures with plenty of grass, and the land was open country and peaceful and quiet. Ham's descendants had lived there in the past.
41 These men who were listed came to Gedor while Hezekiah was king of Judah. They fought against the Hamites, destroying their tents, and also against the Meunites who lived there, and completely destroyed them. So there are no Meunites there even today. Then these men began to live there, because there was pasture for their flocks.
42 Ishi's sons, Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, led five hundred of the Simeonites and attacked the people living in the mountains of Edom.
43 They killed the few Amalekites who were still alive. From that time until now these Simeonites have lived in Edom.
1 These are the sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, Shobal.
2 Shobal's son Reaiah was the father of Jahath, the ancestor of Ahumai and Lahad. These were known as the Zorathite clans.
3-4 The descendants of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, Idbash, Hazzelelponi (his daughter), Penuel (the ancestor of Gedor), Ezer (the ancestor of Hushah), the son of Hur, the oldest son of Ephrathah, who was the father of Bethlehem.
5 Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives - Helah and Naarah.
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari; 7 and Helah bore him Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah; he was also the ancestor of the clan named after Aharhel, the son of Harum.
9 Jabez was more distinguished than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because she had such a hard time at his birth (Jabez means "Distress").
10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would wonderfully bless me and help me in my work; please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all evil and disaster!" And God granted him his request.
11-12 The descendants of Recah were:
Chelub (the brother of Shuhah), whose son was Mahir, the father of Eshton;
Eshton was the father of Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah;
Tehinnah was the father of Irnahash.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah.
Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai;
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah;
Seraiah was the father of Joab, the ancestor of the inhabitants of Craftsman Valley (called that because many craftsmen lived there).
15 The sons of Caleb (the son of Jephunneh): Iru, Elah, Naam.
The sons of Elah included Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel's sons were: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, Asarel.
17 Ezrah's sons were: Jether, Mered, Epher, Jalon.
Mered married Bithiah, an Egyptian princess. She was the mother of Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah - an ancestor of Eshtemoa.
18 Eshtemoa's wife was a Jewess; she was the mother of Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel, who were, respectively, the ancestors of the Gedorites, Socoites, and Zanoahites.
19 Hodiah's wife was the sister of Naham. One of her sons was the father of Keilah the Garmite, and another was the father of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, Tilon.
The sons of Ishi: Zoheth, Ben-zoheth.
21-22 The sons of Shelah (the son of Judah):
Er (the father of Lecah),
Laadah (the father of Mareshah),
The families of the linen workers who worked at Beth-ashbea,
Jokim,
The clans of Cozeba,
Joash,
Saraph (who was a ruler in Moab before he returned to Lehem).
These names all come from very ancient records.
23 These clans were noted for their pottery, gardening, and planting; they all worked for the king.
24 The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul.
25 Shaul's son was Shallum, his grandson was Mibsam, and his great-grandson was Mishma.
26 Mishma's sons included Hammuel (the father of Zaccur and grandfather of Shimei ).
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but none of his brothers had large families - they all had fewer children than was normal in Judah.
28 They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These cities were under their control until the time of David.
32-33 Their descendants also lived in or near Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan; some were as far away as Baal. (These facts are recorded in their genealogies.)
34-39 These are the names of some of the princes of wealthy clans who traveled to the east side of Gedor Valley in search of pasture for their flocks: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah, Joel, Jehu, Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, Ziza (the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah).
40-41 They found good pastures, and everything was quiet and peaceful; but the land belonged to the descendants of Ham.
So during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah these princes invaded the land and struck down the tents and houses of the descendants of Ham; they killed the inhabitants of the land and took possession of it for themselves.
42 Later, five hundred of these invaders from the tribe of Simeon went to Mount Seir. (Their leaders were Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel - all sons of Ishi.)
43 There they destroyed the few surviving members of the tribe of Amalek. And they have lived there ever since.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,71
3,3,5,235
4,4,7,524
5,5,9,544
6,6,11,622
7,7,13,743
8,8,15,790
9,9,17,905
10,10,19,1074
11,11,21,1276
12,12,23,1365
13,13,25,1524
14,14,27,1618
15,15,29,1813
16,16,31,1908
17,17,33,1971
18,18,35,2381
19,19,37,2403
20,20,39,2591
21,21,41,2694
22,22,43,3016
23,23,45,3038
24,24,47,3138
25,25,49,3204
26,26,51,3287
27,27,53,3371
28,28,55,3545
29,29,57,3612
30,30,59,3640
31,31,61,3672
32,32,63,3785
33,33,65,3870
34,34,67,4002
35,35,69,4423
36,36,71,4445
37,37,73,4467
38,38,75,4489
39,39,77,4528
40,40,79,4640
41,41,81,4795
42,42,83,5134
43,43,85,5287
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,71
3,4,5,199
5,5,7,425
6,7,9,496
8,8,11,611
9,9,13,732
10,10,15,891
11,12,17,1120
13,13,22,1341
14,14,24,1440
15,15,27,1623
16,16,30,1726
17,17,32,1785
18,18,35,1967
19,19,37,2138
20,20,39,2292
21,22,42,2390
23,23,52,2718
24,24,54,2821
25,25,56,2884
26,26,58,2978
27,27,60,3069
28,31,62,3220
32,33,64,3445
34,39,66,3612
40,41,68,3959
42,42,71,4306
43,43,73,4476
REMEMBERED 1CHRO 4:10
Jabez is remembered as the one who prayed. It is significant that he is remem- bered for a prayer rather than a heroic act. In his prayer, he asked God to (1) bless him, (2) help him in his work, (3) be with him in all he did, and (4) keep him from evil and disaster. Jabez acknowledged God as the true center of his work. When we pray for God's blessing, we should also pray that he will take his rightful position as Lord over all areas of our lives. Then we, too, may be remembered for more than just a heroic deed.
1CHRO005
1 Reuben was Israel's first son. Reuben should have received the special privileges of the oldest son, but he had sexual relations with his father's slave woman. So those special privileges were given to Joseph's sons. (Joseph was a son of Israel.) In the family history Reuben's name is not listed as the first son.
2 Judah became stronger than his brothers, and a leader came from his family. But Joseph's family received the privileges that belonged to the oldest son.
3 Reuben was Israel's first son. Reuben's sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 These were the children of Joel: Shemaiah was Joel's son. Gog was Shemaiah's son. Shimei was Gog's son.
5 Micah was Shimei's son. Reaiah was Micah's son. Baal was Reaiah's son.
6 Beerah was Baal's son. Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. TIGLATH-PILESER king of Assyria captured him and took him away.
7 Joel's brothers and all his family groups are listed just as they are written in their family histories: Jeiel was the first, then Zechariah,
8 and Bela. (Bela was the son of Azaz. Azaz was the son of Shema, and Shema was the son of Joel.) They lived in the area of Aroer all the way to Nebo and Baal Meon.
9 Bela's people lived to the east- as far as the edge of the desert, which is beside the Euphrates River- because they had too many cattle for the land of Gilead.
10 When Saul was king, Bela's people fought a war against the Hagrite people and defeated them. Then Bela's people lived in the tents that had belonged to the Hagrites in all the area east of Gilead.
11 The people from the tribe of Gad lived near the Reubenites. The Gadites lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Salecah.
12 Joel was the main leader, Shapham was second, and then Janai and Shaphat were leaders in Bashan.
13 The seven relatives in their families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.
14 They were the descendants of Abihail. Abihail was Huri's son. Huri was Jaroah's son. Jaroah was Gilead's son. Gilead was Michael's son. Michael was Jeshishai's son. Jeshishai was Jahdo's son, and Jahdo was the son of Buz.
15 Ahi was Abdiel's son, and Abdiel was Guni's son. Ahi was the leader of their family.
16 The Gadites lived in Gilead, Bashan and the small towns around it, and on all the pasturelands in the Plain of Sharon all the way to the borders.
17 All these names were written in the family history of Gad during the time Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel.
18 There were forty-four thousand seven hundred sixty soldiers from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and East Manasseh who carried shields and swords and bows. They were skilled in war.
19 They started a war against the Hagrites and the people of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
20 The men from the tribes of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad prayed to God during the war, asking him to help them. So he helped them because they trusted him. He handed over to them the Hagrites and all those who were with them.
21 They took the animals that belonged to the Hagrites: fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys. They also captured one hundred thousand people.
22 Many Hagrites were killed because God helped the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. Then they lived there until Babylon captured them and took them away.
23 There were many people in East Manasseh, and they lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon.
24 These were the family leaders: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were all strong, brave, and famous men, and leaders in their families.
25 But they sinned against the God that their ancestors had worshiped. They began worshiping the gods of the people in that land, and those were the people God was destroying.
26 So the God of Israel made Pul king of Assyria want to go to war. (Pul was also called TIGLATH-PILESER.) He captured the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, and he took them away to Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River. They have lived there from that time until this day.
1 The oldest son of Israel was Reuben, but since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father's wives, his birthright was given to his half brother, Joseph. So the official genealogy doesn't name Reuben as the oldest son.
2 Although Joseph received the birthright, yet Judah was a powerful and influential tribe in Israel, and from Judah came a prince.
3 The sons of Reuben, Israel's son, were: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.
4 Joel's descendants were his son Shemaiah, his grandson Gog, and his great-grandson Shimei.
5 Shimei's son was Micah; his grandson was Reaiah; and his great-grandson was Baal.
6 Baal's son was Beerah. He was a prince of the tribe of Reuben and was taken into captivity by King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria.
7-8 His relatives became heads of clans and were included in the official genealogy: Jeiel, Zechariah, Bela (the son of Azaz, grandson of Shema, and great-grandson of Joel ).
These Reubenites lived in Aroer and as far distant as Mount Nebo and Baal-meon.
9 Joel was a cattleman, and he pastured his animals eastward to the edge of the desert and to the Euphrates River, for there were many cattle in the land of Gilead.
10 During the reign of King Saul, the men of Reuben defeated the Hagrites in war and moved into their tents on the eastern edge of Gilead. 11 Across from them, in the land of Bashan, lived the descendants of Gad, who were spread as far as Salecah.
12 Joel was the greatest and was followed by Shapham, also Janai and Shaphat. 13 Their relatives, the heads of the seven clans, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.
14 The descendants of Buz, in the order of their generations, were: Jahdo, Jeshishai, Michael, Gilead, Jaroah, Huri, Abihail.
15 Ahi, the son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni, was the leader of the clan. 16 The clan lived in and around Gilead (in the land of Bashan) and throughout the entire pasture country of Sharon. 17 All were included in the official genealogy at the time of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel.
18 There were 44,760 armed, trained, and brave troops in the army of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 19 They declared war on the Hagrites, the Jeturites, the Naphishites, and the Nodabites. 20 They cried out to God to help them, and he did, for they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated. 21 The booty included 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 captives. 22 A great number of the enemy also died in the battle, for God was fighting against them. So the Reubenites lived in the territory of the Hagrites until the time of the exile.
23 The half-tribe of Manasseh spread through the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They too were very numerous.
24 The chiefs of their clans were the following: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, Jahdiel.
Each of these men had a great reputation as a warrior and leader. 25 But they were not true to the God of their fathers; instead they worshiped the idols of the people whom God had destroyed. 26 So God caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tilgath-pilneser III) to invade the land and deport the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,322
3,3,5,481
4,4,7,571
5,5,9,681
6,6,11,758
7,7,13,895
8,8,15,1043
9,9,17,1212
10,10,19,1379
11,11,21,1583
12,12,23,1714
13,13,25,1818
14,14,27,1924
15,15,29,2153
16,16,31,2245
17,17,33,2398
18,18,35,2537
19,19,37,2723
20,20,39,2815
21,21,41,3044
22,22,43,3235
23,23,45,3398
24,24,47,3536
25,25,49,3711
26,26,51,3891
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,241
3,3,5,375
4,4,7,450
5,5,9,547
6,6,11,637
7,8,13,772
9,9,16,1032
10,11,18,1202
12,13,20,1453
14,14,22,1645
15,17,24,1774
18,22,26,2081
23,23,28,2681
24,26,30,2820
CONSEQUENCES 1CHRO 5:1
Reuben's sin of incest was recorded for all future generations to read. The purpose of this epitaph, however, was not to smear Reuben's name, but to show that painful memories aren't the only results of sin. The real consequences of sin are ruined lives. As the oldest son, Reuben was the rightful heir to both a double portion of his father's estate and the leadership of Abraham's descendants, who had grown into a large tribe. But his sin stripped away his rights and privileges and ruined his family. Before you give in to temptation, take a close look at the disastrous con- sequences that sin may have in your life and the lives of others.
WARRIORS 1CHRO 5:24-25
As warriors and leaders, these men had established excellent repu- tations for their great skill and leadership qualities. But in God's eyes they failed in the most important quality- putting God first in their lives. If you try to measure up to society's standards for fame and success, you will be in danger of neglecting your true quest-to please and obey God. In the end, God alone examines our hearts and determines our standing.
Profile: Ishmael ,!page "^ishmael" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1CHRO006
5.8$:
1 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2 Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3 Amram's children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas. Phinehas was the father of Abishua.
5 Abishua was the father of Bukki. Bukki was the father of Uzzi.
6 Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah. Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth.
7 Meraioth was the father of Amariah. Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
8 Ahitub was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz.
9 Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah. Azariah was the father of Johanan.
10 Johanan was the father of Azariah. (Azariah was a priest in the Temple Solomon built in Jerusalem.)
11 Azariah was the father of Amariah. Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
12 Ahitub was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Shallum.
13 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah. Hilkiah was the father of Azariah.
14 Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak.
15 Jehozadak was forced to leave his home when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into captivity under the control of Nebuchadnezzar.
16 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
17 The names of Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei.
18 Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. This is a list of the family groups of Levi, listed by the name of the father of each group.
20 Gershon's son was Libni. Libni's son was Jehath. Jehath's son was Zimmah.
21 Zimmah's son was Joah. Joah's son was Iddo. Iddo's son was Zerah. And Zerah's son was Jeatherai.
22 Kohath's son was Amminadab. Amminadab's son was Korah. Korah's son was Assir.
23 Assir's son was Elkanah. Elkanah's son was Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph's son was Assir.
24 Assir's son was Tahath. Tahath's son was Uriel. Uriel's son was Uzziah, and Uzziah's son was Shaul.
25 Elkanah's sons were Amasai and Ahimoth.
26 Ahimoth's son was Elkanah. Elkanah's son was Zophai. Zophai's son was Nahath.
27 Nahath's son was Eliab. Eliab's son was Jeroham. Jeroham's son was Elkanah, and Elkanah's son was Samuel.
28 Samuel's sons were Joel, the first son, and Abijah, the second son.
29 Merari's son was Mahli. Mahli's son was Libni. Libni's son was Shimei. Shimei's son was Uzzah.
30 Uzzah's son was Shimea. Shimea's son was Haggiah, and Haggiah's son was Asaiah.
31 David chose some people to be in charge of the music in the house of the LORD. They began their work after the Ark of the Agreement was put there.
32 They served by making music at the Holy Tent (also called the Meeting Tent), and they served until Solomon built the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They followed the rules for their work.
33 These are the musicians and their sons: From Kohath's family there was Heman the singer. Heman was Joel's son. Joel was Samuel's son.
34 Samuel was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Jeroham's son. Jeroham was Eliel's son. Eliel was Toah's son.
35 Toah was Zuph's son. Zuph was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Mahath's son. Mahath was Amasai's son.
36 Amasai was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Joel's son. Joel was Azariah's son. Azariah was Zephaniah's son.
37 Zephaniah was Tahath's son. Tahath was Assir's son. Izhar was Kohath's son. Kohath was Levi's son. Levi was Israel's son. 39 There was Heman's helper Asaph, whose group stood by Heman's right side. Asaph was Berekiah's son. Berekiah was Shimea's son. 40 Shimea was Michael's son. Michael was Baaseiah's son. Baaseiah was Malkijah's son. 41 Malkijah was Ethni's son. Ethni was Zerah's son. Zerah was Adaiah's son. 42 Adaiah was Ethan's son. Ethan was Zimmah's son. Zimmah was Shimei's son. 43 Shimei was Jahath's son. Jahath was Gershon's son, and Gershon was Levi's son. 44 Merari's family were the helpers of Heman and Asaph, and they stood by Heman's left side. In this group was Ethan son of Kishi. Kishi was Abdi's son. Abdi was Malluch's son. 45 Malluch was Hashabiah's son. Hashabiah was Amaziah's son. Amaziah was Hilkiah's son. 46 Hilkiah was Amzi's son. Amzi was Bani's son. Bani was Shemer's son. 47 Shemer was Mahli's son. Mahli was Mushi's son. Mushi was Merari's son, and Merari was Levi's son. 48 The other Levites served by doing their own special work in the Holy Tent, the house of God. 49 Aaron and his descendants offered the sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and burned the incense on the altar of incense. They offered the sacrifices that removed the Israelites' sins so they could belong to God. They did all the work in the Most Holy Place and followed all the laws that Moses, God's servant, had commanded. 50 These were Aaron's sons: Eleazar was Aaron's son. Phinehas was Eleazar's son. Abishua was Phinehas' son. 51 Bukki was Abishua's son. Uzzi was Bukki's son. Zerahiah was Uzzi's son. 52 Meraioth was Zerahiah's son. Amariah was Meraioth's son. Ahitub was Amariah's son. 53 Zadok was Ahitub's son, and Ahimaaz was Zadok's son. 54 These are the places where Aaron's descendants lived. His descendants from the Kohath family group received the first share of the land. 55 They were given the city of Hebron in Judah and the pastures around it, 56 but the fields farther from the city and the villages near Hebron were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. 57 So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron, one of the cities of safety. They also received the towns and pastures of Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, 58 Hilen, Debir, 59 Ashan, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh. 60 They also received these towns and pastures from the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth. The Kohath family groups received a total of thirteen towns. 61 The rest of the Kohath family group was given ten towns from the family groups of West Manasseh. The towns were chosen by throwing lots. 62 The Gershon family group received thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the part of Manasseh living in Bashan. 63 The Merari family group received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. Those towns were chosen by throwing lots. 64 So the Israelites gave these towns and their pastures to the Levites. 65 The towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, which were named, were chosen by throwing lots. 66 Some of the Kohath family groups received towns and pastures from the tribe of Ephraim. 67 They received Shechem, one of the cities of safety, with its pastures in the mountains of Ephraim. They also received the towns and pastures of Gezer, 68 Jokmeam, Beth Horon, 69 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. 70 The rest of the people in the Kohath family group received the towns of Aner and Bileam and their pastures from West Manasseh. 71 From East Manasseh, the Gershon family received the towns and pastures of Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth. 72 From the tribe of Issachar, the Gershon family received the towns and pastures of Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem. 73 [see verse 72] 74 From the tribe of Asher, the Gershon family received the towns and pastures of Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob. 75 [see verse 74] 76 From the tribe of Naphtali, the Gershon family received the towns and pastures of Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim. 77 The rest of the Levites, the people from the Merari family, received from the tribe of Zebulun the towns and pastures of Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono, and Tabor. 78 From the tribe of Reuben, the Merari family received the towns and pastures of Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath. (The tribe of Reuben lived east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.) 79 [see verse 78] 80 From the tribe of Gad, the Merari family received the towns and pastures of Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer. 81 [see verse 80]
1 These are the names of the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, Merari.
2 Kohath's sons were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel.
Aaron's sons were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.
4-15 The oldest sons of the successive generations of Aaron were as follows:
Eleazar, the father of
Phinehas, the father of
Abishua, the father of
Bukki, the father of
Uzzi, the father of
Zerahiah, the father of
Meraioth, the father of
Amariah, the father of
Ahitub, the father of
Zadok, the father of
Ahimaaz, the father of
Azariah, the father of
Johanan, the father of
Azariah (the High Priest in Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem), the father of
Amariah, the father of
Ahitub, the father of
Zadok, the father of
Shallum, the father of
Hilkiah, the father of
Azariah, the father of
Seraiah, the father of
Jehozadak (who went into exile when the Lord sent the people of Judah and Jerusalem into captivity under Nebuchadnezzar).
16 As previously stated, the sons of Levi were: Gershom, Kohath, Merari.
17 The sons of Gershom were: Libni, Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel.
19-21 The sons of Merari were: Mahli, Mushi.
The subclans of the Levites were:
In the Gershom clan: Libni, Jahath, Zimmah, Joah, Iddo, Zerah, Jeatherai.
22-24 In the Kohath clan: Amminadab, Korah, Assir, Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir, Tahath, Uriel, Uzziah, Shaul.
25-27 The subclan of Elkanah was further divided into the families of his sons: Amasai, Ahimoth, Elkanah, Zophai, Nahath, Eliab, Jeroham, Elkanah.
28 The families of the subclan of Samuel were headed by Samuel's sons: Joel, the oldest; Abijah, the second.
29-30 The subclans of the clan of Merari were headed by his sons: Mahli, Libni, Shimei, Uzzah, Shimea, Haggiah, Asaiah.
31 King David appointed song leaders and choirs to praise God in the Tabernacle after he had placed the Ark in it. 32 Then, when Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem, the choirs carried on their work there.
33-38 These are the names and ancestries of choir leaders: Heman the Cantor was from the clan of Kohath; his genealogy was traced back through: Joel, Samuel, Elkanah III, Jeroham, Eliel, Toah, Zuph, Elkanah II, Mahath, Amasai, Elkanah I, Joel, Azariah, Zephaniah, Tahath, Assir, Ebiasaph, Korah, Izhar, Kohath, Levi, Israel.
39-43 Heman's assistant was his colleague Asaph, whose genealogy was traced back through: Berechiah, Shimea, Michael, Baaseiah, Malchijah, Ethni, Zerah, Adaiah, Ethan, Zimmah, Shimei, Jahath, Gershom, Levi.
44-47 Heman's second assistant was Ethan, a representative from the clan of Merari, who stood on his left. Merari's ancestry was traced back through: Kishi, Abdi, Malluch, Hashabiah, Amaziah, Hilkiah, Amzi, Bani, Shemer, Mahli, Mushi, Merari, Levi.
48 Their relatives - all the other Levites - were appointed to various other tasks in the Tabernacle. 49 But only Aaron and his descendants were the priests. Their duties included sacrificing burnt offerings and incense, handling all the tasks relating to the inner sanctuary - the Holy of Holies - and the tasks relating to the annual Day of Atonement for Israel. They saw to it that all the details commanded by Moses the servant of God were strictly followed.
50-53 The descendants of Aaron were: Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, Zadok, Ahimaaz.
54 This is a record of the cities and land assigned by lot to the descendants of Aaron, all of whom were members of the Kohath clan:
55-57 Hebron and its surrounding pasturelands in Judah (although the fields and suburbs were given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh), 58-59 and the following Cities of Refuge with their surrounding pasturelands: Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, Beth-shemesh.
60 Thirteen other cities with surrounding pastures - including Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth - were given to the priests by the tribe of Benjamin. 61 Lots were then drawn to assign land to the remaining descendants of Kohath, and they received ten cities in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
62 The subclans of the Gershom clan received by lot thirteen cities in the Bashan area from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh.
63 The subclans of Merari received by lot twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
64-65 Cities and pasturelands were also assigned by lot to the Levites (and then renamed) from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
66-69 The tribe of Ephraim gave these Cities of Refuge with the surrounding pasturelands to the subclans of Kohath: Shechem in Mount Ephraim, Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth-horon, Aijalon, Gath-rimmon.
70 The following Cities of Refuge and their pasturelands were given to the subclans of the Kohathites by the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner, Bileam.
71 Cities of Refuge and pastureland given to the clan of Gershom by the half-tribe of Manasseh were: Golan, in Bashan; Ashtaroth.
72 The tribe of Issachar gave them Kedesh, Daberath, 73 Ramoth, and Anem, and the surrounding pastureland of each.
74 The tribe of Asher gave them Abdon, Mashal, 75 Hukok, and Rehob, with their pasturelands.
76 The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim with pasturelands.
77 The tribe of Zebulun gave Rimmono and Tabor to the Merari clan as Cities of Refuge.
78-79 And across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho, the tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer (a desert town), Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with their pasturelands.
80 The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, 81 Heshbon, and Jazer, each with their surrounding pasturelands.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,53
3,3,5,112
4,4,7,220
5,5,9,298
6,6,11,367
7,7,13,443
8,8,15,519
9,9,17,590
10,10,19,666
11,11,21,773
12,12,23,849
13,13,25,921
14,14,27,998
15,15,29,1081
16,16,31,1218
17,17,33,1271
18,18,35,1329
19,19,37,1389
20,20,39,1525
21,21,41,1606
22,22,43,1710
23,23,45,1795
24,24,47,1881
25,25,49,1988
26,26,51,2035
27,27,53,2120
28,28,55,2233
29,29,57,2308
30,30,59,2410
31,31,61,2497
32,32,63,2651
33,33,65,2848
34,34,67,2989
35,35,69,3096
36,36,71,3199
37,81,73,3309
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,132
4,15,8,247
16,16,32,1019
17,17,34,1096
18,18,36,1145
19,21,38,1208
22,24,42,1368
25,27,44,1480
28,28,46,1632
29,30,48,1744
31,32,50,1867
33,38,52,2078
39,43,54,2406
44,47,56,2616
48,49,58,2868
50,53,60,3334
54,54,62,3468
55,59,63,3602
60,61,65,3875
62,62,67,4179
63,63,69,4329
64,65,71,4433
66,69,73,4574
70,70,75,4769
71,71,77,4919
72,73,79,5052
74,75,81,5170
76,76,83,5266
77,77,85,5365
78,79,87,5455
80,81,89,5627
TALENTS 1CHRO 6:31-32
The builders and craftsmen had completed the temple, and the priests and the Levites had been given their responsibilities for taking care of it. Now it was time for another group of people-the choirs-to exercise their talents for God. Some of the songleaders' names are recorded here, showing you don't have to be an ordained minister to serve God. Builders, craftsmen, worship assistants, choir members, and songleaders all had significant contributions to make. God has given you a unique combination of talents. Use them to serve him.
AUTHORITY 1CHRO 6:49
Aaron and his de- scendants strictly followed the details of worship commanded by God through Moses. They did not choose only those commands they wanted to obey. Note what happened to Uzza when important details in handling the Ark of the Covenant were neglected (1 Chronicles 13:6-10). We should not obey God selectively, choosing which commands we will obey and which we will ignore. God's word has authority over every aspect of our lives, not just over selected portions.
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1CHRO007
1 Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
2 Tola's sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel, and they were leaders of their families. In the family history of Tola's descendants, twenty-two thousand six hundred men were listed as fighting men during the time David was king.
3 Uzzi's son was Izrahiah. Izrahiah's sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were leaders.
4 Their family history shows they had thirty-six thousand men ready to serve in the army, because they had many wives and children.
5 The records of the family groups of Issachar show there were eighty-seven thousand fighting men.
6 Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Beker, and Jediael.
7 Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, and they were leaders of their families. Their family history shows they had twenty-two thousand thirty-four fighting men.
8 Beker's sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. They all were Beker's sons.
9 Their family history listed the family leaders and twenty thousand two hundred fighting men.
10 Jediael's son was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11 All these sons of Jediael were leaders of their families. They had seventeen thousand two hundred fighting men ready to serve in the army.
12 The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.
13 Naphtali's sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. They were Bilhah's grandsons.
14 These are Manasseh's descendants. Manasseh had an Aramean slave woman, who was the mother of Asriel and Makir. Makir was Gilead's father.
15 Makir took a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister was named Maacah. His second son was named Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.
16 Makir's wife Maacah had a son whom she named Peresh. Peresh's brother was named Sheresh. Sheresh's sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17 Ulam's son was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, who was the son of Makir. Makir was Manasseh's son.
18 Makir's sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20 These are the names of Ephraim's descendants. Ephraim's son was Shuthelah. Shuthelah's son was Bered. Bered's son was Tahath. Tahath's son was Eleadah. Eleadah's son was Tahath.
21 Tahath's son was Zabad. Zabad's son was Shuthelah. Ezer and Elead went to Gath to steal cows and sheep and were killed by some men who grew up in that city.
22 Their father Ephraim cried for them many days, and his family came to comfort him.
23 Then he had sexual relations with his wife again. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom Ephraim named Beriah because of the trouble that had happened to his family.
24 Ephraim's daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
25 Rephah was Ephraim's son. Resheph was Rephah's son. Telah was Resheph's son. Tahan was Telah's son.
26 Ladan was Tahan's son. Ammihud was Ladan's son. Elishama was Ammihud's son.
27 Nun was Elishama's son, and Joshua was the son of Nun.
28 Ephraim's descendants lived in these lands and towns: Bethel and the villages near it, Naaran on the east, Gezer and the villages near it on the west, and Shechem and the villages near it. These villages went all the way to Ayyah and its villages.
29 Along the borders of Manasseh's land were the towns of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the villages near them. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.
30 Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.
31 Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel. Malkiel was Birzaith's father.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua.
33 Japhlet's sons were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. They were Japhlet's children.
34 Japhlet's brother was Shomer. Shomer's sons were Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
35 Shomer's brother was Hotham. Hotham's sons were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 Zophah's sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 Jether's sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
39 Ulla's sons were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 All these men were descendants of Asher and leaders of their families. They were powerful warriors and outstanding leaders. Their family history lists that they had twenty-six thousand soldiers ready to serve in the army.
1 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, Shimron.
2 The sons of Tola, each of whom was the head of a subclan: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, Shemuel.
At the time of King David, the total number of men of war from these families was 22,600.
3 Uzzi's son was Izrahiah among whose five sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all chiefs of subclans. 4 Their descendants, at the time of King David, numbered 36,000 troops; for all five of them had several wives and many sons. 5 The total number of men available for military service from all the clans of the tribe of Issachar was 87,000 stouthearted warriors, all included in the official genealogy.
6 The sons of Benjamin were: Bela, Becher, Jediael.
7 The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, Iri.
These five mighty warriors were chiefs of subclans and were the leaders of 22,034 troops (all of whom were recorded in the official genealogies).
8 The sons of Becher were: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, Alemeth.
9 At the time of David there were 20,200 mighty warriors among their descendants; and they were led by their clan chiefs.
10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan.
The sons of Bilhan were: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, Ahishahar.
11 They were the chiefs of the subclans of Jediael, and their descendants included 17,200 warriors at the time of King David.
12 The sons of Ir were Shuppim and Huppim. Hushim was one of the sons of Aher.
13 The sons of Naphtali (descendants of Jacob's wife Bilhah) were: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, Shallum.
14 The sons of Manasseh, born to his Aramaean concubine, were Asriel and Machir (who became the father of Gilead).
15 It was Machir who found wives for Huppim and Shuppim. Machir's sister was Maacah. Another descendant was Zelophehad, who had only* daughters.
16 Machir's wife, also named Maacah, bore him a son whom she named Peresh; his brother's name was Sheresh, and he had sons named Ulam and Rakem.
17 Ulam's son was Bedan. So these were the sons of Gilead, the grandsons of Machir, and the great-grandsons of Manasseh.
18 Hammolecheth, Machir's sister, bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20-21 The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath, Zabad, Shuthelah, Ezer, Elead.
Elead and Ezer attempted to rustle cattle at Gath, but they were killed by the local farmers. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned for them a long time, and his brothers tried to comfort him. 23 Afterwards his wife conceived and bore a son whom he called Beriah (meaning "a tragedy") because of what had happened.
24 Ephraim's daughter's name was Sheerah. She built Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.
25-27 This is Ephraim's line of descent:
Rephah, the father of
Resheph, the father of
Telah, the father of
Tahan, the father of
Ladan, the father of
Ammihud, the father of
Elishama, the father of
Nun, the father of
Joshua.
28 They lived in an area bounded on one side by Bethel and its surrounding towns, on the east by Naaran, on the west by Gezer and its villages, and finally by Shechem and its surrounding villages as far as Ayyah and its towns.
29 The tribe of Manasseh, descendants of Joseph the son of Israel, controlled the following cities and their surrounding areas: Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor.
30 The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, Serah (their sister).
31 The sons of Beriah were: Heber, Malchiel (the father of Birzaith).
32 Heber's children were: Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, Shua (their sister).
33 Japhlet's sons were: Pasach, Bimhal, Ashvath.
34 His brother Shomer's sons were: Rohgah, Jehubbah, Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Hotham were: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, Amal.
36-37 The sons of Zophah were: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, Beera.
38 The sons of Ithran were: Jephunneh, Pispa, Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla were: Arah, Hanniel, Rizia.
40 These descendants of Asher were heads of subclans and were all skilled warriors and chiefs. Their descendants in the official genealogy numbered 36,000 men of war.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,64
3,3,5,320
4,4,7,440
5,5,9,576
6,6,11,679
7,7,13,736
8,8,15,925
9,9,17,1059
10,10,19,1158
11,11,21,1276
12,12,23,1422
13,13,25,1523
14,14,27,1616
15,15,29,1761
16,16,31,1912
17,17,33,2044
18,18,35,2156
19,19,37,2233
20,20,39,2299
21,21,41,2484
22,22,43,2648
23,23,45,2738
24,24,47,2921
25,25,49,3025
26,26,51,3132
27,27,53,3215
28,28,55,3277
29,29,57,3532
30,30,59,3722
31,31,61,3805
32,32,63,3881
33,33,65,3960
34,34,67,4046
35,35,69,4128
36,36,71,4216
37,37,73,4279
38,38,75,4335
39,39,77,4389
40,40,79,4439
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,59
3,5,6,265
6,6,8,685
7,7,10,741
8,8,13,949
9,9,15,1059
10,10,17,1184
11,11,20,1315
12,12,22,1446
13,13,24,1528
14,14,26,1629
15,15,28,1747
16,16,30,1895
17,17,32,2043
18,18,34,2167
19,19,36,2238
20,23,38,2303
24,24,41,2722
25,27,43,2823
28,28,54,3067
29,29,56,3297
30,30,58,3467
31,31,60,3550
32,32,62,3627
33,33,64,3706
34,34,66,3760
35,35,68,3824
36,37,70,3900
38,38,72,4020
39,39,74,4076
40,40,76,4127
1CHRO008
1 Benjamin was the father of Bela, his first son. Ashbel was his second son, Aharah was his third,
2 Nohah was his fourth, and Rapha was his fifth son.
3 Bela's sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud,
4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the descendants of Ehud and leaders of their families in Geba. They were forced to move to Manahath.
7 Ehud's descendants were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. Gera forced them to leave. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
8 Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had sons named Abitub and Elpaal. In Moab, Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharaim and his wife Hodesh had these sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah. They were leaders of their families.
9 [see verse 8]
10 [see verse 8]
11 [see verse 8]
12 Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, Shemed, Beriah, and Shema. Shemed built the towns of Ono and Lod and the villages around them. Beriah and Shema were leaders of the families living in Aijalon, and they forced out the people who lived in Gath. 6D
13 [see verse 12]
14 Beriah's sons were Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,
16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.
17 Elpaal's sons were Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,
18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.
19 Shimei's sons were Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi,
20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,
21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.
22 Shashak's sons were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
23 Abdon, Zicri, Hanan,
24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,
25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
26 Jeroham's sons were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,
27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zicri.
28 The family histories show that all these men were leaders of their families and lived in Jerusalem.
29 Jeiel lived in the town of Gibeon, where he was the leader. His wife was named Maacah.
30 Jeiel's first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
31 Gedor, Ahio, Zeker,
32 and Mikloth. Mikloth was the father of Shimeah. These sons also lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
33 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, MALKI-SHUA, Abinadab, and ESH-BAAL.
34 Jonathan's son was MERIB-BAAL, who was the father of Micah.
35 Micah's sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza.
37 Moza was the father of Binea. Raphah was Binea's son. Eleasah was Raphah's son, and Azel was Eleasah's son.
38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were Azel's sons.
39 Azel's brother was Eshek. Eshek's first son was Ulam, his second was Jeush, and Eliphelet was his third.
40 Ulam's sons were mighty warriors and good archers. They had many sons and grandsons- one hundred fifty of them in all. All these men were Benjamin's descendants.
1 The sons of Benjamin, according to age, were: Bela, the first, Ashbel, the second, Aharah, the third, Nohah, the fourth, Rapha, the fifth.
3-5 The sons of Bela were: Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, Huram.
6-7 The sons of Ehud, chiefs of the subclans living at Geba, were captured in war and exiled to Manahath. They were: Naaman, Ahijah, Gera (also called Heglam), the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
8-10 Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara, but he had children in the land of Moab by Hodesh, his new wife: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia, Mirmah.
These sons all became chiefs of subclans.
11 His wife Hushim had borne him Abitub and Elpaal.
12 The sons of Elpaal were: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod and their surrounding villages).
13 His other sons were Beriah and Shema, chiefs of subclans living in Aijalon; they chased out the inhabitants of Gath.
14 Elpaal's sons also included: Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth.
15-16 The sons of Beriah were: Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, Joha.
17-18 The sons of Elpaal also included: Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, Jobab.
19-21 The sons of Shimei were: Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, Shimrath.
22-25 The sons of Shashak were: Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, Penuel.
26-27 The sons of Jeroham were: Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, Zichri.
28 These were the chiefs of the subclans living at Jerusalem.
29 Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, lived at Gibeon; and his wife's name was Maacah. 30-32 His oldest son was named Abdon, followed by: Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, Mikloth who was the father of Shimeah.
All of these families lived together near Jerusalem.
33 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul;
Saul's sons included: Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, Eshbaal.
34 The son of Jonathan was Mephibosheth;
The son of Mephibosheth* was Micah.
35 The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the father of: Alemeth, Azmaveth, Zimri. Zimri's son was Moza.
37 Moza was the father of Binea, whose sons were: Raphah, Eleasah, Azel.
38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, Hanan.
39 Azel's brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, the first, Jeush, the second, Eliphelet, the third.
40 Ulam's sons were prominent warriors who were expert marksmen with their bows. These men had 150 sons and grandsons, and they were all from the tribe of Benjamin.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,161
4,4,7,205
5,5,9,235
6,6,11,270
7,7,13,388
8,8,15,509
9,9,17,772
10,10,19,792
11,11,21,813
12,12,23,834
13,13,25,1087
14,14,27,1109
15,15,29,1160
16,16,31,1189
17,17,33,1223
18,18,35,1284
19,19,37,1320
20,20,39,1367
21,21,41,1401
22,22,43,1439
23,23,45,1487
24,24,47,1515
25,25,49,1551
26,26,51,1580
27,27,53,1640
28,28,55,1678
29,29,57,1785
30,30,59,1879
31,31,61,1964
32,32,63,1991
33,33,65,2103
34,34,67,2240
35,35,69,2307
36,36,71,2365
37,37,73,2494
38,38,75,2609
39,39,77,2719
40,40,79,2831
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,147
6,7,5,249
8,10,7,443
11,11,10,659
12,12,12,717
13,13,14,827
14,14,16,952
15,16,18,1016
17,18,20,1097
19,21,22,1202
22,25,24,1312
26,27,26,1439
28,28,28,1535
29,32,30,1600
33,33,33,1873
34,34,36,2007
35,35,39,2090
36,36,41,2144
37,37,43,2261
38,38,45,2337
39,39,47,2415
40,40,49,2518
1CHRO009
1 The names of all the people of Israel were listed in their family histories, and those family histories were put in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were captured and forced to go to Babylon, because they were not faithful to God.
2 The first people to come back and live in their own lands and towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites, and Temple servants.
3 People from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem. This is a list of those people.
4 There was Uthai son of Ammihud. (Ammihud was Omri's son. Omri was Imri's son. Imri was Bani's son. Bani was a descendant of Perez, and Perez was Judah's son.)
5 Of the Shilonite people there were Asaiah and his sons. Asaiah was the oldest son in his family.
6 Of the Zerahite people there were Jeuel and other relatives of Zerah. There were six hundred ninety of them in all.
7 From the tribe of Benjamin there was Sallu son of Meshullam. (Meshullam was Hodaviah's son, and Hodaviah was Hassenuah's son.)
8 There was also Ibneiah son of Jeroham and Elah son of Uzzi. (Uzzi was Micri's son.) And there was Meshullam son of Shephatiah. (Shephatiah was Reuel's son, and Reuel was Ibnijah's son.)
9 The family history of Benjamin lists nine hundred fifty-six people living in Jerusalem, and all these were leaders of their families.
10 Of the priests there were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jakin, and
11 Azariah son of Hilkiah. (Hilkiah was Meshullam's son. Meshullam was Zadok's son. Zadok was Meraioth's son. Meraioth was Ahitub's son. Ahitub was the officer responsible for the Temple of God.)
12 Also there was Adaiah son of Jeroham. (Jeroham was Pashhur's son, and Pashhur was Malkijah's son.) And there was Maasai son of Adiel. (Adiel was Jahzerah's son. Jahzerah was Meshullam's son. Meshullam was Meshillemith's son, and Meshillemith was Immer's son.)
13 There were one thousand seven hundred sixty priests. They were leaders of their families, and they were responsible for serving in the Temple of God.
14 Of the Levites there was Semaiah son of Hasshub. (Hasshub was Azrikam's son, and Azrikam was Hashabiah's son. Hashabiah was from the family of Merari.)
15 There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mica. (Mica was Zicri's son, and Zicri was Asaph's son.)
16 There was also Obadiah son of Shemaiah. (Shemaiah was Galal's son, and Galal was Jeduthun's son.) And there was Berekiah son of Asa. (Asa was the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.)
17 Of the gatekeepers there were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their leader.
18 These gatekeepers from the tribe of Levi still stand next to the King's Gate on the east side of the city.
19 Shallum was Kore's son. Kore was Ebiasaph's son, and Ebiasaph was Korah's son. Shallum and his relatives from the family of Korah were gatekeepers and were responsible for guarding the gates of the Temple. Their ancestors had also been responsible for guarding the entrance to the Temple of the LORD.
20 In the past Phinehas, Eleazar's son, was in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with Phinehas.
21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Temple.
22 In all, two hundred twelve men were chosen to guard the gates, and their names were written in their family histories in their villages. David and Samuel the seer chose these men because they were dependable.
23 The gatekeepers and their descendants had to guard the gates of the Temple of the LORD. (The Temple took the place of the Holy Tent.)
24 There were gatekeepers on all four sides of the Temple: east, west, north, and south.
25 The gatekeepers' relatives who lived in the villages had to come and help them at times. Each time they came they helped the gatekeepers for seven days.
26 Because they were dependable, four gatekeepers were made the leaders of all the gatekeepers. They were Levites, and they were responsible for the rooms and treasures in the Temple of God.
27 They stayed up all night guarding the Temple of God, and they opened it every morning.
28 Some of the gatekeepers were responsible for the utensils used in the Temple services. They counted these utensils when people took them out and when they brought them back.
29 Other gatekeepers were chosen to take care of the furniture and utensils in the Holy Place. They also took care of the flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices,
30 but some of the priests took care of mixing the spices.
31 There was a Levite named Mattithiah who was dependable and had the job of baking the bread used for the offerings. He was the first son of Shallum, who was from the family of Korah.
32 Some of the gatekeepers from the Kohath family had the job of preparing the special bread that was put on the table every Sabbath day.
33 Some of the Levites were musicians in the Temple. The leaders of these families stayed in the rooms of the Temple. Since they were on duty day and night, they did not do other work in the Temple.
34 These are the leaders of the Levite families. Their names were listed in their family histories, and they lived in Jerusalem.
35 Jeiel lived in the town of Gibeon, where he was the leader. His wife was named Maacah.
36 Jeiel's first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.
38 Mikloth was Shimeam's father. Jeiel's family lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
39 Ner was Kish's father. Kish was Saul's father. Saul was the father of Jonathan, MALKI-SHUA, Abinadab, and ESH-BAAL.
40 Jonathan's son was MERIB-BAAL, who was the father of Micah.
41 Micah's sons were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
42 Ahaz was Jadah's father. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was Moza's father.
43 Moza was Binea's father. Rephaiah was Binea's son. Eleasah was Rephaiah's son, and Azel was Eleasah's son.
44 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. They were Azel's sons.
1 The family tree of every person in Israel was carefully recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
Judah was exiled to Babylon because the people worshiped idols.
2 The first to return and live again in their former cities were families from the tribes of Israel and also the priests, the Levites, and the Temple assistants.
3 Then some families from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh arrived in Jerusalem:
4 One family was that of Uthai (the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani) of the clan of Perez (son of Judah).
5 The Shilonites were another family to return, including Asaiah (Shilon's oldest son) and his sons; 6 there were also the sons of Zerah, including Jeuel and his relatives: 690 in all.
7-8 Among the members of the tribe of Benjamin who returned were these:
Sallu (the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah);
Ibneiah (the son of Jeroham);
Elah (the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri);
Meshullam (the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah).
9 These men were all chiefs of subclans. A total of 956 Benjaminites returned.
10-11 The priests who returned were:
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin,
Azariah (the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub). He was the chief custodian of the Temple.
12 Another of the returning priests was Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah).
Another priest was Maasai (son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer).
13 In all, 1,760 priests returned.
14 Among the Levites who returned was Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, who was a descendant of Merari).
15-16 Other Levites who returned included:
Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal,
Mattaniah (the son of Mica, who was the son of Zichri, who was the son of Asaph),
Obadiah (the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun),
Berechiah (the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the area of the Netophathites).
17-18 The gatekeepers were Shallum (the chief gatekeeper), Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman - all Levites. They are still responsible for the eastern royal gate. 19 Shallum's ancestry went back through Kore and Ebiasaph to Korah. He and his close relatives the Korahites were in charge of the sacrifices and the protection of the sanctuary, just as their ancestors had supervised and guarded the Tabernacle. 20 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was the first director of this division in ancient times. And the Lord was with him.
21 At that time Zechariah, the son ofMeshelemiah, had been responsible for the protection of the entrance to the Tabernacle. 22 There were 212 doorkeepers in those days. They were chosen from their villages on the basis of their genealogies, and they were appointed by David and Samuel because of their reliability. 23 They and their descendants were in charge of the Lord's Tabernacle. 24 They were assigned to each of the four sides: east, west, north, and south. 25 And their relatives in the villages were assigned to help them from time to time, for seven days at a time.
26 The four head gatekeepers, all Levites, were in an office of great trust, for they were responsible for the rooms and treasuries in the Tabernacle of God. 27 Because of their important positions, they lived near the Tabernacle, and they opened the gates each morning. 28 Some of them were assigned to care for the various vessels used in the sacrifices and worship; they checked them in and out to avoid loss. 29 Others were responsible for the furniture, the items in the sanctuary, and the supplies such as fine flour, wine, incense, and spices.
30 Other priests prepared the spices and incense.
31 And Mattithiah (a Levite and the oldest son of Shallum the Korahite) was entrusted with making the flat cakes for grain offerings.
32 Some members of the Kohath clan were in charge of the preparation of the special bread each Sabbath.
33-34 The cantors were all prominent Levites. They lived in Jerusalem at the Temple and were on duty at all hours. They were free from other responsibilities and were selected by their genealogies.
35-37 Jeiel (whose wife was Maacah) lived in Gibeon. He had many sons, including: Gibeon, Abdon (the oldest), Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, Mikloth.
38 Mikloth lived with his son Shimeam in Jerusalem near his relatives.
39 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
40 Jonathan was the father of Mephibosheth;
Mephibosheth* was the father of Micah;
41 Micah was the father of Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz;
42 Ahaz was the father of Jarah;
Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri;
Zimri was the father of Moza.
43 Moza was the father of Binea, Rephaiah, Eleasah, and Azel.
44 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, Hanan.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,258
3,3,5,393
4,4,7,516
5,5,9,681
6,6,11,784
7,7,13,906
8,8,15,1039
9,9,17,1231
10,10,19,1371
11,11,21,1435
12,12,23,1635
13,13,25,1902
14,14,27,2059
15,15,29,2218
16,16,31,2345
17,17,33,2563
18,18,35,2679
19,19,37,2793
20,20,39,3101
21,21,41,3211
22,22,43,3297
23,23,45,3513
24,24,47,3654
25,25,49,3747
26,26,51,3907
27,27,53,4102
28,28,55,4196
29,29,57,4377
30,30,59,4542
31,31,61,4605
32,32,63,4794
33,33,65,4936
34,34,67,5139
35,35,69,5272
36,36,71,5366
37,37,73,5451
38,38,75,5495
39,39,77,5588
40,40,79,5711
41,41,81,5778
42,42,83,5837
43,43,85,5948
44,44,87,6062
1,1,1,1
2,2,4,175
3,3,6,340
4,4,7,442
5,6,9,573
7,8,11,761
9,9,17,1063
10,11,19,1145
12,12,23,1353
13,13,26,1568
14,14,28,1606
15,16,30,1740
17,20,36,2052
21,25,38,2574
26,29,40,3154
30,30,42,3708
31,31,44,3761
32,32,46,3898
33,34,48,4005
35,37,50,4206
38,38,52,4383
39,39,54,4457
40,40,56,4591
41,41,58,4676
42,42,59,4738
43,43,63,4860
44,44,65,4925
SPEAK OUT 1CHRO 9:1
The entire nation of Judah suffered the consequences of idol worship. Idol worship is not just bowing down to statues of wood or stone, it is making anything more important than God-popularity, possessions, money, or even a good friend. Although every person in Judah did not worship idols, the entire nation was carried away into captivity. Everyone was affected by the sin of some. Even if we don't participate in a certain widespread wrongdoing, we will still be affected by those who do. It is not enough to say, I don't do it. We must speak out against the sins of our society.
WORSHIP 1CHRO 9:22-32
The priests and Levites put a great deal of time and care into worship. Not only did they perform rather complicated tasks (described in Leviticus 1:9), they also took care of many pieces of equipment. Every- thing relating to worship was carefully prepared and maintained so both they and all the people could enter worship with their minds and hearts focused on God.
In our busy world, it is easy to rush into our one-hour-a-week worship services without thinking about worship beforehand. We reflect and worry about the week's problems; we pray about whatever comes into our minds; and we do not meditate on the words we are singing. But God wants our worship to be conducted properly in a good and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40). Just as we would prepare to meet an important person or a guest, we should carefully prepare to meet and worship our King.
1CHRO010
1 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and MALKI-SHUA.
3 The fighting was heavy around Saul, and the archers shot him with their arrows and wounded him.
4 Then Saul said to the officer who carried his armor, "Pull out your sword and stab me. If you don't, these Philistines who are not circumcised will come and hurt me." But Saul's officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.
5 When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword and died.
6 So Saul and three of his sons died; all his family died together.
7 When the Israelites living in the valley saw that their army had run away and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and settled in them.
8 The next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 The Philistines stripped Saul's body and took his head and his armor. Then they sent messengers through all their country to tell the news to their idols and to their people.
10 The Philistines put Saul's armor in the temple of their idols and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 All the people in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
12 So the brave men of Jabesh went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the large tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh gave up eating for seven days.
13 Saul died because he was not faithful to the LORD and did not obey the LORD. He even went to a medium and asked her for advice
14 instead of asking the LORD. This is why the LORD put Saul to death and gave the kingdom to Jesse's son David.
1 The Philistines attacked and defeated the Israeli troops, who turned and fled and were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. 2 They caught up with Saul and his three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, and killed them all. 3 Saul had been hard pressed with heavy fighting all around him, when the Philistine archers shot and wounded him.
4 He cried out to his bodyguard, "Quick, kill me with your sword before these uncircumcised heathen capture and torture me."
But the man was afraid to do it, so Saul took his own sword and fell against its point; and it pierced his body. 5 Then his bodyguard, seeing that Saul was dead, killed himself in the same way. 6 So Saul and his three sons died together; the entire family was wiped out in one day.
7 When the Israelis in the valley below the mountain heard that their troops had been routed and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 When the Philistines went back the next day to strip the bodies of the men killed in action and to gather the booty from the battlefield, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons. 9 So they stripped off Saul's armor and cut off his head; then they displayed them throughout the nation and celebrated the wonderful news before their idols. 10 They fastened his armor to the walls of the Temple of the Gods and nailed his head to the wall of Dagon's temple.
11 But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 their heroic warriors went out to the battlefield and brought back his body and the bodies of his three sons. Then they buried them beneath the oak tree at Jabesh and mourned and fasted for seven days.
13 Saul died for his disobedience to the Lord and because he had consulted a medium, 14 and did not ask the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and gave the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,244
4,4,7,346
5,5,9,622
6,6,11,713
7,7,13,785
8,8,15,986
9,9,17,1110
10,10,19,1291
11,11,21,1402
12,12,23,1486
13,13,25,1706
14,14,27,1840
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,356
7,10,6,767
11,12,8,1443
13,14,10,1736
OBEDIENCE 1CHRO 10:13-14
Saul's disobedience was both active and passive; he not only did wrong, but he also failed to do right. He actively disobeyed by attempting murder, ignoring God's instructions, and seeking guidance from a witch. He passively disobeyed by neglecting to ask God for guidance as he ran the king- dom. Obedience, too, is both passive and active. It is not enough just to avoid what is wrong, we need to actively pursue what is right.
1CHRO011
1 Then the people of Israel came to David at the town of Hebron and said, "Look, we are your own family.
2 Even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel in battle. The LORD your God said to you, `You will be the shepherd for my people Israel. You will be their leader.' "
3 So all the older leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made an agreement with them in Hebron in the presence of the LORD. Then they poured oil on David to make him king over Israel. The LORD had promised through Samuel that this would happen.
4 David and all the Israelites went to the city of Jerusalem. At that time Jerusalem was called Jebus, and the people living there were named Jebusites.
5 They said to David, "You can't get inside our city." But David did take the city of Jerusalem with its strong walls, and it became the City of David.
6 David had said, "The person who leads the attack against the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army." Joab son of Zeruiah led the attack, so he became the commander of the army.
7 Then David made his home in the strong, walled city, which is why it was named the City of David.
8 David rebuilt the city, beginning where the land was filled in and going to the wall that was around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city.
9 David became stronger and stronger, and the LORD ALL-POWERFUL was with him.
10 This is a list of the leaders over David's warriors who helped make David's kingdom strong. All the people of Israel also supported David's kingdom. These heroes and all the people of Israel made David king, just as the LORD had promised.
11 This is a list of David's warriors: Jashobeam was from the Hacmonite people. He was the head of the Three, David's most powerful soldiers. He used his spear to fight three hundred men at one time, and he killed them all.
12 Next was Eleazar, one of the Three. Eleazar was Dodai's son from the Ahohite people.
13 Eleazar was with David at PAS-DAMMIM when the Philistines came there to fight. There was a field of barley at that place. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines,
14 but they stopped in the middle of that field and fought for it and killed the Philistines. The LORD gave them a great victory.
15 Once, three of the Thirty, David's chief soldiers, came down to him at the rock by the cave near Adullam. At the same time the Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 At that time David was in a stronghold, and some of the Philistines were in Bethlehem.
17 David had a strong desire for some water. He said, "Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!"
18 So the Three broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. Then they brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out before the LORD,
19 saying, "May God keep me from drinking this water! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to bring it to me!" So David refused to drink it. These were the brave things that the three warriors did.
20 Abishai brother of Joab was the captain of the Three. Abishai fought three hundred soldiers with his spear and killed them. He became as famous as the Three
21 and was more honored than the Three. He became their commander even though he was not one of them.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel who did mighty things. He killed two of the best warriors from Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day.
23 Benaiah killed an Egyptian who was about seven and one-half feet tall and had a spear as large as a weaver's rod. Benaiah had a club, but he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
24 These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the Three.
25 He received more honor than the Thirty, but he did not become a member of the Three. David made him leader of his bodyguards.
26 These were also mighty warriors: Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
27 Shammoth the Harorite; Helez the Pelonite;
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; Abiezer the Anathothite;
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite; Ilai the Ahohite;
30 Maharai the Netophathite; Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite;
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin; Benaiah the Pirathonite;
32 Hurai from the ravines of Gaash; Abiel the Arbathite;
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite; Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite; Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite;
35 Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite; Eliphal son of Ur;
36 Hepher the Mekerathite; Ahijah the Pelonite;
37 Hezro the Carmelite; Naarai son of Ezbai;
38 Joel brother of Nathan; Mibhar son of Hagri;
39 Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Berothite, the officer who carried the armor for Joab son of Zeruiah;
40 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;
41 Uriah the Hittite; Zabad son of Ahlai;
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was the leader of the Reubenites, and his thirty soldiers;
43 Hanan son of Maacah; Joshaphat the Mithnite;
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite; Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite;
45 Jediael son of Shimri; Joha, Jediael's brother, the Tizite;
46 Eliel the Mahavite; Jeribai and Joshaviah, Elnaam's sons; Ithmah the Moabite;
47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaites.
1 Then the leaders of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, "We are your relatives, 2 and even when Saul was king, you were the one who led our armies to battle and brought them safely back again. And the Lord your God has told you, `You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel. You shall be their king.' "
3 So David made a contract with them before the Lord, and they anointed him as king of Israel, just as the Lord had told Samuel. 4 Then David and the leaders went to Jerusalem (or Jebus, as it used to be called) where the Jebusites - the original inhabitants of the land - lived. 5-6 But the people of Jebus refused to let them enter the city. So David captured the fortress of Zion, later called the City of David, and said to his men, "The first man to kill a Jebusite shall be made commander-in-chief!" Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the first, so he became the general of David's army. 7 David lived in the fortress and that is why that area of Jerusalem is called the City of David. 8 He extended the city out around the fortress while Joab rebuilt the rest of Jerusalem. 9 And David became more and more famous and powerful, for the Lord of the heavens was with him.
10 These are the names of some of the bravest of David's warriors (who also encouraged the leaders of Israel to make David their king, as the Lord had said would happen):
11 Jashobeam (the son of a man from Hachmon) was the leader of the Top Three - the three greatest heroes among David's men. He once killed 300 men with his spear.
12 The second of the Top Three was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, a member of the subclan of Ahoh. 13 He was with David in the battle against the Philistines at Pasdammim. The Israeli army was in a barley field and had begun to run away, 14 but he held his ground in the middle of the field, and recovered it and slaughtered the Philistines; and the Lord saved them with a great victory.
15 Another time, three of the Thirty went to David while he was hiding in the cave of Adullam. The Philistines were camped in the valley of Rephaim, 16 and David was in the stronghold at the time; an outpost of the Philistines had occupied Bethlehem. 17 David wanted a drink from the Bethlehem well beside the gate, and when he mentioned this to his men, 18-19 these three broke through to the Philistine camp, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it! Instead he poured it out as an offering to the Lord and said, "God forbid that I should drink it! It is the very blood of these men who risked their lives to get it."
20 Abishai, Joab's brother, was commander of the Thirty. He had gained his place among the Thirty by killing 300 men at one time with his spear. 21 He was the chief and the most famous of the Thirty, but he was not as great as the Three.
22 Benaiah, whose father was a mighty warrior from Kabzeel, killed the two famous giants from Moab. He also killed a lion in a slippery pit when there was snow on the ground. 23 Once he killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall, whose spear was as thick as a weaver's beam. But Benaiah went up to him with only a club in his hand, and pulled the spear away from him and used it to kill him. 24-25 He was nearly as great as the Three, and he was very famous among the Thirty. David made him captain of his bodyguard.
26-47 Other famous warriors among David's men were:
Asahel (Joab's brother);
Elhanan, the son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
Shammoth from Harod;
Helez from Pelon;
Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa;
Abiezer from Anathoth;
Sibbecai from Hushath;
Ilai from Ahoh;
Maharai from Netophah;
Heled (son of Baanah) from Netophah;
Ithai (son of Ribai) a Benjaminite from Gibeah;
Benaiah from Pirathon;
Hurai from near the brooks of Gaash;
Abiel from Arbath;
Azmaveth from Baharum;
Eliahba from Shaalbon;
The sons of Hashem from Gizon;
Jonathan (son of Shagee) from Harar;
Ahiam (son of Sacher) from Harar;
Eliphal (son of Ur);
Hepher from Mecherath;
Ahijah from Pelon;
Hezro from Carmel;
Naarai (son of Ezbai);
Joel (brother of Nathan);
Mibhar (son of Hagri);
Zelek from Ammon;
Naharai from Beeroth - he was General Joab's armor bearer;
Ira from Ithra;
Gareb from Ithra;
Uriah the Hittite;
Zabad (son of Ahlai);
Adina (son of Shiza) from the tribe of Reuben - he was among the thirty-one leaders of the tribe of Reuben;
Hanan (son of Maacah);
Joshaphat from Mithna;
Uzzia from Ashterath;
Shama and Jeiel (sons of Hotham) from Aroer;
Jediael (son of Shimri);
Joha (his brother) from Tiza;
Eliel from Mahavi;
Jeribai and Joshaviah (sons of Elnaam);
Ithmah from Moab;
Eliel; Obed; Jaasiel from Mezoba.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,292
4,4,7,554
5,5,9,711
6,6,11,867
7,7,13,1065
8,8,15,1169
9,9,17,1329
10,10,19,1411
11,11,21,1657
12,12,23,1885
13,13,25,1977
14,14,27,2152
15,15,29,2286
16,16,31,2473
17,17,33,2567
18,18,35,2712
19,19,37,2921
20,20,39,3156
21,21,41,3320
22,22,43,3426
23,23,45,3622
24,24,47,3848
25,25,49,3937
26,26,51,4070
27,27,53,4170
28,28,55,4220
29,29,57,4282
30,30,59,4332
31,31,61,4403
32,32,63,4479
33,33,65,4540
34,34,67,4597
35,35,69,4674
36,36,71,4733
37,37,73,4785
38,38,75,4834
39,39,77,4886
40,40,79,4995
41,41,81,5038
42,42,83,5084
43,43,85,5188
44,44,87,5240
45,45,89,5316
46,46,91,5383
47,47,93,5468
1,2,1,1
3,9,2,318
10,10,4,1193
11,11,5,1365
12,14,7,1531
15,19,9,1917
20,21,11,2587
22,25,13,2828
26,26,15,3359
FAME 1CHRO 11:9
King David's power and fame increased as a direct result of his consistent trust in God. In contrast, King Saul's power and fame decreased because he wanted all the credit for himself and ignored God (1 Samuel 15:17-26). Those who are concerned about building a name for themselves risk losing the very recognition they crave. Like David, we should be concerned for righteousness, honesty, and excellence, and leave the fame up to God.
1CHRO012
1 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag when David was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who helped David in battle.
2 They came with bows for weapons and could use either their right or left hands to shoot arrows or to sling rocks. They were Saul's relatives from the tribe of Benjamin.
3 Ahiezer was their leader, and there was Joash. (Ahiezer and Joash were sons of Shemaah, who was from the town of Gibeah.) There were also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth. There were Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth.
4 And there was Ishmaiah from the town of Gibeon; he was one of the Thirty. In fact, he was the leader of the Thirty. There were Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah.
5 There were Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, and Shemariah. There was Shephatiah from Haruph.
6 There were Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam from the family group of Korah.
7 And there were Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham, from the town of Gedor.
8 Part of the people of Gad joined David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors trained for war and skilled with shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and as fast as gazelles over the hills.
9 Ezer was the leader of Gad's army, and Obadiah was second in command. Eliab was third,
10 Mishmannah was fourth, Jeremiah was fifth,
11 Attai was sixth, Eliel was seventh,
12 Johanan was eighth, Elzabad was ninth,
13 Jeremiah was tenth, and Macbannai was eleventh in command.
14 They were the commanders of the army from Gad. The least of these leaders was in charge of a hundred soldiers, and the greatest was in charge of a thousand.
15 They crossed the Jordan River and chased away the people living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. This happened in the first month of the year when the Jordan floods the valley.
16 Other people from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at his stronghold.
17 David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come peacefully to help me, I welcome you. Join me. But if you have come to turn me over to my enemies, even though I have done nothing wrong, the God of our fathers will see this and punish you."
18 Then the Spirit entered Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said: "We belong to you, David. We are with you, son of Jesse. Success, success to you. Success to those who help you, because your God helps you." So David welcomed these men and made them leaders of his army.
19 Some of the men from Manasseh also joined David when he went with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men did not really help the Philistines. After talking about it, the Philistine leaders decided to send David away. They said, "If David goes back to his master Saul, we will be killed."
20 These are the men from Manasseh who joined David when he went to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them was a leader of a thousand men from Manasseh.
21 All these men of Manasseh were brave soldiers, and they helped David fight against groups of men who went around the country robbing people. These soldiers became commanders in David's army.
22 Every day more men joined David, and his army became large, like the army of God.
23 These are the numbers of the soldiers ready for battle who joined David at Hebron. They came to help turn the kingdom of Saul over to David, just as the LORD had said.
24 There were sixty-eight hundred men with their weapons from Judah. They carried shields and spears.
25 There were seventy-one hundred men from Simeon. They were warriors ready for war.
26 There were forty-six hundred men from Levi.
27 Jehoiada, a leader from Aaron's family, was in that group. There were thirty-seven hundred with him.
28 Zadok was also in that group. He was a strong young warrior, and with him came twenty-two leaders from his family.
29 There were three thousand men from Benjamin, who were Saul's relatives. Most of them had remained loyal to Saul's family until then.
30 There were twenty thousand eight hundred men from Ephraim. They were brave warriors and were famous men in their own family groups.
31 There were eighteen thousand men from West Manasseh. Each one was especially chosen to make David king.
32 There were two hundred leaders from Issachar. They knew what Israel should do, and they knew the right time to do it. Their relatives were with them and under their command.
33 There were fifty thousand men from Zebulun. They were trained soldiers and knew how to use every kind of weapon of war. They followed David completely.
34 There were one thousand officers from Naphtali. They had thirty-seven thousand soldiers with them who carried shields and spears.
35 There were twenty-eight thousand six hundred men from Dan, who were ready for war.
36 There were forty thousand trained soldiers from Asher, who were ready for war.
37 There were one hundred twenty thousand soldiers from the east side of the Jordan River from the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They had every kind of weapon.
38 All these fighting men were ready to go to war. They came to Hebron fully agreed to make David king of all Israel. All the other Israelites also agreed to make David king.
39 They spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, because their relatives had prepared food for them.
40 Also, their neighbors came from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought much flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cows, and sheep, because the people of Israel were very happy.
1 These are the names of the famous warriors who joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from King Saul. 2 All of them were expert archers and slingers, and they could use their left hands as readily as their right! Like King Saul, they were all of the tribe of Benjamin.
3-7 Their chief was Ahiezer, son of Shemaah from Gibeah. The others were:
His brother Joash; Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth; Ishmaiah from Gibeon (a brave warrior rated as high or higher than The Thirty); Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad from Gederah; Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah from Haruph; Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam - all Korahites; Joelah and Zebadiah (sons of Jeroham from Gedor).
8-13 Great and brave warriors from the tribe of Gad also went to David in the wilderness. They were experts with both shield and spear and were "lion-faced men, swift as deer upon the mountains."
Ezer was the chief;
Obadiah was second in command;
Eliab was third in command;
Mishmannah was fourth in command;
Jeremiah was fifth in command;
Attai was sixth in command;
Eliel was seventh in command;
Johanan was eighth in command;
Elzabad was ninth in command;
Jeremiah was tenth in command;
Machbannai was eleventh in command.
14 These men were army officers; the weakest was worth a hundred normal troops, and the greatest was worth a thousand! 15 They crossed the Jordan River during its seasonal flooding and conquered the lowlands on both the east and west banks.
16 Others came to David from Benjamin and Judah. 17 David went out to meet them and said, "If you have come to help me, we are friends; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when I am innocent, then may the God of our fathers see and judge you."
18 Then the Holy Spirit came upon them, and Amasai, a leader of The Thirty, replied,
"We are yours, David;
We are on your side, son of Jesse.
Peace, peace be unto you,
And peace to all who aid you;
For your God is with you."
So David let them join him, and he made them captains of his army.
19 Some men from Manasseh deserted the Israeli army and joined David just as he was going into battle with the Philistines against King Saul. But as it turned out, the Philistine generals refused to let David and his men go with them. After much discussion they sent them back, for they were afraid that David and his men would imperil them by deserting to King Saul.
20 Here is a list of the men from Manasseh who deserted to David as he was en route to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, Zillethai.
Each was a high-ranking officer of Manasseh's troops. 21 They were brave and able warriors, and they assisted David when he fought against the Amalek raiders at Ziklag.
22 More men joined David almost every day until he had a tremendous army - the army of God. 23 Here is the registry of recruits who joined David at Hebron. They were all anxious to see David become king instead of Saul, just as the Lord had said would happen.
24-37 From Judah, 6,800 troops armed with shields and spears.
From the tribe of Simeon, 7,100 outstanding warriors.
From the Levites, 4,600.
From the priests - descendants of Aaron - there were 3,700 troops under the command of Zadok, a young man of unusual courage, and Jehoiada. (He and twenty-two members of his family were officers of the fighting priests.)
From the tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe Saul was from, there were 3,000. (Most of that tribe retained its allegiance to Saul.)
From the tribe of Ephraim, 20,800 mighty warriors, each famous in his respective clan.
From the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 were sent for the express purpose of helping David become king.
From the tribe of Issachar there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives - all men who understood the temper of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.
From the tribe of Zebulun there were 50,000 trained warriors; they were fully armed and totally loyal to David.
From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers and 37,000 troops equipped with shields and spears.
From the tribe of Dan there were 28,600 troops, all of them prepared for war.
From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000 trained and ready troops.
From the other side of the Jordan River - where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh lived - there were 120,000 troops equipped with every kind of weapon.
38 All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David the king of Israel. In fact, all of Israel was ready for this change. 39 They feasted and drank with David for three days, for preparations had been made for their arrival. 40 People from nearby and from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. Vast supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep were brought to the celebration, for joy had spread throughout the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,156
3,3,5,331
4,4,7,571
5,5,9,759
6,6,11,852
7,7,13,949
8,8,15,1036
9,9,17,1261
10,10,19,1354
11,11,21,1404
12,12,23,1447
13,13,25,1493
14,14,27,1559
15,15,29,1723
16,16,31,1919
17,17,33,2015
18,18,35,2278
19,19,37,2561
20,20,39,2870
21,21,41,3074
22,22,43,3272
23,23,45,3361
24,24,47,3536
25,25,49,3642
26,26,51,3731
27,27,53,3782
28,28,55,3890
29,29,57,4012
30,30,59,4152
31,31,61,4291
32,32,63,4402
33,33,65,4583
34,34,67,4742
35,35,69,4879
36,36,71,4969
37,37,73,5055
38,38,75,5231
39,39,77,5410
40,40,79,5530
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,279
8,13,6,745
14,15,19,1296
16,17,21,1540
18,18,23,1799
19,19,31,2105
20,21,33,2476
22,37,36,2805
38,40,52,4486
1CHRO013
THE ARK
1 David talked with all the officers of his army, the commanders of a hundred men and the commanders of a thousand men.
2 Then David called the people of Israel together and said, "If you think it is a good idea, and if it is what the LORD our God wants, let's send a message. Let's tell our fellow Israelites in all the areas of Israel and the priests and Levites living with them in their towns and pastures to come and join us.
3 Let's bring the Ark of our God back to us. We did not use it to ask God for help while Saul was king."
4 All the people agreed with David, because they all thought it was the right thing to do.
5 So David gathered all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the Ark of God back from the town of Kiriath Jearim.
6 David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah, which is Kiriath Jearim, to get the Ark of God the LORD. God's throne is between the golden, winged creatures on the Ark, and the Ark is called by his name.
7 The people carried the Ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, and Uzzah and Ahio guided it.
8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating in the presence of God. With all their strength they were singing and playing lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 When David's men came to the threshing floor of Kidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark.
10 The LORD was angry with Uzzah and killed him, because he had touched the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.
11 David was angry because the LORD had punished Uzzah in his anger. Now that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah.
12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, "How can I bring the Ark of God home to me?"
13 So David did not take the Ark with him to Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of OBED-EDOM who was from Gath.
14 The Ark of God stayed with OBED-EDOM'S family in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed OBED-EDOM'S family and everything he owned.
1 After David had consulted with all of his army officers, 2 he addressed the assembled men of Israel as follows:
"Since you think that I should be your king, and since the Lord our God has given his approval, let us send messages to our brothers throughout the land of Israel, including the priests and Levites, inviting them to come and join us. 3 And let us bring back the Ark of our God, for we have been neglecting it ever since Saul became king."
4 There was unanimous consent, for everyone agreed with him. 5 So David summoned the people of Israel from all across the nation so that they could be present when the Ark of God was brought from Kiriath-jearim.
6 Then David and all Israel went to Baalah (i.e., Kiriath-jearim) in Judah to bring back the Ark of the Lord God enthroned above the Guardian Angels. 7 It was taken from the house of Abinadab on a new cart. Uzza and Ahio drove the oxen. 8 Then David and all the people danced before the Lord with great enthusiasm, accompanied by singing and by zithers, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. 9 But as they arrived at the threshing floor of Chidon, the oxen stumbled and Uzza reached out his hand to steady the Ark. 10 Then the anger of the Lord blazed out against Uzza, and killed him because he had touched the Ark. And so he died there before God. 11 David was angry at the Lord for what he had done to Uzza and he named the place "The Outbreak Against Uzza." And it is still called that today.
12 Now David was afraid of God and asked, "How shall I ever get the Ark of God home?"
13 Finally he decided to take it to the home of Obed-edom the Gittite instead of bringing it to the City of David. 14 The Ark remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his family.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,125
3,3,5,440
4,4,7,549
5,5,9,644
6,6,11,797
7,7,13,1023
8,8,15,1130
9,9,17,1310
10,10,19,1440
11,11,21,1569
12,12,23,1692
13,13,25,1788
14,14,27,1913
1,3,1,1
4,5,4,458
6,11,6,673
12,12,8,1478
13,14,10,1567
THE ARK 1CHRO 13:3
The Ark of God is also called the Ark of the Cov- enant. It rested in the Holy of Holies, the most holy room in the Temple, and was the most sacred artifact of the Hebrew faith. It was a large box containing the stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:10-22). David had already made Jerusalem his political capital (11:4-9). At this time, he brought the Ark there in hopes of making it the nation's center for worship, too.
1CHRO014
1 Hiram king of the city of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar logs, bricklayers, and carpenters to build a palace for David.
2 Then David knew that the LORD really had made him king of Israel and that he had made his kingdom great. The LORD did this because he loved his people Israel.
3 David married more women in Jerusalem and had more sons and daughters.
4 These are the names of David's children born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been made king of all Israel, they went to look for him. But David heard about it and went out to fight them.
9 The Philistines had attacked and robbed the people in the Valley of Rephaim.
10 David asked God, "Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, I will hand them over to you."
11 So David and his men went up to the town of Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines. David said, "Like a flood of water, God has broken through my enemies by using me." So that place was named Baal Perazim.
12 The Philistines had left their idols there, so David ordered his men to burn them.
13 Soon the Philistines attacked the people in the valley again.
14 David prayed to God again, and God answered him, saying, "Don't attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
15 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then attack. I, God, will have gone out before you to defeat the Philistine army."
16 David did as God commanded, and he and his men defeated the Philistine army all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
17 So David became famous in all the countries, and the LORD made all nations afraid of him.
1 King Hiram of Tyre sent masons and carpenters to help build David's palace and he supplied him with much cedar lumber. 2 David now realized why the Lord had made him king and why he had made his kingdom so great; it was for a special reason - to give joy to God's people!
3 After David moved to Jerusalem, he married additional wives and became the father of many sons and daughters.
4-7 These are the names of the sons born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada, Eliphelet.
8 When the Philistines heard that David was Israel's new king, they mobilized their forces to capture him. But David learned that they were on the way, so he called together his army. 9 The Philistines were raiding the valley of Rephaim, 10 and David asked the Lord, "If I go out and fight them, will you give me the victory?"
And the Lord replied, "Yes, I will."
11 So he attacked them at Baal-perazim and wiped them out. He exulted, "God has used me to sweep away my enemies like water bursting through a dam!" That is why the place has been known as Baal-perazim ever since (meaning, "The Place of Breaking Through").
12 After the battle the Israelis picked up many idols left by the Philistines, but David ordered them burned.
13 Later the Philistines raided the valley again, 14 and again David asked God what to do.
The Lord replied, "Go around by the mulberry trees and attack from there. 15 When you hear a sound like marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that is your signal to attack, for God will go before you and destroy the enemy."
16 So David did as the Lord commanded him; and he cut down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 17 David's fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused all the nations to fear him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,146
3,3,5,311
4,4,7,388
5,5,9,487
6,6,11,518
7,7,13,547
8,8,15,588
9,9,17,746
10,10,19,829
11,11,21,985
12,12,23,1201
13,13,25,1291
14,14,27,1360
15,15,29,1540
16,16,31,1699
17,17,33,1816
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,278
4,7,5,393
8,10,7,571
11,11,10,939
12,12,12,1199
13,15,14,1312
16,17,17,1637
GOD FIRST 1CHRO 14:10
Before David went to battle, he talked to God, asking for his presence and guidance. Too often we wait until we are in the middle of trouble before turning to God. By then the conse- quences of our actions are already unfolding. When do you ask for God's help? Only as a desperate last resort? Instead, go to God first! Like David, you may receive incredible help and avoid serious trouble.
1CHRO015
1 David built houses for himself in Jerusalem. Then he prepared a place for the Ark of God, and he set up a tent for it.
2 David said, "Only the Levites may carry the Ark of God. The LORD chose them to carry the Ark of the LORD and to serve him forever."
3 David called all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the LORD to the place he had made for it.
4 David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites.
5 There were one hundred were two hundred twenty people from Merari's family group, with Asaiah as their leader. 7 There were one hundred thirty people from Gershon's family group, with Joel as their leader. 8 There were two hundred people from Elizaphan's family group, with Shemaiah as their leader. 9 There were eighty people from Hebron's family group, with Eliel as their leader. 10 And there were one hundred twelve people from Uzziel's family group, with Amminadab as their leader. 11 Then David asked the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 David said to them, "You are the leaders of the families of Levi. You and the other Levites must give yourselves for service to the LORD. Bring up the Ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have made for it. 13 The last time we did not ask the LORD how to carry it. You Levites didn't carry it, so the LORD our God punished us." 14 Then the priests and Levites prepared themselves for service to the LORD so they could carry the Ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 The Levites used special poles to carry the Ark of God on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded, just as the LORD had said they should. 1
6 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to play their lyres, harps, and cymbals and to sing happy songs. 1
7 So the Levites appointed Heman and his relatives Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel's son. Asaph was Berekiah's son. And Ethan, from the Merari family group, was Kushaiah's son. 1
8 There was also a second group of Levites: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, OBED-EDOM, and Jeiel. They were the Levite guards. 1
9 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals. 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the lyres. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, OBED-EDOM, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the harps. 22 The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing, because he was very good at it. 23 Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Ark of the Agreement. 24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets in front of the Ark of God. OBED-EDOM and Jehiah were also guards for the Ark. 25 David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of a thousand soldiers went to get the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. They all went to bring the Ark from OBED-EDOM'S house with great joy. 26 Because God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven male sheep. 27 All the Levites who carried the Ark, and Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers wore robes of fine linen. David also wore a robe of fine linen and a holy vest of fine linen. 28 So all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. They shouted, blew horns and trumpets, and played cymbals, lyres, and harps. 29 As the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD entered Jerusalem, Saul's daughter Michal watched from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she hated him.
1 David now built several palaces for himself in Jerusalem, and he also built a new Tabernacle to house the Ark of God, 2 and issued these instructions: "When we transfer the Ark to its new home, no one except the Levites may carry it, for God has chosen them for this purpose; they are to minister to him forever."
3 Then David summoned all Israel to Jerusalem to celebrate the bringing of the Ark into the new Tabernacle. 4-10 These were the priests and Levites present:
120 from the clan of Kohath; with Uriel as their leader;
220 from the clan of Merari; with Asaiah as their leader;
130 from the clan of Gershom; with Joel as their leader;
200 from the subclan of Elizaphan; with Shemaiah as their leader;
80 from the subclan of Hebron; with Eliel as their leader;
112 from the subclan of Uzziel; with Amminadab as their leader.
11 Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar, the High Priests, and for the Levite leaders: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 "You are the leaders of the clans of the Levites," he told them. "Now sanctify yourselves with all your brothers so that you may bring the Ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 The Lord destroyed us before because we handled the matter improperly - you were not carrying it."
14 So the priests and the Levites underwent the ceremonies of sanctification in preparation for bringing home the Ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 15 Then the Levites carried the Ark on their shoulders with its carrying poles, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
16 King David also ordered the Levite leaders to organize the singers into an orchestra, and they played loudly and joyously upon psaltries, harps, and cymbals. 17 Heman (son of Joel), Asaph (son of Berechiah), and Ethan (son of Kushaiah) from the clan of Merari were the heads of the musicians.
18 The following men were chosen as their assistants: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, the doorkeepers.
19 Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were chosen to sound the bronze cymbals; and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah comprised an octet accompanied by harps. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were the harpists. 22 The song leader was Chenaniah, the chief of the Levites, who was selected for his skill. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were guards for the Ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer - all of whom were priests - formed a bugle corps to march at the head of the procession. And Obed-edom and Jehiah guarded the Ark.
25 Then David and the elders of Israel and the high officers of the army went with great joy to the home of Obed-edom to take the Ark to Jerusalem. 26 And because God didn't destroy the Levites who were carrying the Ark, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven lambs. 27 David, the Levites carrying the Ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the song leader were all dressed in linen robes. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 So the leaders of Israel took the Ark to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on the harps and zithers.
29 (But as the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David's wife Michal, the daughter of King Saul, felt a deep disgust for David as she watched from the window and saw him dancing like a madman.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
3,3,5,264
4,4,7,402
5,5,9,472
6,6,11,1725
7,7,13,1872
8,8,15,680
9,29,17,774
1,2,1,1
3,10,3,320
11,11,11,853
12,13,13,1000
14,15,15,1319
16,17,17,1590
18,18,19,1889
19,24,21,2091
25,28,23,2717
29,29,25,3310
INSTRUCTIONS 1CHRO 15:13-15
When David's first attempt to move the Ark failed (1 Chronicles 13:8-14), he learned an important lesson: when God gives specific instructions, it is wise to follow them precisely. This time David saw to it that the Levites carried the Ark (Numbers 4:5-15). We may not fully understand the reasons behind God's instructions, but we can know that his wisdom is complete and his judgment infallible. The way to know God's instructions is to know his word. But just as children do not understand the reasons for all their parents' instruc- tions until they are adults, we will not understand all of God's instructions in this life. It is far better to obey God first, and then seek to know the reasons.
1CHRO016
1 They brought the Ark of God and put it inside the tent that David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God.
2 When David had finished giving the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
3 He gave a loaf of bread, some dates, and raisins to every Israelite man and woman.
4 Then David appointed some of the Levites to serve before the Ark of the LORD. They had the job of leading the worship and giving thanks and praising the LORD, the God of Israel.
5 Asaph, who played the cymbals, was the leader. Zechariah was second to him. The other Levites were Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, OBED-EDOM, and Jeiel. They played the lyres and harps.
6 Benaiah and Jahaziel were priests who blew the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Agreement with God.
7 That day David first gave Asaph and his relatives the job of singing praises to the LORD.
8 Give thanks to the LORD and pray to him. Tell the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him. Tell about all his miracles.
10 Be glad that you are his; let those who seek the LORD be happy.
11 Depend on the LORD and his strength; always go to him for help.
12 Remember the miracles he has done, his wonders, and his decisions.
13 You are the descendants of his servant, Israel; you are the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
14 He is the LORD our God. His laws are for all the world.
15 He will keep his agreement forever; he will keep his promises always.
16 He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham and the promise he made to Isaac.
17 He made it a law for the people of Jacob; he made it an agreement with Israel to last forever.
18 He said, "I will give the land of Canaan to you, to belong to you."
19 Then God's people were few in number, and they were strangers in the land.
20 They went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another.
21 But he did not let anyone hurt them; he warned kings not to harm them.
22 He said, "Don't touch my chosen people, and don't harm my prophets."
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Every day tell how he saves us.
24 Tell the nations about his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does.
25 The LORD is great; he should be praised. He should be respected more than all the gods.
26 All the gods of the nations are only idols, but the LORD made the skies.
27 He has glory and majesty; he has power and joy in his Temple.
28 Praise the LORD, all nations on earth. Praise the LORD' s glory and power;
29 praise the glory of the LORD' s name. Bring an offering and come to him. Worship the LORD because he is holy.
30 Tremble before him, everyone on earth. The earth is set, and it cannot be moved.
31 Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad. Let people everywhere say, "The LORD is king!"
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout; let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD. They will sing because he is coming to judge the world.
34 Thank the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
35 Say to him, "Save us, God our Savior, and bring us back and save us from other nations. Then we will thank you and will gladly praise you."
36 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel. He always was and always will be. All the people said "Amen" and praised the LORD.
37 Then David left Asaph and the other Levites there in front of the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. They were to serve there every day.
38 David also left OBED-EDOM and sixty-eight other Levites to serve with them. Hosah and OBED-EDOM son of Jeduthun were guards.
39 David left Zadok the priest and the other priests who served with him in front of the Tent of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon.
40 Every morning and evening they offered burnt offerings on the altar of burnt offerings, following the rules written in the Teachings of the LORD, which he had given Israel.
41 With them were Heman and Jeduthun and other Levites. They were chosen by name to sing praises to the LORD because his love continues forever.
42 Heman and Jeduthun also had the job of playing the trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments when songs were sung to God. Jeduthun's sons guarded the gates.
43 Then all the people left. Each person went home, and David also went home to bless the people in his home.
1 So they brought the Ark of God into the special tent that David had prepared for it, and the leaders of Israel sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 At the conclusion of these offerings David blessed the people in the name of the Lord; 3 then he gave every person present (men and women alike) a loaf of bread, some wine, and a cake of raisins.
4 He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the Ark by giving constant praise and thanks to the Lord God of Israel and by asking for his blessings upon his people. These are the names of those given this assignment: 5 Asaph, the leader of this detail, sounded the cymbals. His associates were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel; they played the harps and zithers. 6 The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played their trumpets regularly before the Ark.
7 At that time David began the custom of using choirs in the Tabernacle to sing thanksgiving to the Lord. Asaph was the director of this choral group of priests.
8 "Oh, give thanks to the Lord and pray to him," they sang.
"Tell the peoples of the world
About his mighty doings.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises
And tell of his marvelous works.
10 Glory in his holy name;
Let all rejoice who seek the Lord.
11 Seek the Lord; yes, seek his strength
And seek his face untiringly.
12-13 O descendants of his servant Abraham,
O chosen sons of Jacob,
Remember his mighty miracles
And his marvelous miracles
And his authority:
14 He is the Lord our God!
His authority is seen throughout the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever -
The words he commanded
To a thousand generations:
16 His agreement with Abraham,
And his oath to Isaac,
17 And his confirmation to Jacob.
He promised Israel
With an everlasting promise:
18 `I will give you the land of Canaan
As your inheritance.'
19 When Israel was few in number - oh, so few -
And merely strangers in the Promised Land;
When they wandered from country to country,
From one kingdom to another -
21 God didn't let anyone harm them.
Even kings were killed who sought to hurt them.
22 `Don't harm my chosen people,' he declared.
`These are my prophets - touch them not.'
23 Sing to the Lord, O Earth,
Declare each day that he is the one who saves!
24 Show his glory to the nations!
Tell everyone about his miracles.
25 For the Lord is great and should be highly praised;
He is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 The other so-called gods are demons,
But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Majesty and honor march before him,
Strength and gladness walk beside him.
28 O people of all nations of the earth,
Ascribe great strength and glory to his name!
29 Yes, ascribe to the Lord
The glory due his name!
Bring an offering and come before him;
Worship the Lord when clothed with holiness!
30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world stands unmoved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice;
Let all the nations say, `It is the Lord who reigns.'
32 Let the vast seas roar,
Let the countryside and everything in it rejoice!
33 Let the trees in the woods sing for joy before the Lord,
For he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His love and his kindness go on forever.
35 Cry out to him, `Oh, save us, God of our salvation;
Bring us safely back from among the nations.
Then we will thank your holy name,
And triumph in your praise.'
36 Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel,
Forever and forevermore."
And all the people shouted "Amen!" and praised the Lord.
37 David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to minister regularly at the Tabernacle, doing each day whatever needed to be done. 38 This group included Obed-edom (the son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight of their colleagues as guards.
39 Meanwhile the old Tabernacle of the Lord on the hill of Gibeon continued to be active. David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests to minister to the Lord there. 40 They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord each morning and evening upon the altar set aside for that purpose, just as the Lord had commanded Israel. 41 David also appointed Heman, Jeduthun, and several others who were chosen by name to give thanks to the Lord for his constant love and mercy. 42 They used their trumpets and cymbals to accompany the singers with loud praises to God. And Jeduthun's sons were appointed as guards.
43 At last the celebration ended and the people returned to their homes, and David returned to bless his own household.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,159
3,3,5,289
4,4,7,378
5,5,9,562
6,6,11,780
7,7,13,894
8,8,15,990
9,9,17,1072
10,10,19,1141
11,11,21,1212
12,12,23,1283
13,13,25,1357
14,14,27,1462
15,15,29,1525
16,16,31,1602
17,17,33,1691
18,18,35,1793
19,19,37,1868
20,20,39,1950
21,21,41,2024
22,22,43,2102
23,23,45,2178
24,24,47,2250
25,25,49,2330
26,26,51,2425
27,27,53,2505
28,28,55,2574
29,29,57,2656
30,30,59,2773
31,31,61,2861
32,32,63,2960
33,33,65,3054
34,34,67,3181
35,35,69,3251
36,36,71,3398
37,37,73,3524
38,38,75,3669
39,39,77,3801
40,40,79,3946
41,41,81,4126
42,42,83,4275
43,43,85,4448
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,374
7,7,5,890
8,8,7,1055
9,9,11,1179
10,10,14,1255
11,13,17,1323
14,14,25,1553
15,15,28,1630
16,16,31,1721
17,17,33,1779
18,18,36,1867
19,20,38,1932
21,21,42,2106
22,22,45,2196
23,23,47,2289
24,24,50,2372
25,25,53,2446
26,26,56,2547
27,27,59,2624
28,28,62,2708
29,29,65,2801
30,30,70,2947
31,31,73,3017
32,32,75,3122
33,33,78,3205
34,34,81,3304
35,35,84,3399
36,36,88,3571
37,38,92,3699
39,42,94,3947
43,43,96,4557
THANK YOU 1CHRO 16:7-36
Does it ever seem that a simple thank you to God is not enough to express your appreciation? Four elements of true thanksgiving are found in the following song: (1) remembering what God has done, (2) telling others about it, (3) showing God's glory to others, and (4) offering gifts of self, time, and resources. Get into the habit of fully expressing your thanks to God.
1CHRO017
1 When David moved into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar, but the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD sits in a tent."
2 Nathan said to David, "Do what you want to do, because God is with you."
3 But that night God spoke his word to Nathan, saying,
4 "Go and tell David my servant, `This is what the LORD says: You are not the person to build a house for me to live in.
5 From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until now I have not lived in a house. I have moved from one tent site to another and from one place to another.
6 As I have moved with the Israelites to different places, I have never said to the leaders, whom I commanded to take care of my people, "Why haven't you built me a house of cedar?"'
7 "Now, tell my servant David: `This is what the LORD ALL-POWERFUL says: I took you from the pasture and from tending the sheep and made you king of my people Israel.
8 I have been with you everywhere you have gone. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great people on the earth.
9 I will choose a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so they can live in their own homes. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer hurt them as they have in the past
10 when I chose judges for my people Israel. I will defeat all your enemies. "`I tell you that the LORD will make your descendants kings of Israel after you.
11 When you die and join your ancestors, I will make one of your sons the new king, and I will set up his kingdom.
12 He will build a house for me, and I will let his kingdom rule always.
13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I took away my love from Saul, who ruled before you, but I will never stop loving your son.
14 I will put him in charge of my house and kingdom forever. His family will rule forever.' "
15 Nathan told David everything God had said in this vision.
16 Then King David went in and sat in front of the LORD. David said, "LORD God, who am I? What is my family? Why did you bring me to this point?
17 But that was not enough for you, God. You have also made promises about my future family. LORD God, you have treated me like a very important person.
18 "What more can I say to you for honoring me, your servant? You know me so well.
19 LORD, you have done this wonderful thing for my sake and because you wanted to. You have made known all these great things.
20 "There is no one like you, LORD. There is no God except you. We have heard all this ourselves!
21 There is no nation like your people Israel. They are the only people on earth that God chose to be his own. You made your name well known by the great and wonderful things you did for them. You went ahead of them and forced other nations out of the land. You freed your people from slavery in Egypt.
22 You made the people of Israel your very own people forever, and, LORD, you are their God.
23 "LORD, keep the promise forever that you made about my family and me, your servant. Do what you have said.
24 Then you will be honored always, and people will say, `The LORD ALL-POWERFUL, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the family of your servant David will continue before you.
25 "My God, you have told me that you would make my family great. So I, your servant, am brave enough to pray to you.
26 LORD, you are God, and you have promised these good things to me, your servant.
27 You have chosen to bless my family. Let it continue before you always. LORD, you have blessed my family, so it will always be blessed."
1 After David had been living in his new palace for some time he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! I'm living here in a cedar-paneled home while the Ark of the Covenant of God is out there in a tent!"
2 And Nathan replied, "Carry out your plan in every detail, for it is the will of the Lord."
3 But that same night God said to Nathan, 4 "Go and give my servant David this message: `You are not to build my temple! 5 I've gone from tent to tent as my home from the time I brought Israel out of Egypt. 6 In all that time I never suggested to any of the leaders of Israel - the shepherds I appointed to care for my people - that they should build me a cedar-lined temple.'
7 "Tell my servant David, `The Lord of heaven says to you, I took you from being a shepherd and made you the king of my people. 8 And I have been with you everywhere you've gone; I have destroyed your enemies, and I will make your name as great as the greatest of the earth. 9 And I will give a permanent home to my people Israel and will plant them in their land. They will not be disturbed again; the wicked nations won't conquer them as they did before 10 when the judges ruled them. I will subdue all of your enemies. And I now declare that I will cause your descendants to be kings of Israel just as you are.
11 " `When your time here on earth is over and you die, I will place one of your sons upon your throne; and I will make his kingdom strong. 12 He is the one who shall build me a temple, and I will establish his royal line of descent forever. 13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will never remove my mercy and love from him as I did from Saul. 14 I will place him over my people and over the kingdom of Israel forever - and his descendants will always be kings.' "
15 So Nathan told King David everything the Lord had said.
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family that you have given me all this? 17 For all the great things you have already done for me are nothing in comparison to what you have promised to do in the future! For now, O Lord God, you are speaking of future generations of my children being kings too! You speak as though I were someone very great. 18 What else can I say? You know that I am but a dog, yet you have decided to honor me! 19 O Lord, you have given me these wonderful promises just because you want to be kind to me, because of your own great heart. 20 O Lord, there is no one like you - there is no other God. In fact, we have never even heard of another god like you!
21 "And what other nation in all the earth is like Israel? You have made a unique nation and have redeemed it from Egypt so that the people could be your people. And you made a great name for yourself when you did glorious miracles in driving out the nations from before your people. 22 You have declared that your people Israel belong to you forever, and you have become their God.
23 "And now I accept your promise, Lord, that I and my children will always rule this nation. 24 And may this bring eternal honor to your name as everyone realizes that you always do what you say. They will exclaim, `The Lord of heaven is indeed the God of Israel!' And Israel shall always be ruled by my children and their posterity! 25 Now I have the courage to pray to you, for you have revealed this to me. 26 God himself has promised this good thing to me! 27 May this blessing rest upon my children forever, for when you grant a blessing, Lord, it is an eternal blessing!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,178
3,3,5,257
4,4,7,316
5,5,9,441
6,6,11,604
7,7,13,791
8,8,15,962
9,9,17,1120
10,10,19,1328
11,11,21,1490
12,12,23,1609
13,13,25,1686
14,14,27,1830
15,15,29,1928
16,16,31,1993
17,17,33,2142
18,18,35,2299
19,19,37,2386
20,20,39,2517
21,21,41,2619
22,22,43,2926
23,23,45,3023
24,24,47,3137
25,25,49,3324
26,26,51,3446
27,27,53,3533
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,206
3,6,5,302
7,10,6,680
11,14,8,1297
15,15,9,1777
16,20,11,1839
21,22,13,2585
23,27,15,2971
HUMILITY 1CHRO 17:16-27
David responded to God's answer and promises with deep humility, not resentment. This king who had conquered his enemies and was loved by his people said, Who am I . . . that you have given me all this? David recognized that God was the true King. God has done just as much for us, and he plans to do even more! Like David, we should humble ourselves and give glory to God, saying, O Lord, there is no one like you-there is no other God.
1CHRO018
GLORY
2 2 1 Later, David defeated the Philistines, conquered them, and took the city of Gath and the small towns around it.
2 He also defeated the people of Moab. So the people of Moab became servants of David and gave him the payment he demanded.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah all the way to the town of Hamath as he tried to spread his kingdom to the Euphrates River.
4 David captured one thousand of his chariots, seven thousand men who rode in chariots, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He crippled all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
5 Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand of them.
6 Then David put groups of soldiers in Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David's servants and gave him the payments he demanded. So the LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
7 David took the shields of gold that had belonged to Hadadezer's officers and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 David also took many things made of bronze from Tebah and Cun, which had been cities under Hadadezer's control. Later, Solomon used this bronze to make things for the Temple: the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea, the pillars, and other bronze utensils.
9 Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah.
10 So Toi sent his son Hadoram to greet and congratulate King David for defeating Hadadezer. (Hadadezer had been at war with Toi.) Hadoram brought items made of gold, silver, and bronze.
11 King David gave them to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had taken from these nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
13 David put groups of soldiers in Edom, and all the Edomites became his servants. The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
14 David was king over all of Israel, and he did what was fair and right for all his people.
15 Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder.
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Abiathar son of Ahimelech were priests. Shavsha was the royal secretary.
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites. And David's sons were important officers who served at his side.
# # 1 David finally subdued the Philistines and conquered Gath and its surrounding towns. 2 He also conquered Moab and required its people to send him a large sum of money every year. 3 He conquered the dominion of King Hadadezer of Zobah (as far as Hamath) at the time Hadadezer went to tighten his grip along the Euphrates River. 4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand troops. He crippled all the chariot teams except a hundred that he kept for his own use.
5 When the Syrians arrived from Damascus to help King Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them; 6 then he placed a garrison of his troops in Damascus, the Syrian capital. So the Syrians, too, were forced to send him large amounts of money every year. And the Lord gave David victory everywhere he went. 7 He brought the gold shields of King Hadadezer's officers to Jerusalem, 8 as well as a great amount of bronze from Hadadezer's cities of Tibhath and Cun. (King Solomon later melted the bronze and used it for the Temple. He molded it into the bronze tank, the pillars, and the instruments used in offering sacrifices on the altar.)
9 When King Tou of Hamath learned that King David had destroyed Hadadezer's army, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to greet and congratulate King David on his success and to present him with many gifts of gold, silver, and bronze, seeking an alliance. For Hadadezer and Tou had been enemies and there had been many wars between them. 11 King David dedicated these gifts to the Lord, as he did the silver and gold he took from the nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Amalek, and the Philistines.
12 Abishai (son of Zeruiah) then destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. 13 He put garrisons in Edom and forced the Edomites to pay large sums of money annually to David. This is just another example of how the Lord gave David victory after victory. 14 David reigned over all of Israel and was a just ruler.
15 Joab (son of Zeruiah) was commander-in-chief of the army; Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the historian; 16 Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of Abiathar) were the head priests; Shavsha was the king's special assistant 17 Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was in charge of the king's bodyguard - the Cherethites and Pelethites - and David's sons were his chief aides.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,119
3,3,5,247
4,4,7,389
5,5,9,569
6,6,11,682
7,7,13,870
8,8,15,980
9,9,17,1250
10,10,19,1346
11,11,21,1537
12,12,23,1698
13,13,25,1785
14,14,27,1920
15,15,29,2017
16,16,31,2117
17,17,33,2221
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,510
9,11,5,1159
12,14,7,1645
15,17,9,1969
GLORY 1CHRO 18:6
God gave David victory and David was a just ruler. Although we are not promised victory in every military battle, we see in David's glowing success a hint of what Christ's reign will be like-complete victory and just government. If David's glory was great, how much greater Christ's glory will be. Our confidence is that we can be rightly related to Jesus Christ through faith. One day we will share in his glory as we reign with him.
1CHRO019
1 When Nahash king of the Ammonites died, his son became king after him.
2 David said, "Nahash was loyal to me, so I will be loyal to his son Hanun." So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun about his father's death. David's officers went to the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun.
3 But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, "Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to comfort you? No! David sent them to study the land and capture it and spy it out."
4 So Hanun arrested David's officers. To shame them he shaved their beards and cut off their clothes at the hips. Then he sent them away.
5 When the people told David what had happened to his officers, he sent messengers to meet them, because they were very ashamed. King David said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home."
6 The Ammonites knew that they had insulted David. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver to hire chariots and chariot drivers from Northwest Mesopotamia, Aram Maacah, and Zobah.
7 The Ammonites hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his army. So they came and set up camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves came out of their towns and got ready for battle.
8 When David heard about this, he sent Joab with the whole army.
9 The Ammonites came out and prepared for battle at the city gate. The kings who had come to help were out in the field by themselves.
10 Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best soldiers of Israel and sent them out to fight the Arameans.
11 Joab put the rest of the army under the command of Abishai, his brother. Then they went out to fight the Ammonites.
12 Joab said to Abishai, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. Or are too strong for you, I will help you.
13 Be strong. We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what he thinks is right."
14 Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the Arameans, and the Arameans ran away.
15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running away, they also ran away from Joab's brother Abishai and went back to their city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them, they sent messengers to bring other Arameans from east of the Euphrates River. Their leader was Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer's army.
17 When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites, and they crossed over the Jordan River. He prepared them for battle, facing the Arameans. The Arameans fought with him,
18 but they ran away from the Israelites. David killed seven thousand Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand Aramean foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, the commander of the Aramean army.
19 When those who served Hadadezer saw that the Israelites had defeated them, they made peace with David and served him. So the Arameans refused to help the Ammonites again.
1 When King Nahash of Ammon died, his son Hanun became the new king.
2-3 Then David declared, "I am going to show friendship to Hanun because of all the kind things his father did for me."
So David sent a message of sympathy to Hanun for the death of his father. But when David's ambassadors arrived, King Hanun's counselors warned him, "Don't fool yourself that David has sent these men to honor your father! They are here to spy out the land so that they can come in and conquer it!"
4 So King Hanun insulted King David's ambassadors by shaving their beards and cutting their robes off at the middle to expose their buttocks; then he sent them back to David in shame. 5 When David heard what had happened, he sent a message to his embarrassed emissaries, telling them to stay at Jericho until their beards had grown out again. 6 When King Hanun realized his mistake he sent $2,000,000 to enlist mercenary troops, chariots, and cavalry from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. 7 He hired thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the support of the king of Maacah and his entire army. These forces camped at Medeba where they were joined by the troops King Hanun had recruited from his cities.
8 When David learned of this, he sent Joab and the mightiest warriors of Israel. 9 The army of Ammon went out to meet them and began the battle at the gates of the city of Medeba. Meanwhile, the mercenary forces were out in the field. 10 When Joab realized that the enemy forces were both in front and behind him, he divided his army and sent one group to engage the Syrians. 11 The other group, under the command of his brother Abishai, moved against the Ammonites.
12 "If the Syrians are too strong for me, come and help me," Joab told his brother; "and if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come and help you. 13 Be courageous and let us act like men to save our people and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is best."
14 So Joab and his troops attacked the Syrians, and the Syrians turned and fled. 15 When the Ammonites, under attack by Abishai's troops, saw that the Syrians were retreating, they fled into the city. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.
16 After their defeat, the Syrians summoned additional troops from east of the Euphrates River, led personally by Shophach, King Hadadezer's commander-in-chief. 17-18 When this news reached David, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and engaged the enemy troops in battle. But the Syrians again fled from David, and he killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand of their troops. He also killed Shophach, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army. 19 Then King Hadadezer's troops surrendered to King David and became his subjects. And never again did the Syrians aid the Ammonites in their battles.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,296
4,4,7,490
5,5,9,632
6,6,11,851
7,7,13,1072
8,8,15,1293
9,9,17,1362
10,10,19,1501
11,11,21,1667
12,12,23,1790
13,13,25,1922
14,14,27,2047
15,15,29,2142
16,16,31,2317
17,17,33,2518
18,18,35,2706
19,19,37,2906
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,73
4,7,6,494
8,11,8,1206
12,13,10,1676
14,15,12,1955
16,19,14,2192
1CHRO020
1 In the spring, the time of year when kings normally went out to battle, Joab led out the army of Israel. But David stayed in Jerusalem. The army of Israel destroyed the land of Ammon and went to the city of Rabbah and attacked it.
2 David took the crown off the head of their king, and had it placed on his own head. That gold crown weighed about seventy-five pounds, and it had valuable gems in it. And David took many valuable things from the city.
3 He also brought out the people of the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
4 Later, at Gezer, war broke out with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the Rephaites. So those Philistines were defeated.
5 Later, there was another battle with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, who was from the town of Gath. His spear was as large as a weaver's rod.
6 At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot- twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was one of the sons of Rapha.
7 When he spoke against Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
8 These descendants of Rapha from Gath were killed by David and his men.
1 The following spring (spring was the season when wars usually began) Joab led the Israeli army in successful attacks against the cities and villages of the people of Ammon. After destroying them, he laid siege to Rabbah and conquered it. Meanwhile, David had stayed in Jerusalem. 2 When David arrived on the scene, he removed the crown from the head of King Milcom of Rabbah and placed it upon his own head. It was made of gold inlaid with gems and weighed seventy-five pounds! David also took great amounts of plunder from the city. 3 He drove the people from the city and set them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, as was his custom with all the conquered Ammonite peoples. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
4 The next war was against the Philistines again, at Gezer. But Sibbecai, a man from Hushath, killed one of the sons of the giant, Sippai, and so the Philistines surrendered. 5 During another war with the Philistines, Elhanan (the son of Jair) killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the giant; the handle of his spear was like a weaver's beam! 6-7 During another battle, at Gath, a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (his father was also a giant) defied and taunted Israel; but he was killed by David's nephew Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea. 8 These giants were descendants of the giants of Gath, and they were killed by David and his soldiers.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,238
3,3,5,462
4,4,7,662
5,5,9,845
6,6,11,1036
7,7,13,1239
8,8,15,1328
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,740
1CHRO021
1 Satan was against Israel, and he caused David to count the people of Israel.
2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then tell me so I will know how many there are."
3 But Joab said, "May the LORD give the nation a hundred times more people. My master the king, all the Israelites are your servants. Why do you want to do this, my master? You will make Israel guilty of sin."
4 But the king commanded Joab, so Joab left and went through all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
5 Joab gave the list of the people to David. There were one million one hundred thousand men in all of Israel who could use the sword, and there were four hundred seventy thousand men in Judah who could use the sword.
6 But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he didn't like King David's order.
7 David had done something God had said was wrong, so God punished Israel.
8 Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by what I have done! Now, I beg you to forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish."
9 The LORD said to Gad, who was David's seer,
10 "Go and tell David, `This is what the LORD says: I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it.' "
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: `Choose for yourself
12 three years of hunger. Or choose three months of running from your enemies as they chase you with their swords. Or choose three days of punishment from the LORD, in which a terrible disease will spread through the country. The angel of the LORD will go through Israel destroying the people.' Now, David, decide which of these things I should tell the LORD who sent me."e
13 David said to Gad, "I am in great trouble. Let the LORD punish me, because the LORD is very merciful. Don't let my punishment come from human beings."
14 So the LORD sent a terrible disease on Israel, and seventy thousand people died.
15 God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but when the angel started to destroy it, the LORD saw it and felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. So he said to the angel who was destroying, "That is enough! Put down your arm!" The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD in the sky, holding his sword drawn and pointed at Jerusalem. Then David and the older leaders bowed facedown on the ground. They were wearing rough cloth to show their grief.
17 David said to God, "I am the one who sinned and did wrong. I gave the order for the people to be counted. These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. LORD my God, please punish me and my family, but stop the terrible disease that is killing your people."
18 Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that he should build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 So David did what Gad told him to do, in the name of the LORD.
20 Araunah was separating the wheat from the straw. When he turned around, he saw the angel. Araunah's four sons who were with him hid.
21 David came to Araunah, and when Araunah saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown on the ground before David.
22 David said to him, "Sell me your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD here. Then the terrible disease will stop. Sell it to me for the full price."
23 Araunah said to David, "Take this threshing floor. My master the king, do anything you want. Look, I will also give you oxen for the whole burnt offerings, the threshing boards for the wood, and wheat for the grain offering. I give everything to you."
24 But King David answered Araunah, "No, I will pay the full price for the land. I won't take anything that is yours and give it to the LORD. I won't offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
25 So David paid Araunah about fifteen pounds of gold for the place.
26 David built an altar to the LORD there and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. David prayed to the LORD, and he answered him by sending down fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 Then the LORD commanded the angel to put his sword back into its holder.
28 When David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah, he offered sacrifices there.
29 The Holy Tent that Moses made while the Israelites were in the desert and the altar of burnt offerings were in Gibeon at the place of worship.
30 But David could not go to the Holy Tent to speak with God, because he was afraid of the angel of the LORD and his sword.
1 Then Satan brought disaster upon Israel, for he made David decide to take a census.
2 "Take a complete census throughout the land and bring me the totals," he told Joab and the other leaders.
3 But Joab objected. "If the Lord were to multiply his people a hundred times, would they not all be yours? So why are you asking us to do this? Why must you cause Israel to sin?"
4 But the king won the argument, and Joab did as he was told; he traveled all through Israel and returned to Jerusalem. 5 The total population figure which he gave came to 1,100,000 men of military age in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. 6 But he didn't include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in his figures because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do.
7 And God, too, was displeased with the census and punished Israel for it.
8 But David said to God, "I am the one who has sinned. Please forgive me, for I realize now how wrong I was to do this."
9 Then the Lord said to Gad, David's personal prophet, 10-11 "Go and tell David, `The Lord has offered you three choices. Which will you choose? 12 You may have three years of famine, or three months of destruction by the enemies of Israel, or three days of deadly plague as the Angel of the Lord brings destruction to the land. Think it over and let me know what answer to return to the one who sent me.' "
13 "This is a terrible decision to make," David replied, "but let me fall into the hands of the Lord rather than into the power of men, for God's mercies are very great."
14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel and 70,000 men died as a result. 15 During the plague God sent an Angel to destroy Jerusalem; but then he felt such compassion that he changed his mind and commanded the destroying Angel, "Stop! It is enough!" (The Angel of the Lord was standing at the time by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.) 16 When David saw the Angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, pointing toward Jerusalem, he and the elders of Israel clothed themselves in sackcloth and fell to the ground before the Lord.
17 And David said to God, "I am the one who sinned by ordering the census. But what have these sheep done? O Lord my God, destroy me and my family, but do not destroy your people."
18 Then the Angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to build an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19-20 So David went to see Ornan, who was threshing wheat at the time. Ornan saw the Angel as he turned, and his four sons ran and hid. 21 Then Ornan saw the king approaching. So he left the threshing floor and bowed to the ground before King David.
22 David said to Ornan, "Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price; then I will build an altar to the Lord and the plague will stop."
23 "Take it, my lord, and use it as you wish," Ornan said to David. "Take the oxen, too, for burnt offerings; use the threshing instruments for wood for the fire and use the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all to you."
24 "No," the king replied, "I will buy it for the full price; I cannot take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not offer a burnt offering that has cost me nothing!"
25 So David paid Ornan $4,300 in gold 26 and built an altar to the Lord there, and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings upon it; and he called out to the Lord, who answered by sending down fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar. 27 Then the Lord commanded the Angel to put back his sword into its sheath; 28 and when David saw that the Lord had answered his plea, he sacrificed to him again. 29 The Tabernacle and altar made by Moses in the wilderness were on the hill of Gibeon, 30 but David didn't have time to go there to plead before the Lord, for he was terrified by the drawn sword of the Angel of Jehovah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,251
4,4,7,465
5,5,9,573
6,6,11,795
7,7,13,900
8,8,15,979
9,9,17,1132
10,10,19,1182
11,11,21,1305
12,12,23,1400
13,13,25,1778
14,14,27,1936
15,15,29,2024
16,16,31,2363
17,17,33,2592
18,18,35,2876
19,19,37,3023
20,20,39,3093
21,21,41,3233
22,22,43,3364
23,23,45,3534
24,24,47,3793
25,25,49,3994
26,26,51,4067
27,27,53,4284
28,28,55,4364
29,29,57,4481
30,30,59,4631
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,3,5,201
4,6,7,384
7,7,9,755
8,8,11,833
9,12,13,957
13,13,14,1366
14,16,16,1540
17,17,18,2112
18,21,20,2296
22,22,22,2682
23,23,24,2836
24,24,26,3066
25,30,28,3245
"R$H%
CONFESSION 1CHRO 21:8
When David realized his sin, he took full responsibility, admitted he was wrong, and asked God to forgive him. Many people want to add God and his blessings to their lives without acknowledging their personal sin and guilt. But confession and repentance must come before receiving forgiveness. Like David, we must take full responsibility for our actions and confess them to God before we can expect him to forgive us and continue his work in our lives.
1CHRO022
1 David said, "The Temple of the LORD God and the altar for Israel's burnt offerings will be built here."
2 So David ordered all foreigners living in Israel to gather together. From that group David chose stonecutters to cut stones to be used in building the Temple of God.
3 David supplied a large amount of iron to be used for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed,
4 and he supplied more cedar logs than could be counted. Much of the cedar had been brought to David by the people from Sidon and Tyre.
5 David said, "We should build a great Temple for the LORD, which will be famous everywhere for its greatness and beauty. But my son Solomon is young. He hasn't yet learned what he needs to know, so I will prepare for the building of it." So David got many of the materials ready before he died.
6 Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
7 David said to him, "My son, I wanted to build a temple for worshiping the LORD my God.
8 But the LORD spoke his word to me, `David, you have killed many people. You have fought many wars. You cannot build a temple for worship to me, because you have killed many people.
9 But, you will have a son, a man of peace and rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon, and I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king.
10 Solomon will build a temple for worship to me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will make his kingdom strong; someone from his family will rule Israel forever.' "
11 David said, "Now, my son, may the LORD be with you. May you build a temple for the LORD your God, as he said you would.
12 He will make you the king of Israel. May the LORD give you wisdom and understanding so you will be able to obey the teachings of the LORD your God.
13 Be careful to obey the rules and laws the LORD gave Moses for Israel. If you obey them, you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid or discouraged.
14 "Solomon, I have worked hard getting many of the materials for building the Temple of the LORD. I have supplied about seven and one-half million pounds of gold, about seventy-five million pounds of silver, so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, and wood and stone. You may add to them.
15 You have many workmen- stonecutters, bricklayers, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work.
16 They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more craftsmen than can be counted. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you."
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon.
18 David said to them, "The LORD your God is with you. He has given you rest from our enemies. He has handed over to me the people living around us. The LORD and his people are in control of this land.
19 Now give yourselves completely to obeying the LORD your God. Build the holy place of the LORD God; build the Temple for worship to the LORD. Then bring the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD and the holy items that belong to God into the Temple.".
1 Then David said, "Right here at Ornan's threshing floor is the place where I'll build the Temple of the Lord and construct the altar for Israel's burnt offering!"
2 David now drafted all the resident aliens in Israel to prepare blocks of squared stone for the Temple. 3 They also manufactured iron into the great quantity of nails needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps; and they smelted so much bronze that it was too much to weigh. 4 The men of Tyre and Sidon brought great rafts of cedar logs to David.
5 "Solomon my son is young and tender," David said, "and the Temple of the Lord must be a marvelous structure, famous and glorious throughout the world; so I will begin the preparations for it now."
So David collected the construction materials before his death. 6 He now commanded his son Solomon to build a Temple for the Lord God of Israel.
7 "I wanted to build it myself," David told him, 8 "but the Lord said not to do it. `You have killed too many men in great wars,' he told me. `You have reddened the ground before me with blood: so you are not to build my Temple. 9 But I will give you a son,' he told me, `who will be a man of peace, for I will give him peace with his enemies in the surrounding lands. His name shall be Solomon (meaning "Peaceful"), and I will give peace and quietness to Israel during his reign. 10 He shall build my Temple, and he shall be as my own son and I will be his father; and I will cause his sons and his descendants to reign over every generation of Israel.'
11 "So now, my son, may the Lord be with you and prosper you as you do what he told you to do and build the Temple of the Lord. 12 And may the Lord give you the good judgment to follow all his laws when he makes you king of Israel. 13 For if you carefully obey the rules and regulations that he gave to Israel through Moses, you will prosper. Be strong and courageous, fearless and enthusiastic!
14 "By hard work I have collected several billion dollars worth of gold bullion, millions in silver, and so much iron and bronze that I haven't even weighed it; I have also gathered timber and stone for the walls. This is at least a beginning, something with which to start. 15 And you have many skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. 16 They are expert gold and silver smiths and bronze and iron workers. So get to work, and may the Lord be with you!"
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to assist his son in this project.
18 "The Lord your God is with you," he declared. "He has given you peace with the surrounding nations, for I have conquered them in the name of the Lord and for his people. 19 Now try with every fiber of your being to obey the Lord your God, and you will soon be bringing the Ark and the other holy articles of worship into the Temple of the Lord!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,283
4,4,7,438
5,5,9,578
6,6,11,878
7,7,13,988
8,8,15,1081
9,9,17,1268
10,10,19,1462
11,11,21,1646
12,12,23,1773
13,13,25,1928
14,14,27,2099
15,15,29,2399
16,16,31,2510
17,17,33,2678
18,18,35,2755
19,19,37,2961
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,169
5,6,5,529
7,10,8,877
11,13,9,1533
14,16,11,1932
17,17,13,2413
18,19,15,2499
TOTALLY 1CHRO 22:12-13
David learned that it takes total dedication to please God-obeying with every fiber of your being (22:19). This requires both right decisions (good judg- ment), and right attitudes (strength, courage, and enthusiasm). It isn't enough just to understand what God wants; your heart must be totally dedicated to him. Jesus said, Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Remove the distractions that pull you away from God, and serve him wholeheartedly.
1CHRO023
1 After David had lived long and was old, he made his son Solomon the new king of Israel.
2 David gathered all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and Levites.
3 He counted the Levites who were thirty years old and older. In all, there were thirty-eight thousand Levites.
4 David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand Levites will direct the work of the Temple of the LORD, six thousand Levites will be officers and judges,
5 four thousand Levites will be gatekeepers, and four thousand Levites will praise the LORD with musical instruments I made for giving praise."
6 David separated the Levites into three groups that were led by Levi's three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 From the people of Gershon, there were Ladan and Shimei.
8 Ladan had three sons. His first son was Jehiel, and his other sons were Zetham and Joel.
9 Shimei's sons were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These three sons were leaders of Ladan's families.
10 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah.
11 Jahath was the first son, and Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many children, so they were counted as if they were one family.
12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
13 Amram's sons were Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were chosen to be special forever. They were chosen to prepare the holy things for the LORD' s service, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, and to serve him as priests. They were to give blessings in his name forever.
14 Moses was the man of God, and his sons were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
15 Moses' sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 Gershom's first son was Shubael.
17 Eliezer's first son was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.
18 Izhar's first son was Shelomith.
19 Hebron's first son was Jeriah, his second was Amariah, his third was Jahaziel, and his fourth was Jekameam.
20 Uzziel's first son was Micah and his second was Isshiah.
21 Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli's sons were Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died without sons; he had only daughters. Eleazar's daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish.
23 Mushi's three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
24 These were Levi's descendants listed by their families. They were the leaders of families. Each person who was twenty years old or older was listed. They served in the LORD' s Temple.
25 David had said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people. He has come to live in Jerusalem forever.
26 So the Levites don't need to carry the Holy Tent or any of the things used in its services anymore."
27 David's last instructions were to count the Levites who were twenty years old and older.
28 The Levites had the job of helping Aaron's descendants in the service of the Temple of the LORD. They cared for the Temple courtyard and side rooms, and they made all the holy things pure. Their job was to serve in the Temple of God.
29 They were responsible for putting the holy bread on the table, for the flour in the grain offerings, for the bread made without yeast, for the baking and mixing, and for the measuring.
30 The Levites also stood every morning and gave thanks and praise to the LORD. They also did this every evening.
31 The Levites offered all the burnt offerings to the LORD on the special days of rest, at the New Moon festivals, and at all appointed feasts. They served before the LORD every day. They were to follow the rules for how many Levites should serve each time.
32 So the Levites took care of the Meeting Tent and the Holy Place. And they helped their relatives, Aaron's descendants, with the services at the Temple of the LORD.
1 By this time David was an old, old man, so he stepped down from the throne and appointed his son Solomon as the new king of Israel. 2 He summoned all the political and religious leaders of Israel for the coronation ceremony. 3 At this time a census was taken of the men of the tribe of Levi who were thirty years or older. The total came to 38,000.
4-5 "Twenty-four thousand of them will supervise the work at the Temple," David instructed, "6,000 are to be bailiffs and judges, 4,000 will be Temple guards, and 4,000 will praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have made."
6 Then David divided them into three main divisions named after the sons of Levi - the Gershom division, the Kohath division, and the Merari division.
7 Subdivisions of the Gershom corps were named after his sons Ladan and Shimei. 8-9 These subdivisions were still further divided into six groups named after the sons of Ladan: Jehiel the leader, Zetham, Joel; and the sons of Shimei - Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.
10-11 The subclans of Shimei were named after his four sons: Jahath was greatest, Zizah was next, and Jeush and Beriah were combined into a single subclan because neither had many sons.
12 The division of Kohath was subdivided into four groups named after his sons Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
13 Amram was the ancestor of Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his sons were set apart for the holy service of sacrificing the people's offerings to the Lord. He served the Lord constantly and pronounced blessings in his name at all times.
14-15 As for Moses, the man of God, his sons, Gershom and Eliezer, were included with the tribe of Levi. 16 Gershom's sons were led by Shebuel, 17 and Eliezer's only son, Rehabiah, was the leader of his clan, for he had many children.
18 The sons of Izhar were led by Shelomith.
19 The sons of Hebron were led by Jeriah. Amariah was second in command, Jahaziel was third, and Jekameam was fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel were led by Micah, and Isshiah was the second in command.
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died without any sons, and his daughters were married to their cousins, the sons of Kish. 23 Mushi's sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.
24 In the census, all the men of Levi who were twenty years old or older were classified under the names of these clans and subclans; and they were all assigned to the ministry at the Temple. 25 For David said, "The Lord God of Israel has given us peace, and he will always live in Jerusalem. 26 Now the Levites will no longer need to carry the Tabernacle and its instruments from place to place."
27 (This census of the tribe of Levi was one of the last things David did before his death.) 28 The work of the Levites was to assist the priests - the descendants of Aaron - in the sacrifices at the Temple; they also did the custodial work and helped perform the ceremonies of purification. 29 They provided the Bread of the Presence, the flour for the grain offerings, and the wafers made without yeast (either fried or mixed with olive oil); they also checked all the weights and measures. 30 Each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing thanks and praise to him. 31 They assisted in the special sacrifices of burnt offerings, the Sabbath sacrifices, the new moon celebrations, and at all the festivals. There were always as many Levites present as were required for the occasion. 32 And they took care of the Tabernacle and the Temple and assisted the priests in whatever way they were needed.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,179
4,4,7,295
5,5,9,451
6,6,11,599
7,7,13,716
8,8,15,779
9,9,17,874
10,10,19,980
11,11,21,1042
12,12,23,1202
13,13,25,1265
14,14,27,1552
15,15,29,1641
16,16,31,1686
17,17,33,1726
18,18,35,1822
19,19,37,1862
20,20,39,1977
21,21,41,2041
22,22,43,2120
23,23,45,2238
24,24,47,2296
25,25,49,2487
26,26,51,2612
27,27,53,2720
28,28,55,2816
29,29,57,3057
30,30,59,3249
31,31,61,3367
32,32,63,3629
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,355
6,6,5,591
7,9,7,745
10,11,9,1019
12,12,11,1210
13,13,13,1326
14,17,15,1564
18,18,17,1806
19,19,19,1855
20,20,21,1978
21,23,23,2063
24,26,25,2310
27,32,27,2711
1CHRO024
1 These were the groups of Aaron's sons: Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests.
3 David, with the help of Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, separated their family groups into two different groups. Each group had certain duties.
4 There were more leaders from Eleazar's family than from Ithamar's- sixteen leaders from Eleazar's family and eight leaders from Ithamar's family.
5 Men were chosen from Eleazar's and Ithamar's families by throwing lots. Some men from each family were chosen to be in charge of the Holy Place, and some were chosen to serve as priests.
6 Shemaiah son of Nethanel, from the tribe of Levi, was the secretary. He recorded the names of those descendants in front of King David, the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the families of the priests and Levites. The work was divided by lots among the families of Eleazar and Ithamar. The following men with their groups were chosen.fecrG
7 The first one chosen was Jehoiarib. The second was Jedaiah.
8 The third was Harim. The fourth was Seorim.
9 The fifth was Malkijah. The sixth was Mijamin.
10 The seventh was Hakkoz. The eighth was Abijah.
11 The ninth was Jeshua. The tenth was Shecaniah.
12 The eleventh was Eliashib. The twelfth was Jakim.
13 The thirteenth was Huppah. The fourteenth was Jeshebeab.
14 The fifteenth was Bilgah. The sixteenth was Immer.
15 The seventeenth was Hezir. The eighteenth was Happizzez.
16 The nineteenth was Pethahiah. The twentieth was Jehezkel.
17 The twenty-first was Jakin. The twenty-second was Gamul.
18 The twenty-third was Delaiah. The twenty-fourth was Maaziah.
19 These were the groups chosen to serve in the Temple of the LORD. They obeyed the rules given them by Aaron, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
20 These are the names of the rest of Levi's descendants: Shubael was a descendant of Amram, and Jehdeiah was a descendant of Shubael.
21 Isshiah was the first son of Rehabiah.
22 From the Izhar family group, there was Shelomoth, and Jahath was a descendant of Shelomoth.
23 Hebron's first son was Jeriah, Amariah was his second, Jahaziel was his third, and Jekameam was his fourth.
24 Uzziel's son was Micah. Micah's son was Shamir.
25 Micah's brother was Isshiah, and Isshiah's son was Zechariah.
26 Merari's descendants were Mahli and Mushi. Merari's son was Jaaziah.
27 Jaaziah son of Merari had sons named Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
28 Mahli's son was Eleazar, but Eleazar did not have any sons.
29 Kish's son was Jerahmeel.
30 Mushi's sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These are the Levites, listed by their families.
31 They were chosen for special jobs by throwing lots in front of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, the leaders of the families of the priests, and the Levites. They did this just as their relatives, the priests, Aaron's descendants, had done. The families of the oldest brother and the youngest brother were treated the same.
1 The priests (the descendants of Aaron) were placed into two divisions named after Aaron's sons, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Nadab and Abihu were also sons of Aaron, but they died before their father did and had no children; so only Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on. 3 David consulted with Zadok, who represented the Eleazar clan, and with Ahimelech, who represented the Ithamar clan; then he divided Aaron's descendants into many groups to serve at various times. 4 Eleazar's descendants were divided into sixteen groups and Ithamar's into eight (for there was more leadership ability among the descendants of Eleazar).
5 All tasks were assigned to the various groups by coin-toss so that there would be no preference, for there were many famous men and high officials of the Temple in each division. 6 Shemaiah, a Levite and the son of Nethanel, acted as recording secretary and wrote down the names and assignments in the presence of the king and of these leaders: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priests and Levites. Two groups from the division of Eleazar and one from the division of Ithamar were assigned to each task.
7-18 The work was assigned (by coin-toss) in this order:
First, the group led by Jehoiarib;
Second, the group led by Jedaiah;
Third, the group led by Harim;
Fourth, the group led by Seorim;
Fifth, the group led by Malchijah;
Sixth, the group led by Mijamin;
Seventh, the group led by Hakkoz;
Eighth, the group led by Ahijah;
Ninth, the group led by Jeshua;
Tenth, the group led by Shecaniah;
Eleventh, the group led by Eliashib;
Twelfth, the group led by Jakim;
Thirteenth, the group led by Huppah;
Fourteenth, the group led by Jeshebeab;
Fifteenth, the group led by Bilgah;
Sixteenth, the group led by Immer;
Seventeenth, the group led by Hezir;
Eighteenth, the group led by Happizzez;
Nineteenth, the group led by Pethahiah;
Twentieth, the group led by Jehezkel;
Twenty-first, the group led by Jachin;
Twenty-second, the group led by Gamul;
Twenty-third, the group led by Delaiah;
Twenty-fourth, the group led by Maaziah.
19 Each group carried out the Temple duties as originally assigned by God through their ancestor Aaron.
20 These were the other descendants of Levi: Amram; his descendant Shubael; and Shubael's descendant Jehdeiah; 21 the Rehabiah group, led by his oldest son Isshiah; 22 the Izhar group, consisting of Shelamoth and his descendant Jahath. 23 The Hebron group: Jeriah, Hebron's oldest son; Amariah, his second son; Jahaziel, his third son; Jekameam, his fourth son.
24-25 The Uzziel group was led by his son Micah and his grandsons Shamir and Isshiah, and by Isshiah's son Zechariah.
26-27 The Merari group was led by his sons: Mahli and Mushi. (Jaaziah's group, led by his son Beno, included his brothers Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.) 28 Mahli's descendants were Eleazar, who had no sons, 29 and Kish, among whose sons was Jerahmeel. 30 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the descendants of Levi in their various clans. 31 Like the descendants of Aaron, they were assigned to their duties by coin-toss without distinction as to age or rank. It was done in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests and the Levites.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,224
4,4,7,414
5,5,9,566
6,6,11,759
7,7,13,1146
8,8,15,1212
9,9,17,1262
10,10,19,1315
11,11,21,1369
12,12,23,1423
13,13,25,1480
14,14,27,1544
15,15,29,1602
16,16,31,1666
17,17,33,1731
18,18,35,1795
19,19,37,1863
20,20,39,2034
21,21,41,2173
22,22,43,2219
23,23,45,2318
24,24,47,2433
25,25,49,2488
26,26,51,2557
27,27,53,2633
28,28,55,2703
29,29,57,2770
30,30,59,2803
31,31,61,2904
1,4,1,1
5,6,4,633
7,18,6,1179
19,19,32,2154
20,23,34,2261
24,25,36,2626
26,31,38,2747
1CHRO025
1 David and the commanders of the army chose some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to preach and play harps, lyres, and cymbals. Here is a list of the men who served in this way:
2 Asaph's sons who served were Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. King David chose Asaph to preach, and Asaph directed his sons.
3 Jeduthun's sons who served were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. There were six of them, and Jeduthun directed them. He preached and used a harp to give thanks and praise to the LORD.
4 Heman's sons who served were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, ROMAMTI-EZER, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5 All these were sons of Heman, David's seer. God promised to make Heman strong, so Heman had many sons. God gave him fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 Heman directed all his sons in making music for the Temple of the LORD with cymbals, lyres, and harps; that was their way of serving in the Temple of God. King David was in charge of Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
7 These men and their relatives were trained and skilled in making music for the LORD. There were two hundred eighty-eight of them.
8 Everyone threw lots to choose the time his family was to serve at the Temple. The young and the old, the teacher and the student, had to throw lots.
9 First, the lot fell to Joseph, from the family of Asaph. Second, twelve men were chosen from Gedaliah, his sons and relatives.
10 Third, twelve men were chosen from Zaccur, his sons and relatives.
11 Fourth, twelve men were chosen from Izri, his sons and relatives.
12 Fifth, twelve men were chosen from Nethaniah, his sons and relatives.
13 Sixth, twelve men were chosen from Bukkiah, his sons and relatives.
14 Seventh, twelve men were chosen from Jesarelah, his sons and relatives.
15 Eighth, twelve men were chosen from Jeshaiah, his sons and relatives.
16 Ninth, twelve men were chosen from Mattaniah, his sons and relatives.
17 Tenth, twelve men were chosen from Shimei, his sons and relatives.
18 Eleventh, twelve men were chosen from Azarel, his sons and relatives.
19 Twelfth, twelve men were chosen from Hashabiah, his sons and relatives.
20 Thirteenth, twelve men were chosen from Shubael, his sons and relatives.
21 Fourteenth, twelve men were chosen from Mattithiah, his sons and relatives.
22 Fifteenth, twelve men were chosen from Jerimoth, his sons and relatives.
23 Sixteenth, twelve men were chosen from Hananiah, his sons and relatives.
24 Seventeenth, twelve men were chosen from Joshbekashah, his sons and relatives.
25 Eighteenth, twelve men were chosen from Hanani, his sons and relatives.
26 Nineteenth, twelve men were chosen from Mallothi, his sons and relatives.
27 Twentieth, twelve men were chosen from Eliathah, his sons and relatives.
28 Twenty-first, twelve men were chosen from Hothir, his sons and relatives.
29 Twenty-second, twelve men were chosen from Giddalti, his sons and relatives.
30 Twenty-third, twelve men were chosen from Mahazioth, his sons and relatives.
31 Twenty-fourth, twelve men were chosen from ROMAMTI-EZER, his sons and relatives.
1 David and the officials of the Tabernacle then appointed men to prophesy to the accompaniment of zithers, harps, and cymbals. These men were from the groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Here is a list of their names and their work:
2 Under the leadership of Asaph, the king's private prophet, were his sons Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah.
3 Under Jeduthun, who led in giving thanks and praising the Lord (while accompanied by the zither), were his six sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.
4-5 Under the direction of Heman, the king's private chaplain, were his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Geddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. (For God had honored him with fourteen sons and three daughters.) 6-7 Their music ministry included the playing of cymbals, harps, and zithers; all were under the direction of their father as they performed this ministry in the Tabernacle.
Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in singing praises to the Lord; each one - 288 of them in all - was a master musician. 8 The singers were appointed to their particular term of service by coin-toss, without regard to age or reputation.
9-31 The first toss indicated Joseph of the Asaph clan;
The second, Gedaliah, along with twelve of his sons and brothers;
The third, Zaccur and twelve of his sons and brothers;
The fourth, Izri and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Fifth, Nethaniah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Sixth, Bukkiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Seventh, Jesharelah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Eighth, Jeshaiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Ninth, Mattaniah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Tenth, Shimei and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Eleventh, Azarel and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twelfth, Hashabiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Thirteenth, Shubael and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Fourteenth, Mattithiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Fifteenth, Jeremoth and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Sixteenth, Hananiah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Seventeenth, Joshbekasha and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Eighteenth, Hanani and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Nineteenth, Mallothi and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twentieth, Eliathah and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twenty-first, Hothir and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twenty-second, Giddalti and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twenty-third, Mahazioth and twelve of his sons and brothers;
Twenty-fourth, Romamti-ezer and twelve of his sons and brothers.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,193
3,3,5,332
4,4,7,550
5,5,9,731
6,6,11,888
7,7,13,1105
8,8,15,1241
9,9,17,1396
10,10,19,1529
11,11,21,1603
12,12,23,1676
13,13,25,1753
14,14,27,1828
15,15,29,1907
16,16,31,1984
17,17,33,2061
18,18,35,2135
19,19,37,2212
20,20,39,2291
21,21,41,2371
22,22,43,2454
23,23,45,2534
24,24,47,2614
25,25,49,2700
26,26,51,2779
27,27,53,2860
28,28,55,2940
29,29,57,3021
30,30,59,3105
31,31,61,3189
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,238
3,3,4,358
4,4,6,541
1CHRO026
1 These are the groups of the gatekeepers. From the family of Korah, there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, who was from Asaph's family.
2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was his first son, Jediael was second, Zebadiah was third, Jathniel was fourth,
3 Elam was fifth, Jehohanan was sixth, and Eliehoenai was seventh.
4 OBED-EDOM had sons. Shemaiah was his first son, Jehozabad was second, Joah was third, Sacar was fourth, Nethanel was fifth,
5 Ammiel was sixth, Issachar was seventh, and Peullethai was eighth. God blessed OBED-EDOM with children.
6 OBED-EDOM'S son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their father's family because they were capable men.
7 Shemaiah's sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semakiah. Elihu, and Semakiah were skilled workers.
8 All these were OBED-EDOM'S descendants. They and their sons and relatives were capable men and strong workers. OBED-EDOM had sixty-two descendants in all.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were skilled workers. In all, there were eighteen.
10 From the Merari family, Hosah had sons. Shimri was chosen to be in charge. Although he was not the oldest son, his father chose him to be in charge.
11 Hilkiah was his second son, Tabaliah was third, and Zechariah was fourth. In all, Hosah had thirteen sons and relatives.
12 These were the leaders of the groups of gatekeepers, and they served in the Temple of the LORD. Their relatives also worked in the Temple.
13 By throwing lots, each family chose a gate to guard. Young and old threw lots.
14 Meshelemiah was chosen by lot to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah's son Zechariah. He was a wise counselor and was chosen for the North Gate.
15 OBED-EDOM was chosen for the South Gate, and OBED-EDOM'S sons were chosen to guard the storehouse.
16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road. Guards stood side by side with guards.
17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate; four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate; four Levites stood guard every day at the South Gate; and two Levites at a time guarded the storehouse.
18 There were two guards at the western court and four guards on the road to the court.
19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers from the families of Korah and Merari.
20 Other Levites were responsible for guarding the treasuries of the Temple of God and for the places where the holy items were kept.
21 Ladan was Gershon's son and the ancestor of several family groups. Jehiel was a leader of one of the family groups.
22 His sons were Zetham and Joel his brother, and they were responsible for the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD.
23 Other leaders were chosen from the family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
24 Shubael, the descendant of Gershom, who was Moses' son, was the leader responsible for the treasuries.
25 These were Shubael's relatives from Eliezer: Eliezer's son Rehabiah, Rehabiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zicri, and Zicri's son Shelomith.
26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that had been collected for the Temple by King David, by the heads of families, by the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and by other army commanders.
27 They also gave some of the things they had taken in wars to be used in repairing the Temple of the LORD.
28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the holy items. Some had been given by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah.
29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. He and his sons worked outside the Temple as officers and judges in different places in Israel.
30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. He and his relatives were responsible for the LORD' s work and the king's business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were seventeen hundred skilled men in Hashabiah's group.
31 The history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. In David's fortieth year as king, the records were searched, and some capable men of the Hebron family were found living at Jazer in Gilead.
32 Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives who were skilled men and leaders of families. King David gave them the responsibility of directing the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in God's work and the king's business.
1 The Temple guards were from the Asaph division of the Korah clan. The captain of the guard was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore.
2-3 His sergeants were his sons: Zechariah (the oldest), Jediael (the second), Zebadiah (the third), Jathniel (the fourth), Elam (the fifth), Jehohanan (the sixth), Eliehoenai (the seventh).
4-5 The sons of Obed-edom were also appointed as Temple guards: Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), Peullethai (the eighth). What a blessing God gave him with all those sons!
6-7 Shemaiah's sons were all outstanding men and had positions of great authority in their clan. Their names were: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad.
Their brave brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were also very able men.
8 All of these sons and grandsons of Obed-edom - all sixty-two of them - were outstanding men who were particularly well qualified for their work. 9 Meshelemiah's eighteen sons and brothers, too, were real leaders. 10 Hosah, one of the Merari group, appointed Shimri as the leader among his sons, though he was not the oldest. 11 The names of some of his other sons were: Hilkiah, the second; Tebaliah, the third; Zechariah, the fourth. Hosah's sons and brothers numbered thirteen in all.
12 The divisions of the Temple guards were named after the leaders. Like the other Levites, they were responsible to minister at the Temple. 13 They were assigned guard duty at the various gates without regard to the reputation of their families, for it was all done by coin-toss. 14-15 The responsibility of the east gate went to Shelemiah and his group; of the north gate to his son Zechariah, a man of unusual wisdom; of the south gate to Obed-edom and his group (his sons were given charge of the storehouses); 16 of the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road, to Shuppim and Hosah. 17 Six guards were assigned daily to the east gate, four to the north gate, four to the south gate, and two to each of the storehouses. 18 Six guards were assigned each day to the west gate, four to the upper road, and two to the nearby areas. 19 The Temple guards were chosen from the clans of Korah and Merari.
20-22 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were given the care of the gifts brought to the Lord and placed in the Temple treasury. These men of the Ladan subclan from the clan of Gershom included Zetham and Joel, the sons of Jehieli. 23-24 Shebuel, son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, was the chief officer of the treasury. He was in charge of the divisions named after Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
25 The line of descendants from Eliezer went through Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth. 26 Shelomoth and his brothers were appointed to care for the gifts given to the Lord by King David and the other leaders of the nation such as the officers and generals of the army. 27 For these men dedicated their war loot to support the operating expenses of the Temple. 28 Shelomoth and his brothers were also responsible for the care of the items dedicated to the Lord by Samuel the prophet, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, Joab the son of Zeruiah, and anyone else of distinction who brought gifts to the Lord.
29 Chenaniah and his sons (from the subclan of Izhar) were appointed public administrators and judges. 30 Hashabiah and 1,700 of his clansmen from Hebron, all outstanding men, were placed in charge of the territory of Israel west of the Jordan River; they were responsible for the religious affairs and public administration of that area. 31-32 Twenty-seven hundred outstanding men of the clan of the Hebronites, under the supervision of Jerijah, were appointed to control the religious and public affairs of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These men, all of whom had excellent qualifications, were appointed on the basis of their ancestry and ability at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of King David's reign.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,138
3,3,5,256
4,4,7,327
5,5,9,457
6,6,11,567
7,7,13,687
8,8,15,808
9,9,17,969
10,10,19,1065
11,11,21,1221
12,12,23,1349
13,13,25,1495
14,14,27,1581
15,15,29,1756
16,16,31,1862
17,17,33,1999
18,18,35,2216
19,19,37,2308
20,20,39,2395
21,21,41,2533
22,22,43,2656
23,23,45,2778
24,24,47,2871
25,25,49,2981
26,26,51,3150
27,27,53,3385
28,28,55,3497
29,29,57,3666
30,30,59,3805
31,31,61,4032
32,32,63,4249
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,131
4,5,5,325
6,7,7,618
8,11,10,836
12,19,12,1328
20,24,14,2245
25,28,16,2647
29,32,18,3280
LOOT 1CHRO 26:27
War loot rightfully be- longed to the victorious army. These soldiers, however, gave their portion of all the battle spoils to the temple to express their dedication to God. Like these soldiers, we should think of what we can give, rather than what we are obligated to give. Is your giving a matter of rejoicing rather than duty? Give as a response of joy and love for God and others.
LD)B)B)
1CHRO027
1 This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each division was on duty one month each year. There were leaders of families, commanders of a hundred men, commanders of a thousand men, and other officers. Each division had twenty-four thousand men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division for the first month. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
3 Jashobeam, one of the descendants of Perez, was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai, from the Ahohites, was in charge of the division for the second month. Mikloth was a leader in the division. There were twenty-four thousand men in Dodai's division.
5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
6 He was the Benaiah who was one of the Thirty soldiers. Benaiah was a brave warrior who led those men. Benaiah's son Ammizabad was in charge of Benaiah's division.
7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel, the brother of Joab. Later, Asahel's son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth, from Izrah's family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
9 The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez. He was from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai. He was from Hushah and was from Zerah's family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer. He was from Anathoth in Benjamin. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai. He was from Netophah and was from Zerah's family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah. He was from Pirathon in Ephraim. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai. He was from Netophah and was from Othniel's family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Eliezer son of Zicri was over the tribe of Reuben. Shephatiah son of Maacah was over the tribe of Simeon.
17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel was over the tribe of Levi. Zadok was over the people of Aaron.
18 Elihu, one of David's brothers, was over the tribe of Judah. Omri son of Michael was over the tribe of Issachar.
19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over the tribe of Zebulun. Jerimoth son of Azriel was over the tribe of Naphtali.
20 Hoshea son of Azaziah was over the tribe of Ephraim. Joel son of Pedaiah was over West Manasseh.
21 Iddo son of Zechariah was over East Manasseh. Jaasiel son of Abner was over the tribe of Benjamin.
22 Azarel son of Jeroham was over the tribe of Dan. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 The LORD had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David only counted the men who were twenty years old and older.
24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish. God became angry with Israel for counting the people, so the number of the people was not put in the history book about King David's rule.
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, towns, villages, and towers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land.
27 Shimei, from the town of Ramah, was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi, from Shapham, was in charge of storing the wine that came from the vineyards.
28 BAAL-HANAN, from Geder, was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hills. Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai, from Sharon, was in charge of the herds that fed in the Plain of Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.
30 Obil, an Ishmaelite, was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah, from Meronoth, was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz, from the Hagrites, was in charge of the flocks. All these men were the officers who took care of King David's property.
32 Jonathan was David's uncle, and he advised David. Jonathan was a wise man and a teacher of the law. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king's sons.
33 Ahithophel advised the king. Hushai, from the Arkite people, was the king's friend.
34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel's place in advising the king. Jehoiada was Benaiah's son. Joab was the commander of the king's army.
1 The Israeli army was divided into twelve regiments, each with 24,000 troops, including officers and administrative staff. These units were called up for active duty one month each year. Here is the list of the units and their regimental commanders:
2-3 The commander of the First Division was Jashobeam. He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the first month of each year.
4 The commander of the Second Division was Dodai (a descendant of Ahohi). He had charge of 24,000 troops who were on duty the second month of each year. Mikloth was his executive officer.
5-6 The commander of the Third Division was Benaiah. His 24,000 men were on duty the third month of each year. (He was the son of Jehoiada the High Priest and was the chief of the Thirty, a group including the mightiest of David's men.) His son Ammizabad succeeded him as division commander.
7 The commander of the Fourth Division was Asahel (the brother of Joab), who was later replaced by his son Zebadiah. He had 24,000 men on duty the fourth month of each year.
8 The commander of the Fifth Division was Shamuth from Izrah, with 24,000 men on duty the fifth month of each year.
9 The commander of the Sixth Division was Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; he had 24,000 men on duty the sixth month of each year.
10 The commander of the Seventh Division was Helez from Pelona in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty the seventh month of each year.
11 The commander of the Eighth Division was Sibbecai of the Hushite subclan from Zerah, who had 24,000 men on duty the eighth month of each year.
12 The commander of the Ninth Division was Abiezer (from Anathoth in the tribe of Benjamin), who commanded 24,000 troops during the ninth month of each year.
13 The commander of the Tenth Division was Maharai from Netophah in Zerah, with 24,000 men on duty the tenth month of each year.
14 The commander of the Eleventh Division was Benaiah from Pirathon in Ephraim, with 24,000 men on duty during the eleventh month of each year.
15 The commander of the Twelfth Division was Heldai from Netophah in the area of Othniel, who commanded 24,000 men on duty during the twelfth month of each year.
16-22 The top political officers of the tribes of Israel were as follows:
Over Reuben, Eliezer (son of Zichri);
Over Simeon, Shephatiah (son of Maacah);
Over Levi, Hashabiah (son of Kemuel);
Over the descendants of Aaron, Zadok;
Over Judah, Elihu (a brother of King David);
Over Issachar, Omri (son of Michael);
Over Zebulun, Ishmaiah (son of Obadiah);
Over Naphtali, Jeremoth (son of Azriel);
Over Ephraim, Hoshea (son of Azaziah);
Over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel (son of Pedaiah);
Over the other half of Manasseh, in Gilead, Iddo (son of Zechariah);
Over Benjamin, Jaasiel (son of Abner);
Over Dan, Azarel (son of Jeroham).
23 When David took his census, he didn't include the twenty-year-olds or those younger, for the Lord had promised a population explosion for his people. 24 Joab began the census, but he never finished it, for the anger of God broke out upon Israel; the final total was never put into the annals of King David.
25 Azmaveth (son of Adiel) was the chief financial officer in charge of the palace treasuries, and Jonathan (son of Uzziah) was chief of the regional treasuries throughout the cities, villages, and fortresses of Israel.
26 Ezri (son of Chelub) was manager of the laborers on the king's estates. 27 And Shimei from Ramath had the oversight of the king's vineyards; and Zabdi from Shiphma was responsible for his wine production and storage. 28 Baal-hanan from Gedera was responsible for the king's olive yards and sycamore trees in the lowlands bordering Philistine territory, while Joash had charge of the supplies of olive oil.
29 Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle on the plains of Sharon, and Shaphat (son of Adlai) had charge of those in the valleys. 30 Obil, from the territory of Ishmael, had charge of the camels, and Jehdeiah from Meronoth had charge of the donkeys. 31 The sheep were under the care of Jaziz the Hagrite. These men were King David's overseers.
32 The attendant to the king's sons was Jonathan, David's uncle, a wise counselor and an educated man. Jehiel (the son of Hachmoni) was their tutor.
33 Ahithophel was the king's official counselor, and Hushai the Archite was his personal advisor. 34 Ahithophel was assisted by Jehoiada (the son of Benaiah) and by Abiathar. Joab was commander-in-chief of the Israeli army.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,277
3,3,5,418
4,4,7,525
5,5,9,704
6,6,11,845
7,7,13,1014
8,8,15,1208
9,9,17,1344
10,10,19,1491
11,11,21,1663
12,12,23,1829
13,13,25,1978
14,14,27,2143
15,15,29,2297
16,16,31,2467
17,17,33,2628
18,18,35,2723
19,19,37,2843
20,20,39,2960
21,21,41,3064
22,22,43,3170
23,23,45,3274
24,24,47,3426
25,25,49,3642
26,26,51,3812
27,27,53,3893
28,28,55,4049
29,29,57,4200
30,30,59,4353
31,31,61,4465
32,32,63,4599
33,33,65,4758
34,34,67,4849
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,253
4,4,4,389
5,6,6,580
7,7,8,875
8,8,10,1052
9,9,12,1171
10,10,14,1307
11,11,16,1441
12,12,18,1590
13,13,20,1751
14,14,22,1883
15,15,24,2030
16,22,26,2195
23,24,41,2856
25,25,43,3169
26,28,45,3392
29,31,47,3804
32,32,49,4160
33,34,51,4312
%R"c$
1CHRO028
1 David commanded all the leaders of Israel to come to Jerusalem. There were the leaders of the tribes, commanders of the divisions serving the king, commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, leaders who took care of the property and animals that belonged to the king and his sons, men over the palace, the powerful men, and all the brave warriors.
2 King David stood up and said, "Listen to me, my relatives and my people. I wanted to build a place to keep the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. I wanted it to be God's footstool. So I made plans to build a temple.
3 But God said to me, `You must not build a temple for worshiping me, because you are a soldier and have killed many people.'
4 "But the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king of Israel forever. He chose the tribe of Judah to lead, and from the people of Judah, he chose my father's family. From that family God was pleased to make me king of Israel.
5 The LORD has given me many sons, and from those sons he has chosen Solomon to be the new king of Israel. Israel is the LORD' s kingdom.
6 The LORD said to me, `Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards. I have chosen Solomon to be my son, and I will be his father.
7 He is obeying my laws and commands now. If he continues to obey them, I will make his kingdom strong forever.' "
8 David said, "Now, in front of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of God, I tell you these things: Be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God. Then you will keep this good land and pass it on to your descendants forever.'
9 "And you, my son Solomon, accept the God of your father. Serve him completely and willingly, because the LORD knows what is in everyone's mind. He understands everything you think. If you go to him for help, you will get an answer. But if you turn away from him, he will leave you forever.
10 Solomon, you must understand this. The LORD has chosen you to build the Temple as his holy place. Be strong and finish the job."
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for building the Temple and the courtyard around the Temple. They included its buildings, its storerooms, its upper rooms, its inside rooms, and the place where the people's sins were removed.
12 David gave him plans for everything he had in mind: the courtyards around the LORD' s Temple and all the rooms around it, the Temple treasuries, and the treasuries of the holy items used in the Temple.
13 David gave Solomon directions for the groups of the priests and Levites. David told him about all the work of serving in the Temple of the LORD and about the items to be used in the Temple service
14 that were made of gold or silver. David told Solomon how much gold or silver should be used to make each thing.
15 David told him how much gold to use for each gold lampstand and its lamps and how much silver to use for each silver lampstand and its lamps. The different lampstands were to be used where needed.
16 David told how much gold should be used for each table that held the holy bread and how much silver should be used for the silver tables.
17 He told how much pure gold should be used to make the forks, bowls, and pitchers and how much gold should be used to make each gold dish. He told how much silver should be used to make each silver dish
18 and how much pure gold should be used for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot of the golden creatures that spread their wings over the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD.
19 David said, "All these plans were written with the LORD guiding me. He helped me understand everything in the plans."
20 David also said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and brave, and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged, because the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or leave you until all the work for the Temple of the LORD is finished.sh
21 The groups of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the Temple of God. Every skilled worker is ready to help you with all the work. The leaders and all the people will obey every command you give."
1 David now summoned all of his officials to Jerusalem - the political leaders, the commanders of the twelve army divisions, the other army officers, those in charge of his property and livestock, and all the other men of authority in his kingdom. 2 He rose and stood before them and addressed them as follows:
"My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple in which the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord could rest - a place for our God to live in I have now collected everything that is necessary for the building, 3 but God has told me, `You are not to build my temple, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.'
4 "Nevertheless, the Lord God of Israel has chosen me from among all my father's family to begin a dynasty that will rule Israel forever; he has chosen the tribe of Judah, and from among the families of Judah, my father's family; and from among his sons, the Lord took pleasure in me and has made me king over all Israel. 5 And from among my sons - the Lord has given me many children - he has chosen Solomon to succeed me on the throne of his kingdom of Israel. 6 He has told me, `Your son Solomon shall build my temple; for I have chosen him as my son and I will be his father. 7 And if he continues to obey my commandments and instructions as he has until now, I will make his kingdom last forever.' "
8 Then David turned to Solomon and said
"Here before the leaders of Israel, the people of God, and in the sight of our God, I am instructing you to search out every commandment of the Lord so that you may continue to rule this good land and leave it to your children to rule forever. 9 Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your fathers. Worship and serve him with a clean heart and a willing mind, for the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every thought. If you seek him, you will find him; but if you forsake him, he will permanently throw you aside. 10 So be very careful, for the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Be strong and do as he commands."
11 Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple and its surroundings - the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy. 12 He also gave Solomon his plans for the outer court, the outside rooms, the Temple storage areas, and the treasuries for the gifts dedicated by famous persons. For the Holy Spirit had given David all these plans. 13 The king also passed on to Solomon the instructions concerning the work of the various groups of priests and Levites; and he gave specifications for each item in the Temple which was to be used for worship and sacrifice.
14 David weighed out enough gold and silver to make these various items, 15 as well as the specific amount of gold needed for the lampstands and lamps. He also weighed out enough silver for the silver candlesticks and lamps, each according to its use. 16 He weighed out the gold for the table on which the Bread of the Presence would be placed and for the other gold tables, and he weighed the silver for the silver tables. 17 Then he weighed out the gold for the solid gold hooks used in handling the sacrificial meat and for the basins, cups, and bowls of gold and silver. 18 Finally, he weighed out the refined gold for the altar of incense and for the gold Guardian Angels whose wings were stretched over the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
19 "Every part of this blueprint," David told Solomon, "was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord." 20 Then he continued, "Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don't be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly. 21 And these various groups of priests and Levites will serve in the Temple. Others with skills of every kind will volunteer, and the army and the entire nation are at your command."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,363
3,3,5,586
4,4,7,716
5,5,9,972
6,6,11,1114
7,7,13,1262
8,8,15,1381
9,9,17,1644
10,10,19,1940
11,11,21,2076
12,12,23,2318
13,13,25,2527
14,14,27,2731
15,15,29,2850
16,16,31,3054
17,17,33,3199
18,18,35,3408
19,19,37,3619
20,20,39,3744
21,21,41,3996
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,639
8,10,4,1345
11,13,7,2029
14,18,9,2645
19,21,11,3394
!H"O$
OPEN 1CHRO 28:9
Nothing can be hidden from God. He sees and understands everything in our hearts. David found this out the hard way when God sent Nathan to expose David's sins of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12). David told Solomon to be completely open with God and dedicated to him. It makes no sense to try to hide any thoughts or actions from an all-knowing God. This should cause you joy, not fear, because God knows even the worst things about you and loves you anyway.
I Wonder: Developing my own faith ,!page "^W0013" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Moral Dilemmas: The Boss ,!page "^M007" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
1CHRO029
1 King David said to all the Israelites who were gathered, "God chose my son Solomon, who is young and hasn't yet learned what he needs to know, but the work is important. This palace is not for people; it is for the LORD God.
2 I have done my best to prepare for building the Temple of God. I have given gold for the things made of gold and silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze and iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood and onyx for the settings. I have given turquoise gems of many different colors, valuable stones, and white marble. I have given much of all these things.
3 I have already given this for the Temple, but now I am also giving my own treasures of gold and silver, because I really want the Temple of my God to be built.
4 I have given about two hundred twenty thousand pounds of pure gold from Ophir and about five hundred twenty thousand pounds of pure silver. They will be used to cover the walls of the buildings
5 and for all the gold and silver work. Skilled men may use the gold and silver to make things for the Temple. Now, who is ready to give himself to the service of the LORD today?"
6 The family leaders and the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and the leaders responsible for the king's work gave their valuable things.
7 They donated about three hundred eighty thousand pounds of gold, about seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of silver, about one million three hundred fifty thousand pounds of bronze, and about seven million five hundred thousand pounds of iron to the Temple of God.
8 People who had valuable gems gave them to the treasury of the Temple of the LORD, and Jehiel, from the Gershon family, took care of the valuable gems.
9 The leaders gave willingly and completely to the LORD. The people rejoiced to see their leaders give so gladly, and King David was also very happy.
10 David praised the LORD in front of all the people who were gathered. He said: "We praise you, LORD, God of our father Israel. We praise you forever and ever.
11 LORD, you are great and powerful. You have glory, victory, and honor. Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. The kingdom belongs to you, LORD; you are the ruler over everything.
12 Riches and honor come from you. You rule everything. You have the power and strength to make anyone great and strong.
13 Now, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name.
14 "These things did not really come from me and my people. Everything comes from you; we have given you back what you gave us.
15 We are like foreigners and strangers, as our ancestors were. Our time on earth is like a shadow. There is no hope.
16 LORD our God, we have gathered all this to build your Temple for worship to you. But everything has come from you; everything belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you test people's hearts. You are happy when people do what is right. I was happy to give all these things, and I gave with an honest heart. Your people gathered here are happy to give to you, and I rejoice to see their giving.D
18 LORD, you are the God of our ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Make your people want to serve you always, and make them want to obey you.
19 Give my son Solomon a desire to serve you. Help him always obey your commands, laws, and rules. Help him build the Temple for which I have prepared."
20 Then David said to all the people who were gathered, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed to the ground to give honor to the LORD and the king.
21 The next day the people sacrificed to the LORD. They offered burnt offerings to him of a thousand bulls, a thousand male sheep, and a thousand male lambs. They also brought drink offerings. Many sacrifices were made for all the people of Israel.
22 That day the people ate and drank with much joy, and the LORD was with them. And they made David's son Solomon king for the second time. They poured olive oil on Solomon to appoint him king in the presence of the LORD. And they poured oil on Zadok to appoint him as priest.
23 Then Solomon sat on the LORD' s throne as king and took his father David's place. Solomon was very successful, and all the people of Israel obeyed him.
24 All the leaders and soldiers and King David's sons accepted Solomon as king and promised to obey him.
25 The LORD made Solomon great before all the Israelites and gave Solomon much honor. No king of Israel before Solomon had such honor.
26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.
27 He had ruled over Israel forty years- seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life and had received many riches and honors. His son Solomon became king after him.
29 Everything David did as king, from beginning to end, is recorded in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet, and the records of Gad the seer.
1 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said: "My son Solomon, whom God has chosen to be the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced, and the work ahead of him is enormous; for the temple he will build is not just another building - it is for the Lord God himself! 2 Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building it - enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and marble. 3 And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of God, I am giving all of my own private treasures to aid in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected. 4-5 These personal contributions consist of millions of dollars of gold from Ophir and huge amounts of silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings. It will also be used for the articles made of gold and silver and for the artistic decorations. Now then, who will follow my example? Who will give himself and all that he has to the Lord?"
6-7 Then the clan leaders, the heads of the tribes, the army officers, and the administrative officers of the king pledged huge sums of gold, silver, and foreign currency, also 675 tons of bronze and 3,750 tons of iron. 8 They also contributed great amounts of jewelry, which were deposited at the Temple treasury with Jehiel (a descendant of Gershom). 9 Everyone was excited and happy for this opportunity of service, and King David was moved with deep joy.
10 While still in the presence of the whole assembly, David expressed his praises to the Lord: "O Lord God of our father Israel, praise your name for ever and ever! 11 Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. 12 Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength. 13 O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name, 14 but who am I and who are my people that we should be permitted to give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we only give you what is yours already! 15 For we are here for but a moment, strangers in the land as our fathers were before us; our days on earth are like a shadow, gone so soon, without a trace. 16 O Lord our God, all of this material that we have gathered to build a temple for your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you test men to see if they are good; for you enjoy good men. I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 "O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! Make your people always want to obey you, and see to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon a good heart toward God, so that he will want to obey you in the smallest detail and will look forward eagerly to finishing the building of your temple, for which I have made all of these preparations."
20 Then David said to all the people, "Give praise to the Lord your God!" And they did, bowing low before the Lord and the king.
21 The next day they brought a thousand young bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs as burnt offerings to the Lord; they also offered drink offerings and many other sacrifices on behalf of all Israel. 22 Then they feasted and drank before the Lord with great joy.
And again they crowned King David's son Solomon as their king. They anointed him before the Lord as their leader, and they anointed Zadok as their priest. 23 So God appointed Solomon to take the throne of his father David; and he prospered greatly, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 The national leaders, the army officers, and his brothers all pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord gave him great popularity with all the people of Israel, and he amassed even greater wealth and honor than his father.
26-27 David was king of the land of Israel for forty years; seven of them during his reign in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 28 He died at an old age, wealthy and honored; and his son Solomon reigned in his place. 29 Detailed biographies of King David have been written in the history of Samuel the prophet, in the history written by Nathan the prophet, and in the history written by the prophet Gad. 30 These accounts tell of his reign and of his might and all that happened to him and to Israel and to the kings of the nearby nations.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,232
3,3,5,678
4,4,7,844
5,5,9,1044
6,6,11,1228
7,7,13,1425
8,8,15,1697
9,9,17,1854
10,10,19,2008
11,11,21,2173
12,12,23,2369
13,13,25,2494
14,14,27,2559
15,15,29,2691
16,16,31,2813
17,17,33,2962
18,18,35,3219
19,19,37,3379
20,20,39,3536
21,21,41,3751
22,22,43,4004
23,23,45,4285
24,24,47,4444
25,25,49,4553
26,26,51,4692
27,27,53,4744
28,28,55,4848
29,29,57,4994
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,1061
10,17,5,1523
18,19,7,2797
20,20,9,3180
21,25,11,3312
26,30,14,4105
SECURITY 1CHRO 29:11-12
David acknowledged God's greatness. Our constantly changing world is controlled by a constant and unchanging God. As we see life events come and go, objects fade, materials decay, and friends change, the only thing on which we can truly depend is God's control. His love and purpose for us never change. Only when we understand this can we have real peace and security.
GOOD HEART 1CHRO 29:19
A person with a good heart wants to obey God. This is what David wished for Solomon-a heart that desired, above all else, to serve God. Do you find it hard to do what God wants, or even harder to want to do it? God can give you a good heart that wants to do his will. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, this is already happening in you. Paul wrote, For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants (Philippians 2:13).
V2CHRO
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To unify the nation around true worship of Jehovah by showing his standard for judging kings. The righteous kings of Judah and the religious revivals under their rule are highlighted, and the sins or the evil kings are exposed.
AUTHOR:
Ezra, according to Jewish tradition
TO WHOM WRITTEN:
All Israel
DATE WRITTEN:
Approximately 430 B.C.; recording events from the beginning of Solomon's reign (970 B.C.) to the beginning of the Babylonian captivity (586 B.C.)
SETTING:
Second Chronicles parallels 1 and 2 Kings and serves as their commentary.
KEY PEOPLE:
Solomon, the queen of Sheba, Rehoboam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Joash, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah
KEY PLACES:
Jerusalem, the temple
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Includes a detailed record of the temple's constructionnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
"Mom, I promise I'll never be late again! Please!" The mother desperately wanted to believe her daughter. But no matter how strong her promises to get in on time, she was always late. "Honey," she began, "I'm sorry. But for the rest of the weekend you're grounded." The mother had been more than fair; now she had to mete out punishment. Many times during Israel's history, God had sent messengers to the country's leaders threatening punishment for their disobedience. Each time, the leaders would beg for one more chance, but they never kept their promises. Finally God allowed them to be conquered and taken into captivity. Second Chronicles was written after the return of some of the Jews from that captivity. The author reminded these people of their forefathers' sin and its results. Only by truly submitting to God could Israel regain its strength as a nation. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their son and heal their land" (7:14). Second Chronicles was written for you, too. God punishes those who ignore him, but he blesses those who obey. Read this book and dedicate yourself to following after God.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
2CHRO001
1 Solomon, David's son, became a powerful king, because the LORD his God was with him and made him very great.
2 Solomon spoke to all the people of Israel- the commanders of a hundred men and of a thousand men, the judges, every leader in all Israel, and the leaders of the families.
3 Then Solomon and all the people with him went to the place of worship at the town of Gibeon. God's Meeting Tent, which Moses the LORD' s servant had made in the desert, was there.
4 David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem, where he had made a place for it and had set up a tent for it.
5 The bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, who was the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the Holy Tent. So Solomon and the people worshiped there.
6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the presence of the LORD at the Meeting Tent and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
8 Solomon answered, "You have been very kind to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.
9 Now, LORD God, may your promise to my father David come true. You have made me king of a people who are as many as the dust of the earth.
10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge so I can lead these people in the right way, because no one can rule them without your help."
11 God said to Solomon, "You have not asked for wealth or riches or honor, or for the death of your enemies, or for a long life. But since you have asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead my people, over whom I have made you king,
12 I will give you wisdom and knowledge. I will also give you more wealth, riches, and honor than any king who has lived before you or any who will live after you."
13 Then Solomon left the place of worship, the Meeting Tent, at Gibeon and went back to Jerusalem. There King Solomon ruled over Israel.
14 Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. He kept some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem.
15 In Jerusalem Solomon made silver and gold as plentiful as stones and cedar trees as plentiful as the fig trees on the western hills.
16 He imported horses from Egypt and Kue; his traders bought them in Kue.
17 They imported chariots from Egypt for about fifteen pounds of silver apiece, and horses cost nearly four pounds of silver apiece. Then they sold the horses and chariots to all the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.
1 King David's son Solomon was now the undisputed ruler of Israel, for the Lord his God had made him a powerful monarch. 2-3 He summoned all the army officers and judges to Gibeon as well as all the political and religious leaders of Israel. He led them up to the hill to the old Tabernacle* constructed by Moses, the Lord's assistant, while he was in the wilderness. 4 (There was a later Tabernacle in Jerusalem, built by King David for the Ark of God when he removed it from Kiriath-jearim.) 5-6 The bronze altar made by Bezalel (son of Uri, son of Hur) still stood in front of the old Tabernacle, and now Solomon and those he had invited assembled themselves before it, as he sacrificed upon it 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and told him, "Ask me for anything, and I will give it to you!"
8 Solomon replied, "O God, you have been so kind and good to my father David, and now you have given me the kingdom - 9 this is all I want! For you have fulfilled your promise to David my father and have made me king over a nation as full of people as the earth is full of dust! 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern by himself such a great nation as this one of yours?"
11 God replied, "Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you haven't asked for personal wealth and honor, and you haven't asked me to curse your enemies, and you haven't asked for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to properly guide my people - 12 yes, I am giving you the wisdom and knowledge you asked for! And I am also giving you riches, wealth, and honor such as no other king has ever had before you! And there will never again be so great a king in all the world!"
13 Solomon then left the Tabernacle, returned down the hill, and went back to Jerusalem to rule Israel. 14 He built up a huge force of 1,400 chariots and recruited 12,000 cavalry to guard the cities where the chariots were garaged, though some, of course, were stationed at Jerusalem near the king. 15 During Solomon's reign, silver and gold were as plentiful in Jerusalem as rocks on the road! And expensive cedar lumber was used like common sycamore! 16 Solomon sent horse traders to Egypt to purchase entire herds at wholesale prices. 17 At that time Egyptian chariots sold for $400 each and horses for $100, delivered at Jerusalem. Many of these were then resold to the kings of the Hittites and Syria.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,116
3,3,5,293
4,4,7,479
5,5,9,615
6,6,11,780
7,7,13,916
8,8,15,1018
9,9,17,1127
10,10,19,1271
11,11,21,1405
12,12,23,1639
13,13,25,1808
14,14,27,1949
15,15,29,2113
16,16,31,2253
17,17,33,2331
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,737
8,10,5,841
11,12,7,1262
13,17,9,1761
PRIORITIES 2CHRO 1:11-12
Solomon could have had anything, but he asked for wisdom to rule the nation. God approved of the way Solomon ordered his priorities, and he gave him the wisdom he asked for and riches, wealth, and honor. Jesus also spoke about priorities. He said that when we put God first, everything we really need will fall into place (Matthew 6:33). This does not guarantee that we will be wealthy and famous like Solomon. It means that when we wisely put God first, the wisdom he gives us will enable us to live rich, rewarding lives.
2CHRO002
1 Solomon decided to build a temple as a place to worship the LORD and also a palace for himself.
2 He chose seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to cut stone in the hill country, and thirty-six hundred men to direct the workers.
3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of the city of Tyre: "Help me as you helped my father David by sending him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.
4 I will build a temple for worshiping the LORD my God, and I will give this temple to him. There we will burn sweet-smelling spices in his presence. We will continually set out the holy bread in God's presence. And we will burn sacrifices every morning and evening, on Sabbath days and New Moons, and on the other feast days commanded by the LORD our God. This is a rule for Israel to obey forever.
5 "The temple I build will be great, because our God is greater than all gods.
6 But no one can really build a house for our God. Not even the highest of heavens can hold him. How then can I build a temple for him except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?
7 "Now send me a man skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, red, and blue thread. He must also know how to make engravings. He will work with my skilled craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David chose.
8 "Also send me cedar, pine, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I know your servants are experienced at cutting down the trees in Lebanon, and my servants will help them.
9 Send me a lot of wood, because the temple I am going to build will be large and wonderful.
10 I will give your servants who cut the wood one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of oil."
11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered Solomon with this letter: "Solomon, because the LORD loves his people, he chose you to be their king."
12 Hiram also said: "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, one with wisdom and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.
13 "I will send you a skilled and wise man named HURAM-ABI.
14 His mother was from the people of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. HURAM-ABI is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and red thread, and expensive linen. He is skilled in making engravings and can make any design you show him. He will help your craftsmen and the craftsmen of your father David.m
15 "Now send my servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine you promised.
16 We will cut as much wood from Lebanon as you need and will bring it on rafts by sea to Joppa. Then you may carry it to Jerusalem."
17 Solomon counted all the foreigners living in Israel. (This was after the time his father David had counted the people.) There were one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred foreigners in the country.
18 Solomon chose seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand of them to cut stone in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred of them to direct the workers and to keep the people working.
1 Solomon now decided that the time had come to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. 2 This required a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, and 3,600 foremen. 3 Solomon sent an ambassador to King Hiram at Tyre, requesting shipments of cedar lumber such as Hiram had supplied to David when he was building his palace.
4 "I am about to build a temple for the Lord my God," Solomon told Hiram. "It will be a place where I can burn incense and sweet spices before God, and display the special sacrificial bread, and sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, and on the Sabbaths, and at the new moon celebration and other regular festivals of the Lord our God. For God wants Israel always to celebrate these special occasions. 5 It is going to be a wonderful temple because he is a great God, greater than any other. 6 But who can ever build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heaven would be beautiful enough! And who am I to be allowed to build a temple for God? But it will be a place to worship him.
7 "So send me skilled craftsmen - goldsmiths and silversmiths, brass and iron workers; and send me weavers to make purple, crimson, and blue cloth; and skilled engravers to work beside the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father David. 8 Also send me cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees from the forests of Lebanon, for your men are without equal as lumbermen, and I will send my men to help them. 9 An immense amount of lumber will be needed, for the temple I am going to build will be large and incredibly beautiful. 10 As to the financial arrangements, I will pay your men 20,000 sacks of crushed wheat, 20,000 barrels of barley, 20,000 barrels of wine, and 20,000 barrels of olive oil."
11 King Hiram replied to King Solomon: "It is because the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king! 12 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made the heavens and the earth and who has given to David such a wise, intelligent, and understanding son to build God's Temple and a royal palace for himself.
13 "I am sending you a master craftsman - my famous Huramabi! He is a brilliant man, 14 the son of a Jewish woman from Dan in Israel; his father is from here in Tyre. He is a skillful goldsmith and silversmith, and also does exquisite work with brass and iron and knows all about stonework, carpentry, and weaving; and he is an expert in the dyeing of purple and blue linen and crimson cloth. He is an engraver besides, and an inventor! He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father. 15 So send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you mentioned, 16 and we will begin cutting wood from the Lebanon mountains, as much as you need, and bring it to you in log floats across the sea to Joppa, and from there you can take them inland to Jerusalem."
17 Solomon now took a census of all foreigners in the country (just as his father David had done) and found that there were 153,600 of them. 18 He indentured 70,000 as common laborers, 80,000 as loggers, and 3,600 as foremen.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,259
4,4,7,439
5,5,9,843
6,6,11,926
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8,8,15,1363
9,9,17,1534
10,10,19,1631
11,11,21,1880
12,12,23,2023
13,13,25,2245
14,14,27,2309
15,15,29,2669
16,16,31,2745
17,17,33,2883
18,18,35,3093
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,361
7,10,5,1061
11,12,7,1783
13,16,9,2100
17,18,11,2892
CELEBRATE 2CHRO 2:4
A celebration is an occasion of joy, and remembering God's goodness to his people was certainly a reason to be joyful. God wanted Israel to celebrate certain occasions regularly because the people were so forgetful, so quick to turn to other gods. In church we use celebrations to recall God's goodness. Because we have short memories, too, Christmas, Easter, and other special occasions are designed to help us remember what God has done for us.
2CHRO003
1 Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. This was where the LORD had appeared to David, Solomon's father. Solomon built the Temple on the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. nen. He is s
2 Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year he ruled Israel.
3 Solomon used these measurements for building the Temple of God. It was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, using the old measurement.
4 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was thirty feet long and thirty feet high. He covered the inside of the porch with pure gold.
5 He put panels of pine on the walls of the main room and covered them with pure gold. Then he put designs of palm trees and chains in the gold.
6 He decorated the Temple with gems and gold from Parvaim.
7 He put gold on the Temple's ceiling beams, doorposts, walls, and doors, and he carved creatures with wings on the walls.
8 Then he made the Most Holy Place. It was thirty feet long and thirty feet wide, as wide as the Temple. He covered its walls with about forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold.
9 The gold nails weighed over a pound. He also covered the upper rooms with gold.
10 He made two creatures with wings for the Most Holy Place and covered them with gold.
11 The wings of the gold creatures were thirty feet across. One wing of one creature was seven and one-half feet long and touched the Temple wall. The creature's other wing was also seven and one-half feet long, and it touched a wing of the second creature.
12 One wing of the second creature touched the other side of the room and was also seven and one-half feet long. The second creature's other wing touched the first creature's wing, and it was also seven and one-half feet long.
13 Together, the creatures' wings were thirty feet across. The creatures stood on their feet, facing the main room.
14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and expensive linen, and he put designs of creatures with wings in it.
15 He made two pillars to stand in front of the Temple. They were about fifty-two feet tall, and the capital of each pillar was over seven feet tall.
16 He made a net of chains and put them on the tops of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.
17 Then he put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the south side, the other on the north. He named the south pillar He Establishes and the north pillar In Him Is Strength.
1 Finally the actual construction of the Temple began. Its location was in Jerusalem at the top of Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to Solomon's father, King David, and where the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite had been. David had selected it as the site for the Temple. 2 The actual construction began on the seventeenth day of April in the fourth year of King Solomon's reign.
3 The foundation was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide. 4 A covered porch ran along the entire thirty-foot width of the Temple, with the inner walls and ceiling overlaid with pure gold! The roof was 180 feet high.
5 The main part of the Temple was paneled with cypress wood, plated with pure gold, and engraved with palm trees and chains. 6 Beautiful jewels were inlaid into the walls to add to the beauty; the gold, by the way, was of the best, from Parvaim. 7 All the walls, beams, doors, and thresholds throughout the Temple were plated with gold, with Guardian Angels engraved on the walls.
8 Within the Temple, at one end, was the most sacred room - the Holy of Holies - thirty feet square. This too was overlaid with the finest gold, valued at millions of dollars. 9 Twenty-six-ounce gold nails were used. The upper rooms were also plated with pure gold.
10 Within the innermost room, the Holy of Holies, Solomon placed two sculptured statues of Guardian Angels and plated them with gold. 11-13 They stood on the floor facing the outer room, with wings stretched wing tip to wing tip across the room, from wall to wall. 14 Across the entrance to this room he placed a veil of blue and crimson finespun linen, decorated with Guardian Angels.
15 At the front of the Temple were two pillars 52
feet high, topped by a 7
-foot capital flaring out to the roof. 16 He made chains and placed them on top of the pillars, with 100 pomegranates attached to the chains. 17 Then he set up the pillars at the front of the Temple, one on the right and the other on the left. And he gave them names: Jachin (the one on the right), and Boaz (the one on the left).
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,271
3,3,5,356
4,4,7,499
5,5,9,649
6,6,11,798
7,7,13,861
8,8,15,988
9,9,17,1169
10,10,19,1255
11,11,21,1347
12,12,23,1609
13,13,25,1840
14,14,27,1960
15,15,29,2091
16,16,31,2245
17,17,33,2376
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,398
5,7,5,619
8,9,7,1003
10,14,9,1272
15,17,11,1661
2CHRO004
WORSHIP
1 He made a bronze altar thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and fifteen feet tall.
2 Then he made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea. It was forty-five feet around, fifteen feet across, and seven and one-half feet deep.
3 There were carvings of bulls under the rim of the bowl- ten bulls every eighteen inches. They were in two rows and were made in one piece with the bowl.
4 The bowl rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.
5 The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and it held about seventeen thousand five hundred gallons. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.
6 He made ten smaller bowls and put five on the south side and five on the north. They were for washing the animals for the burnt offerings, but the large bowl was for the priests to wash in.
7 He made ten lampstands of gold, following the plans. He put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north.
8 He made ten tables and put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he used gold to make a hundred other bowls.
9 He also made the priests' courtyard and the large courtyard. He made the doors that opened to the courtyard and covered them with bronze.
10 Then he put the large bowl in the southeast corner of the Temple.
11 Huram also made bowls, shovels, and small bowls. So he finished his work for King Solomon on the Temple of God:
12 two pillars; two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars; two nets to cover the two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;
13 four hundred pomegranates for the two nets (there were two rows of pomegranates for each net covering the bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars);
14 the stands with a bowl on each stand;
15 the large bowl with twelve bulls under it;
16 the pots, shovels, forks, and all the things to go with them. All the things that HURAM-ABI made for King Solomon for the Temple of the LORD were made of polished bronze.
17 The king had these things poured into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan.
18 Solomon had so many things made that the total weight of all the bronze was never known.
19 Solomon also made all the things for God's Temple: the golden altar; tables which held the bread that shows God's people are in his presence;
20 the Place as planned;
21 the flowers, lamps, and tongs of pure gold;
22 the pure gold wick trimmers, small bowls, pans, and dishes used to carry coals, the gold doors for the Temple, and the inside doors of the Most Holy Place and of the main room.
c c 1 He also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high. 2 Then he forged a huge round tank 15 feet across from rim to rim. The rim stood 7
feet above the floor, and was 45 feet around. 3 The tank was encircled at its base by two rows of gourd designs, cast as part of the tank. 4 The tank stood on twelve metal oxen facing outward; three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. 5 The walls of the tank were five inches thick, flaring out like the cup of a lily. It held 3,000 barrels of water.
6 He also constructed ten vats for water to wash the offerings, five to the right of the huge tank and five to the left. The priests used the tank, and not the vats, for their own washing.
7 Carefully following God's instructions, he then cast ten gold lampstands and placed them in the Temple, five against each wall; 8 he also built ten tables and placed five against each wall on the right and left. And he molded 100 solid gold bowls. 9 Then he constructed a court for the priests, also the public court, and overlaid the doors of these courts with bronze. 10 The huge tank was in the southeast corner of the outer room of the Temple. 11 Huramabi also made the necessary pots, shovels, and basins for use in connection with the sacrifices.
So at last he completed the work assigned to him by King Solomon:
12-16 The construction of the two pillars,
The two flared capitals on the tops of the pillars,
The two sets of chains on the capitals,
The 400 pomegranates hanging from the two sets of chains on the capitals,
The bases for the vats and the vats themselves,
The huge tank and the twelve oxen under it,
The pots, shovels, and fleshhooks.
This skillful craftsman, Huramabi, made all of the above-mentioned items for King Solomon using polished bronze. 17-18 The king did the casting at the claybanks of the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah. Great quantities of bronze were used, too heavy to weigh.
19 Solomon commanded that all of the furnishings of the Temple - the utensils, the altar, and the table for the Bread of the Presence must be made of gold; also the lamps and lampstands, 21 the floral decorations, tongs, 22 lamp snuffers, basins, spoons, and firepans - all were made of solid gold. Even the doorway of the Temple, the main door, and the inner doors to the Holy of Holies were overlaid with gold.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
3,3,5,252
4,4,7,411
5,5,9,601
6,6,11,782
7,7,13,978
8,8,15,1110
9,9,17,1257
10,10,19,1401
11,11,21,1474
12,12,23,1593
13,13,25,1747
14,14,27,1907
15,15,29,1952
16,16,31,2002
17,17,33,2180
18,18,35,2314
19,19,37,2410
20,20,39,2559
21,21,41,2588
22,22,43,2639
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,552
7,18,5,744
19,22,16,1989
WORSHIP 2CHRO 4:11-16
Vats, tanks, flesh- hooks, shovels-these implements of worship are not familiar to us. Although the articles we use to aid our worship have changed, the purpose of worship remains the same: to give honor and praise to God. We must never confuse our worship of God with the things we use to help us worship him.
2CHRO005
PRAISE
1 Finally all the work Solomon did for the Temple of the LORD was finished. He brought in everything his father David had set apart for the Temple- all the silver and gold and other articles. And he put everything in the treasuries of God's Temple.
2 Solomon called for the older leaders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families to come to him in Jerusalem. He wanted them to bring the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD from the older part of the city.
3 So all the Israelites came together with the king during the festival in the seventh month.
4 When all the older leaders of Israel arrived, the Levites lifted up the Ark.
5 They carried the Ark of the Agreement, the Meeting Tent, and the holy utensils in it; the priests and the Levites brought them up.
6 King Solomon and all the Israelites gathered before the Ark of the Agreement and sacrificed so many sheep and bulls no one could count them.
7 Then the priests put the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD in its place inside the Most Holy Place in the Temple, under the wings of the golden creatures.
8 The wings of these creatures were spread out over the place for the Ark, covering it and its carrying poles.
9 The carrying poles were so long that anyone standing in the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place could see the ends of the poles. But no one could see them from outside the Holy Place. The poles are still there today.
10 The only things inside the Ark were two stone tablets that Moses had put in the Ark at Mount Sinai. That was where the LORD made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
11 Then all the priests left the Holy Place. (All the priests from each group had made themselves ready to serve the LORD.)
12 All the Levite musicians- Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and relatives- stood on the east side of the altar. They were dressed in white linen and played cymbals, harps, and lyres. With them were one hundred twenty priests who blew trumpets. .
13 Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang together sounded like one person as they praised and thanked the LORD. They sang as others played their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments. They praised the LORD with this song: "He is good; his love continues forever." Then the Temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud.
14 The priests could not continue their work because of the cloud, because the LORD' s glory filled the Temple of God.
1 So the Temple was finally finished. Then Solomon brought in the gifts dedicated to the Lord by his father, King David. They were stored in the Temple treasuries.
2 Solomon now summoned to Jerusalem all of the leaders of Israel - the heads of the tribes and clans - for the ceremony of transferring the Ark from the Tabernacle in the City of David, also known as Zion, to its new home in the Temple.* 3 This celebration took place in October at the annual Festival of Tabernacles. 4-5 As the leaders of Israel watched, the Levites lifted the Ark and carried it out of the Tabernacle, along with all the other sacred vessels. 6 King Solomon and the others sacrificed sheep and oxen before the Ark in such numbers that no one tried to keep count!
7-8 Then the priests carried the Ark into the inner room of the Temple - the Holy of Holies - and placed it beneath the wings of the Guardian Angels; their wings spread over the Ark and its carrying poles. 9 These carrying poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the outer room, but not from the outside doorway.
The Ark is still there at the time of this writing. 10 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Mount Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were leaving Egypt.
11-12 When the priests had undergone the purification rites for themselves, they all took part in the ceremonies without regard to their normal duties. And how the Levites were praising the Lord as the priests came out of the Holy of Holies! The singers were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers, dressed in finespun linen robes and standing at the east side of the altar. The choir was accompanied by 120 priests who were trumpeters, while others played the cymbals, lyres, and harps. 13-14 The band and chorus united as one to praise and thank the Lord; their selections were interspersed with trumpet obbligatos, the clashing of cymbals, and the loud playing of other musical instruments - all praising and thanking the Lord. Their theme was "He is so good! His loving-kindness lasts forever!"
And at that moment the glory of the Lord, coming as a bright cloud, filled the Temple so that the priests could not continue their work.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,254
3,3,5,490
4,4,7,588
5,5,9,671
6,6,11,808
7,7,13,955
8,8,15,1117
9,9,17,1232
10,10,19,1462
11,11,21,1662
12,12,23,1790
13,13,25,2052
14,14,27,2385
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,168
7,10,5,753
11,20,8,1316
PRAISE 2CHRO 5:13
The first service at the temple began with honoring God and acknowledging his presence and goodness. In the same way, our worship should begin with a recog- nition of God's love. Praise God first, and then you will be prepared to present your needs to him. Recalling God's love and mercy will bring daily worship to life. Psalm 107 is an example of how David recalled God's lovingkindness.
2CHRO006
1 Then Solomon said, "The LORD said he would live in the dark cloud.
2 LORD, I have built a wonderful Temple for you- a place for you to live forever."
3 While all the Israelites were standing there, King Solomon turned to them and blessed them.
4 Then he said, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel. He has done what he promised to my father David. The LORD said,
5 `Since the time I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel where a temple will be built for me. I did not choose a man to lead my people Israel.
6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place I am to be worshiped, and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.'
7 "My father David wanted to build a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
8 But the LORD said to my father David, `It was good that you wanted to build a temple for me.
9 But you are not the one to build it. Your son, who comes from your own body, is the one who will build my temple.'
10 "Now the LORD has kept his promise. I am the king now in place of David my father. Now I rule Israel as the LORD promised, and I have built the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
11 There I have put the Ark, in which is the Agreement the LORD made with the Israelites."
12 Then Solomon stood facing the LORD' s altar, and all the Israelites were standing behind him. He spread out his hands.
13 He had made a bronze platform seven and one-half feet long, seven and one-half feet wide, and seven and one-half feet high, and he had placed it in the middle of the outer courtyard. Solomon stood on the platform. Then he kneeled in front of all the people of Israel gathered there, and he spread out his hands toward the sky. '
14 He said, "LORD, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth. You keep your agreement of love with your servants who truly follow you.
15 You have kept the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You spoke it with your own mouth and finished it with your hands today.
16 "Now, LORD, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant David, my father. You said, `If your sons are careful to obey my teachings as you have obeyed, there will always be someone from your family ruling Israel.'
17 Now, LORD, God of Israel, please continue to keep that promise you made to your servant.
18 "But, God, can you really live here on the earth with people? The sky and the highest place in heaven cannot contain you. Surely this house which I have built cannot contain you.
19 But please listen to my prayer and my request, because I am your servant. LORD my God, hear this prayer your servant prays to you.
20 Day and night please watch over this Temple where you have said you would be worshiped. Hear the prayer I pray facing this Temple.
21 Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel when we pray facing this place. Hear from your home in heaven, and when you hear, forgive us.
22 "If someone wrongs another person, he will be brought to the altar in this Temple. If he swears an oath that he is not guilty,
23 then hear in heaven. Judge the case, punish the guilty, but declare that the innocent person is not guilty.
24 "When your people, the Israelites, sin against you, their enemies will defeat them. But if they come back to you and praise you and pray to you in this Temple,
25 then listen from heaven. Forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.
26 "When they sin against you, you will stop the rain from falling on their land. Then they will pray, facing this place and praising you; they will stop sinning when you make them suffer.
27 When this happens, hear their prayer in heaven, and forgive the sins of your servants, the Israelites. Teach them to do what is right. Then please send rain to this land you have given particularly to them.
28 "At times the land will get so dry that no food will grow, or a great sickness will spread among the people. Sometimes the crops will be destroyed by locusts or grasshoppers. Your people will be attacked in their cities by their enemies, or will become sick.
29 When any of these things happens, the people will become truly sorry. If your people spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple,
30 then hear their prayers from your home in heaven. Forgive and treat each person as he should be treated because you know what is in a person's heart. Only you know what is in people's hearts.
31 Then the people will respect and obey you as long as they live in this land you gave our ancestors.
32 "People who are not Israelites, foreigners from other lands, will hear about your greatness and power. They will come from far away to pray at this Temple.
33 Then hear from your home in heaven, and do whatever they ask you. Then people everywhere will know you and respect you, just as your people Israel do. Then everyone will know that I built this Temple as a place to worship you.
34 "When your people go out to fight their enemies along some road on which you send them, your people will pray to you, facing this city which you have chosen and the Temple I have built for you.
35 Then hear in heaven their prayers, and do what is right.
36 "Everyone sins, so your people will also sin against you. You will become angry with them and will hand them over to their enemies. Their enemies will capture them and take them away to a country far or near.
37 Your people will be sorry for their sins when they are held as prisoners in another country. They will be sorry and pray to you in the land where they are held as prisoners, saying, `We have sinned. We have done wrong and acted wickedly.'
38 They will truly turn back to you in the land where they are captives. They will pray, facing this land you gave their ancestors, this city you have chosen, and the Temple I have built for you.
39 Then hear their prayers from your home in heaven and do what is right. Forgive your people who have sinned against you.
40 "Now, my God, look at us. Listen to the prayers we pray in this place.
41 Now, rise, LORD God, and come to your resting place. Come with the Ark of the Agreement that shows your strength. Let your priests receive your salvation, LORD God, and may your holy people be happy because of your goodness.
42 LORD God, do not reject your appointed one. Remember your love for your servant David."
1 This is the prayer prayed by Solomon on that occasion:
"The Lord has said that he would live in the thick darkness,
But I have made a Temple for you, O Lord, to live in forever!"
3 Then the king turned around to the people and they stood to receive his blessing:
4 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," he said to them, "the God who talked personally to my father David and has now fulfilled the promise he made to him. For he told him, 5-6 `I have never before, since bringing my people from the land of Egypt, chosen a city anywhere in Israel as the location of my Temple where my name will be glorified; and never before have I chosen a king for my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as that city, and David as that king.'
7 "My father David wanted to build this Temple, 8 but the Lord said not to. It was good to have the desire, the Lord told him, 9 but he was not the one to build it: his son was chosen for that task. 10 And now the Lord has done what he promised, for I have become king in my father's place, and I have built the Temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel 11 and placed the Ark there. And in the Ark is the Covenant between the Lord and his people Israel."
12-13 As he spoke, Solomon was standing before the people on a platform in the center of the outer court, in front of the altar of the Lord. The platform was made of bronze, 7
feet square and 4
feet high. Now, as all the people watched, he knelt down, reached out his arms toward heaven, and prayed this prayer:
14 "O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You are the God who keeps his kind promises to all those who obey you and who are anxious to do your will. 15 And you have kept your promise to my father David, as is evident today. 16 And now, O God of Israel, carry out your further promise to him that `your descendants shall always reign over Israel if they will obey my laws as you have.' 17 Yes, Lord God of Israel, please fulfill this promise too. 18 But will God really live upon the earth with men? Why, even the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you - how much less this Temple I have built!
19 "How I pray that you will heed my prayers, O Lord my God! Listen to my prayer that I am praying to you now! 20-21 Look down with favor day and night upon this Temple - upon this place where you have said that you would put your name. May you always hear and answer the prayers I will pray to you as I face toward this place. Listen to my prayers and to those of your people Israel when they pray toward this Temple; yes, hear us from heaven, and when you hear, forgive.
22 "Whenever someone commits a crime and is required to swear to his innocence before this altar, 23 then hear from heaven and punish him if he is lying, or else declare him innocent.
24 "If your people Israel are destroyed before their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and call themselves your people, and pray to you here in this Temple, 25 then listen to them from heaven and forgive their sins and give them back this land you gave to their fathers.
26 "When the skies are shut and there is no rain because of our sins, and then we pray toward this Temple and claim you as our God, and turn from our sins because you have punished us, 27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sins of your people, and teach them what is right; and send rain upon this land that you have given to your people as their own property.
28 "If there is a famine in the land, or plagues, or crop disease, or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people's enemies are in the land besieging our cities - whatever the trouble is - 29 listen to every individual's prayer concerning his private sorrow, as well as all the public prayers. 30 Hear from heaven where you live and forgive, and give each one whatever he deserves, for you know the hearts of all mankind. 31 Then they will reverence you forever and will continually walk where you tell them to go.
32 "And when foreigners hear of your power, and come from distant lands to worship your great name, and to pray toward this Temple, 33 hear them from heaven where you live, and do what they request of you. Then all the peoples of the earth will hear of your fame and will reverence you, just as your people Israel do; and they too will know that this Temple I have built is truly yours.
34 "If your people go out at your command to fight their enemies, and they pray toward this city of Jerusalem that you have chosen, and this Temple that I have built for your name, 35 then hear their prayers from heaven and give them success.
36 "If they sin against you (and who has never sinned?) and you become angry with them, and you let their enemies defeat them and take them away as captives to some foreign nation near or far; 37-38 and if in that land of exile they turn to you again, and face toward this land you gave their fathers and this city and your Temple I have built, and plead with you with all their hearts to forgive them, 39 then hear from heaven where you live and help them, and forgive your people who have sinned against you.
40 "Yes, O my God, be wide awake and attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place. 41 And now, O Lord God, arise and enter this resting place of yours where the Ark of your strength has been placed. Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your people rejoice in your kind deeds. 42 O Lord God, do not ignore me - do not turn your face away from me, your anointed one. Oh, remember your love for David and your kindness to him."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,161
4,4,7,259
5,5,9,380
6,6,11,570
7,7,13,694
8,8,15,775
9,9,17,874
10,10,19,995
11,11,21,1186
12,12,23,1281
13,13,25,1407
14,14,27,1743
15,15,29,1902
16,16,31,2050
17,17,33,2283
18,18,35,2379
19,19,37,2565
20,20,39,2703
21,21,41,2841
22,22,43,2996
23,23,45,3130
24,24,47,3245
25,25,49,3412
26,26,51,3553
27,27,53,3746
28,28,55,3960
29,29,57,4226
30,30,59,4367
31,31,61,4566
32,32,63,4673
33,33,65,4836
34,34,67,5070
35,35,69,5271
36,36,71,5335
37,37,73,5552
38,38,75,5798
39,39,77,5998
40,40,79,6125
41,41,81,6203
42,42,83,6435
1,2,1,1
3,3,5,189
4,6,6,274
7,11,7,749
12,13,9,1211
14,18,10,1528
19,21,12,2175
22,23,14,2651
24,25,16,2838
26,27,18,3148
28,31,20,3517
32,33,22,4045
34,35,24,4435
36,39,26,4681
40,42,28,5195
MARVEL 2CHRO 6:18
Solomon marveled that the temple could contain the power of God and that God would be willing to live on earth among sinful people. We marvel that God, through his Son, Jesus, dwelt among us in human form to reveal his eternal purposes to us. In doing so, God was reaching out to mankind in love. God wants us to reach back in return and get to know him. Only then will we come to love him with all our hearts. Don't simply marvel at God's power, take the time to get to know him.
FAR AWAY 2CHRO 6:30
Have you ever felt far away from God-separated by personal problems and feelings of failure? In his prayer, Solomon underscores the fact that God stands ready to hear us, to forgive our sins, and to restore our relationship to him. God is waiting and listening for our confessions of guilt and our willingness to obey him. He is ready to forgive us and to restore us to fellowship with him. Don't wait to experience this loving forgiveness.
2CHRO007
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and burned up the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The LORD' s glory filled the Temple.
2 The priests could not enter the Temple of the LORD, because the LORD' s glory filled it.
3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down from heaven and the LORD' s glory on the Temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and thanked the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love continues forever."
4 Then King Solomon and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD.
5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people gave the Temple to God.
6 The priests stood ready to do their work. The Levites also stood with the instruments of the LORD' s music that King David had made for praising the LORD. The priests and Levites were saying, "His love continues forever." The priests, who stood across from the Levites, blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
7 Solomon made holy the middle part of the courtyard, which is in front of the Temple of the LORD. There he offered whole burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings. He offered them in the courtyard, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat.
8 Solomon and all the Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days. There were many people, and they came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the brook of Egypt.
9 For seven days they celebrated giving the altar for the worship of God. Then they celebrated the festival for seven days. On the eighth day they had a meeting.
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month Solomon sent the people home, full of joy. They were happy because the LORD had been so good to David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
11 Solomon finished the Temple of the LORD and his royal palace. He had success in doing everything he planned in the Temple of the LORD and his own palace.
12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself to be a Temple for sacrifices.
13 "I may stop the sky from sending rain. I may command the locusts to destroy the land. I may send sicknesses to my people.
14 Then if my people, who are called by my name, are sorry for what they have done, if they pray and obey me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.
15 Now I will see them, and I will listen to the prayers prayed in this place.
16 I have chosen this Temple and made it holy. So I will be worshiped there forever. Yes, I will always watch over it and love it.
17 "But you must serve me as your father David did. You must obey all I have commanded and keep my laws and rules.
18 If you do, I will make your kingdom strong. This is the agreement I made with your father David, saying, `Someone from your family will always rule in Israel.'
19 "But you must follow me and obey the laws and commands I have given you. You must not serve or worship other gods.
20 If you do, I will take the Israelites out of my land, the land I have given them, and I will leave this Temple that I have made holy. All the nations will make fun of it and speak evil about it.
21 This Temple is honored now, but then, everyone who passes by will be shocked. They will ask, `Why did the LORD do this terrible thing to this land and this Temple?'
22 People will answer, `This happened because they left the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God who brought them out of Egypt. They decided to follow other gods and worshiped and served them, so he brought all this disaster on them.' "
1 As Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices! And the glory of the Lord filled the Temple, so that the priests couldn't enter! 3 All the people had been watching, and now they fell flat on the pavement and worshiped and thanked the Lord.
"How good he is!" they exclaimed. "He is always so loving and kind."
4-5 Then the king and all the people dedicated the Temple by sacrificing burnt offerings to the Lord. King Solomon's contribution for this purpose was 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. 6 The priests were standing at their posts of duty, and the Levites were playing their thanksgiving song, "His Loving-Kindness Is Forever," using the musical instruments King David himself had made and had used to praise the Lord. Then, when the priests blew the trumpets, all the people stood again. 7 Solomon consecrated the inner court of the Temple for use that day as a place of sacrifice because there were too many sacrifices for the bronze altar to accommodate.
8 For the next seven days they celebrated the Tabernacle Festival, with large crowds coming in from all over Israel; they arrived from as far away as Hamath at one end of the country to the brook of Egypt at the other. 9 A final religious service was held on the eighth day. 10 Then on October 7 he sent the people home, joyful and happy because the Lord had been so good to David and Solomon and to his people Israel.
11 So Solomon finished building the Temple as well as his own palace. He completed what he had planned to do.
12 One night the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place where I want you to sacrifice to me. 13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust swarms to eat up all of your crops, or if I send an epidemic among you, 14 then if my people will humble themselves and pray, and search for me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. 15 I will listen, wide awake, to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and sanctified it to be my home forever; my eyes and my heart shall always be here.
17 "As for yourself, if you follow me as your father David did, 18 then I will see to it that you and your descendants will always be the kings of Israel; 19 but if you don't follow me, if you refuse the laws I have given you and worship idols, 20 then I will destroy my people from this land of mine that I have given them, and this Temple shall be destroyed even though I have sanctified it for myself. Instead, I will make it a public horror and disgrace. 21 Instead of its being famous, all who pass by will be incredulous.
" `Why has the Lord done such a terrible thing to this land and to this Temple?' they will ask.
22 "And the answer will be, `Because his people abandoned the Lord God of their fathers, the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is why he has done all this to them.' "
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,156
3,3,5,251
4,4,7,510
5,5,9,585
6,6,11,748
7,7,13,1083
8,8,15,1399
9,9,17,1570
10,10,19,1736
11,11,21,1923
12,12,23,2084
13,13,25,2246
14,14,27,2375
15,15,29,2598
16,16,31,2681
17,17,33,2816
18,18,35,2935
19,19,37,3102
20,20,39,3224
21,21,41,3426
22,22,43,3598
1,3,1,1
4,7,4,357
8,10,6,1012
11,11,8,1434
12,16,10,1547
17,21,12,2225
22,22,15,2853
FORGIVEN 2CHRO 7:14
In chapter 6, Solomon asked God to make provisions for the people when they sinned. God answered with four conditions for forgive- ness: (1) humble yourself by admitting your sins, (2) pray to God, asking for forgive- ness, (3) search for God continually, and (4) turn from sinful habits. True repentance is more than talk-it is changed behavior. Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness.
2CHRO008
1 By the end of twenty years, Solomon had built the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace.
2 Solomon rebuilt the towns that Hiram had given him, and Solomon sent Israelites to live in them.
3 Then he went to Hamath Zobah and captured it.
4 Solomon also built the town of Tadmor in the desert, and he built all the towns in Hamath as towns for storing grain and supplies.
5 He rebuilt the towns of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, protecting them with strong walls, gates, and bars in the gates.
6 He also rebuilt the town of Baalath. And he built all the other towns for storage and all the cities for his chariots and horses. He built all he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.
7 There were other people in the land who were not Israelites- the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
8 They were descendants of the people that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon forced them to be slave workers, as is still true today.
9 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites. They were his soldiers, chief captains, commanders of his chariots, and his chariot drivers.
10 These were his most important officers. There were two hundred fifty of them to direct the people.
11 Solomon brought the daughter of the king of Egypt from the older part of Jerusalem to the palace he had built for her. Solomon said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, because the places where the Ark of the Agreement has been are holy."
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for the LORD in front of the Temple porch.
13 He offered sacrifices every day as Moses had commanded. They were offered on the Sabbath days, New Moons, and the three yearly feasts- the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters.
14 Solomon followed his father David's instructions and chose the groups of priests for their service and the Levites to lead the praise and to help the priests do their daily work. And he chose the gatekeepers by their groups to serve at each gate, as David, the man of God, had commanded.
15 They obeyed all of Solomon's commands to the priests and Levites, as well as his commands about the treasuries.
16 All Solomon's work was done as he had said from the day the foundation of the Temple of the LORD was begun, until it was finished. So the Temple was finished.
17 Then Solomon went to the towns of Ezion Geber and Elath near the Red Sea in the land of Edom.
18 Hiram sent ships to Solomon that were commanded by his own men, who were skilled sailors. Hiram's men went with Solomon's men to Ophir and brought back about thirty-four thousand pounds of gold to King Solomon.
1 It was now twenty years since Solomon had become king, and the great building projects of the Lord's Temple and his own royal palace were completed. 2 He now turned his energies to rebuilding the cities that King Hiram of Tyre had given to him, and he relocated some of the people of Israel into them. 3 It was at this time, too, that Solomon fought against the city of Hamath-zobah and conquered it. 4 He built Tadmor in the desert and built cities in Hamath as supply centers. 5 He fortified the cities of upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, both being supply centers, building their walls and installing barred gates. 6 He also built Baalath and other supply centers at this time and constructed cities where his chariots and horses were kept. He built to his heart's desire in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout the entire realm.
7-8 He began the practice that still continues of conscripting as slave laborers the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites - the descendants of those nations that the Israelis had not completely wiped out. 9 However, he didn't make slaves of any of the Israeli citizens, but used them as soldiers, officers, charioteers, and cavalrymen; 10 also, 250 of them were government officials who administered all public affairs.
11 Solomon now moved his wife (she was Pharaoh's daughter) from the City of David sector of Jerusalem to the new palace he had built for her. For he said, "She must not live in King David's palace for the Ark of the Lord was there, and it is holy ground."
12 Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built in front of the porch of the Temple. 13 The number of sacrifices differed from day to day in accordance with the instructions Moses had given; there were extra sacrifices on the Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the three annual festivals - the Passover celebration, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles. 14 In assigning the priests to their posts of duty he followed the organizational chart prepared by his father David; he also assigned the Levites to their work of praise and of helping the priests in each day's duties; and he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David's instructions concerning these matters and concerning the treasury personnel. 16 Thus Solomon successfully completed the construction of the Temple.
17-18 Then he went to the seaport towns of Ezion-geber and Eloth, in Edom, to launch a fleet presented to him by King Hiram. These ships, with King Hiram's experienced crews working alongside Solomon's men, went to Ophir and brought back to him several million dollars worth of gold on each trip!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,201
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,390
6,6,11,524
7,7,13,731
8,8,15,858
9,9,17,1004
10,10,19,1154
11,11,21,1260
12,12,23,1517
13,13,25,1642
14,14,27,1862
15,15,29,2157
16,16,31,2276
17,17,33,2442
18,18,35,2543
1,6,1,1
7,10,3,845
11,11,5,1286
12,16,7,1545
17,18,9,2425
2CHRO009
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She had a large group of servants with her she talked with him about all she had in mind,
2 and Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.
3 The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She saw the palace he had built,
4 the food on his table, his many officers, the palace servants and their good clothes, the servants who served Solomon his wine and their good clothes. She saw the whole burnt offerings he made in the Temple of the LORD. All these things amazed her.
5 So she said to King Solomon, "What I heard in my own country about your achievements and wisdom is true.
6 I did not believe it then, but now I have come and seen it with my own eyes. I was not told even half of your great wisdom! You are much greater than I had heard.
7 Your men and officers are very lucky, because in always serving you, they are able to hear your wisdom.
8 Praise the LORD your God who was pleased to make you king. He has put you on his throne to rule for the LORD your God, because your God loves the people of Israel and supports them forever. He has made you king over them to keep justice and to rule fairly."
9 Then she gave the king about nine thousand pounds of gold and many spices and jewels. No one had ever given such spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Hiram's men and Solomon's men brought gold from Ophir, juniper wood, and jewels.
11 King Solomon used the juniper wood to build steps for the Temple of the LORD and the palace and to make lyres and harps for the musicians. No one in Judah had ever seen such beautiful things as these.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, even more than she had brought to him. Then she and her servants returned to her own country.
13 Every year King Solomon received about fifty thousand pounds of gold.
14 Besides that, he also received gold from traders and merchants. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about seven and one-half pounds of hammered gold.
16 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about four pounds of gold. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 The king built a large throne of ivory and covered it with pure gold.
18 The throne had six steps on it and a gold footstool. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it.
19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom.
20 All of Solomon's drinking cups, as well as the dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. In Solomon's time people did not think silver was valuable.
21 King Solomon had many ships that he sent out to trade, with Hiram's men as the crews. Every three years the ships returned, bringing back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
22 King Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth.
23 All the kings of the earth wanted to see Solomon and listen to the wisdom God had given him.
24 Year after year everyone who came brought gifts of silver and gold, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and he had twelve thousand horses. He kept some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem.
26 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
27 In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones and cedar trees as plentiful as the fig trees on the western hills.
28 Solomon imported horses from Egypt and all other countries.
29 Everything else Solomon did, from the beginning to the end, is written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, who wrote about Jeroboam, Nebat's son.
30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
31 Then Solomon died and was buried in Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. And Solomon's son Rehoboam became king in his place.
1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fabled wisdom, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. A very great retinue of aides and servants accompanied her, including camel loads of spices, gold, and jewels. 2 And Solomon answered all her problems. Nothing was hidden from him; he could explain everything to her. 3 When she discovered how wise he really was, and how breathtaking the beauty of his palace, 4 and how wonderful the food at his tables, and how many servants and aides he had, and when she saw their spectacular uniforms and his stewards in full regalia, and saw the size of the men in his bodyguard, she could scarcely believe it!
5 Finally she exclaimed to the king, "Everything I heard about you in my own country is true! 6 I didn't believe it until I got here and saw it with my own eyes. Your wisdom is far greater than I could ever have imagined. 7 What a privilege for these men of yours to stand here and listen to you talk! 8 Blessed be the Lord your God! How he must love Israel to give them a just king like you! He wants them to be a great, strong nation forever."
9 She gave the king a gift of over a million dollars in gold, and great quantities of spices of incomparable quality, and many, many jewels.
10 King Hiram's and King Solomon's crews brought gold from Ophir, also sandalwood and jewels. 11 The king used the sandalwood to make terraced steps for the Temple and the palace and to construct harps and lyres for the choir. Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in all the land of Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba gifts of the same value as she had brought to him, plus everything else she asked for! Then she and her retinue returned to their own land.
13-14 Solomon received a quarter of a billion dollars worth of gold each year from the kings of Arabia and many other lands that paid annual tribute to him. In addition, there was a trade balance from the exports of his merchants. 15 He used some of the gold to make 200 large shields, each worth $100,000, 16 and 300 smaller shields, each worth $50,000. The king placed these in the Forest of Lebanon Room in his palace. 17 He also made a huge ivory throne overlaid with pure gold. 18 It had six gold steps and a footstool of gold; also gold armrests, each flanked by a gold lion. 19 Gold lions also stood at each side of each step. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! All of King Solomon's cups were solid gold, as were all the furnishings in the Forest of Lebanon Room. Silver was too cheap to count for much in those days!
21 Every three years the king sent his ships to Tarshish, using sailors supplied by King Hiram, to bring back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 So King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth. 23 Kings from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had put into his heart. 24 Each brought him annual tribute of silver and gold bowls, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.
25 In addition, Solomon had 4,000 stalls of horses and chariots, and 12,000 cavalrymen stationed in the chariot cities as well as in Jerusalem to protect the king. 26 He ruled over all kings and kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far away as the border of Egypt. 27 He made silver become as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones in the road! And cedar was used as though it were common sycamore. 28 Horses were brought to him from Egypt and other countries.
29 The rest of Solomon's biography is written in the history of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and also in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
30 So Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for forty years. 31 Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Rehoboam became the new king.
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2,2,3,204
3,3,5,298
4,4,7,388
5,5,9,643
6,6,11,754
7,7,13,923
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9,9,17,1297
10,10,19,1467
11,11,21,1555
12,12,23,1763
13,13,25,1938
14,14,27,2015
15,15,29,2170
16,16,31,2313
17,17,33,2490
18,18,35,2567
19,19,37,2714
20,20,39,2853
21,21,41,3038
22,22,43,3223
23,23,45,3305
24,24,47,3405
25,25,49,3525
26,26,51,3716
27,27,53,3847
28,28,55,3976
29,29,57,4043
30,30,59,4280
31,31,61,4347
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,668
9,9,5,1117
10,11,7,1261
12,12,9,1572
13,20,11,1755
21,21,13,2610
22,24,15,2764
25,28,17,3046
29,29,19,3539
30,31,21,3749
!x#.$
THE QUEEN 2CHRO 9:1-8
The queen of Sheba had heard about Solomon's wisdom, but she was over- whelmed when she saw for herself the fruits of that wisdom. Although Solomon had married Pharaoh's daughter, he was still sin- cerely trying to follow God at this stage in his life. When people get to know you and begin to ask hard questions, will your responses reflect God? Your life is your most powerful witness; let others see God at work in you.
2CHRO010
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had gone to make him king.
2 Jeroboam son of Nebat was in Egypt, where he had gone to escape from King Solomon. When Jeroboam heard about Rehoboam being made king, he returned from Egypt.
3 After the people sent for him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him,
4 "Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us, and don't make us work as he did. Then we will serve you."
5 Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam asked the older leaders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, "How do you think I should answer these people?"
7 They answered, "Be kind to these people. If you please them and give them a kind answer, they will serve you always."
8 But Rehoboam rejected this advice. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and who served as his advisers.
9 Rehoboam asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who said, `Don't make us work as hard as your father did'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, "The people said to you, `Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.' You should tell them, `My little finger is bigger than my father's legs.
11 He forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.' "
12 Rehoboam had told the people, "Come back to me in three days." So after three days Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam.
13 King Rehoboam spoke cruel words to them, because he had rejected the advice of the older leaders.
14 He followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points."
15 So the king did not listen to the people. God caused this to happen so that the LORD could keep the promise he had made to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the king refused to listen to them, they said to the king, "We have no share in David! We have no part in the son of Jesse! People of Israel, let's go to our own homes! Let David's son rule his own people." So all the Israelites went home.
17 But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. When Rehoboam sent him to the people, they threw stones at him until he died. But King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 Since then, Israel has been against the family of David.
i i 1 All the leaders of Israel came to Shechem for Rehoboam's coronation. 2-3 Meanwhile, friends of Jeroboam (son of Nebat) sent word to him of Solomon's death. He was in Egypt at the time, where he had gone to escape from King Solomon. He now quickly returned, and was present at the coronation, and led the people's demands on Rehoboam:
4 "Your father was a hard master," they said. "Be easier on us than he was, and we will let you be our king!"
5 Rehoboam told them to return in three days for his decision. 6 He discussed their demand with the old men who had counseled his father Solomon.
"What shall I tell them?" he asked.
7 "If you want to be their king," they replied, "you will have to give them a favorable reply and treat them with kindness."
8-9 But he rejected their advice and asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him. "What do you fellows think I should do?" he asked. "Shall I be easier on them than my father was?"
10 "No!" they replied. "Tell them, `If you think my father was hard on you, just wait and see what I'll be like!' Tell them, `My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 11 I am going to be tougher on you, not easier! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!' "
12 So when Jeroboam and the people returned in three days to hear King Rehoboam's decision, 13 he spoke roughly to them; for he refused the advice of the old men 14 and followed the counsel of the younger ones.
"My father gave you heavy burdens, but I will give you heavier!" he told them. "My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions!"
15 So the king turned down the people's demands. (God caused him to do it in order to fulfill his prediction spoken to Jeroboam by Ahijah the Shilonite.) 16 When the people realized what the king was saying, they turned their backs and deserted him.
"Forget David and his dynasty!" they shouted angrily. "We'll get someone else to be our king. Let Rehoboam rule his own tribe of Judah! Let's go home!" So they did.
17 The people of the tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to Rehoboam. 18 Afterwards, when King Rehoboam sent Hadoram to draft forced labor from the other tribes of Israel, the people stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel has refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.
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2,2,3,85
3,3,5,250
4,4,7,339
5,5,9,474
6,6,11,552
7,7,13,690
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10,10,19,1088
11,11,21,1312
12,12,23,1474
13,13,25,1614
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15,15,29,1937
16,16,31,2128
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1,3,1,1
4,4,2,338
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7,7,7,637
8,9,9,765
10,11,11,966
12,14,12,1249
15,16,15,1618
17,19,18,2037
PEERS 2CHRO 10:1-14
Following bad advice can cause disaster. Rehoboam lost the chance to rule a peaceful, united kingdom because he rejected the advice of Solomon's older counselors, preferring that of his peers. Rehoboam made two errors in seeking advice: (1) he did not give extra consideration to the sug- gestions of those who knew the situation better than he, and (2) he did not ask God for wisdom to discern which was the better option.
It is easy to follow the advice of our peers because they often feel as we do. But their view may be limited. It is important to listen carefully to those who have more experience than we do, those who can see the bigger picture.
GREED 2CHRO 10:16-19
In trying to have it all, Rehoboam lost almost everything. Motivated by greed and power, he pressed too hard and divided his kingdom. He didn't need more money or power because he had inherited the richest kingdom in the world. He didn't need more control because the land was at peace. His demands were based on selfishness rather than reason or spiritual discernment. Those who selfishly insist on having it all often wind up with little or nothing.
2CHRO011
1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered one hundred eighty thousand of the best soldiers from Judah and Benjamin. He wanted to fight Israel to take back his kingdom.
2 But the LORD spoke his word to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,
3 "Speak to Solomon's son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israelites living in Judah and Benjamin. Say to them,
4 `The LORD says you must not go to war against your brothers. Every one of you should go home, because I made all these things happen.' "So they obeyed the LORD' s command and turned back and did not attack Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judah to defend it.
6 He built up the cities of Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim,
10 Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were strong, walled cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11 When Rehoboam made those cities strong, he put commanders and supplies of food, oil, and wine in them.
12 Also, Rehoboam put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. Rehoboam kept the people of Judah and Benjamin under his control.
13 The priests and the Levites from all over Israel joined Rehoboam.
14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests to the LORD.
15 Jeroboam chose his own priests for the places of worship and for the goat and calf idols he had made.
16 There were people from all the tribes of Israel who wanted to obey the LORD, the God of Israel. So they went to Jerusalem with the Levites to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
17 These people made the kingdom of Judah strong, and they supported Solomon's son Rehoboam for three years. During this time they lived the way David and Solomon had lived.
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth and Abihail. Jerimoth was David's son, and Abihail was the daughter of Eliab, Jesse's son.
19 Mahalath gave Rehoboam these sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 Then Rehoboam married Absalom's daughter Maacah, and she gave Rehoboam these children: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah more than his other wives and slave women. Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty slave women and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam chose Abijah son of Maacah to be the leader of his own brothers, because he planned to make Abijah king.
23 Rehoboam acted wisely. He spread his sons through all the areas of Judah and Benjamin, sending them to every strong, walled city. He gave plenty of supplies to his sons, and he also found wives for them.
1 Upon arrival at Jerusalem, Rehoboam mobilized the armies of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 strong, and declared war against the rest of Israel in an attempt to reunite the kingdom.
2 But the Lord told Shemaiah the prophet,
3 "Go and say to King Rehoboam of Judah, Solomon's son, and to the people of Judah and of Benjamin:
4 " `The Lord says, Do not fight against your brothers. Go home, for I am behind their rebellion.' " So they obeyed the Lord and refused to fight against Jeroboam.
5-10 Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem and fortified these cities of Judah with walls and gates to protect himself: Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.
11 He also rebuilt and strengthened the forts, and manned them with companies of soldiers under their officers, and stored them with food, olive oil, and wine. 12 Shields and spears were placed in armories in every city as a further safety measure. For only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to him.
13-14 However, the priests and Levites from the other tribes now abandoned their homes and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, for King Jeroboam had fired them, telling them to stop being priests of the Lord. 15 He had appointed other priests instead who encouraged the people to worship idols instead of God and to sacrifice to carved statues of goats and calves, which he placed on the hills. 16 Laymen, too, from all over Israel began moving to Jerusalem where they could freely worship the Lord God of their fathers and sacrifice to him. 17 This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, so King Rehoboam survived for three years without difficulty; for during those years there was an earnest effort to obey the Lord as King David and King Solomon had done
18 Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath. She was the daughter of David's son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of David's brother Eliab. 19 Three sons were born from this marriage - Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 Later he married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom. The children she bore him were Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 He loved Maacah more than any of his other wives and concubines (he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines - with twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 Maacah's son Abijah was his favorite, and he intended to make him the next king. 23 He very wisely scattered his other sons in the fortified cities throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin, and gave them large allowances and arranged for them to have several wives apiece.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,181
3,3,5,250
4,4,7,378
5,5,9,600
6,6,11,681
7,7,13,737
8,8,15,768
9,9,17,796
10,10,19,811
11,11,21,922
12,12,23,1032
13,13,25,1188
14,14,27,1261
15,15,29,1435
16,16,31,1544
17,17,33,1742
18,18,35,1920
19,19,37,2070
20,20,39,2141
21,21,41,2271
22,22,43,2454
23,23,45,2575
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,184
3,3,4,227
4,4,5,328
5,10,7,495
11,12,9,734
13,17,11,1037
18,19,12,1787
20,23,14,2005
2CHRO012
1 After Rehoboam's kingdom was set up and he became strong, he and the people of Judah stopped obeying the teachings of the LORD.
2 During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, because Rehoboam and the people were unfaithful to the LORD.
3 Shishak had twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. He brought troops of Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites from Egypt with him, so many they couldn't be counted.
4 Shishak captured the strong, walled cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because they were afraid of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, "This is what the LORD says: `You have left me, so now I will leave you to face Shishak alone.' "
6 Then the leaders of Judah and King Rehoboam were sorry for what they had done. They said, "The LORD does what is right."
7 When the LORD saw they were sorry for what they had done, the LORD spoke his word to Shemaiah, saying, "The king and the leaders are sorry. So I will not destroy them but will save them soon. I will not use Shishak to punish Jerusalem in my anger. D
8 But the people of Jerusalem will become Shishak's servants so they may learn that serving me is different than serving the kings of other nations."
9 Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and the king's palace. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made.
10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to take their place and gave them to the commanders of the guards for the palace gates.
11 Whenever the king went to the Temple of the LORD, the guards went with him, carrying the shields. Later, they would put them back in the guardroom.
12 When Rehoboam was sorry for what he had done, the LORD held his anger back and did not fully destroy Rehoboam. There was some good in Judah.
13 King Rehoboam made himself a strong king in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for seventeen years. Jerusalem is the city that the LORD chose from all the tribes of Israel in which he was to be worshiped. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah from the country of Ammon.
14 Rehoboam did evil because he did not want to obey the LORD.
15 The things Rehoboam did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, in the family histories. There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the time they ruled.
16 Rehoboam died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Abijah became king in his place.
+ + 1 But just when Rehoboam was at the height of his popularity and power he abandoned the Lord, and the people followed him in this sin. 2 As a result, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign 3 with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen and an unnumbered host of infantrymen - Egyptians, Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. 4 He quickly conquered Judah's fortified cities and soon arrived at Jerusalem.
5 The prophet Shemaiah now met with Rehoboam and the Judean leaders from every part of the nation (they had fled to Jerusalem for safety) and told them, "The Lord says, `You have forsaken me, so I have forsaken you and abandoned you to Shishak.' "
6 Then the king and the leaders of Israel confessed their sins and exclaimed, "The Lord is right in doing this to us!"
7 And when the Lord saw them humble themselves, he sent Shemaiah to tell them, "Because you have humbled yourselves, I will not completely destroy you; some will escape. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger upon Jerusalem. 8 But you must pay annual tribute to him. Then you will realize how much better it is to serve me than to serve him!"
9 So King Shishak of Egypt conquered Jerusalem and took away all the treasures of the Temple and of the palace, also all of Solomon's gold shields. 10 King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and committed them to the care of the captain of his bodyguard. 11 Whenever the king went to the Temple, the guards would carry them and afterwards return them to the armory. 12 When the king humbled himself, the Lord's anger was turned aside and he didn't send total destruction; in fact, even after Shishak's invasion, the economy of Judah remained strong.
13 King Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city God had chosen as his residence after considering all the other cities of Israel. He had become king at the age of forty-one, and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 But he was an evil king, for he never did decide really to please the Lord. 15 The complete biography of Rehoboam is recorded in the histories written by Shemaiah the prophet and by Iddo the seer and in The Genealogical Register.
There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16 When Rehoboam died he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Abijah became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,135
3,3,5,285
4,4,7,464
5,5,9,552
6,6,11,814
7,7,13,941
8,8,15,1197
9,9,17,1351
10,10,19,1532
11,11,21,1664
12,12,23,1819
13,13,25,1967
14,14,27,2288
15,15,29,2355
16,16,31,2592
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,443
6,6,4,692
7,8,6,814
9,12,8,1165
13,16,10,1726
GOOD TIMES 2CHRO 12:1
At the height of his popularity and power, Rehoboam abandoned the Lord. What happened? Often it is more difficult to be a believer in good times than in bad. Tough times push us toward God; but easy times can make us feel self- sufficient and self-satisfied. When everything is going right, guard your faith closely.
2CHRO013
1 Abijah became the king of Judah during the eighteenth year Jeroboam was king of Israel.
2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel from the town of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah led an army of four hundred thousand capable soldiers into battle, and Jeroboam prepared to fight him with eight hundred thousand capable soldiers.
4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the mountains of Ephraim and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
5 You should know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave David and his sons the right to rule Israel forever by an agreement of salt.
6 But Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of the officers of Solomon, David's son, turned against his master.
7 Then worthless, evil men joined Jeroboam against Rehoboam, Solomon's son. He was young and didn't know what to do, so he could not stop them.
8 "Now you people are making plans against the LORD' s kingdom, which belongs to David's sons. There are many of you, and you have the gold calves Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9 You have thrown out the Levites and the LORD' s priests, Aaron's sons. You have chosen your own priests as people in other countries do. Anyone who comes with a young bull and seven male sheep can become a priest of idols that are not gods.!
10 "But as for us, the LORD is our God; we have not left him. The priests who serve the LORD are Aaron's sons, and the Levites help them.
11 They offer burnt offerings and sweet-smelling incense to the LORD every morning and evening. They put the bread on the special table in the Temple. And they light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We obey the command of the LORD our God, but you have left him.
12 God himself is with us as our ruler. His priests blow the trumpet to call us to war against you. Men of Israel, don't fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, because you won't succeed."
13 But Jeroboam had sent some troops to sneak behind Judah's army. So while Jeroboam was in front of Judah's army, Jeroboam's soldiers were behind them.
14 When the soldiers of Judah turned around, they saw Jeroboam's army attacking both in front and back. So they cried out to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a battle cry. When they shouted, God caused Jeroboam and the army of Israel to run away from Abijah and the army of Judah.
16 When the army of Israel ran away from the men of Judah, God handed them over to Judah.
17 Abijah's army struck Israel so that five hundred thousand of Israel's best men were killed.
18 So at that time the people of Israel were defeated. And the people of Judah won, because they depended on the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah's army chased Jeroboam's army and captured from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the small villages near them.
20 Jeroboam never became strong again while Abijah was alive. The LORD struck Jeroboam, and he died.
21 But Abijah became strong. He married fourteen women and was the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 Everything else Abijah did - what he said and what he did - is recorded the writings of the prophet Iddo.
1 Abijah became the new king of Judah in Jerusalem in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel. He lasted three years. His mother's name was Micaiah (daughter of Uriel of Gibeah).
Early in his reign war broke out between Judah and Israel. 3 Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 seasoned warriors against twice as many Israeli troops - strong, courageous men led by King Jeroboam. 4 When the army of Judah arrived at Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, King Abijah shouted to King Jeroboam and the Israeli army:
5 "Listen! Don't you realize that the Lord God of Israel swore that David's descendants would always be the kings of Israel? 6 Your King Jeroboam is a mere servant of David's son and was a traitor to his master. 7 Then a whole gang of worthless rebels joined him, defying Solomon's son Rehoboam, for he was young and frightened and couldn't stand up to them. 8 Do you really think you can defeat the kingdom of the Lord that is led by a descendant of David? Your army is twice as large as mine, but you are cursed with those gold calves you have with you that Jeroboam made for you - he calls them your gods! 9 And you have driven away the priests of the Lord and the Levites and have appointed heathen priests instead. Just like the people of other lands, you accept as priests anybody who comes along with a young bullock and seven rams for consecration. Anyone at all can be a priest of these no-gods of yours!
10 "But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken him. Only the descendants of Aaron are our priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work. 11 They burn sacrifices to the Lord every morning and evening - burnt offerings and sweet incense; and they place the Bread of the Presence upon the holy table. The gold lampstand is lighted every night, for we are careful to follow the instructions of the Lord our God; but you have forsaken him. 12 So you see, God is with us; he is our leader. His priests, trumpeting as they go, will lead us into battle against you. people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed!"
13-14 Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them; so Judah was surrounded, with the enemy before and behind them. Then they cried out to the Lord for mercy, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15-16 The men of Judah began to shout. And as they shouted, God used King Abijah and the men of Judah to turn the tide of battle against King Jeroboam and the army of Israel, 17 and they slaughtered 500,000 elite troops of Israel that day.
18-19 So Judah, depending upon the Lord God of their fathers, defeated Israel, and chased King Jeroboam's troops, and captured some of his cities - Bethel, Jeshanah, Ephron, and their suburbs. 20 King Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah's lifetime, and eventually the Lord struck him and he died.
21 Meanwhile, King Abijah of Judah became very strong. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 His complete biography and speeches are recorded in the prophet Iddo's History of Judah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,256
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,532
6,6,11,670
7,7,13,775
8,8,15,923
9,9,17,1105
10,10,19,1353
11,11,21,1495
12,12,23,1776
13,13,25,1980
14,14,27,2137
15,15,29,2311
16,16,31,2468
17,17,33,2562
18,18,35,2661
19,19,37,2812
20,20,39,2955
21,21,41,3060
22,22,43,3180
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,551
10,12,5,1468
13,17,7,2156
18,20,9,2649
21,22,11,2971
GOLD 2CHRO 13:8
Jeroboam's army was cursed because of the gold calves they carried with them. It was as though they had put sin into a physical form so they could haul it around. Consider carefully the things you cherish. If you value anything more than God, it becomes your golden calf and one day will condemn you. Let go of anything that inter- feres with your relationship with God.
2CHRO014
1 Abijah died and was buried in Jerusalem. His son Asa became king in his place, and there was peace in the country for ten years during Asa's time.
2 Asa did what the LORD his God said was good and right.
3 He removed the foreign altars and the places where gods were worshiped. He smashed the stone pillars that honored other gods, and he tore down the Asherah idols.
4 Asa commanded the people of Judah to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his teachings and commandments.
5 He also removed the places where gods were worshiped and the incense altars from every town in Judah. So the kingdom had peace while Asa was king.
6 Asa built strong, walled cities in Judah during the time of peace. He had no war in these years, because the LORD gave him peace.
7 Asa said to the people of Judah, "Let's build up these towns and put walls around them. Let's make towers, gates, and bars in the gates. This country is ours, because we have obeyed the LORD our God. We have followed him, and he has given us peace all around." So they built and had success.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah and two hundred eighty thousand men from Benjamin. The men from Judah carried large shields and spears. The men from Benjamin carried small shields and bows and arrows. All of them were brave fighting men.
9 Then Zerah from Cush came out to fight them with an enormous army and three hundred chariots. They came as far as the town of Mareshah.
10 So Asa went out to fight Zerah and prepared for battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 Asa called out to the LORD his God, saying, "LORD, only you can help weak people against the strong. Help us, LORD our God, because we depend on you. We fight against this enormous army in your name. LORD, you are our God. Don't let anyone win against you."
12 So the LORD defeated the Cushites when Asa's army from Judah attacked them, and the Cushites ran away.
13 Asa's army chased them as far as the town of Gerar. So many Cushites were killed that the army could not fight again; they were crushed by the LORD and his army. Asa and his army carried many valuable things away from the enemy.
14 They destroyed all the towns near Gerar, because the people living in these towns were afraid of the LORD. Since these towns had many valuable things, Asa's army took them away.
15 Asa's army also attacked the camps where the shepherds lived and took many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
1 King Abijah was buried in Jerusalem. Then his son Asa became the new king of Judah, and there was peace in the land for the first ten years of his reign, 2 for Asa was careful to obey the Lord his God. 3 He demolished the heathen altars on the hills, and broke down the obelisks, and chopped down the shameful Asherim idols, 4 and demanded that the entire nation obey the commandments of the Lord God of their ancestors. 5 Also, he removed the sun images from the hills and the incense altars from every one of Judah's cities. That is why God gave his kingdom peace. 6 This made it possible for him to build walled cities throughout Judah.
7 "Now is the time to do it, while the Lord is blessing us with peace because of our obedience to him," he told his people. "Let us build and fortify cities now, with walls, towers, gates, and bars." So they went ahead with these projects very successfully.
8 King Asa's Judean army was 300,000 strong, equipped with light shields and spears. His army of Benjaminites numbered 280,000, armed with large shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained, brave men.
9-10 But now he was attacked by an army of 1,000,000 troops from Ethiopia with 300 chariots, under the leadership of General Zerah. They advanced to the city of Mareshah, in the valley of Zephathah, and King Asa sent his troops to battle with them there.
11 " Lord," he cried out to God, "no one else can help us! Here we are, powerless against this mighty army. Oh, help us, Lord our God! For we trust in you alone to rescue us, and in your name we attack this vast horde. Don't let mere men defeat you!"
12 Then the Lord defeated the Ethiopians, and Asa and the army of Judah triumphed as the Ethiopians fled. 13 They chased them as far as Gerar, and the entire Ethiopian army was wiped out so that not one man remained; for the Lord and his army destroyed them all. Then the army of Judah carried off vast quantities of plunder. 14 While they were at Gerar they attacked all the cities in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the residents. As a result, additional vast quantities of plunder were collected from these cities too. 15 They not only plundered the cities but destroyed the cattle tents and captured great herds of sheep and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,154
3,3,5,215
4,4,7,383
5,5,9,515
6,6,11,668
7,7,13,804
8,8,15,1102
9,9,17,1371
10,10,19,1513
11,11,21,1615
12,12,23,1880
13,13,25,1990
14,14,27,2226
15,15,29,2411
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,646
8,8,5,907
9,10,7,1127
11,11,9,1385
12,15,11,1639
BE PREPARED 2CHRO 14:7
Times of peace are not just for resting. They allow us to prepare for times of trouble. King Abijah recog- nized the period of peace as the right time to build his defenses. He knew that it would be too late to prepare defenses at the moment of attack. It also is difficult to withstand spiritual attack unless defenses are prepared beforehand. Decisions about what to do when temptations arise must be made with a cool head in the peace of untroubled moments, long before the heat of temptation is upon us. Build your defenses now, before temptation strikes.
2CHRO015
1 The Spirit of God entered Azariah son of Oded.
2 Azariah went to meet Asa and said, "Listen to me, Asa and all you people of Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you obey him, you will find him, but if you leave him, he will leave you.
3 For a long time Israel was without the true God and without a priest to teach them and without the teachings.
4 But when they were in trouble, they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel. They looked for him and found him.
5 In those days no one could travel safely. There was much trouble in all the nations.
6 One nation would destroy another nation, and one city would destroy another city, because God troubled them with all kinds of distress.
7 But you should be strong. Don't give up, because you will get a reward for your good work."
8 Asa felt brave when he heard these words and the message from Azariah son of Oded the prophet. So he removed the hateful idols from all of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the LORD' s altar that was in front of the porch of the Temple of the LORD.
9 Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living in Judah. Many people came to Asa even from Israel, because they saw that the LORD, Asa's God, was with him.
10 Asa and these people gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's rule.
11 At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats from the valuable things Asa's army had taken from their enemies.
12 Then they made an agreement to obey the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with their whole being.
13 Anyone who refused to obey the LORD, the God of Israel, was to be killed. It did not matter if that person was important or unimportant, a man or woman.
14 Then Asa and the people made a promise before the LORD, shouting with a loud voice and blowing trumpets and sheep's horns.
15 All the people of Judah were happy about the promise, because they had promised with all their heart. They looked for God and found him. So the LORD gave them peace in all the country.
16 King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen mother, because she had made a terrible Asherah idol. Asa cut down that idol, smashed it into pieces, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17 But the places of worship to gods were not removed from Judah. Even so, Asa was faithful all his life.
18 Asa brought into the Temple of God the gifts he and his father had given: silver, gold, and utensils.
19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's rule.
1 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah (son of Oded), 2 and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle.
"Listen to me, Asa! Listen, armies of Judah and Benjamin!" he shouted. "The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you look for him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time now, over in Israel, the people haven't worshiped the true God and have not had a true priest to teach them. They have lived without God's laws. 4 But whenever they have turned again to the Lord God of Israel in their distress and searched for him he has helped them. 5 In their times of rebellion against God there was no peace. Problems troubled the nation on every hand. Crime was on the increase everywhere. 6 There were external wars and internal fighting of city against city, for God was plaguing them with all sorts of trouble. 7 But you men of Judah, keep up the good work and don't get discouraged, for you will be rewarded."
8 When King Asa heard this message from God, he took courage and destroyed all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim, and he rebuilt the altar of the Lord in front of the Temple.
9 Then he summoned all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the immigrants from Israel (for many had come from the territories of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon in Israel when they saw that the Lord God was with King Asa). 10 They all came to Jerusalem in June of the fifteenth year of King Asa's reign 11 and sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep - it was part of the plunder they had captured in the battle. 12 Then they entered into a contract to worship only the Lord God of their fathers 13 and agreed that anyone who refused to do this must die - whether old or young, man or woman. 14 They shouted out their oath of loyalty to God with trumpets blaring and horns sounding. 15 All were happy for this covenant with God, for they had entered into it with all their hearts and wills and wanted him above everything else, and they found him! And he gave them peace throughout the nation.
16 King Asa even removed his mother Maacah from being the queen mother because she made an Asherah idol; he cut down the idol and crushed and burned it at Kidron Brook. 17 Over in Israel the idol-temples were not removed. But here in Judah and Benjamin the heart of King Asa was perfect before God throughout his lifetime. 18 He brought back into the Temple the silver and gold bowls that he and his father had dedicated to the Lord. 19 So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of King Asa's reign.
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2,2,3,54
3,3,5,277
4,4,7,393
5,5,9,509
6,6,11,600
7,7,13,742
8,8,15,840
9,9,17,1152
10,10,19,1393
11,11,21,1499
12,12,23,1668
13,13,25,1773
14,14,27,1933
15,15,29,2063
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18,18,35,2574
19,19,37,2683
1,7,1,1
8,8,4,1010
9,15,6,1263
16,19,8,2185
2CHRO016
TRUTH
1 1 1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's rule, Baasha king of Israel attacked Judah. He made the town of Ramah strong so he could keep people from leaving or entering Judah, Asa's country.
2 Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and out of his own palace. Then he sent it with messengers to BEN-HADAD king of Aram, who lived in Damascus. Asa said,
3 "Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will leave my land."
4 BEN-HADAD agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to attack the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all the towns in Naphtali where treasures were stored.
5 When Baasha heard about this, he stopped building up Ramah and left his work.
6 Then King Asa brought all the people of Judah to Ramah, and they carried away the rocks and wood that Baasha had used. And they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "You depended on the king of Aram to help you and not on the LORD your God. So the king of Aram's army escaped from you.
8 The Cushites and Libyans had a large and powerful army and many chariots and horsemen. But you depended on the LORD to help you, so he handed them over to you.
9 The LORD searches all the earth for people who have given themselves completely to him. He wants to make them strong. Asa, you did a foolish thing, so from now on you will have wars."
10 Asa was angry with Hanani the seer because of what he had said; he was so angry that he put Hanani in prison. And Asa was cruel to some of the people at the same time.
11 Everything Asa did as king, from the beginning to the end, is written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his rule, Asa got a disease in his feet. Though his disease was very bad, he did not ask for help from the LORD, but only from the doctors.
13 Then Asa died in the forty-first year of his rule.
14 The people buried Asa in the tomb he had made for himself in Jerusalem. They laid him on a bed filled with spices and different kinds of mixed perfumes, and they made a large fire to honor him.
1 In the thirty-sixth year of King Asa's reign, King Baasha of Israel declared war on him and built the fortress of Ramah in order to control the road to Judah. 2 Asa's response was to take the silver and gold from the Temple and from the palace, and to send it to King Ben-hadad of Syria at Damascus with this message:
3 "Let us renew the mutual security pact that there was between your father and my father. See, here is silver and gold to induce you to break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, so that he will leave me alone."
4 Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa's request and mobilized his armies to attack Israel. They destroyed the cities of Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all of the supply centers in Naphtali. 5 As soon as King Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he discontinued building Ramah and gave up his plan to attack Judah. 6 Then King Asa and the people of Judah went out to Ramah and carried away the building stones and timbers and used them to build Geba and Mizpah instead.
7 About that time the prophet Hanani came to King Asa and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Syria instead of in the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from you. 8 Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and cavalrymen? But you relied then on the Lord, and he delivered them all into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them. What a fool you have been! From now on you shall have wars."
10 Asa was so angry with the prophet for saying this that he threw him into jail. And Asa oppressed all the people at that time.
11 The rest of the biography of Asa is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became seriously diseased in his feet, but he didn't go to the Lord with the problem but to the doctors. 13-14 So he died in the forty-first year of his reign and was buried in his own vault that he had hewn out for himself in Jerusalem. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet spices and ointments, and his people made a very great burning of incense for him at his funeral.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,189
3,3,5,385
4,4,7,587
5,5,9,812
6,6,11,896
7,7,13,1069
8,8,15,1268
9,9,17,1434
10,10,19,1624
11,11,21,1799
12,12,23,1922
13,13,25,2097
14,14,27,2155
1,2,1,1
3,3,2,322
4,6,4,543
7,9,6,1008
10,10,8,1665
11,14,10,1797
TRUTH 2CHRO 16:10
Asa was angry with Hanani's message, so he threw the prophet in jail. God's truth will not always be welcomed with open arms, especially when it reveals people's sins. But we must speak and live by God's truth, regardless of the consequences.
2CHRO017
1 Jehoshaphat, Asa's son, became king of Judah in his place. Jehoshaphat made Judah strong so they could fight against Israel.
2 He put troops in all the strong, walled cities of Judah, in the land of Judah, and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he lived as his ancestor David had lived when he first became king. Jehoshaphat did not ask for help from the Baal idols,
4 but from the God of his father. He obeyed God's commands and did not live as the people of Israel lived.
5 The LORD made Jehoshaphat a strong king over Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he had much wealth and honor.
6 He wanted very much to obey the LORD. He also removed the places for worshiping gods and the Asherah idols from Judah.
7 During the third year of his rule, Jehoshaphat sent his officers to teach in the towns of Judah. These officers were BEN-HAIL, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.
8 Jehoshaphat sent with them these Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and TOB-ADONIJAH. He also sent the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 These leaders, Levites, and priests taught the people in Judah. They took the Book of the Teachings of the LORD and went through all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10 The nations near Judah were afraid of the LORD, so they did not start a war against Jehoshaphat.
11 Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver to Jehoshaphat as he demanded. Some Arabs brought him flocks: seventy-seven hundred sheep and seventy-seven hundred goats.
12 Jehoshaphat grew more and more powerful. He built strong, walled cities and towns for storing supplies in Judah.
13 He kept many supplies in the towns of Judah, and he kept trained soldiers in Jerusalem.
14 These soldiers were listed by families. From the families of Judah, these were the commanders of groups of a thousand men: Adnah was the commander of three hundred thousand soldiers;
15 Jehohanan was the commander of two hundred eighty thousand soldiers;
16 Amasiah was the commander of two hundred thousand soldiers. Amasiah son of Zicri had volunteered to serve the LORD.
17 These were the commanders from the families of Benjamin: Eliada, a brave soldier, had two hundred thousand soldiers who used bows and shields.
18 And Jehozabad had one hundred eighty thousand men armed for war.
19 All these soldiers served King Jehoshaphat. The king also put other men in the strong, walled cities through all of Judah.
1 Then his son Jehoshaphat became the king and mobilized for war against Israel. 2 He placed garrisons in all of the fortified cities of Judah, in various other places throughout the country, and in the cities of Ephraim that his father had conquered.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in the good footsteps of his father's early years and did not worship idols. 4 He obeyed the commandments of his father's God - quite unlike the people across the border in the land of Israel. 5 So the Lord strengthened his position as king of Judah. All the people of Judah cooperated by paying their taxes, so he became very wealthy as well as being very popular. 6 He boldly followed the paths of God - even knocking down the heathen altars on the hills and destroying the Asherim idols.
7-9 In the third year of his reign he began a nationwide religious education program. He sent out top government officials as teachers in all the cities of Judah. These men included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. He also used the Levites for this purpose, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; also the priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They took copies of The Book of the Law of the Lord to all the cities of Judah to teach the Scriptures to the people.
10 Then the fear of the Lord fell upon all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them declared war on King Jehoshaphat.
11 Even some of the Philistines brought him presents and annual tribute, and the Arabs donated 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. 12 So Jehoshaphat became very strong and built fortresses and supply cities throughout Judah.
13 His public works program was also extensive, and he had a huge army stationed at Jerusalem, his capital. 14-15 Three hundred thousand Judean troops were there under General Adnah. Next in command was Jehohanan with an army of 280,000 men. 16 Next was Amasiah (son of Zichri), a man of unusual piety, with 200,000 troops. 17 Benjamin supplied 200,000 men equipped with bows and shields under the command of Eliada, a great general. 18 His second in command was Jehozabad, with 180,000 trained men. 19 These were the troops in Jerusalem in addition to those placed by the king in the fortified cities throughout the nation.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,132
3,3,5,279
4,4,7,446
5,5,9,557
6,6,11,702
7,7,13,827
8,8,15,1003
9,9,17,1199
10,10,19,1380
11,11,21,1484
12,12,23,1663
13,13,25,1783
14,14,27,1878
15,15,29,2068
16,16,31,2144
17,17,33,2267
18,18,35,2417
19,19,37,2489
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,256
7,9,5,802
10,10,7,1353
11,12,9,1479
13,20,11,1704
2CHRO018
R)j)`+
1 Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he made an agreement with King Ahab through marriage.
2 A few years later Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle as a great feast to honor Jehoshaphat and the people with him. He encouraged Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth in Gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth in Gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered, "I will go with you, and my soldiers are yours. We will join you in the battle."
4 Jehoshaphat also said to Ahab, "But first we should ask if this is the LORD' s will."
5 So King Ahab called four hundred prophets together and asked them, "Should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?" They answered, "Go, because God will hand them over to you."
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the LORD here? Let's ask him what we should do."
7 Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one other prophet. We could ask the LORD through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, but always something bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat said, "King Ahab, you shouldn't say that!"
8 So Ahab king of Israel told one of his officers to bring Micaiah to him at once.
9 Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah had on their royal robes and were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor, near the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were standing before them speaking their messages.
10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made some iron horns. He said to Ahab, "This is what the LORD says: `You will use these horns to fight the Arameans until they are destroyed.' "
11 All the other prophets said the same thing, "Attack Ramoth in Gilead and win, because the LORD will hand the Arameans over to you."
12 The messenger who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets are saying King Ahab will win. You should agree with them and give the king a good answer."
13 But Micaiah answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says."
14 When Micaiah came to Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth in Gilead or not?" Micaiah answered, "Attack and win! They will be handed over to you."
15 But Ahab said to Micaiah, "How many times do I have to tell you to speak only the truth to me in the name of the LORD?"
16 So Micaiah answered, "I saw the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The LORD said, `They have no leaders. They should go home and not fight.' "
17 Then Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I told you! He never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad."
18 But Micaiah said, "Hear the message from the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with his heavenly army standing on his right and on his left.
19 The LORD said, `Who will trick King Ahab of Israel into attacking Ramoth in Gilead where he will be killed?' "Some said one thing; some said another.
20 Then one spirit came and stood before the LORD and said, `I will trick him.' "The LORD asked, `How will you do it?'
21 "The spirit answered, `I will go to Ahab's prophets and make them tell lies.' "So the LORD said, `You will succeed in tricking him. Go and do it.' "
22 Micaiah said, "Ahab, the LORD has made your prophets lie to you, and the LORD has decided that disaster should come to you."
23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up to Micaiah and slapped him in the face. Zedekiah said, "Has the LORD' s Spirit left me to speak through you?"
24 Micaiah answered, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room."
25 Then Ahab king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son.
26 Tell them I said to put this man in prison and give him only bread and water until I return safely from the battle."
27 Micaiah said, "Ahab, if you come back safely from the battle, the LORD has not spoken through me. Remember my words, all you people!"
28 So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead.
29 King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "I will go into battle, but I will wear other clothes so no one will recognize me. But you wear your royal clothes." So Ahab wore other clothes, and they went into battle.
30 The king of Aram ordered his chariot commanders, "Don't fight with anyone- important or unimportant- except the king of Israel."
31 When these commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was the king of Israel, so they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat began shouting, and the LORD helped him. God made the chariot commanders turn away from Jehoshaphat.
32 When they saw he was not King Ahab, they stopped chasing him.
33 By chance, a soldier shot an arrow which hit Ahab king of Israel between the pieces of his armor. King Ahab said to his chariot driver, "Turn around and get me out of the battle, because I am hurt!"
34 The battle continued all day. King Ahab held himself up in his chariot and faced the Arameans until evening. Then he died at sunset.
1 But rich, popular King Jehoshaphat of Judah made a marriage alliance for his son with the daughter of* King Ahab of Israel. 2 A few years later he went down to Samaria to visit King Ahab, and King Ahab gave a great party for him and his aides, butchering great numbers of sheep and oxen for the feast. Then he asked King Jehoshaphat to join forces with him against Ramoth-gilead.
3-5 "Why, of course!" King Jehoshaphat replied. "I'm with you all the way. My troops are at your command! However, let's check with the Lord first."
So King Ahab summoned 400 of his heathen prophets and asked them, "Shall we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not?"
And they replied, "Go ahead, for God will give you a great victory!"
6-7 But Jehoshaphat wasn't satisfied. "Isn't there some prophet of the Lord around here too?" he asked. "I'd like to ask him the same question."
"Well," Ahab told him, "there is one, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything but evil! His name is Micaiah (son of Imlah)."
"Oh, come now, don't talk like that!" Jehoshaphat exclaimed. "Let's hear what he has to say."
8 So the king of Israel called one of his aides. "Quick! Go and get Micaiah (son of Imlah)," he ordered.
9 The two kings were sitting on thrones in full regalia at an open place near the Samaria gate, and all the "prophets" were prophesying before them. 10 One of them, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), made some iron horns for the occasion and proclaimed, "The Lord says you will gore the Syrians to death with these!"
11 And all the others agreed. "Yes," they chorused, "go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will cause you to conquer."
12 The man who went to get Micaiah told him what was happening and what all the prophets were saying - that the war would end in triumph for the king.
"I hope you will agree with them and give the king a favorable reading," the man ventured.
13 But Micaiah replied, "I vow by God that whatever God says is what I will say."
14 When he arrived before the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?"
And Micaiah replied, "Sure, go ahead! It will be a glorious victory!"
15 "Look here," the king said sharply, "how many times must I tell you to speak nothing except what the Lord tells you to?"
16 Then Micaiah told him, "In my vision I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, `Their master has been killed. Send them home.' "
17 "Didn't I tell you?" the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. "He does it every time. He never prophesies anything but evil against me."
18 "Listen to what else the Lord has told me," Micaiah continued. "I saw him upon his throne surrounded by vast throngs of angels.
19-20 "And the Lord said, `Who can get King Ahab to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead and be killed there?'
"There were many suggestions, but finally a spirit stepped forward before the Lord and said, `I can do it!'
" `How?' the Lord asked him.
21 "He replied, `I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all of the king's prophets!'
" `It will work,' the Lord said; `go and do it.'
22 "So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, when actually he has determined just the opposite of what they are telling you!"
23 Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. "You liar!" he yelled. "When did the Spirit of the Lord leave me and enter you?"
24 "You'll find out soon enough," Micaiah replied, "when you are hiding in an inner room!"
25 "Arrest this man and take him back to Governor Amon and to my son Joash," the king of Israel ordered. 26 "Tell them, `The king says to put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread and water until I return safely from the battle!' "
27 Micaiah replied, "If you return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me." Then, turning to those around them, he remarked, "Take note of what I have said."
28 So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led their armies to Ramoth-gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I'll disguise myself so that no one will recognize me, but you put on your royal robes!" So that is what they did.
30 Now the king of Syria had issued these instructions to his charioteers: "Ignore everyone but the king of Israel!"
31 So when the Syrian charioteers saw King Jehoshaphat of Judah in his royal robes, they went for him, supposing that he was the man they were after. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord to save him, and the Lord made the charioteers see their mistake and leave him. 32 For as soon as they realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him. 33 But one of the Syrian soldiers shot an arrow haphazardly at the Israeli troops, and it struck the king of Israel at the opening where the lower armor and the breastplate meet. "Get me out of here," he groaned to the driver of his chariot, "for I am badly wounded." 34 The battle grew hotter and hotter all that day, and King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot, to fight the Syrians, but just as the sun sank into the western skies, he died.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,326
4,4,7,538
5,5,9,630
6,6,11,819
7,7,13,923
8,8,15,1199
9,9,17,1286
10,10,19,1535
11,11,21,1716
12,12,23,1855
13,13,25,2033
14,14,27,2131
15,15,29,2307
16,16,31,2434
17,17,33,2620
18,18,35,2745
19,19,37,2902
20,20,39,3059
21,21,41,3182
22,22,43,3338
23,23,45,3470
24,24,47,3625
25,25,49,3715
26,26,51,3848
27,27,53,3972
28,28,55,4113
29,29,57,4199
30,30,59,4409
31,31,61,4545
32,32,63,4778
33,33,65,4847
34,34,67,5053
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,386
6,7,7,723
8,8,11,1101
9,10,13,1209
11,11,15,1523
12,12,17,1656
13,13,20,1902
14,14,22,1987
15,15,25,2177
16,16,27,2304
17,17,28,2488
18,18,30,2639
19,20,32,2773
21,21,36,3024
22,22,38,3163
23,23,40,3337
24,24,42,3511
25,26,44,3605
27,27,45,3846
28,28,47,4011
29,29,49,4096
30,30,51,4258
31,34,53,4378
DISGUISED 2CHRO 18:22
Micaiah prophesied death for King Ahab (18:16,27), so Ahab dis- guised himself to fool the enemy. Apparently the disguise worked, but that didn't change the prophecy. A random Syrian arrow found a crack in his armor and killed him. God's will is always fulfilled despite the defenses people try to erect. God can use anything, even an error, to bring his will to pass. This is good news for God's followers because we can trust him to work his plans and keep his promises, no matter what the circumstances.
2CHRO019
1 Jehoshaphat king of Judah came back safely to his palace in Jerusalem.
2 Jehu son of Hanani, a seer, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Why did you help evil people? Why do you love those who hate the LORD? That is took the Asherah idols out of this country, and you have tried to obey God." 4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out again to be with the people, from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and he turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 5 Jehoshaphat appointed judges in all the land, in each of the strong, walled cities of Judah. 6 Jehoshaphat said to them, "Watch what you do, because you are not judging for people but for the LORD. He will be with you when you make a decision. 7 Now let each of you fear the LORD. Watch what you do, because the LORD our God wants people to be fair. He wants all people to be treated the same, and he doesn't want decisions influenced by money." 8 And in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and leaders of Israelite families to be judges. They were to decide cases about the law of the LORD and settle problems between the people who lived in Jerusalem. 9 Jehoshaphat commanded them, "You must always serve the LORD completely, and you must fear him. 10 Your people living in the cities will bring you cases about killing, about the teachings, commands, rules, or some other law. In all these cases you must warn the people not to sin against the LORD. If you don't, he will be angry with you and your people. But if you warn them, you won't be guilty. 11 "Amariah, the leading priest, will be over you in all cases about the LORD. Zebadiah son of Ishmael, a leader in the tribe of Judah, will be over you in all cases about the king. Also, the Levites will serve as officers for you. Have courage. May the LORD be with those who do what is right."
1 As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, uninjured, 2 the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet him.
"Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the Lord?" he asked him. "Because of what you have done, God's wrath is upon you. 3 But there are some good things about you in that you got rid of the shameful idols throughout the land, and you have tried to be faithful to God."
4 So Jehoshaphat made no more trips to Israel after that but remained quietly at Jerusalem. Later he went out again among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim to encourage them to worship the God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the larger cities, 6 and instructed them:
"Watch your step - I have not appointed you - God has; and he will stand beside you and help you give justice in each case that comes before you. 7 Be very much afraid to give any other decision than what God tells you to. For there must be no injustice among God's judges, no partiality, no taking of bribes."
8 Jehoshaphat set up courts in Jerusalem, too, with the Levites and priests and clan leaders and judges. 9 These were his instructions to them: "You are to act always in the fear of God, with honest hearts. 10 Whenever a case is referred to you by the judges out in the provinces, whether murder cases or other violations of the laws and ordinances of God, you are to clarify the evidence for them and help them to decide justly, lest the wrath of God come down upon you and them; if you do this, you will discharge your responsibility."
11 Then he appointed Amariah the High Priest to be the court of final appeal in cases involving violation of sacred affairs; and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael), a ruler in Judah, as the court of final appeal in all civil cases; with the Levites as their assistants. "Be fearless in your stand for truth and honesty. And may God use you to defend the innocent," was his final word to them.
1,1,1,1
2,11,3,78
1,3,1,1
4,7,4,411
8,10,7,1066
11,11,9,1607
angry
2CHRO020
1 Later the Moabites, Ammonites, and some Meunites came to start a war with Jehoshaphat.
2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, "A large army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. They are already in Hazazon Tamar!" (Hazazon Tamar is also called En Gedi.)
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the LORD what to do. He announced that no one in Judah should eat during this special time of prayer to God.
4 The people of Judah came together to ask the LORD for help; they came from every town in Judah.
5 The people of Judah and Jerusalem met in front of the new courtyard in the Temple of the LORD. Then Jehoshaphat stood up,
6 and he said, "LORD, God of our ancestors, you are the God in heaven. You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. You have power and strength, so no one can stand against you.
7 Our God, you forced out the people who lived in this land as your people Israel moved in. And you gave this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham.
8 They lived in this land and built a Temple for you. They said,
9 `If trouble comes upon us, or war, punishment, sickness, or hunger, we will stand before you and before this Temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. We will cry out to you when we are in trouble. Then you will hear and save us.'
10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab, and Edom. You wouldn't let the Israelites enter their lands when the Israelites came from Egypt. So the Israelites turned away and did not destroy them.
11 But see how they repay us for not destroying them! They have come to force us out of your land, which you gave us as our own.
12 Our God, punish those people. We have no power against this large army that is attacking us. We don't know what to do, so we look to you for help."
13 All the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their babies, wives, and children.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD entered Jahaziel. (Jahaziel was Zechariah's son. Zechariah was Benaiah's son. Benaiah was Jeiel's son, and Jeiel was Mattaniah's son.) Jahaziel, a Levite and a descendant of Asaph, stood up in the meeting.
15 He said, "Listen to me, King Jehoshaphat and all you people living in Judah and Jerusalem. The LORD says this to you: `Don't be afraid or discouraged because of this large army. The battle is not your battle, it is God's.
16 Tomorrow go down there and fight those people. They will come up through the Pass of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine that leads to the Desert of Jeruel.
17 You won't need to fight in this battle. Just stand strong in your places, and you will see the LORD save you. Judah and Jerusalem, don't be afraid or discouraged, because the LORD is with you. So go out against those people tomorrow.' "
18 Jehoshaphat bowed facedown on the ground. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem bowed down before the LORD and worshiped him.
19 Then some Levites from the Kohathite and Korahite people stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voices.
20 Jehoshaphat's army went out into the Desert of Tekoa early in the morning. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Have faith in the LORD your God, and you will stand strong. Have faith in his prophets, and you will succeed."
21 Jehoshaphat listened to the people's advice. Then he chose men to be singers to the LORD, to praise him because he is holy and wonderful. As they marched in front of the army, they said, "Thank the LORD, because his love continues forever."
22 As they began to sing and praise God, the LORD set ambushes for the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom who had come to attack Judah. And they were defeated.
23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the Edomites, destroying them completely. After they had killed the Edomites, they killed each other.
24 When the men from Judah came to a place where they could see the desert, they looked at the enemy's large army. But they only saw dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his army came to take their valuables, they found many supplies, much clothing, and other valuable things. There was more than they could carry away; there was so much it took three days to gather it all.
26 On the fourth day Jehoshaphat and his army met in the Valley of Beracah and praised the LORD. That is why that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
27 Then Jehoshaphat led all the men from Judah and Jerusalem back to Jerusalem. The LORD had made them happy because their enemies were defeated.
28 They entered Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets and went to the Temple of the LORD.
29 When all the kingdoms of the lands around them heard how the LORD had fought Israel's enemies, they feared God.
30 So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was not at war. His God gave him peace from all the countries around him.
31 Jehoshaphat ruled over the country of Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
32 Jehoshaphat was good like his father Asa, and he did what the LORD said was right.
33 But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, and the people did not really want to follow the God of their ancestors.
34 The other things Jehoshaphat did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are in the book of the kings of Israel.
35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made a treaty with Ahaziah king of Israel, which was a wrong thing to do.
36 Jehoshaphat agreed with Ahaziah to build trading ships, which they built in the town of Ezion Geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu from the town of Mareshah spoke against Jehoshaphat. He said, "Jehoshaphat, because you joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked so they could not sail out to trade.
1 Later on the armies of the kings of Moab, Ammon, and of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. 2 Word reached Jehoshaphat that "a vast army is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea from Syria. It is already at Hazazon-tamar" (also called Engedi). 3 Jehoshaphat was badly shaken by this news and determined to beg for help from the Lord; so he announced that all the people of Judah should go without food for a time, in penitence and intercession before God. 4 People from all across the nation came to Jerusalem to plead unitedly with him. 5 Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the new court of the Temple and prayed this prayer:
6 " Lord God of our fathers - the only God in all the heavens, the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth - you are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you? 7 our God, didn't you drive out the heathen who lived in this land when your people arrived? And didn't you give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple for you, 9 truly believing that in a time like this - whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine - we can stand here before this Temple and before you - for you are here in this Temple - and cry out to you to save us; and that you will hear us and rescue us.
10 "And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You wouldn't let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so we went around and didn't destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land which you have given us. 12 our God, won't you stop them? We have no way to protect ourselves against this mighty army. We don't know what to do, but we are looking to you."
13 As the people from every part of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there - Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, who was one of the sons of Asaph).
15 "Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat!" he exclaimed. "The Lord says, `Don't be afraid! Don't be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God's! 16 Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don't be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!' "
18 Then King Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that rang out strong and clear.
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and called them to attention. "Listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem," he said. "Believe in the Lord your God and you shall have success! Believe his prophets and everything will be all right!"
21 After consultation with the leaders of the people, he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song "His Loving-Kindness Is Forever" as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord! 22 And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other! 23 For the Ammonites and Moabites turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. And when they had finished that job, they turned against each other! 24 So, when the army of Judah arrived at the watchtower that looks out over the wilderness, as far as they could look there were dead bodies lying on the ground - not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder the bodies and came away loaded with money, garments, and jewels stripped from the corpses - so much that it took them three days to cart it all away! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, as it is called today, and how they praised the Lord!
27 Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them this marvelous rescue from their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem accompanied by a band of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple. 29 And as had happened before, when the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God fell upon them. 30 So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, for his God had given him rest.
31 A thumbnail sketch of King Jehoshaphat: He became king of Judah when he was thirty-five years old and reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He was a good king, just as his father Asa was. He continually tried to follow the Lord 33 with the exception that he did not destroy the idol shrines on the hills, nor had the people as yet really decided to follow the God of their ancestors.
34 The details of Jehoshaphat's reign from first to last are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
35 But at the close of his life, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went into partnership with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was a very wicked man. 36 They made ships in Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish. 37 Then Eliezer, son of Dodavahu from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, telling him, "Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your work." So the ships met disaster and never arrived at Tarshish.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,94
3,3,5,298
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27,30,15,4509
31,33,17,5008
34,34,19,5457
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BATTLES 2CHRO 20:15
As the enemy bore down on Judah, God spoke through Jahaziel: Don't be afraid. The battle is not yours, but God's. We may not fight an enemy army, but every day we battle temptation, pressure, and wicked spirits in the spirit world (Ephesians 6:12) who want us to rebel against God. We must remember that, as believers, we have God's Spirit in us. If we ask for God's help when we face struggles, he will fight for us. And God always triumphs.
How do we let God fight for us? (1) By realizing the battle is not ours, but God's; (2) by recognizing human limitations and allowing God's strength and power to work through our fears and weaknesses; (3) by making sure our battle is for God and not just our own selfish desires; and (4) by asking God for help.
I Wonder: Church ,!page "^W0014" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2CHRO021
1 Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David. Then his son Jehoram became king in his place.
2 Jehoram's brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. They were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
3 Jehoshaphat gave his sons many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, and he gave them strong, walled cities in Judah. But Jehoshaphat gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the first son.
4 When Jehoram took control of his father's kingdom, he killed all his brothers with a sword and also killed some of the leaders of Judah.
5 He was thirty-two years old when he began to rule, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem.
6 He followed in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the family of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab's daughter. Jehoram did what the LORD said was wrong.
7 But the LORD would not destroy David's family because of the agreement he had made with David. He had promised that one of David's descendants would always rule.
8 In Jehoram's time, Edom broke away from Judah's rule and chose their own king.
9 So Jehoram went to Edom with all his commanders and chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but Jehoram got up and attacked the Edomites at night.
10 From then until now the country of Edom has fought against the rule of Judah. At the same time the people of Libnah also broke away from Jehoram because Jehoram left the LORD, the God of his ancestors.
11 Jehoram also built places to worship gods on the hills in Judah. He led the people of Jerusalem to sin, and he led the people of Judah away from the LORD.
12 Then Jehoram received this letter from Elijah the prophet: This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says, "Jehoram, you have not lived as your father Jehoshaphat lived and as Asa king of Judah lived.
13 But you have lived as the kings of Israel lived, leading the people of Judah and Jerusalem to sin against God, as Ahab and his family did. You have killed your brothers, and they were better than you.
14 So now the LORD is about to punish your people, your children, wives, and everything you own.
15 You will have a terrible disease in your intestines that will become worse every day. Finally it will cause your intestines to come out."
16 The LORD caused the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Cushites to be angry with Jehoram.
17 So the Philistines and Arabs attacked Judah and carried away all the wealth of Jehoram's palace, as well as his sons and wives. Only Jehoram's youngest son, Ahaziah, was left.
18 After these things happened, the LORD gave Jehoram a disease in his intestines that could not be cured.
19 After he was sick for two years, Jehoram's intestines came out because of the disease, and he died in terrible pain. The people did not make a fire to honor Jehoram as they had done for his ancestors.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem. No one was sad when he died. He was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the graves for the kings.
1 When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried in the cemetery of the kings in Jerusalem, and his son Jehoram became the new ruler of Judah. 2 His brothers - other sons of Jehoshaphat - were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. 3-4 Their father had given each of them valuable gifts of money and jewels, also the ownership of some of the fortified cities of Judah. However, he gave the kingship to Jehoram because he was the oldest. But when Jehoram had become solidly established as king, he killed all of his brothers and many other leaders of Israel. 5 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 But he was as wicked as the kings who were over in Israel. Yes, as wicked as Ahab, for Jehoram had married one of the daughters of Ahab, and his whole life was one constant binge of doing evil. 7 However, the Lord was unwilling to end the dynasty of David, for he had made a covenant with David always to have one of his descendants upon the throne.
8 At that time the king of Edom revolted, declaring his independence of Judah. 9 Jehoram attacked him with his full army and with all of his chariots, marching by night, and almost managed to subdue him. 10 But to this day Edom has been successful in throwing off the yoke of Judah. Libnah revolted too because Jehoram had turned away from the Lord God of his fathers. 11 What's more, Jehoram constructed idol shrines in the mountains of Judah and led the people of Jerusalem in worshiping idols; in fact, he compelled his people to worship them.
12 Then Elijah the prophet wrote him this letter: "The Lord God of your ancestor David says that because you have not followed in the good ways of your father Jehoshaphat, nor the good ways of King Asa, 13 but you have been as evil as the kings over in Israel and have made the people of Jerusalem and Judah worship idols just as in the times of King Ahab, and because you have killed your brothers who were better than you, 14 now the Lord will destroy your nation with a great plague. You, your children, your wives, and all that you have will be struck down. 15 You will be stricken with an intestinal disease and your bowels will rot away."
16 Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs living next to the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. 17 They marched against Judah, broke across the border, and carried away everything of value in the king's palace, including his sons and his wives; only his youngest son, Jehoahaz, escaped.
18 It was after this that Jehovah struck him down with the incurable bowel disease. 19 In the process of time, at the end of two years, his intestines came out, and he died in terrible suffering. (The customary pomp and ceremony was omitted at his funeral.) 20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and died unmourned. He was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal cemetery.
1,7,1,1
8,11,3,1022
12,15,5,1572
16,17,7,2220
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1,1,1,1
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3,3,5,280
4,4,7,485
5,5,9,628
6,6,11,724
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20,20,39,2980
2CHRO022
1 The people of Jerusalem chose Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, to be king in his place. The robbers who had come with the Arabs to attack Jehoram's camp had killed all of Jehoram's older sons. So Ahaziah began to rule Judah.
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
3 Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab's family, because his mother encouraged him to do wrong.
4 Ahaziah did what the LORD said was wrong, as Ahab's family had done. They gave advice to Ahaziah after his father died, and their bad advice led to his death.
5 Following their advice, Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to Ramoth in Gilead, where they fought against Hazael king of Aram. The Arameans wounded Joram.
6 So Joram returned to Jezreel to heal from the wounds he received at Ramoth when he fought Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram and king of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab at Jezreel because he had been wounded.
7 God caused Ahaziah's death when he went to visit Joram. Ahaziah arrived and went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had appointed to destroy Ahab's family.
8 While Jehu was punishing Ahab's family, he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives who served Ahaziah, and Jehu killed them all.
9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah. Jehu's men caught him hiding in Samaria, so they brought him to Jehu. Then they killed and buried him. They said, "Ahaziah is a descendant of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat obeyed the LORD with all his heart." No one in Ahaziah's family had the power to take control of the kingdom of Judah.
10 When Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she killed all the royal family in Judah.
11 But Jehosheba, King Jehoram's daughter, took Joash, Ahaziah's son. She stole him from among the other sons of the king who were going to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid Joash so Athaliah could not kill him.BG
12 He hid with them in the Temple of God for six years. During that time Athaliah ruled the land.
1 Then the people of Jerusalem chose Ahaziah, his youngest son, as their new king (for the marauding bands of Arabs had killed his older sons). 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. 3 He, too, walked in the evil ways of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong. 4 Yes, he was as evil as Ahab, for Ahab's family became his advisors after his father's death, and they led him on to ruin.
5 Following their evil advice, Ahaziah made an alliance with King Joram of Israel (the son of Ahab), who was at war with King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. Ahaziah led his army there to join the battle. King Joram of Israel was wounded 6 and returned to Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went to visit him, 7 but this turned out to be a fatal mistake; for God had decided to punish Ahaziah for his alliance with Joram. It was during this visit that Ahaziah went out with Joram to challenge Jehu (son of Nimshi), whom the Lord had appointed to end the dynasty of Ahab.
8 While Jehu was hunting down and killing the family and friends of Ahab, he met King Ahaziah's nephews, the princes of Judah, and killed them. 9 As he and his men were searching for Ahaziah, they found him hiding in the city of Samaria and brought him to Jehu, who killed him. Even so, Ahaziah was given a royal burial because he was the grandson of King Jehoshaphat - a man who enthusiastically served the Lord. None of his sons, however, except for Joash, lived to succeed him as king, 10 for their grandmother Athaliah killed them when she heard the news of her son Ahaziah's death.
11 Joash was rescued by his Aunt Jehoshabeath, who was King Ahaziah's sister, and was hidden away in a storage room in the Temple. She was a daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. 12 Joash remained hidden in the Temple for six years while Athaliah reigned as queen. He was cared for by his nurse and by his aunt and uncle.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,232
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4,4,7,482
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EVALUATION 2CHRO 22:4-5
Although it is good to seek advice, we must also carefully weigh what is said. Ahaziah had advisers, but they were wicked and led him to ruin. When you seek advice, listen carefully and use God's word to test everything that is said to be sure it is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
2CHRO023
COURAGE
1 In the seventh year Jehoiada decided to do something. He made an agreement with the commanders of the groups of a hundred men: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri.
2 They went around in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the towns, and they gathered the leaders of the families of Judah. Then they went to Jerusalem.
3 All the people together made an agreement with the king in the Temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son will rule, as the LORD promised about David's descendants.
4 Now this is what you must do: You priests and Levites go on duty on the Sabbath. A third of you will guard the doors.
5 A third of you will be at the king's palace, and a third of you will be at the Foundation Gate. All the other people will stay in the courtyards of the Temple of the LORD.
6 Don't let anyone come into the Temple of the LORD except the priests and Levites who serve. They may come because they have been made ready to serve the LORD, but all the others must do the job the LORD has given them.
7 The Levites must stay near the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. If anyone tries to enter the Temple, kill him. Stay close to the king when he goes in and when he goes out."
8 The Levites and all the people of Judah obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest had commanded. He did not excuse anyone from the groups of the priests. So each commander took his men who came on duty on the Sabbath with those who went off duty on the Sabbath.
9 Jehoiada gave the commanders of a hundred men the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the Temple of God.
10 Then Jehoiada told the men where to stand, each man with his weapon in his hand. There were guards from the south side of the Temple to the north side. They stood by the altar and the Temple and around the king.
11 Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him a copy of the agreement. Then they appointed him king and poured olive oil on him and shouted, "Long live the king!"
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went to them at the Temple of the LORD.
13 She looked, and there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were standing beside him, and all the people of the land were happy and blowing trumpets. The singers were playing musical instruments and leading praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, "Traitors! Traitors!"
14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of a hundred men, who led the army. He said, "Surround her with soldiers and take her out of the Temple area. Kill with a sword anyone who follows her." He had said, "Don't put Athaliah to death in the Temple of the LORD."
15 So they caught her when she came to the entrance of the Horse Gate near the palace. There they put her to death.
16 Then Jehoiada made an agreement with the people and the king that they would be the LORD' s special people.
17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing the altars and idols. They killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
18 Then Jehoiada chose the priests, who were Levites, to be responsible for the Temple of the LORD. David had given them duties in the Temple of the LORD. They were to offer the burnt offerings to the LORD as the Teachings of Moses commanded, and they were to offer them with much joy and singing as David had commanded.
19 Jehoiada put guards at the gates of the Temple of the LORD so that anyone who was unclean in any way could not enter.
20 Jehoiada took with him the commanders of a hundred men, the important men, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land to take the king out of the Temple of the LORD. They went through the Upper Gate into the palace, and then they seated the king on the throne.
21 So all the people of the land were very happy, and Jerusalem had peace, because Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.
1 In the seventh year of the reign of Queen Athaliah, Jehoiada the priest got up his courage and took some of the army officers into his confidence: Azariah (son of Jeroham), Ishmael (son of Jehohanan), Azariah (son of Obed), Maaseiah (son of Adaiah), and Elishaphat (son of Zichri). 2-3 These men traveled out across the nation secretly to tell the Levites and clan leaders about his plans and to summon them to Jerusalem. On arrival they swore allegiance to the young king, who was still in hiding at the Temple.
"At last the time has come for the king's son to reign!" Jehoiada exclaimed. "The Lord's promise - that a descendant of King David shall be our king - will be true again. 4 This is how we'll proceed: A third of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath will stay at the entrance as guards. 5-6 Another third will go over to the palace, and a third will be at the Lower Gate. Everyone else must stay in the outer courts of the Temple, as required by God's laws. For only the priests and Levites on duty may enter the Temple itself, for they are sanctified. 7 You Levites, form a bodyguard for the king, weapons in hand, and kill any unauthorized person entering the Temple. Stay right beside the king."
8 So all the arrangements were made. Each of the three leaders led a third of the priests arriving for duty that Sabbath, and a third of those whose week's work was done and were going off duty - for Jehoiada the chief priest didn't release them to go home. 9 Then Jehoiada issued spears and shields to all the army officers. These had once belonged to King David and were stored in the Temple. 10 These officers, fully armed, formed a line from one side to the other in front of the Temple and around the altar in the outer court. 11 Then they brought out the little prince and placed the crown upon his head, and handed him a copy of the law of God, and proclaimed him king.
A great shout went up, "Long live the king!" as Jehoiada and his sons anointed him.
12 When Queen Athaliah heard all the noise and commotion and the shouts of praise to the king, she rushed over to the Temple to see what was going on - and there stood the king by his pillar at the entrance, with the army officers and the trumpeters surrounding him, and people from all over the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers singing, accompanied by an orchestra leading the people in a great psalm of praise.
Athaliah ripped her clothes and screamed, "Treason! Treason!"
13-14 "Take her out and kill her," Jehoiada the priest shouted to the army officers. "Don't do it here at the Temple. And kill anyone who tries to help her."
15-17 So the crowd opened up for them to take her out, and they killed her at the palace stables.
Then Jehoiada made a solemn contract that he and the king and the people would be the Lord's. And all the people rushed over to the temple of Baal and knocked it down, and broke up the altars, and knocked down the idols, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before his altar. 18 Jehoiada now appointed the Levite priests as guards, and to sacrifice the burnt offering to the Lord as prescribed in the law of Moses. He made the identical assignments of the Levite clans that King David had. They sang with joy as they worked. 19 The guards at the Temple gates kept out everything that was not consecrated and all unauthorized personnel.
20 Then the army officers, nobles, governors, and all the people escorted the king from the Temple, wending their way from the Upper Gate to the palace, and seated the king upon his throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet and peaceful because Queen Athaliah was dead.
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2,2,3,258
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COURAGE 2CHRO 23:1
Although it could have cost him his life, this priest gathered up his courage and did what was right, restoring the temple worship and anointing the new king. There are times when we must correct a wrong or speak out for what is right. When such a situation arises, gather up your courage and take action.
2CHRO024
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he ruled forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, and she was from Beersheba.
2 Joash did what the LORD said was right as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive.
3 Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash, and Joash had sons and daughters.
4 Later, Joash decided to repair the Temple of the LORD.
5 He called the priests and the Levites together and said to them, "Go to the towns of Judah and gather the money all the Israelites have to pay every year. Use it to repair the Temple of your God. Do this now." But the Levites did not hurry.
6 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the leading priest and said to him, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax money that Moses, the LORD' s servant, and the people of Israel used for the Holy Tent?"
7 In the past the sons of wicked Athaliah had broken into the Temple of God and used its holy things for worshiping the Baal idols.
8 King Joash commanded that a box for contributions be made. They put it outside, at the gate of the Temple of the LORD.
9 Then the Levites made an announcement in Judah and Jerusalem, telling people to bring to the LORD the tax money Moses, the servant of God, had made the Israelites give while they were in the desert.
10 All the officers and people were happy to bring their money, and they put it in the box until the box was full.
11 When the Levites would take the box to the king's officers, they would see that it was full of money. Then the king's royal secretary and the leading priest's officer would come and take out the money and return the box to its place. They did this often and gathered much money.
12 King Joash and Jehoiada gave the money to the people who worked on the Temple of the LORD. And they hired stoneworkers and carpenters to repair the Temple of the LORD. They also hired people to work with iron and bronze to repair the Temple.
13 The people worked hard, and the work to repair the Temple went well. They rebuilt the Temple of God to be as it was before, but even stronger.
14 When the workers finished, they brought the money that was left to King Joash and Jehoiada. They used that money to make utensils for the Temple of the LORD, utensils for the service in the Temple and for the burnt offerings, and bowls and other utensils from gold and silver. Burnt offerings were given every day in the Temple of the LORD while Jehoiada was alive.
15 Jehoiada grew old and lived many years. Then he died when he was one hundred thirty years old.
16 Jehoiada was buried in Jerusalem with the kings, because he had done much good in Judah for God and his Temple.
17 After Jehoiada died, the officers of Judah came and bowed down to King Joash, and he listened to them.
18 The king and these leaders stopped worshiping in the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors. Instead, they began to worship the Asherah idols and other idols. Because they did wrong, God was angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
19 Even though the LORD sent prophets to the people to turn them back to him and even though the prophets warned them, they refused to listen.
20 Then the Spirit of God entered Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: `Why do you disobey the LORD' s commands? You will not be successful. Because you have left the LORD, he has also left you.' "
21 But the king and his officers made plans against Zechariah. At the king's command they threw stones at him in the courtyard of the Temple of the LORD until he died.
22 King Joash did not remember Jehoiada's kindness to him, so Joash killed Zechariah, Jehoiada's son. Before Zechariah died, he said, "May the LORD see what you are doing and punish you."
23 At the end of the year, the Aramean army came against Joash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders of the people, and sent all the valuable things to their king in Damascus.
24 The Aramean army came with only a small group of men, but the LORD handed over to them a very large army from Judah, because the people of Judah had left the LORD, the God of their ancestors. So Joash was punished.
25 When the Arameans left, Joash was badly wounded. His own officers made plans against him because he had killed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. So they killed Joash in his own bed. He died and was buried in Jerusalem but not in the graves of the kings.
26 The officers who made plans against Joash were Jozabad and Jehozabad. Jozabad was the son of Shimeath, a woman from Ammon. And Jehozabad was the son of Shimrith, a woman from Moab.
27 The story of Joash's sons, the great prophecies against him, and how he repaired the Temple of God are written in the book of the kings. Joash's son Amaziah became king in his place.
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, from Beersheba. 2 Joash tried hard to please the Lord all during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada arranged two marriages for him, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Later on Joash decided to repair and recondition the Temple. 5 He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them these instructions:
"Go to all the cities of Judah and collect offerings for the building fund so that we can maintain the Temple in good repair. Get at it right away. Don't delay." But the Levites took their time.
6 So the king called for Jehoiada the High Priest and asked him, "Why haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the cities of Judah and from Jerusalem? The tax law enacted by Moses the servant of the Lord must be enforced so that the Temple can be repaired."
7-8 (The followers of wicked Athaliah had ravaged the Temple, and everything dedicated to the worship of God had been removed to the temple of Baalim.) So now the king instructed that a chest be made and set outside the Temple gate. 9 Then a proclamation was sent to all the cities of Judah and throughout Jerusalem telling the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had assessed upon Israel. 10 And all the leaders and the people were glad, and brought the money and placed it in the chest until it was full.
11 Then the Levites carried the chest to the king's accounting office, where the recording secretary and the representative of the High Priest counted the money and took the chest back to the Temple again. This went on day after day, and money continued to pour in. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the building superintendents, who hired masons and carpenters to restore the Temple, and to foundrymen, who made articles of iron and brass. 13 So the work went forward, and finally the Temple was in much better condition than before. 14 When all was finished, the remaining money was brought to the king and Jehoiada, and it was agreed to use it for making the gold and silver spoons and bowls used for incense, and for making the instruments used in the sacrifices and offerings.
Burnt offerings were sacrificed continually during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. 15 He lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130. 16 He was buried in the City of David among the kings because he had done so much good for Israel, for God, and for the Temple.
17-18 But after his death, the leaders of Judah came to King Joash and induced him to abandon the Temple of the God of their ancestors and to worship shameful idols instead! So the wrath of God came down upon Judah and Jerusalem again. 19 God sent prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but the people wouldn't listen.
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, Jehoiada's son. He called a meeting of all the people. Standing before them upon a platform, he said to them, "God wants to know why you are disobeying his commandments. For when you do, everything you try fails. You have forsaken the Lord, and now he has forsaken you."
21 Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and finally King Joash himself ordered him executed in the court of the Temple. 22 That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his love and loyalty - by killing his son. Zechariah's last words as he died were, "Lord, see what they are doing and pay them back."
23 A few months later the Syrian army arrived and conquered Judah and Jerusalem, killing all the leaders of the nation and sending back great quantities of booty to the king of Damascus. 24 It was a great triumph for the tiny Syrian army, but the Lord let the great army of Judah be conquered by them because they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. In that way God executed judgment upon Joash. 25 When the Syrians left - leaving Joash severely wounded - his own officials decided to kill him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed, and buried him in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings. 26 The conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath, a woman from Ammon; and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith, a woman from Moab.
27 If you want to read about the sons of Joash and the curses laid upon Joash, and about the restoration of the Temple, see The Annals of the Kings.
When Joash died, his son Amaziah became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,151
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PROSPERITY 2CHRO 24:17-18
If everything went so well in Judah when the people worshiped God, why did they turn away from him? Prosperity is both a blessing and a curse. While it can be a sign of God's blessing to those who follow him, it carries with it the potential for moral and spiritual decline. Rich people are tempted to become self-sufficient and proud-to take God for granted. In our times of prosperity, we must not lose sight of the fact that God is the source of our blessings.
2CHRO025
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin, and she was from Jerusalem.
2 Amaziah did what the LORD said was right, but he did not really want to obey him.
3 As soon as Amaziah took strong control of the kingdom, he executed the officers who had murdered his father the king.
4 But Amaziah did not put to death their children. He obeyed what was written in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "Parents must not be put to death when their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death when their parents do wrong. Each must die for his own sins."
5 Amaziah gathered the people of Judah together. He grouped all the people of Judah and Benjamin by families, and he put commanders over groups of a thousand and over groups of a hundred. He counted the men who were twenty years old and older. In all there were three hundred thousand soldiers ready to fight and skilled with spears and shields.t'/
6 Amaziah also hired one hundred thousand soldiers from Israel for about seventy-five hundred pounds of silver.
7 But a man of God came to Amaziah and said, "My king, don't let the army of Israel go with you. The LORD is not with Israel or the people from the tribe of Ephraim.
8 You can make yourself strong for war, but God will defeat you. He has the power to help you or to defeat you."
9 Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what about the seventy-five hundred pounds of silver I paid to the Israelite army?" The man of God answered, "The LORD can give you much more than that."
10 So Amaziah sent the Israelite army back home to Ephraim. They were very angry with the people of Judah and went home angry.
11 Then Amaziah became very brave and led his army to the Valley of Salt in the country of Edom. There Amaziah's army killed ten thousand Edomites.
12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off so that they split open.
13 At the same time the Israelite troops that Amaziah had not let fight in the war were robbing towns in Judah. From Samaria to Beth Horon they killed three thousand people and took many valuable things.
14 When Amaziah came home after defeating the Edomites, he brought back the idols they worshiped and started to worship them himself. He bowed down to them and offered sacrifices to them.
15 The LORD was very angry with Amaziah, so he sent a prophet to him who said, "Why have you asked their gods for help? They could not even save their own people from you!"
16 As the prophet spoke, Amaziah said to him, "We never gave you the job of advising the king. Stop, or you will be killed." The prophet stopped speaking except to say, "I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this. You did not listen to my advice."
17 Amaziah king of Judah talked with those who advised him. Then he sent a message to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, who was the son of Jehu king of Israel. Amaziah said to Jehoash, "Come, let's meet face to face."
18 Then Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah, "A thornbush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree in Lebanon. It said, `Let your daughter marry my son.' But then a wild animal from Lebanon came by, walking on and crushing the thornbush.
19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, but you have become proud, and you brag. But you stay at home! Don't ask for trouble, or you and Judah will be defeated."
20 But Amaziah would not listen. God caused this to happen so that Jehoash would defeat Judah, because Judah asked for help from the gods of Edom.
21 So Jehoash king of Israel went to attack. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah.
22 Israel defeated Judah, and every man of Judah ran away to his home.
23 At Beth Shemesh Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash, who was the son of Ahaziah.) Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, about six hundred feet.
24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils from the Temple of God that OBED-EDOM had taken care of. He also took the treasures from the palace and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel.
26 The other things Amaziah did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27 When Amaziah stopped obeying the LORD, the people in Jerusalem made plans against him. So he ran away to the town of Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him.
28 They brought his body back on horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David.
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, a native of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right, but sometimes resented it! 3 When he was well established as the new king, he executed the men who had assassinated his father. 4 However, he didn't kill their children but followed the command of the Lord written in the law of Moses, that the fathers shall not die for the children's sins, nor the children for the father's sins. No, everyone must pay for his own sins.
5-6 Another thing Amaziah did was to organize the army, assigning leaders to each clan from Judah and Benjamin. Then he took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 men twenty years old and older, all trained and highly skilled in the use of spear and sword. He also paid $200,000 to hire 100,000 experienced mercenaries from Israel.
7 But a prophet arrived with this message from the Lord: "Sir, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with them. 8 If you let them go with your troops to battle, you will be defeated no matter how well you fight; for God has power to help or to frustrate."
9 "But the money!" Amaziah whined. "What shall I do about that?"
And the prophet replied, "The Lord is able to give you much more than this!"
10 So Amaziah sent them home again to Ephraim, which made them very angry and insulted. 11 Then Amaziah took courage and led his army to Salt Valley and there killed 10,000 men from Seir. 12 Another 10,000 were taken alive to the top of a cliff and thrown over so that they were crushed upon the rocks below.
13 Meanwhile, the army of Israel that had been sent home raided several of the cities of Judah in the vicinity of Beth-horon toward Samaria, killing 3,000 people and carrying off great quantities of booty.
14 When King Amaziah returned from this slaughter of the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir, set them up as gods, bowed before them, and burned incense to them! 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to demand, "Why have you worshiped gods who couldn't even save their own people from you?"
16 "Since when have I asked your advice?" the king retorted. "Be quiet now before I have you killed."
The prophet left with this parting warning: "I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have worshiped these idols and have not accepted my counsel."
17 King Amaziah of Judah now took the advice of his counselors and declared war on King Joash of Israel (son of Jehoahaz, grandson of Jehu).
18 King Joash replied with this parable: "Out in the Lebanon mountains a thistle demanded of a cedar tree, `Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' Just then a wild animal came by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it! 19 You are very proud about your conquest of Edom, but my advice is to stay home and don't meddle with me, lest you and all Judah get badly hurt."
20 But Amaziah wouldn't listen for God was arranging to destroy him for worshiping the gods of Edom. 21 The armies met at Beth-shemesh in Judah, 22 and Judah was defeated and its army fled home. 23 King Joash of Israel captured the defeated King Amaziah of Judah and took him as a prisoner to Jerusalem. Then King Joash ordered 200 yards of the walls of Jerusalem dismantled, from the gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate. 24 He carried off all the treasures and gold bowls from the Temple, as well as the treasures from the palace; and he took hostages, including Obed-edom, and returned to Samaria.
25 However, King Amaziah of Judah lived on for fifteen years after the death of King Joash of Israel. 26 The complete biography of King Amaziah is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 This account includes a report of Amaziah's turning away from God, how his people conspired against him in Jerusalem, and how he fled to Lachish - but they went after him and killed him there. 28 And they brought him back on horses to Jerusalem and buried him in the royal cemetery.
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DECISIONS 2CHRO 25:9-10
Amaziah made a financial agreement with wicked Israelite soldiers, offering to pay them to fight for him (25:6). But before they could go to battle, Amaziah received the prophet's warning-and so he sent the soldiers home with their pay. Although it cost him plenty, Amaziah wisely realized that the money was not worth the ruin the alliance could cause. How would you have chosen? Money must never stand in the way of making right decisions. The Lord's blessing is priceless, worth more than any amount of money.
WATCH OUT 2CHRO 25:14
After the victory, Amaziah returned and burned incense to idols. We are very susceptible to sin after great victories. It is then that we feel confident. We let our defenses down, and Satan attacks with all sorts of temptations. When you win, watch out. After the mountain peaks come the valleys.
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Profile: Jehoshaphat ,!page "^jehoshaphat" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Profile: Joash ,!page "^joash" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2CHRO026
PRIDE
1 Then all the people of Judah made Uzziah king in place of his father Amaziah. Uzziah was sixteen years old.
2 He rebuilt the town of Elath and made it part of Judah again after Amaziah died.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah, and she was from Jerusalem.
4 He did what the LORD said was right, just as his father Amaziah had done.
5 Uzziah obeyed God while Zechariah was alive, because he taught Uzziah how to respect and obey God. And as long as Uzziah obeyed the LORD, God gave him success.
6 Uzziah fought a war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls around their towns of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod and built new towns near Ashdod and in other places among the Philistines.
7 God helped Uzziah fight the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites.
8 Also, the Ammonites made the payments Uzziah demanded. He was very powerful, so his name became famous all the way to the border of Egypt.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned, and he made them strong.
10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many wells, because he had many cattle on the western hills and in the plains. He had people who worked his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, because he loved the land.
11 Uzziah had an army of trained soldiers. They were counted and put in groups by Jeiel the royal secretary and Maaseiah the officer. Hananiah, one of the king's commanders, was their leader.
12 There were twenty-six hundred leaders over the soldiers.
13 They were in charge of an army of three hundred seven thousand five hundred men who fought with great power to help the king against the enemy.
14 Uzziah gave his army shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for their slings.
15 In Jerusalem Uzziah made devices that were invented by clever men. These devices on the towers and corners of the city walls were used to shoot arrows and large rocks. So Uzziah became famous in faraway places, because he had much help until he became powerful.
16 But when Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his ruin. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God; he went into the Temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar for incense.
17 Azariah and eighty other brave priests who served the LORD followed Uzziah into the Temple.
18 They told him he was wrong and said to him, "You don't have the right to burn incense to the LORD. Only the priests, Aaron's descendants, should burn the incense, because they have been made holy. Leave this holy place. You have been unfaithful, and the LORD God will not honor you for this."
19 Uzziah was standing beside the altar for incense in the Temple of the LORD, and in his hand was a pan for burning incense. He was very angry with the priests. As he was standing in front of the priests, a skin disease broke out on his forehead.
20 Azariah, the leading priest, and all the other priests looked at him and saw the skin disease on his forehead. So they hurried him out of the Temple. Uzziah also rushed out, because the LORD was punishing him.
21 So King Uzziah had the skin disease until the day he died. He had to live in a separate house and could not enter the Temple of the LORD. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace, and he governed the people of the land.
22 The other things Uzziah did as king, from beginning to end, were written down by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
23 Uzziah died and was buried near his ancestors in a graveyard that belonged to the kings. This was because people said, "He had a skin disease." And his son Jotham became king in his place.
1 The people of Judah now crowned sixteen-year-old Uzziah as their new king. 2 After his father's death, he rebuilt the city of Eloth and restored it to Judah. 3 In all, he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem. 4 He followed in the footsteps of his father Amaziah and was, in general, a good king in the Lord's sight.
5 While Zechariah was alive Uzziah was always eager to please God. Zechariah was a man who had special revelations from God. And as long as the king followed the paths of God, he prospered, for God blessed him.
6 He declared war on the Philistines and captured the city of Gath and broke down its walls, also those of Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he built new cities in the Ashdod area and in other parts of the Philistine country. 7 God helped him not only with his wars against the Philistines but also in his battles with the Arabs of Gur-baal and in his wars with the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he was very powerful.
9 He built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, and the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall. 10 He also constructed forts in the Negeb and made many water reservoirs, for he had great herds of cattle out in the valleys and on the plains. He was a man who loved the soil and had many farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.
11 He organized his army into regiments to which men were drafted under quotas set by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. The commander-in-chief was General Hananiah. 12 Twenty-six hundred brave clan leaders commanded these regiments. 13 The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. 14 Uzziah issued to them shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. 15 And he produced engines of war manufactured in Jerusalem, invented by brilliant men to shoot arrows and huge stones from the towers and battlements. So he became very famous, for the Lord helped him wonderfully until he was very powerful.
16 But at that point he became proud - and corrupt. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the forbidden sanctuary of the Temple and personally burning incense upon the altar. 17-18 Azariah the High Priest went in after him with eighty other priests, all brave men, and demanded that he get out.
"It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense," they declared. "That is the work of the priests alone, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to this work. Get out, for you have trespassed, and the Lord is not going to honor you for this!"
19 Uzziah was furious and refused to set down the incense burner he was holding. But look! Suddenly - leprosy appeared on his forehead! 20 When Azariah and the others saw it, they rushed him out; in fact, he himself was as anxious to get out as they were to get him out because the Lord had struck him.
21 So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death and lived in isolation, cut off from his people and from the Temple. His son Jotham became vice-regent, in charge of the king's affairs and of the judging of the people of the land.
22 The other details of Uzziah's reign from first to last are recorded by the prophet Isaiah (son of Amoz). 23 When Uzziah died, he was buried in the royal cemetery even though he was a leper, and his son Jotham became the new king.
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PRIDE 2CHRO 26:15-16
After God gave Uzziah great blessings and power, he became proud and corrupt. It is true that pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). If God has given you money, influence, popularity, and power, be thankful and careful. God hates pride. Check your attitudes and remember to give God the credit for what you have. Use your gifts in ways that please him.
2CHRO027
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
2 Jotham did what the LORD said was right, just as his father Uzziah had done. But Jotham did not enter the Temple of the LORD to burn incense as his father had. But the people continued doing wrong.
3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the Temple of the LORD, and he added greatly to the wall at Ophel.
4 He also built towns in the hill country of Judah, as well as walled cities and towers in the forests.
5 Jotham also fought the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. So each year for three years they gave Jotham about seventy-five hundred pounds of silver, about sixty-two thousand bushels of wheat, and about sixty-two thousand bushels of barley.
6 Jotham became powerful, because he always obeyed the LORD his God.
7 The other things Jotham did while he was king and all his wars are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
8 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9 Jotham died and was buried in Jerusalem, the city of David. Then Jotham's son Ahaz became king in his place.
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old at the time he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. 2 He followed the generally good example of his father, Uzziah - who had, however, sinned by invading the Temple - but even so his people became very corrupt.
3 He built the Upper Gate of the Temple and also did extensive rebuilding of the walls on the hill where the Temple was situated. 4 And he built cities in the hill country of Judah and erected fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.
5 His war against the Ammonites was successful so that for the next three years he received from them an annual tribute of $200,000 in silver, 10,000 sacks of wheat, and 10,000 sacks of barley. 6 King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to follow the path of the Lord his God.
7 The remainder of his history, including his wars and other activities, is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 In summary, then, he was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Ahaz became the new king.
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2,2,3,151
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2CHRO028
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. Unlike his ancestor David, he did not do what the LORD said was right.
2 Ahaz did the same things the kings of Israel had done. He made metal idols to worship Baal.
3 He burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and made his children pass through the fire. He did the same hateful sins as the nations had done whom the LORD had forced out of the land ahead of the Israelites.
4 Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense at the places where gods were worshiped, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 So the LORD his God handed over Ahaz to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated Ahaz and took many people of Judah as prisoners to Damascus. He also handed over Ahaz to Pekah king of Israel, and Pekah's army killed many soldiers of Ahaz.
6 The army of Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand brave soldiers from Judah in one day. Pekah defeated them because they had left the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
7 Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed King Ahaz's son Maaseiah. He also killed Azrikam, the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king.
8 The Israelite army captured two hundred thousand of their own relatives. They took women, sons and daughters, and many valuable things from Judah and carried them back to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there. He met the Israelite army when it returned to Samaria and said to them, "The LORD, the God of your ancestors, handed Judah over to you, because he was angry with those people. But God has seen the cruel way you killed them.
10 Now you plan to make the people of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves, but you also have sinned against the LORD your God.
11 Now listen to me. Send back your brothers and sisters whom you captured, because the LORD is very angry with you."
12 Then some of the leaders in Ephraim- Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai- met the Israelite soldiers coming home from war.
13 They warned the soldiers, "Don't bring the prisoners from Judah here. If you do, we will be guilty of sin against the LORD, and that will make our sin and guilt even worse. Our guilt is already so great that he is angry with Israel."
14 So the soldiers left the prisoners and valuable things in front of the officers and people there.
15 The leaders who were named took the prisoners and gave those who were naked the clothes that the Israelite army had taken. They gave the prisoners clothes, sandals, food, drink, and medicine. They put the weak prisoners on donkeys and took them back to their families in Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned home to Samaria.aelds.t'/
16 At that time the Edomites came again and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners. So King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.
17 [see verse 16]
18 The Philistines also robbed the towns in the western hills and in southern Judah. They captured the towns of Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo, and the villages around them. Then the Philistines king led the people of Judah to sin, and he was unfaithful to the LORD. 20 TIGLATH-PILESER king of Assyria came to Ahaz, but he gave Ahaz trouble instead of help. 21 Ahaz took some valuable things from the Temple of the LORD, from the palace, and from the princes, and he gave them to the king of Assyria, but it did not help. 22 During Ahaz's troubles he was even more unfaithful to the LORD. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of the people of Damascus, who had defeated him. He thought, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them. If I offer sacrifices to them, they will help me also." But this brought ruin to Ahaz and all Israel. 24 Ahaz gathered the things from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. Then he closed the doors of the Temple of the LORD. He made altars and put them on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every town in Judah, Ahaz made places for burning sacrifices to worship other gods. So he made the LORD, the God of his ancestors, very angry. 26 The other things Ahaz did as king, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz died and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but not in the graves of the kings of Israel. Ahaz's son Hezekiah became king in his place.
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he was an evil king, unlike his ancestor King David. 2 For he followed the example of the kings over in Israel and worshiped the idols of Baal. 3 He even went out to the valley of Hinnom, and it was not just to burn incense to the idols, for he even sacrificed his own children in the fire, just like the heathen nations that were thrown out of the land by the Lord to make room for Israel. 4 Yes, he sacrificed and burned incense at the idol shrines on the hills and under every green tree.
5 That is why the Lord God allowed the king of Syria to defeat him and deport large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies from Israel also slaughtered great numbers of his troops. 6 On a single day Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 of his bravest soldiers because they had turned away from the Lord God of their fathers. 7 Then Zichri, a great warrior from Ephraim, killed the king's son Maaseiah, the king's administrator Azrikam, and the king's second-in-command Elkanah. 8 The armies from Israel also captured 200,000 Judean women and children and tremendous amounts of booty, which they took to Samaria.
9 But Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there in Samaria, and he went out to meet the returning army.
"Look!" he exclaimed. "The Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah and let you capture them, but you have butchered them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed. 10 And now are you going to make slaves of these people from Judah and Jerusalem? What about your own sins against the Lord your God? 11 Listen to me and return these relatives of yours to their homes, for now the fierce anger of the Lord is upon you."
12 Some of the top leaders of Ephraim also added their opposition. These men were Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai.
13 "You must not bring the captives here!" they declared. "If you do, the Lord will be angry, and this sin will be added to our many others. We are in enough trouble with God as it is."
14 So the army officers turned over the captives and booty to the political leaders to decide what to do. 15 Then the four men already mentioned distributed captured stores of clothing to the women and children who needed it and gave them shoes, food, and wine, and put those who were sick and old on donkeys, and took them back to their families in Jericho, the City of Palm Trees. Then their escorts returned to Samaria.
16 About that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria to be his ally in his war against the armies of Edom. For Edom was invading Judah and capturing many people as slaves. 17-18 Meanwhile, the Philistines had invaded the lowland cities and the Negeb and had already captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages, and were living there. 19 For the Lord brought Judah very low on account of the evil deeds of King Ahaz of Israel for he had destroyed the spiritual fiber of Judah and had been faithless to the Lord. 20 But when Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, arrived, he caused trouble for King Ahaz instead of helping him. 21 So even though Ahaz had given him the Temple gold and the palace treasures, it did no good.
22 In this time of deep trial, King Ahaz collapsed spiritually. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of the people of Damascus who had defeated him, for he felt that since these gods had helped the kings of Syria, they would help him too if he sacrificed to them. But instead, they were his ruin, and that of all his people. 24 The king took the gold bowls from the Temple and slashed them to pieces, and nailed the door of the Temple shut so that no one could worship there, and made altars to the heathen gods in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And he did the same in every city of Judah, thus angering the Lord God of his fathers.
26 The other details of his life and activities are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 When King Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal tombs, and his son Hezekiah became the new king.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,166
3,3,5,264
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9,9,17,1422
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11,11,21,1827
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22,25,16,3358
26,27,18,3985
Ult. Issues: Abortion ,!page "^Abortion" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2CHRO029
0 062
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
2 Hezekiah did what the LORD said was right, just as his ancestor David had done.
3 Hezekiah opened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them in the first month of the first year he was king.
4 Hezekiah brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the courtyard on the east side of the Temple.
5 Hezekiah said, "Listen to me, Levites. Make yourselves ready for the LORD' s service, and make holy the Temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that makes it impure.
6 Our ancestors were unfaithful to God and did what the LORD said was wrong. They left the LORD and stopped worshiping at the Temple where he lives. They rejected him.
7 They shut the doors of the porch of the Temple, and they let the fire go out in the lamps. They stopped burning incense and offering burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
8 So the LORD became very angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and he punished them. Other people are frightened and shocked by what he did to them. So they insult the people of Judah. You know these things are true.
9 That is why our ancestors were killed in battle and our sons, daughters, and wives were taken captive.
10 Now I, Hezekiah, have decided to make an agreement with the LORD, the God of Israel, so he will not be angry with us anymore.
11 My sons, don't waste any more time. The LORD chose you to stand before him, to serve him, to be his servants, and to burn incense to him."
12 These are the Levites who started to work. From the Kohathite family there were Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah. From the Merarite family there were Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel. From the Gershonite family there were Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah.
13 From Elizaphan's family there were Shimri and Jeiel. From Asaph's family there were Zechariah and Mattaniah.
14 From Heman's family there were Jehiel and Shimei. From Jeduthun's family there were Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 These Levites gathered their brothers together and made themselves holy for service in the Temple. Then they went into the Temple of the LORD to purify it. They obeyed the king's command that had come from the LORD.
16 When the priests went into the Temple of the LORD to purify it, they took out all the unclean things they found in the Temple of the LORD and put them in the Temple courtyard. Then the Levites took these things out to the Kidron Valley.
17 Beginning on the first day of the first month, they made the Temple holy for the LORD' s service. On the eighth day of the month, they came to the porch of the Temple, and for eight more days they made the Temple of the LORD holy. So they finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Then they went to King Hezekiah and said, "We have purified the entire Temple of the LORD, the altar for burnt offerings and its utensils, and the table for the holy bread and all its utensils.
19 When Ahaz was king, he was unfaithful to God and removed some things from the Temple. But we have put them back and made them holy for the LORD. They are now in front of the LORD' s altar."
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the leaders of the city and went up to the Temple of the LORD.
21 They brought seven bulls, seven male sheep, seven lambs, and seven male goats. These animals were an offering to remove the sin of the people and the kingdom of Judah and to make the Temple ready for service to God. King Hezekiah commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these animals on the LORD' s altar.
22 So the priests killed the bulls and sprinkled their blood on the altar. They killed the sheep and sprinkled their blood on the altar. Then they killed the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar.
23 Then the priests brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the people there. After the king and the people put their hands on the goats,
24 the priests killed them. With the goats' blood they made an offering on the altar to remove the sins of the Israelites so they would belong to God. The king had said that the burnt offering and sin offering should be made for all Israel.
25 King Hezekiah put the Levites in the Temple of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, as David, Gad, and Nathan had commanded. (Gad was the king's seer, and Nathan was a prophet.) This command came from the LORD through his prophets.
26 So the Levites stood ready with David's instruments of music, and the priests stood ready with their trumpets.
27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the singing to the LORD also began. The trumpets were blown, and the musical instruments of David king of Israel were played.
28 All the people worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters blew their trumpets until the burnt offering was finished.
29 When the sacrifices were completed, King Hezekiah and everyone with him bowed down and worshiped.
30 King Hezekiah and his officers ordered the Levites to praise the LORD, using the words David and Asaph the seer had used. So they praised God with joy and bowed down and worshiped.
31 Then Hezekiah said, "Now that you people of Judah have given yourselves to the LORD, come near to the Temple of the LORD. Bring sacrifices and offerings, to show thanks to him." So the people brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and anyone who was willing also brought burnt offerings.
32 For burnt offerings they brought a total of seventy bulls, one hundred male sheep, and two hundred lambs; all these animals were sacrificed as burnt offerings to the LORD.
33 The holy offerings totaled six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats.
34 There were not enough priests to skin all the animals for the burnt offerings. So their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was finished and other priests could be made holy. The Levites had been more careful to make themselves holy for the LORD' s service than the priests.
35 There were many burnt offerings along with the fat of fellowship offerings and drink offerings. So the service in the Temple of the LORD began again.
36 And Hezekiah and the people were very happy that God had made it happen so quickly for his people.
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 His reign was generally good in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David's had been.
3 In the very first month of the first year of his reign, he reopened the doors of the Temple and repaired them. 4-5 He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the open space east of the Temple and addressed them thus:
"Listen to me, you Levites. Sanctify yourselves and sanctify the Temple of the Lord God of your ancestors - clean all the debris from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have committed a deep sin before the Lord our God; they abandoned the Lord and his Temple and turned their backs on it. 7 The doors have been shut tight, the perpetual flame has been put out, and the incense and burnt offerings have not been offered. 8 Therefore, the wrath of the Lord has been upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has caused us to be objects of horror, amazement, and contempt, as you see us today. 9 Our fathers have been killed in war, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity because of this.
10 "But now I want to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 My children, don't neglect your duties any longer, for the Lord has chosen you to minister to him and to burn incense."
12-14 Then the Levites went into action:
From the Kohath clan, Mahath (son of Amasai) and Joel (son of Azariah);
From the Merari clan, Kish (son of Abdi) and Azariah (son of Jehallelel);
From the Gershon clan, Joah (son of Zimmah) and Eden (son of Joah).
From the Elizaphan clan, Shimri and Jeuel;
From the Asaph clan, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
From the Hemanite clan, Jehuel and Shimei;
From the Jeduthun clan, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They in turn summoned their fellow Levites and sanctified themselves, and began to clean up and sanctify the Temple, as the king (who was speaking for the Lord) had commanded them. 16 The priests cleaned up the inner room of the Temple and brought out into the court all the filth and decay they found there. The Levites then carted it out to Kidron Brook. 17 This all began on the first day of April, and by the eighth day they had reached the outer court, which took eight days to clean up, so the entire job was completed in sixteen days.
18 Then they went back to the palace and reported to King Hezekiah, "We have completed the cleansing of the Temple and of the altar of burnt offerings and of its accessories, also the table of the Bread of the Presence and its equipment. 19 What's more, we have recovered and sanctified all the utensils thrown away by King Ahaz when he closed the Temple. They are beside the altar of the Lord."
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah went to the Temple with the city officials, 21 taking seven young bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the nation and for the Temple.
He instructed the priests, the sons of Aaron, to sacrifice them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they killed the young bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, and they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood upon the altar, and did the same with the lambs. 23 The male goats for the sin offering were then brought before the king and his officials, who laid their hands upon them. 24 Then the priests killed the animals and made a sin offering with their blood upon the altar to make atonement for all Israel, as the king had commanded - for the king had specified that the burnt offering and sin offering must be sacrificed for the entire nation.
25-26 He organized Levites at the Temple into an orchestral group, using cymbals, psalteries, and harps. This was in accordance with the directions of David and the prophets Gad and Nathan, who had received their instructions from the Lord. The priests formed a trumpet corps. 27 Then Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to be placed upon the altar, and as the sacrifice began, the instruments of music began to play the songs of the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets. 28 Throughout the entire ceremony everyone worshiped the Lord as the singers sang and the trumpets blew. 29 Afterwards the king and his aides bowed low before the Lord in worship. 30 Then King Hezekiah ordered the Levites to sing before the Lord some of the psalms of David and of the prophet Asaph, which they gladly did, and bowed their heads and worshiped.
31 "The consecration ceremony is now ended," Hezekiah said. "Now bring your sacrifices and thank offerings." So the people from every part of the nation brought their sacrifices and thank offerings, and those who wished to brought burnt offerings too. 32-33 In all, there were 70 20young bulls for burnt offerings, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. In addition, 600 oxen and 3,000 sheep were brought as holy gifts. 34 But there were too few priests to prepare the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished - and until more priests had reported to work - for the Levites were much more ready to sanctify themselves than the priests were. 35 There was an abundance of burnt offerings, and the usual drink offering with each, and many peace offerings. So it was that the Temple was restored to service, and the sacrifices offered again. 36 And Hezekiah and all the people were very happy because of what God had accomplished so quickly.
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15,17,17,1878
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31,36,26,4552
2CHRO030
1 King Hezekiah sent messages to all the people of Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. Hezekiah invited all these people to come to the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the LORD, the God of Israel.
2 King Hezekiah, his officers, and all the people in Jerusalem agreed to celebrate the Passover in the second month.
3 They could not celebrate it at the normal time, because not enough priests had made themselves ready to serve the LORD, and the people had not yet gathered in Jerusalem.
4 This plan satisfied King Hezekiah and all the people.
5 So they made an announcement everywhere in Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, telling the people to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the LORD, the God of Israel. For a long time most of the people had not celebrated the Passover as the law commanded.srael
6 At the king's command, the messengers took letters from him and his officers all through Israel and Judah. This is what the letters said: People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then God will return to you who are still alive, who have escaped from the kings of Assyria.
7 Don't be like your ancestors or your relatives. They turned against the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so he caused other people to be disgusted with them. You know this is true.
8 Don't be stubborn as your ancestors were, but obey the LORD willingly. Come to the Temple, which he has made holy forever. Serve the LORD your God so he will not be angry with you.
9 Come back to the LORD. Then the people who captured your relatives and children will be kind to them and will let them return to this land. The LORD your God is kind and merciful. He will not turn away from you if you return to him.
10 The messengers went to every town in Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the way to Zebulun, but the people laughed at them and made fun of them.
11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun were sorry for what they had done and went to Jerusalem.
12 And God united all the people of Judah in obeying King Hezekiah and his officers, because their command had come from the LORD.
13 In the second month a large crowd came together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
14 The people removed the altars and incense altars to gods in Jerusalem and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
15 They killed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, so they made themselves holy and brought burnt offerings into the Temple of the LORD.
16 They took their regular places in the Temple as the Teachings of Moses, the man of God, commanded. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar.
17 Since many people in the crowd had not made themselves holy, the Levites killed the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean. The Levites made each lamb holy for the LORD.
18 Although many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves for the feast, they ate the Passover even though it was against the law. So Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "LORD, you are good. You are the LORD, the God of our ancestors. Please forgive all those who try to obey you even if they did not make themselves clean as the rules of the Temple command."bul
19 [see verse 18]
20 The LORD listened to Hezekiah's prayer, and he healed the people.
21 The Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy to the LORD. The Levites and priests praised the LORD every day with loud music.
22 Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who showed they understood well how to do their service for the LORD. The people ate the feast for seven days, offered fellowship offerings, and praised the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
23 Then all the people agreed to stay seven more days, so they celebrated with joy for seven more days.
24 Hezekiah king of Judah gave one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the people. The officers gave one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the people. Many priests made themselves holy.
25 All the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, those who came from Israel, the foreigners from Israel, and the foreigners living in Judah were very happy.
26 There was much joy in Jerusalem, because there had not been a celebration like this since the time of Solomon son of David and king of Israel.
27 The priests and Levites stood up and blessed the people, and God heard them because their prayer reached heaven, his holy home.
1 King Hezekiah now sent letters throughout all of Israel, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, inviting everyone to come to the Temple at Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration. 2-3 The king, his aides, and all the assembly of Jerusalem had voted to celebrate the Passover in May this time, rather than at the normal time in April, because not enough priests were sanctified at the earlier date, and there wasn't enough time to get notices out. 4 The king and his advisors were in complete agreement in this matter, 5 so they sent a Passover proclamation throughout Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, inviting everyone. They had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed.
6 "Come back to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," the king's letter said, "so that he will return to us who have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers who sinned against the Lord God of their fathers and were destroyed. 8 Do not be stubborn, as they were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his Temple which he has sanctified forever, and worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 For if you turn to the Lord again, your brothers and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is full of kindness and mercy and will not continue to turn away his face from you if you return to him."
10 So the messengers went from city to city throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun. But for the most part they were received with laughter and scorn! 11 However, some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun turned to God and came to Jerusalem. 12 But in Judah the entire nation felt a strong, God-given desire to obey the Lord's direction as commanded by the king and his officers. 13 And so it was that a very large crowd assembled at Jerusalem in the month of May for the Passover celebration. 14 They set to work and destroyed the heathen altars in Jerusalem, and knocked down all the incense altars, and threw them into Kidron Brook.
15 On the first day of May the people killed their Passover lambs. Then the priests and Levites became ashamed of themselves for not taking a more active part, so they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings into the Temple. 16 They stood at their posts as instructed by the law of Moses the man of God; and the priests sprinkled the blood received from the Levites.
17-19 Since many of the people arriving from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially impure because they had not undergone the purification rites, the Levites killed their Passover lambs for them, to sanctify them. Then King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were permitted to eat the Passover anyway, even though this was contrary to God's rules. But Hezekiah said, "May the good Lord pardon everyone who determines to follow the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not properly sanctified for the ceremony." 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah's prayer and did not destroy them.
21 So the people of Israel celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem for seven days with great joy.
Meanwhile the Levites and priests praised the Lord with music and cymbals day after day. 22 (King Hezekiah spoke very appreciatively to the Levites of their excellent music.)
So for seven days the observance continued, and peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people confessed their sins to the Lord God of their fathers. 23 The enthusiasm continued, so it was unanimously decided to continue the observance for another seven days. 24 King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 young bulls for offerings and 7,000 sheep; and the princes donated 1,000 young bulls and 10,000 sheep. And at this time another large group of priests stepped forward and sanctified themselves.
25 Then the people of Judah, together with the priests, the Levites, the foreign residents, and the visitors from Israel, were filled with deep joy. 26 For Jerusalem hadn't seen a celebration like this one since the days of King David's son Solomon. 27 Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and the Lord heard their prayers from his holy temple in heaven.
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FIRST PLACE 2CHRO 30:6-9
Hezekiah was a king dedicated to God and to the spiritual life of the nation. He sent letters throughout Judah and Israel urging everyone to return to God. He told them not to be stubborn, but to yield themselves to the Lord. We, too, must temper our stubborn selfishness by putting God first in our lives, acknowledging that he knows what is best for us, and living his way.
2CHRO031
4 j!
1 When the Passover celebration was finished, all the Israelites in Jerusalem went out to the towns of Judah. There they smashed the stone pillars used to worship gods. They cut down the Asherah idols and destroyed the altars and places for worshiping gods in all of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.
2 King Hezekiah appointed groups of priests and Levites for their special duties. They were to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to worship, and to give thanks and praise at the gates of the LORD' s house.
3 Hezekiah gave some of his own animals for the burnt offerings, which were given every morning and evening, on Sabbath days, during New Moons, and at other feasts commanded in the LORD' s Teachings.
4 Hezekiah commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give the priests and Levites the portion that belonged to them. Then the priests and Levites could give all their time to the LORD' s Teachings.
5 As soon as the king's command went out to the Israelites, they gave freely of the first portion of their grain, new wine, oil, honey, and everything they grew in their fields. They brought a large amount, one-tenth of everything.
6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in Judah also brought one-tenth of their cattle and sheep and one-tenth of the holy things that were given to the LORD their God, and they put all of them in piles.
7 The people began the piles in the third month and finished in the seventh month.
8 When Hezekiah and his officers came and saw the piles, they praised the LORD and his people, the people of Israel.
9 Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles.
10 Azariah, the leading priest from Zadok's family, answered Hezekiah, "Since the people began to bring their offerings to the Temple of the LORD, we have had plenty to eat and plenty left over, because the LORD has blessed his people. So we have all this left over."
11 Then Hezekiah commanded the priests to prepare the storerooms in the Temple of the LORD. So this was done.
12 Then the priests brought in the offerings and the things given to the LORD and one-tenth of everything the people had given. Conaniah the Levite was in charge of these things, and his brother Shimei was second to him.
13 Conaniah and his brother Shimei were over these supervisors: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. King Hezekiah and Azariah the officer in charge of the Temple of God had chosen them.
14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite was in charge of the special gifts the people wanted to give to God. He was responsible for giving out the contributions made to the LORD and the holy gifts. Kore was the guard at the East Gate.
15 Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah helped Kore in the towns where the priests lived. They gave from what was collected to the other groups of priests, both young and old.
16 From what was collected, these men also gave to the males three years old and older who had their names in the Levite family histories. They were to enter the Temple of the LORD for their daily service, each group having its own responsibilities..
17 The priests were given their part of the collection, by families, as listed in the family histories. The Levites twenty years old and older were given their part of the collection, based on their responsibilities and their groups.
18 The Levites' babies, wives, sons, and daughters also got part of the collection. This was done for all the Levites who were listed in the family histories, because they always kept themselves ready to serve the LORD.
19 Some of Aaron's descendants, the priests, lived on the farmlands near the towns or in the towns. Men were chosen by name to give part of the collection to these priests. All the males and those named in the family histories of the Levites received part of the collection.
20 This is what King Hezekiah did in Judah. He did what was good and right and obedient before the LORD his God.
21 Hezekiah tried to obey God in his service of the Temple of God, and he tried to obey God's teachings and commands. He gave himself fully to his work for God. So he had success.
1 Afterwards a massive campaign against idol worship was begun. Those who were at Jerusalem for the Passover went out to the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh and tore down the idol altars, the obelisks, the shameful images, and other heathen centers of worship. Then the people who had come to the Passover from the northern tribes returned again to their own homes.
2 Hezekiah now organized the priests and Levites into service corps to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord. 3 He also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, as well as for the weekly Sabbath and monthly new moon festivals, and for the other annual feasts as required in the law of God.
4 In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring their tithes to the priests and Levites so that they wouldn't need other employment but could apply themselves fully to their duties as required in the law of God. 5-6 The people responded immediately and generously with the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, money, and everything else - a tithe of all they owned, as required by law to be given to the Lord their God. Everything was laid out in great piles. The people who had moved to Judah from the northern tribes and the people of Judah living in the provinces also brought in the tithes of their cattle and sheep, and brought a tithe of the dedicated things to give to the Lord, and piled them up in great heaps. 7-8 The first of these tithes arrived in June, and the piles continued to grow until October. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, how they blessed the Lord and praised his people!
9 "Where did all this come from?" Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.
10 And Azariah the High Priest from the clan of Zadok replied, "These are tithes! We have been eating from these stores of food for many weeks, but all this is left over, for the Lord has blessed his people."
11 Hezekiah decided to prepare storerooms in the Temple. 12-13 All the dedicated supplies were brought into the Lord's house. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei and the following aides: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, Benaiah.
These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.
14-15 Kore (son of Imnah, the Levite), who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the offerings to the priests. His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts to the clans of priests in their cities, dividing them to young and old alike. 16 However, the priests on duty at the Temple and their families were supplied directly from there, so they were not included in this distribution. 17-18 The priests were listed in the genealogical register by clans, and the Levites twenty years old and older were listed under the names of their work corps. A regular food allotment was given to all families of properly registered priests, for they had no other source of income because their time and energies were devoted to the service of the Temple. 19 One of the priests was appointed in each of the cities of the priests to issue food and other supplies to all priests in the area and to all registered Levites.
20 In this way King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was just and fair in the sight of the Lord his God. 21 He worked very hard to encourage respect for the Temple, the law, and godly living, and was very successful.
1,1,1,1
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GENEROSITY 2CHRO 31:4-6
Hezekiah reinstated the practice of tithing- giving the first portion of one's income to the priests and Levites so they could be free to serve God and minister to the people. The people responded immediately and generously with their first crops. God's work needs the support of his people. Does God receive the first portion of your income? Generosity makes our giving delightful to God (2 Corinthians 8:9). How different the church would be today if all believers consistently followed this pattern.
2CHRO032
1 After Hezekiah did all these things to serve the LORD, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah. He and his army surrounded and attacked the strong, walled cities, hoping to take them for himself.
2 Hezekiah knew that Sennacherib had come to Jerusalem to attack it.
3 So Hezekiah and his officers and army commanders decided to cut off the water from the springs outside the city. So the officers and commanders helped Hezekiah.
4 Many people came and cut off all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. They said, "The king of Assyria will not find much water when he comes here."
5 Then Hezekiah made Jerusalem stronger. He rebuilt all the broken parts of the wall and put towers on it. He also built another wall outside the first one and strengthened the area that was filled in on the east side of the old part of Jerusalem. He also made many weapons and shields.
6 Hezekiah put army commanders over the people and met with them at the open place near the city gate. Hezekiah encouraged them, saying,
7 "Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid or worried because of the king of Assyria or his large army. There is a greater power with us than with him.
8 He only has men, but we have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." The people were encouraged by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9 After this King Sennacherib of Assyria and all his army surrounded and attacked Lachish. Then he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah in Jerusalem:
10 Sennacherib king of Assyria says this: "You have nothing to trust in to help you. It is no use for you to stay in Jerusalem under attack.
11 Hezekiah says to you, `The LORD our God will save us from the king of Assyria,' but he is fooling you. If you stay in Jerusalem, you will die from hunger and thirst.
12 Hezekiah himself removed your LORD' s places of worship and altars. He told you people of Judah and Jerusalem that you must worship and burn incense on only one altar.
13 "You know what my ancestors and I have done to all the people in other nations. The gods of those nations could not save their people from my power.
14 My ancestors destroyed those nations; none of their gods could save them from me. So your god cannot save you from my power.
15 Do not let Hezekiah fool you or trick you, and do not believe him. No god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from me or my ancestors. Your god is even less able to save you from me."
16 Sennacherib's officers said worse things against the LORD God and his servant Hezekiah.
17 King Sennacherib also wrote letters insulting the LORD, the God of Israel. They spoke against him, saying, "The gods of the other nations could not save their people from me. In the same way Hezekiah's god won't be able to save his people from me."
18 Then the king's officers shouted in Hebrew, calling out to the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall. The officers wanted to scare the people away so they could capture Jerusalem.
19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as though he were like the gods the people of the world worshiped, which are made by human hands.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed to heaven about this.
21 Then the LORD sent an angel who killed all the soldiers, leaders, and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king went back to his own country in disgrace. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him with a sword.
22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem from Sennacherib king of Assyria and from all other people. He took care of them on every side.
23 Many people brought gifts for the LORD to Jerusalem, and they also brought valuable gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From then on all the nations respected Hezekiah.
24 At that time Hezekiah became so sick he almost died. When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD spoke to him and gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah did not thank God for his kindness, because he was so proud. So the LORD was angry with him and the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
26 But later Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem were sorry and stopped being proud, so the LORD did not punish them while Hezekiah was alive.
27 Hezekiah had many riches and much honor. He made treasuries for his silver, gold, gems, spices, shields, and other valuable things.
28 He built storage buildings for grain, new wine, and oil and stalls for all the cattle and pens for the sheep.
29 He also built many towns. He had many flocks and herds, because God had given Hezekiah much wealth.
30 It was Hezekiah who cut off the upper pool of the Gihon spring and made those waters flow straight down to the west side of the older part of Jerusalem. And Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.
31 But one time the leaders of Babylon sent messengers to Hezekiah, asking him about a strange sign that had happened in the land. When they came, God left Hezekiah alone to test him so he could know everything that was in Hezekiah's heart.
32 Hezekiah's love for God and the other things he did as king are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. This is in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
33 Hezekiah died and was buried on a hill, where the graves of David's ancestors are. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem honored Hezekiah when he died, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.
1 Some time later after this good work of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and laid siege to the fortified cities, planning to place them under tribute. 2 When it was clear that Sennacherib was intending to attack Jerusalem, 3 Hezekiah summoned his princes and officers for a council of war, and it was decided to plug the springs outside the city. 4 They organized a huge work crew to block them and to cut off the brook running through the fields.
"Why should the king of Assyria come and find water?" they asked.
5 Then Hezekiah further strengthened his defenses by repairing the wall wherever it was broken down, and by adding to the fortifications, and constructing a second wall outside it. He also reinforced Fort Millo in the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields. 6 He recruited an army and appointed officers, and summoned them to the plains before the city, and encouraged them with this address:
7 "Be strong, be brave, and do not be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is someone with us who is far greater than he is! 8 He has a great army, but they are all mere men, while we have the Lord our God to fight our battles for us!" This greatly encouraged them.
9 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria, while still besieging the city of Lachish, sent ambassadors with this message to King Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem:
10 "King Sennacherib of Assyria asks, `Do you think you can survive my siege of Jerusalem? 11 King Hezekiah is trying to persuade you to commit suicide by staying there - to die by famine and thirst - while he promises that "the Lord our God will deliver us from the king of Assyria"! 12 Don't you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all the idols, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem to use only the one altar at the Temple, and to burn incense upon it alone? 13 Don't you realize that I and the other kings of Assyria before me have never yet failed to conquer a nation we attacked? The gods of those nations weren't able to do a thing to save their lands! 14 Name just one time when anyone, anywhere, was able to resist us successfully. What makes you think your God can do any better? 15 Don't let Hezekiah fool you! Don't believe him. I say it again - no god of any nation has ever yet been able to rescue his people from me or my ancestors; how much less your God!' " 16 Thus the ambassador mocked the Lord God and God's servant Hezekiah, heaping up insults.
17 King Sennacherib also sent letters scorning the Lord God of Israel.
"The gods of all the other nations failed to save their people from my hand, and the God of Hezekiah will fail too," he wrote.
18 The messengers who brought the letters shouted threats in the Jewish language to the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying to frighten and dishearten them. 19 These messengers talked about the God of Jerusalem just as though he were one of the heathen gods - a handmade idol!
20 Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet (son of Amoz) cried out in prayer to God in heaven, 21 and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its officers and generals! So Sennacherib returned home in deep shame to his own land. And when he arrived at the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there. 22 That is how the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. And now there was peace at last throughout his realm.
23 From then on King Hezekiah became immensely respected among the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah too.
24 But about that time Hezekiah became deathly sick, and he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord replied with a miracle. 25 However, Hezekiah didn't respond with true thanksgiving and praise for he had become proud, and so the anger of God was upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But finally Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves, so the wrath of the Lord did not fall upon them during Hezekiah's lifetime.
27 So Hezekiah became very wealthy and was highly honored. He had to construct special treasury buildings for his silver, gold, precious stones, and spices, and for his shields and gold bowls. 28-29 He also built many storehouses for his grain, new wine, and olive oil, with many stalls for his animals and folds for the great flocks of sheep and goats he purchased; and he acquired many towns, for God had given him great wealth. 30 He dammed up Gihon's Upper Spring and brought the water down through an aqueduct to the west side of the City of David sector in Jerusalem. He prospered in everything he did.
31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to find out about the miracle of his being healed, God left him to himself in order to test him and to see what he was really like.
32 The rest of the story of Hezekiah and all of the good things he did are written in The Book of Isaiah (the prophet, the son of Amoz), and in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel . 33 When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the royal hillside cemetery among the other kings, and all Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then his son Manasseh became the new king.
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*+B+8-
TRUST 2CHRO 32:1
When King Hezekiah was confronted with the frightening prospect of an Assyrian invasion, he made two important decisions. He did everything he could to deal with the situation, and he trusted God for the outcome. That is exactly what we must do when faced with difficult or frightening situations. Do everything you possibly can to solve the problem or improve the situation. As you do this, commit it to God in prayer and trust him for the solution.
Profile: Mannaseh ,!page "^mannaseh" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
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2CHRO033
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was king for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what the LORD said was wrong. He did the hateful things the nations had done- the nations that the LORD had forced out of the land ahead of the Israelites.
3 Manasseh's father, Hezekiah, had torn down the places where gods were worshiped, but Manasseh rebuilt them. He also built altars for the Baal gods, and he made Asherah idols and worshiped all the stars of the sky and served them.
4 The LORD had said about the Temple, "I will be worshiped in Jerusalem forever," but Manasseh built altars in the Temple of the LORD.
5 He built altars to worship the stars in the two courtyards of the Temple of the LORD.
6 He made his children pass through fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced magic and witchcraft and told the future by explaining signs and dreams. He got advice from mediums and fortune-tellers. He did many things the LORD said were wrong, which made the LORD angry.
7 Manasseh carved an idol and put it in the Temple of God. God had said to David and his son Solomon about the Temple, "I will be worshiped forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.
8 I will never again make the Israelites leave the land I gave to their ancestors. But they must obey everything I have commanded them in all the teachings, rules, and commands I gave them through Moses."
9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do wrong. They did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.
10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.
11 So the LORD brought the king of Assyria's army commanders to attack Judah. They captured Manasseh, put hooks in him, placed bronze chains on his hands, and took him to Babylon.
12 As Manasseh suffered, he begged the LORD his God for help and humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
13 When Manasseh prayed, the LORD heard him and had pity on him. So the LORD let him return to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is the true God.
14 After that happened, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of Jerusalem and made it higher. It was in the valley on the west side of the Gihon spring and went to the entrance of the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. Then he put commanders in all the strong, walled cities in Judah.
15 Manasseh removed the idols of other nations, including the idol in the Temple of the LORD. He removed all the altars he had built on the Temple hill and in Jerusalem and threw them out of the city.
16 Then he set up the LORD' s altar and sacrificed on it fellowship offerings and offerings to show thanks to God. Manasseh commanded all the people of Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the places of worship, but their sacrifices were only to the LORD their God.
18 The other things Manasseh did as king, his prayer to his God, and what the seers said to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel- all are recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.
19 Manasseh's prayer and God's pity for him, his sins, his unfaithfulness, the places he built for worshiping gods and the Asherah idols before he humbled himself- all are written in the book of the seers.
20 Manasseh died and was buried in his palace. Then Manasseh's son Amon became king in his place.
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he was king for two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did what the LORD said was wrong, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the carved idols Manasseh had made.
23 Amon did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done. Instead, Amon sinned even more.
24 King Amon's officers made plans against him and killed him in his palace.
25 Then the people of the land killed all those who had made plans to kill King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
1 Manasseh was only twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But it was an evil reign, for he encouraged his people to worship the idols of the heathen nations destroyed by the Lord when the people of Israel entered the land. 3 He rebuilt the heathen altars his father Hezekiah had destroyed - the altars of Baal, and of the shameful images, and of the sun, moon, and stars. 4-5 He even constructed heathen altars in both courts of the Temple of the Lord for worshiping the sun, moon, and stars - in the very place where the Lord had said that he would be honored forever. 6 And Manasseh sacrificed his own children as burnt offerings in the valley of Hinnom. He consulted spirit-mediums, too, and fortune-tellers and sorcerers, and encouraged every sort of evil, making the Lord very angry.
7 Think of it! He placed an idol in the very Temple of God, where God had told David and his son Solomon, "I will be honored here in this Temple and in Jerusalem - the city I have chosen to be honored forever above all the other cities of Israel. 8 And if you will only obey my commands - all the laws and instructions given to you by Moses - I won't ever again exile Israel from this land which I gave your ancestors."
9 But Manasseh encouraged the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed when Israel entered the land. 10 Warnings from the Lord were ignored by both Manasseh and his people. 11 So God sent the Assyrian armies, and they seized him with hooks and bound him with bronze chains and carted him away to Babylon. 12 Then at last he came to his senses and cried out humbly to God for help. 13 And the Lord listened and answered his plea by returning him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom! At that point Manasseh finally realized that the Lord was really God!
14 It was after this that he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David and the wall from west of the spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley, and then to the Fish Gate, and around Citadel Hill, where it was built very high. And he stationed his army generals in all of the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He also removed the foreign gods from the hills and took his idol from the Temple, and tore down the altars he had built on the mountain, where the Temple stood, and the altars that were in Jerusalem, and dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he rebuilt the altar of the Lord and offered sacrifices upon it - peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings - and demanded that the people of Judah worship the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed upon the altars on the hills, but only to the Lord their God.
18 The rest of Manasseh's deeds, and his prayer to God, and God's reply through the prophets - this is all written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 19 His prayer, and the way God answered, and a frank account of his sins and errors, including a list of the locations where he built idols on the hills and set up shameful and graven images (this of course was before the great change in his attitude), are recorded in The Annals of the Prophets.
20-21 When Manasseh died, he was buried beneath his own palace, and his son Amon became the new king. Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign in Jerusalem, but he lasted for only two years. 22 It was an evil reign like the early years of his father Manasseh; for Amon sacrificed to all the idols just as his father had. 23 But he didn't change as his father did; instead he sinned more and more. 24 At last his own officers assassinated him in his palace. 25 But some public-spirited citizens killed all of those who assassinated him and declared his son Josiah to be the new king.
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2CHRO034
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what the LORD said was right. He lived as his ancestor David had lived, and he did not stop doing what was right.
3 In his eighth year as king while he was still young, Josiah began to obey the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year as king Josiah began to remove from Judah and Jerusalem the gods, the places for worshiping gods, the Asherah idols, and the wooden and metal idols.
4 The people tore down the altars for the Baal gods as Josiah directed. Then Josiah cut down the incense altars that were above them. He broke up the Asherah idols and the wooden and metal idols and beat them into powder. Then he sprinkled the powder on the graves of the people who had offered sacrifices to these gods.
5 He burned the bones of their priests on their own altars. So Josiah removed idol worship from Judah and Jerusalem,
6 and from the towns in the areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon all the way to Naphtali, and in the ruins near these towns.
7 Josiah broke down the altars and Asherah idols and beat the idols into powder. He cut down all the incense altars in all of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
8 In Josiah's eighteenth year as king, he made Judah and the Temple pure again. He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city leader, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the Temple of the LORD, the God of Josiah.
9 These men went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money the Levite gatekeepers had gathered from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the Israelites who were left alive, and also from all the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem. This is the money they had brought into the Temple of God.
10 Then the Levites gave it to the supervisors of the work on the Temple of the LORD, and they paid the workers who rebuilt and repaired the Temple.
11 They gave money to carpenters and builders to buy cut stone and wood. The wood was used to rebuild the buildings and to make beams for them, because the kings of Judah had let the buildings fall into ruin.
12 The men did their work well. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were Levites from the family of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were from the family of Kohath. These Levites were all skilled musicians.
13 They were also in charge of the workers who carried loads and all the other workers. Some Levites worked as secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
14 The Levites brought out the money that was in the Temple of the LORD. As they were doing this, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the LORD' s Teachings that had been given through Moses.
15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the royal secretary, "I've found the Book of the Teachings in the Temple of the LORD!" Then he gave it to Shaphan.
16 Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to Josiah, "Your officers are doing everything you told them to do.
17 They have paid out the money that was in the Temple of the LORD and have given it to the supervisors and the workers."
18 Then Shaphan the royal secretary told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from the book to the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the Teachings, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was.
20 He gave orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah, the king's servant. These were the orders:
21 "Go and ask the LORD about the words in the book that was found. Ask for me and for the people who are left alive in Israel and Judah. The LORD is very angry with us, because our ancestors did not obey the LORD' s word; they did not do everything this book says to do."
22 So Hilkiah and those the king sent with him went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, who took care of the king's clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city.
23 She said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,
24 `This is what the LORD says: I will bring trouble to this place and to the people living here. I will bring all the curses that are written in the book that was read to the king of Judah.
25 The people of Judah have left me and have burned incense to other gods. They have made me angry by all the evil things they have made. So I will punish them in my anger, which will not be put out.'
26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask the LORD, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the words you heard:
27 When you heard my words against this place and its people, you became sorry for what you had done and you humbled yourself before me. You tore your clothes to show how upset you were, and you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the LORD.
28 So I will let you die and be buried in peace. You won't see all the trouble I will bring to this place and the people living here.' " So they took her message back to the king.
29 Then the king gathered all the older leaders of Judah and Jerusalem together.
30 He went up to the Temple of the LORD, and all the people from Judah and from Jerusalem went with him. The priests, the Levites, and all the people- from the most important to the least important- went with him. He read to them all the words in the Book of the Agreement that was found in the Temple of the LORD.
31 The king stood by his pillar and made an agreement in the presence of the LORD to follow the LORD and obey his commands, rules, and laws with his whole being and to obey the words of the agreement written in this book.
32 Then Josiah made all the people in Jerusalem and Benjamin promise to accept the agreement. So the people of Jerusalem obeyed the agreement of God, the God of their ancestors.
33 And Josiah threw out the hateful idols from all the land that belonged to the Israelites. He led everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. While Josiah lived, the people obeyed the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
1 Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. He reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 His was a good reign, as he carefully followed the good example of his ancestor King David. 3 For when he was sixteen years old, in the eighth year of his reign, he began to search for the God of his ancestor David; and four years later he began to clean up Judah and Jerusalem, destroying the heathen altars and the shameful idols on the hills. 4 He went out personally to watch as the altars of Baal were knocked apart, the obelisks above the altars chopped down, and the shameful idols ground into dust and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then he burned the bones of the heathen priests upon their own altars, feeling that this action would clear the people of Judah and Jerusalem from the guilt of their sin of idol worship.
6 Then he went to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even to distant Naphtali, and did the same thing there. 7 He broke down the heathen altars, ground to powder the shameful idols, and chopped down the obelisks. He did this everywhere throughout the whole land of Israel before returning to Jerusalem.
8 During the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purged the land and cleaned up the situation at the Temple, he appointed Shaphan (son of Azaliah) and Maaseiah, governor of Jerusalem, and Joah (son of Joahaz), the city treasurer, to repair the Temple. 9 They set up a collection system for gifts for the Temple. The money was collected at the Temple gates by the Levites on guard duty there. Gifts were brought by the people coming from Manasseh, Ephraim, and other parts of the remnant of Israel, as well as from the people of Jerusalem. The money was taken to Hilkiah the High Priest for accounting, 10-11 and then used by the Levites to pay the carpenters and stonemasons and to purchase building materials - stone building blocks, timber, lumber, and beams. He now rebuilt what earlier kings of Judah had torn down.
12 The workmen were energetic under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the subclan of Merari. Zechariah and Meshullam, of the subclan of Kohath, were the building superintendents. The Levites who were skilled musicians played background music while the work progressed. 13 Other Levites superintended the unskilled laborers who carried in the materials to the workmen. Still others assisted as accountants, supervisors, and carriers.
14 One day when Hilkiah the High Priest was at the Temple recording the money collected at the gates, he found an old scroll that turned out to be the laws of God as given to Moses!
15-16 "Look!" Hilkiah exclaimed to Shaphan, the king's secretary. "See what I have found in the Temple! These are the laws of God!" Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and Shaphan took it to the king, along with his report that there was good progress being made in the reconstruction of the Temple.
17 "The money chests have been opened and counted, and the money has been put into the hand of the overseers and workmen," he said to the king.
18 Then he mentioned the scroll and how Hilkiah had discovered it. So he read it to the king. 19 When the king heard what these laws required of God's people, he ripped his clothing in despair 20 and summoned Hilkiah, Ahikam (son of Shaphan), Abdon (son of Micah), Shaphan the treasurer, and Asaiah, the king's personal aide.
21 "Go to the Temple and plead with the Lord for me!" the king told them. "Pray for all the remnant of Israel and Judah! For this scroll says that the reason the Lord's great anger has been poured out upon us is that our ancestors have not obeyed these laws that are written here."
22 So the men went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum (son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah). (Shallum was the king's tailor, living in the second ward.) When they told her of the king's trouble, 23 she replied, "The Lord God of Israel says, Tell the man who sent you,
24 " `Yes, the Lord will destroy this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll will come true. 25 For my people have forsaken me and have worshiped heathen gods, and I am very angry with them for their deeds. Therefore, my unquenchable wrath is poured out upon this place.'
26 "But the Lord also says this to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me about this: Tell him, the Lord God of Israel says, 27 `Because you are sorry and have humbled yourself before God when you heard my words against this city and its people, and have ripped your clothing in despair and wept before me - I have heard you, says the Lord, 28 and I will not send the promised evil upon this city and its people until after your death.' " So they brought back to the king this word from the Lord. 29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and the priests and Levites and all the people great and small, to accompany him to the Temple. There the king read the scroll to them - the covenant of God that was found in the Temple. 31 As the king stood before them, he made a pledge to the Lord to follow his commandments with all his heart and soul and to do what was written in the scroll. 32 And he required everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin to subscribe to this pact with God, and all of them did.
33 So Josiah removed all idols from the areas occupied by the Jews and required all of them to worship Jehovah their God. And throughout the remainder of his lifetime they continued serving Jehovah, the God of their ancestors.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,226
4,4,7,507
5,5,9,832
6,6,11,953
7,7,13,1084
8,8,15,1254
9,9,17,1485
10,10,19,1797
11,11,21,1950
12,12,23,2163
13,13,25,2393
14,14,27,2548
15,15,29,2744
16,16,31,2890
17,17,33,3012
18,18,35,3138
19,19,37,3279
20,20,39,3380
21,21,41,3543
22,22,43,3820
23,23,45,4065
24,24,47,4172
25,25,49,4367
26,26,51,4572
27,27,53,4708
28,28,55,4974
29,29,57,5158
30,30,59,5243
31,31,61,5562
32,32,63,5788
33,33,65,5970
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,865
8,11,5,1181
12,13,7,2011
14,14,9,2462
15,16,11,2647
17,17,13,2950
18,20,15,3097
21,21,17,3426
22,23,19,3711
24,25,20,3985
26,32,21,4277
33,33,23,5305
AGE 2CHRO 34:3
In Josiah's day, boys were considered men at age 12. By 16, Josiah understood the responsibility of his office. Even at this young age, he showed greater wisdom than many of the older kings who came before him because he decided to seek the Lord God and his wisdom. Clearly, wisdom from God is not the exclusive possession of the old. Young people may also be wise enough to fill spiritual leadership positions. Paul counseled Timothy, Don't let anyone think little of you because you are young (1 Timothy 4:12). If God has given you wisdom and spiritual insight, use it in his service regardless of your age.
UNREAD 2CHRO 34:31
When Josiah read the scroll that Hilkiah discovered (34:14), he responded with repentance and humility and promised to follow God's commandments as written on the scroll. The Bible is God's word to us, full of living power (Hebrews 4:12), but we cannot know what God wants us to do if we do not read it. And even reading God's word is not enough; we must be willing to do what it says. There is not much difference between the scroll hidden in the Temple and the Bible hidden on the book- shelf. An unread Bible is just as useless as a lost one.
Moral Dilemmas: Stone Age ,!page "^M0065" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
2CHRO035
MESSAGE
1 King Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 Josiah chose the priests to do their duties, and he encouraged them as they served in the Temple of the LORD.
3 The Levites taught the Israelites and were made holy for service to the LORD. Josiah said to them, "Put the Holy Ark in the Temple that David's son Solomon, the king of Israel, built. Do not carry it from place to place on your shoulders anymore. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
4 Prepare yourselves by your family groups for service, and do the jobs that King David and his son Solomon gave you to do.
5 "Stand in the holy place with a group of the Levites for each family group of the people.
6 Kill the Passover lambs, and make yourselves holy to the LORD. Prepare the lambs for your relatives, the people of Israel, as the LORD through Moses commanded us to do."
7 Josiah gave the Israelites thirty thousand sheep and goats to kill for the Passover sacrifices, and he gave them three thousand cattle. They were all his own animals.
8 Josiah's officers also gave willingly to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officers in charge of the Temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred lambs and goats and three hundred cattle for Passover sacrifices.
9 Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad gave the Levites five thousand sheep and goats and five hundred cattle for Passover sacrifices. These men were leaders of the Levites.
10 When everything was ready for the Passover service, the priests and Levites went to their places, as the king had commanded.
11 The Passover lambs were killed. Then the Levites skinned the animals and gave the blood to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar.
12 Then they gave the animals for the burnt offerings to the different family groups so the burnt offerings could be offered to the LORD as was written in the book of Moses. They also did this with the cattle.
13 The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire as they were commanded, and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. Then they quickly gave the meat to the people.
14 After this was finished, the Levites prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The priests worked until night, offering the burnt offerings and burning the fat of the sacrifices.
15 The Levite singers from Asaph's family stood in the places chosen for them by King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their places, because their fellow Levites had prepared everything for them for the Passover.
16 So everything was done that day for the worship of the LORD, as King Josiah commanded. The Passover was celebrated, and the burnt offerings were offered on the LORD' s altar.
17 The Israelites who were there celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
18 The Passover had not been celebrated like this in Israel since the prophet Samuel was alive. None of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated a Passover like it was celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, the people of Judah and Israel who were there, and the people of Jerusalem.
19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year Josiah was king.
20 After Josiah did all this for the Temple, Neco king of Egypt led an army to attack Carchemish, a town on the Euphrates River. And Josiah marched out to fight against Neco.
21 But Neco sent messengers to Josiah, saying, "King Josiah, there should not be war between us. I did not come to fight you, but my enemies. God told me to hurry, and he is on my side. So don't fight God, or he will destroy you."
22 But Josiah did not go away. He wore different clothes so no one would know who he was. Refusing to listen to what Neco said at God's command, Josiah went to fight on the plain of Megiddo.
23 In the battle King Josiah was shot by archers. He told his servants, "Take me away because I am badly wounded."
24 So they took him out of his chariot and put him in another chariot and carried him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the graves where his ancestors were buried. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem were very sad because he was dead.
25 Jeremiah wrote some sad songs about Josiah. Even to this day all the men and women singers remember and honor Josiah with these songs. It became a custom in Israel to sing these songs that are written in the collection of sad songs.
26 The other things Josiah did as king, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. It tells how he loved what was written in the LORD' s teachings.
27 [see verse 26]
1 Then Josiah announced that the Passover would be celebrated on the first day of April in Jerusalem. The Passover lambs were slain that evening. 2 He also reestablished the priests in their duties and encouraged them to begin their work at the Temple again. 3 He issued this order to the sanctified Levites, the religious teachers in Israel:
"Since the Ark is now in Solomon's Temple and you don't need to carry it back and forth upon your shoulders, spend your time ministering to the Lord and to his people. 4-5 Form yourselves into the traditional service corps of your ancestors, as first organized by King David of Israel and by his son Solomon. Each corps will assist particular clans of the people who bring in their offerings to the Temple. 6 Kill the Passover lambs and sanctify yourselves and prepare to assist the people who come. Follow all of the instructions of the Lord through Moses."
7 Then the king contributed 30,000 lambs and young goats for the people's Passover offerings and 3,000 young bulls. 8 The king's officials made willing contributions to the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the overseers of the Temple, gave the priests 2,600 sheep and goats and 300 oxen as Passover offerings. 9 The Levite leaders - Conaniah, Shemaiah, and Nethanel, and his brothers Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad - gave 5,000 sheep and goats and 500 oxen to the Levites for their Passover offerings.
10 When everything was organized and the priests were standing in their places, and the Levites were formed into service corps as the king had instructed, 11 then the Levites killed the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled it upon the altar as the Levites removed the skins. 12 They piled up the carcasses for each tribe to present its own burnt sacrifices to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses. They did the same with the oxen. 13 Then, as directed by the laws of Moses, they roasted the Passover lambs and boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and hurried them out to the people to eat. 14 Afterwards the Levites prepared a meal for themselves and for the priests, for they had been busy from morning till night offering the fat of the burnt offerings.
15 The singers (the sons of Asaph) were in their places, following directions issued centuries earlier by King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's prophet. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and didn't need to leave their posts of duty, for their meals were brought to them by their Levite brothers. 16 The entire Passover ceremony was completed in that one day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed upon the altar of the Lord, as Josiah had instructed.
17 Everyone present in Jerusalem took part in the Passover observance, and this was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the next seven days. 18 Never since the time of Samuel the prophet had there been such a Passover - not one of the kings of Israel could vie with King Josiah in this respect, involving so many of the priests, Levites, and people from Jerusalem and from all parts of Judah, and from Israel. 19 This all happened in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.
20 Afterwards King Neco of Egypt led his army to Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah declared war on him.
21 But King Neco sent ambassadors to Josiah with this message: "I don't want a fight with you, king of Judah! I have come only to fight the power with which I am at war. Leave me alone! God has told me to hurry! Don't meddle with God or he will destroy you, for he is with me."
22 But Josiah refused to turn back. Instead he led his army into the battle at the valley of Megiddo. (He laid aside his royal robes so that the enemy wouldn't recognize him.) Josiah refused to believe that Neco's message was from God. 23 The enemy archers struck King Josiah with their arrows and fatally wounded him.
"Take me out of the battle," he exclaimed to his aides.
24-25 So they lifted him out of his chariot and placed him in his second chariot and brought him back to Jerusalem where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem, including even Jeremiah the prophet, mourned for him, as did the Temple choirs. To this day they still sing sad songs about his death, for these songs of sorrow were recorded among the official lamentations.
26 The other activities of Josiah, and his good deeds, and how he followed the laws of the Lord, 27 all are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,140
3,3,5,256
4,4,7,560
5,5,9,688
6,6,11,784
7,7,13,960
8,8,15,1133
9,9,17,1394
10,10,19,1615
11,11,21,1747
12,12,23,1889
13,13,25,2103
14,14,27,2302
15,15,29,2522
16,16,31,2809
17,17,33,2991
18,18,35,3102
19,19,37,3402
20,20,39,3478
21,21,41,3657
22,22,43,3892
23,23,45,4087
24,24,47,4206
25,25,49,4459
26,26,51,4699
27,27,53,4889
1,6,1,1
7,9,4,907
10,14,6,1431
15,16,8,2249
17,19,10,2717
20,20,12,3208
21,21,14,3327
22,23,16,3609
24,25,19,3988
26,27,21,4401
%t'*(
MESSAGE 2CHRO 35:21-23
Josiah ignored Neco's message because of who Neco was-the king of a heathen nation. The mistake assumption that Neco could not be part of God's larger plan cost Josiah his life. A message from God may come in unexpected ways. Don't let prejudice or false assumptions blind you to God's message.
r t t
2CHRO036
1 The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made him king in Jerusalem in his father's place.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for three months.
3 Then King Neco of Egypt removed Jehoahaz from being king in Jerusalem. Neco made the people of Judah pay about seventy-five hundred pounds of silver and about seventy-five pounds of gold.
4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim the king of Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. He did what the LORD his God said was wrong.
6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Judah, captured Jehoiakim, put bronze chains on him, and took him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar removed some of the things from the Temple of the LORD, took them to Babylon, and put them in his own palace.
8 The other things Jehoiakim did as king, the hateful things he did, and everything he was guilty of doing, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he was king in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what the LORD said was wrong.
10 In the spring King Nebuchadnezzar sent for Jehoiachin and brought him and some valuable treasures from the Temple of the LORD to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin's uncle Zedekiah the king of Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he was king in Jerusalem for eleven years.
12 Zedekiah did what the LORD his God said was wrong. The prophet Jeremiah spoke messages from the LORD, but Zedekiah did not obey.
13 Zedekiah turned against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to swear in God's name to be loyal to him. But Zedekiah became stubborn and refused to obey the LORD, the God of Israel.
14 Also, all the leaders of the priests and the people of Judah became more wicked, following the evil example of the other nations. The LORD had made the Temple in Jerusalem holy, but the leaders made it unholy.
15 The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent prophets again and again to warn his people, because he had pity on them and on his Temple.
16 But they made fun of God's prophets and hated God's messages. They refused to listen to the prophets until, finally, the LORD became so angry with his people that he could not be stopped.
17 So God brought the king of Babylon to attack them. The king killed the young men even when they were in the Temple. He had no mercy on the young men or women, the old men or those who were sick. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. w
18 Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the things from the Temple of God, both large and small, and all the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and from the king and his officers.
19 Nebuchadnezzar and his army set fire to God's Temple and broke down Jerusalem's wall and burned all the palaces. They took or destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took captive to Babylon the people who were left alive, and he forced them to be slaves for him and his descendants. They remained there as slaves until the Persian kingdom defeated Babylon.
21 And so what the LORD had told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah happened: The country was an empty wasteland for seventy years to make up for the years of Sabbath rest that the people had not kept.
22 In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia, the LORD had Cyrus send an announcement to his whole kingdom. This happened so the LORD's message spoken by Jeremiah would come true. He wrote:
1 Josiah's son Jehoahaz was selected as the new king. 2 He was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, but lasted only three months. 3 Then he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who demanded an annual tribute from Judah of $230,000.
4 The king of Egypt now appointed Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, as the new king of Judah. (Eliakim's name was changed to Jehoiakim.) Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt as a prisoner. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; but his reign was an evil one. 6 Finally Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took away the king in chains to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the gold bowls and other items from the Temple, placing them in his own temple in Babylon. 8 The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all the evil he did are written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah; and his son Jehoiachin became the new king.
9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he ascended the throne. But he lasted only three months and ten days, and it was an evil reign as far as the Lord was concerned. 10 The following spring he was summoned to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Many treasures from the Temple were taken away to Babylon at that time, and King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin's brother Zedekiah as the new king of Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 His reign, too, was evil so far as the Lord was concerned, for he refused to take the counsel of Jeremiah the prophet, who gave him messages from the Lord. 13 He rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man so far as obeying the Lord God of Israel was concerned, for he refused to follow him.
14 All the important people of the nation, including the High Priests, worshiped the heathen idols of the surrounding nations, thus polluting the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 15 Jehovah the God of their fathers sent his prophets again and again to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and on his Temple. 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words, scoffing at the prophets until the anger of the Lord could no longer be restrained, and there was no longer any remedy.
17 Then the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them and killed their young men, even going after them right into the Temple, and had no pity upon them, killing even young girls and old men. The Lord used the king of Babylon to destroy them completely. 18 He also took home with him all the items, great and small, used in the Temple, and treasures from both the Temple and the palace, and took with him all the royal princes. 19 Then his army burned the Temple and broke down the walls of Jerusalem and burned all the palaces and destroyed all the valuable Temple utensils. 20 Those who survived were taken away to Babylon as slaves to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia conquered Babylon.
21 Thus the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah came true, that the land must rest for seventy years to make up for the years when the people refused to observe the Sabbath.
22-23 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make this proclamation throughout his kingdom, putting it into writing:
"All the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the Lord God of heaven, and he has instructed me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah. All among you who are the Lord's people return to Israel for this task, and the Lord be with you."
This also fulfilled the prediction of Jeremiah the prophet.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,109
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,413
5,5,9,581
6,6,11,736
7,7,13,860
8,8,15,991
9,9,17,1218
10,10,19,1385
11,11,21,1616
12,12,23,1734
13,13,25,1870
14,14,27,2062
15,15,29,2279
16,16,31,2421
17,17,33,2616
18,18,35,2867
19,19,37,3060
20,20,39,3238
21,21,41,3451
22,22,43,3658
1,3,1,1
4,8,3,243
9,10,5,946
11,13,7,1370
14,16,9,1843
17,20,11,2359
21,21,13,3073
22,23,15,3255
VEZRA
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To show God's faithfulness and the way he kept his promise to restore his people to their land
AUTHOR:
Not stated, but probably Ezra
DATE WRITTEN:
Around 450 B.C., recording events from about 538-450 B.C. (omitting 516-458 B.C.). Possibly begun earlier in Babylon and finished in Jerusalem.
SETTING:
Ezra follows 2 Chronicles as a history of the Jews, recording their return to the Promised Land after their captivity
KEY PEOPLE:
Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Darius, Artaxerxes I, Ezra
KEY PLACES:
Babylon, Jerusalem
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Ezra and Nehemiah originally were one book in the Hebrew Bible and, with Esther, comprise the post-captivity historical books. The post-captivity prophetic books are Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Haggai and Zechariah should be studied with Ezra since they prophesied during the period of the reconstruction.
When a celebrity commits suicide, we can't believe it. After all, we think, he had everything: millions of fans, talent, good looks, a beautiful wife, fame, and fortune. What more could he want? From all surface appearances, the person's life seemed perfect. Inside, though-where it really counts-it was full of loneliness, depression, and turmoil. Ezra, a devoted priest and scribe, knew what was important. He was concerned for the Jews living in Jerusalem. Years earlier, under Zerubbabel's leadership, a group of Jews had been given permission to leave Babylon and return to build the temple. Though the returnees had met with opposition, eventually they were successful. The temple was completed and dedicated. Everything looked good on the outside. But when Ezra reached Jerusalem, he wept. The people looked obedient because they had rebuilt the temple, but their personal and spiritual lives were in shambles. The inside had fallen apart. Ezra realized that if this went unchanged, the new nation of Israel would commit spiritual suicide. How does your "inside life" match with your outside? Read Ezra and decide to be a person who follows God in every area.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
EZRA001
1 In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia, the LORD caused Cyrus to send an announcement to his whole kingdom and to put it in writing. This happened so the LORD' s message spoken by Jeremiah would come true. He wrote:
2 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me, and he has appointed me to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.
3 May God be with all of you who are his people. You are free to go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who is in Jerusalem.
4 Those who stay behind, wherever they live, should support those who want to go. Give them silver and gold, supplies and cattle, and special gifts for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.
5 Then the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites got ready to go to Jerusalem- everyone God had caused to want to go to Jerusalem to build the Temple of the LORD.
6 All their neighbors helped them, giving them things made of silver and gold, along with supplies, cattle, valuable gifts, and special gifts for the Temple.
7 Also, King Cyrus brought out the bowls and pans that belonged in the Temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his own god.
8 Cyrus king of Persia had Mithredath the treasurer bring them and count them out for Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9 He listed thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine pans,
10 thirty gold bowls, four hundred ten matching silver bowls, and one thousand other pieces.
11 There was a total of fifty-four hundred pieces of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these things along when the captives went from Babylon to Jerusalem.
1 During the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy by giving King Cyrus the desire to send this proclamation throughout his empire (he also put it into the permanent records of the realm):
2 "Cyrus, king of Persia, hereby announces that Jehovah, the God of heaven who gave me my vast empire, has now given me the responsibility of building him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah. 3 All Jews throughout the kingdom may now return to Jerusalem to rebuild this Temple of Jehovah, who is the God of Israel and of Jerusalem. May his blessings rest upon you. 4 Those Jews who do not go should contribute toward the expenses of those who do and also supply them with clothing, transportation, supplies for the journey, and a freewill offering for the Temple."
5 Then God gave a great desire to the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to the priests and Levites, to return to Jerusalem at once to rebuild the Temple. 6 And all the Jewish exiles* who chose to remain in Persia gave them whatever assistance they could, as well as gifts for the Temple.
7 King Cyrus himself donated the gold bowls and other valuable items, which King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple at Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods. 8 He instructed Mithredath, the treasurer of Persia, to present these gifts to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah.
9-10 The items Cyrus donated included: 1,000 gold trays, 1,000 silver trays, 29 20censers, 30 20bowls of solid gold, 2,410 silver bowls (of various designs), 1,000 miscellaneous items. 11 In all there were 5,469 gold and silver items turned over to Sheshbazzar to take back to Jerusalem.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,227
3,3,5,422
4,4,7,590
5,5,9,778
6,6,11,972
7,7,13,1134
8,8,15,1313
9,9,17,1437
10,10,19,1519
11,11,21,1616
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,241
5,6,4,817
7,8,6,1123
9,11,8,1444
CAPTIVES EZRA 1:1
The book of Ezra opens in 538 B.C. , 48 years after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, defeated the southern kingdom of Judah, and carried the Jews away to Babylon as captives (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36). Nebuchadnezzar died in 562, and because his successor was not strong, Babylon was overthrown by Persia in 539, just prior to the events recorded in this book. Both the Babylonians and the Persians had a relaxed policy toward their captives, allowing them to own land and homes and to take ordinary jobs. Many of the Jews, like Daniel, Mordecai, and Esther, rose to prominent positions within the nation. King Cyrus of Persia went a step further: he allowed many groups of exiles, including the Jews, to return to their homelands. By doing this, he hoped to win their loyalty and thus provide buffer zones around the borders of his empire.
EZRA002
1 These are the people of the area who returned from captivity, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken away to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each going back to his own town.
2 These people returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. These are the people from Israel:
3 the descendants of Parosh- 2,172;
4 the descendants of Shephatiah- 372;
5 the descendants of Arah- 775;
6 the descendants of PAHATH-MOAB (through the family of Jeshua and Joab)- 2,812;
7 the descendants of Elam- 1,254;
8 the descendants of Zattu- 945;
9 the descendants of Zaccai- 760;
10 the descendants of Bani- 642;
11 the descendants of Bebai- 623;
12 the descendants of Azgad- 1,222;
13 the descendants of Adonikam- 666;
14 the descendants of Bigvai- 2,056;
15 the descendants of Adin- 454;
16 the descendants of Ater (through the family of Hezekiah)- 98;
17 the descendants of Bezai- 323;
18 the descendants of Jorah- 112;
19 the descendants of Hashum- 223;
20 the descendants of Gibbar- 95.
21 These are the people from the towns: of Bethlehem- 123;
22 of Netophah- 56;
23 of Anathoth- 128;
24 of Azmaveth- 42;
25 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth- 743;
26 of Ramah and Geba- 621;
27 of Micmash- 122;
28 of Bethel and Ai- 223;
29 of Nebo- 52;
30 of Magbish- 156;
31 of the other town of Elam- 1,254;
32 of Harim- 320;
33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono- 725;
34 of Jericho- 345;
35 of Senaah- 3,630.
36 These are the priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua)- 973;
37 the descendants of Immer- 1,052;
38 the descendants of Pashhur- 1,247;
39 the descendants of Harim- 1,017.
40 These are the Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the family of Hodaviah)- 74.
41 These are the singers: the descendants of Asaph- 128.
42 These are the gatekeepers of the Temple: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai- 139.
43 These are the Temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
44 Keros, Siaha, Padon,
45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim,
51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
54 Neziah, and Hatipha.
55 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
57 Shephatiah, Hattil, POKERETH-HAZZEBAIM, and Ami.
58 The Temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392.
59 Some people came to Jerusalem from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their ancestors came from Israel.
60 They were the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda- 652.
61 Also these priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and was called by her family name.
62 These people searched for their family records but could not find them. So they could not be priests, because they were thought to be unclean.
63 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the food offered to God until a priest had settled this matter by using the Urim and Thummim.
64 The total number of those who returned was 42,360.
65 This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants and the 200 male and female singers they had with them.
66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they arrived at the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the leaders of families gave offerings to rebuild the Temple of God on the same site as before.
69 They gave as much as they could to the treasury to rebuild the Temple- about 1,100 pounds of gold, about 6,000 pounds of silver, and 100 pieces of clothing for the priests.
70 All the Israelites settled in their hometowns. The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants, along with some of the other people, settled in their own towns as well.
1 Here is the list of the Jewish exiles who now returned to Jerusalem and to the other cities of Judah, from which their parents had been deported to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.
58 The Temple assistants and the descendants of Solomon's officers numbered 392.
59 Another group returned to Jerusalem at this time from the Persian cities of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer. However, they had lost their genealogies and could not prove that they were really Israelites. 60 This group included the subclans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda - a total of 652.
61 Three subclans of priests - Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (he married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and took her family name) - also returned to Jerusalem. 62-63 But they too had lost their genealogies, so the leaders refused to allow them to continue as priests; they would not even allow them to eat the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until the Urim and Thummim could be consulted to find out from God whether they actually were descendants of priests or not.
64-65 So a total of 42,360 persons returned to Judah; in addition to 7,337 slaves and 200 choir members, both men and women. 66-67 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68 Some of the leaders were able to give generously toward the rebuilding of the Temple, 69 and each gave as much as he could. The total value of their gifts amounted to $300,000 of gold, $170,000 of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.
70 So the priests and Levites and some of the common people settled in Jerusalem and its nearby villages; and the singers, the gatekeepers, the Temple workers, and the rest of the people returned to the other cities of Judah from which they had come.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,203
3,3,5,373
4,4,7,413
5,5,9,455
6,6,11,491
7,7,13,576
8,8,15,614
9,9,17,651
10,10,19,689
11,11,21,726
12,12,23,764
13,13,25,804
14,14,27,845
15,15,29,886
16,16,31,923
17,17,33,992
18,18,35,1030
19,19,37,1068
20,20,39,1107
21,21,41,1145
22,22,43,1208
23,23,45,1232
24,24,47,1257
25,25,49,1281
26,26,51,1335
27,27,53,1366
28,28,55,1390
29,29,57,1420
30,30,59,1440
31,31,61,1464
32,32,63,1505
33,33,65,1527
34,34,67,1562
35,35,69,1586
36,36,71,1611
37,37,73,1705
38,38,75,1745
39,39,77,1787
40,40,79,1827
41,41,81,1933
42,42,83,1994
43,43,85,2116
44,44,87,2198
45,45,89,2226
46,46,91,2258
47,47,93,2288
48,48,95,2318
49,49,97,2348
50,50,99,2376
51,51,101,2409
52,52,103,2441
53,53,105,2473
54,54,107,2503
55,55,109,2531
56,56,111,2640
57,57,113,2670
58,58,115,2726
59,59,117,2814
60,60,119,2981
61,61,121,3051
62,62,123,3216
63,63,125,3366
64,64,127,3511
65,65,129,3569
66,66,131,3690
67,67,133,3729
68,68,135,3767
69,69,137,3936
70,70,139,4116
1,1,1,1
2,35,3,186
36,39,39,1671
40,42,45,1910
43,54,50,2218
55,57,53,2570
58,58,56,2762
59,60,58,2846
61,63,60,3157
64,67,62,3656
68,69,64,3864
70,70,66,4106
EZRA003
PREPARE
1 In the seventh month, after the Israelites were settled in their hometowns, they met together in Jerusalem.
2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests joined Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and began to build the altar of the God of Israel where they could offer burnt offerings, just as it is written in the Teachings of Moses, the man of God.
3 Even though they were afraid of the people living around them, they built the altar where it had been before. And they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD morning and evening.
4 Then, to obey what was written, they celebrated the Feast of Shelters. They offered the right number of sacrifices for each day of the festival.
5 After the Feast of Shelters, they had regular sacrifices every day, as well as sacrifices for the New Moon and all the festivals commanded by the LORD. Also there were special offerings brought as gifts to the LORD.
6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to bring burnt offerings to the LORD, but the foundation of the LORD' s Temple had not yet been laid.
7 Then they gave money to the bricklayers and carpenters. They also gave food, wine, and oil to the cities of Sidon and Tyre so they would float cedar logs from Lebanon to the seacoast town of Joppa. Cyrus king of Persia had given permission for this.
8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, their fellow priests and Levites, and all who had returned from captivity to Jerusalem began to work. They chose Levites twenty years old and older to be in charge of the building of the Temple of the LORD.t
9 These men were in charge of the work of building the Temple of God: Jeshua and his sons and brothers; Kadmiel and his sons who were the descendants of Hodaviah; and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers. They were all Levites.
10 The builders finished laying the foundation of the Temple of the LORD. Then the priests, dressed in their robes, stood with their trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, stood with their cymbals. They all took their places and praised the LORD just as David king of Israel had said to do.
11 With praise and thanksgiving, they sang to the LORD: "He is good; his love for Israel continues forever." And then all the people shouted loudly, "Praise the LORD! The foundation of his Temple has been laid."
12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders who had seen the first Temple cried when they saw the foundation of this Temple. Most of the other people were shouting with joy.
13 The people made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying.
1 During the month of September everyone who had returned to Judah came to Jerusalem from their homes in the other towns. Then Jeshua (son of Jozadak) with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and his clan, rebuilt the altar of the God of Israel and sacrificed burnt offerings upon it, as instructed in the laws of Moses, the man of God. 3 The altar was rebuilt on its old site, and it was used immediately to sacrifice morning and evening burnt offerings to the Lord; for the people were fearful of attack.
4 And they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles as prescribed in the laws of Moses, sacrificing the burnt offerings specified for each day of the feast. 5 They also offered the special sacrifices required for the Sabbaths, the new moon celebrations, and the other regular annual feasts of the Lord. Voluntary offerings of the people were also sacrificed. 6 It was on the fifteenth day of September that the priests began sacrificing the burnt offerings to the Lord. (This was before they began building the foundation of the Temple.)
7 Then they hired masons and carpenters and bought cedar logs from the people of Tyre and Sidon, paying for them with food, wine, and olive oil. The logs were brought down from the Lebanon mountains and floated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa, for King Cyrus had included this provision in his grant.
8 The actual construction of the Temple began in June of the second year of their arrival at Jerusalem. The work force was made up of all those who had returned, and they were under the direction of Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), Jeshua (son of Jozadak), and their fellow priests and the Levites. The Levites who were twenty years old or older were appointed to supervise the workmen. 9 The supervision of the entire project was given to Jeshua, Kadmiel, Henadad, and their sons and relatives, all of whom were Levites.
10 When the builders completed the foundation of the Temple, the priests put on their official robes and blew their trumpets; and the descendants of Asaph crashed their cymbals to praise the Lord in the manner ordained by King David. 11 They sang rounds of praise and thanks to God, singing this song: "He is good, and his love and mercy toward Israel will last forever." Then all the people gave a great shout, praising God because the foundation of the Temple had been laid.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and other leaders - the old men who remembered Solomon's beautiful Temple - wept aloud, while others were shouting for joy! 13 So the shouting and the weeping mingled together in a loud commotion that could be heard far away!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,361
4,4,7,549
5,5,9,700
6,6,11,922
7,7,13,1079
8,8,15,1335
9,9,17,1696
10,10,19,1939
11,11,21,2241
12,12,23,2457
13,13,25,2653
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,529
7,7,5,1065
8,9,7,1387
10,11,9,1910
12,13,11,2390
PREPARE EZRA 3:8
It took from September (3:1) to June just to prepare to build the Temple. During this time, the altar was built, materials were ordered and collected, and workers were hired. The exiles took some time to make plans because the project was important to them. Preparation may not feel heroic or spiritual, but it is vital to any project meant to be done well.
EZRA004
1 When the enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned captives were building a Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families. The enemies said, "Let us help you build, because we are like you and want to worship your God. We have been offering sacrifices to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the leaders of Israel answered, "You will not help us build a Temple to our God. We will build it ourselves for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us to do."
4 Then the people around them tried to discourage the people of Judah by making them afraid to build.
5 Their enemies hired others to delay the building plans during the time Cyrus was king of Persia. And it continued to the time Darius was king of Persia.
6 When Xerxes first became king, those enemies wrote a letter against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 When Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and those with them wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in the Aramaic language and translated.
8 Rehum the governor and Shimshai the governor's secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king. It said:
9 This letter is from Rehum the governor, Shimshai the secretary, and their fellow workers- the judges and important officers over the men who came from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, the Elamite people of Susa,
10 and those whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal forced out of their countries and settled in the city of Samaria and in other places of the TRANS-EUPHRATES.
11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to Artaxerxes.) To King Artaxerxes. From your servants who live in TRANS-EUPHRATES.
12 King Artaxerxes, you should know that the Jewish people who came to us from you have gone to Jerusalem to rebuild that evil city that refuses to obey. They are fixing the walls and repairing the foundations of the buildings.
13 Now, King Artaxerxes, you should know that if Jerusalem is built and its walls are fixed, Jerusalem will not pay taxes of any kind. Then the amount of money your government collects will be less.
14 Since we must be loyal to the government, we don't want to see the king dishonored. So we are writing to let the king know.
15 We suggest you search the records of the kings who ruled before you. You will find out that the city of Jerusalem refuses to obey and makes trouble for kings and areas controlled by Persia. Since long ago it has been a place where disobedience has started. That is why it was destroyed.
16 We want you to know, King Artaxerxes, that if this city is rebuilt and its walls fixed, you will be left with nothing in TRANS-EUPHRATES.
17 King Artaxerxes sent this answer: To Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary, to all their fellow workers living in Samaria, and to those in other places in TRANS-EUPHRATES. Greetings.
18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read to me.
19 I ordered the records to be searched, and it was done. We found that Jerusalem has a history of disobedience to kings and has been a place of problems and trouble.
20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings who have ruled over the whole area of TRANS-EUPHRATES, and taxes of all kinds have been paid to them.
21 Now, give an order for those men to stop work. The city of Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until I say so.
22 Make sure you do this, because if they continue, it will hurt the government.
23 A copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes sent was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and the others. Then they quickly went to the Jewish people in Jerusalem and forced them to stop building.
24 So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year Darius was king of Persia.
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles had returned and were rebuilding the Temple, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and suggested, "Let us work with you, for we are just as interested in your God as you are; we have sacrificed to him ever since King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here."
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other Jewish leaders replied, "No, you may have no part in this work. The Temple of the God of Israel must be built by the Israelis, just as King Cyrus has commanded."
4-5 Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten them by sending agents to tell lies about them to King Cyrus. This went on during his entire reign and lasted until King Darius took the throne.
6 And afterwards, when King Ahasuerus began to reign, they wrote him a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem 7 and did the same thing during the reign of Artaxerxes. Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel and their associates wrote a letter to him in the Aramaic language, and it was translated to him. 8-9 Others who participated were Governor Rehum, Shimshai (a scribe), several judges and other local leaders, the Persians, the Babylonians, the men of Erech and Susa, 10 and men from several other nations. (They had been taken from their own lands by the great and noble Osnappar and relocated in Jerusalem, Samaria, and throughout the neighboring lands west of the Euphrates River.)
11 Here is the text of the letter they sent to King Artaxerxes:
"Sir: Greetings from your loyal subjects west of the Euphrates River. 12 Please be informed that the Jews sent to Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding this historically rebellious and evil city; they have already rebuilt its walls and have repaired the foundations of the Temple. 13 But we wish you to know that if this city is rebuilt, it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay their taxes to you.
14 "Since we are grateful to you as our patron, and we do not want to see you taken advantage of and dishonored in this way, we have decided to send you this information. 15 We suggest that you search the ancient records to discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past; in fact, it was destroyed because of its long history of sedition against the kings and countries who attempted to control it. 16 We wish to declare that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, you might as well forget about this part of your empire beyond the Euphrates, for it will be lost to you."
17 Then the king made this reply to Governor Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and to their companions living in Samaria and throughout the area west of the Euphrates River:
18 "Gentlemen: Greetings! The letter you sent has been translated and read to me. 19 I have ordered a search made of the records and have indeed found that Jerusalem has in times past been a hotbed of insurrection against many kings; in fact, rebellion and sedition are normal there! 20 I find, moreover, that there have been some very great kings in Jerusalem who have ruled the entire land beyond the Euphrates River and have received vast tribute, custom, and toll. 21 Therefore, I command that these men must stop their work until I have investigated the matter more thoroughly. 22 Do not delay, for we must not permit the situation to get out of control!"
23 When this letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai, they hurried to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building. 24 So the work ended until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,149
3,3,5,416
4,4,7,647
5,5,9,753
6,6,11,912
7,7,13,1021
8,8,15,1200
9,9,17,1329
10,10,19,1552
11,11,21,1720
12,12,23,1851
13,13,25,2083
14,14,27,2286
15,15,29,2417
16,16,31,2711
17,17,33,2856
18,18,35,3054
19,19,37,3123
20,20,39,3294
21,21,41,3436
22,22,43,3548
23,23,45,3633
24,24,47,3839
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,338
4,5,5,545
6,10,7,755
11,13,9,1464
14,16,12,1965
17,17,14,2560
18,22,15,2732
23,24,17,3396
OBSTACLES EZRA 4:1-6
Believers can expect opposition as they do God's work (2 Timothy 3:12). Unbelievers and evil spiritual forces are always working against God and his people. The opposition may involve offers of alliance (4:2), attempts to discourage and intimidate (4:4-5), or unjust accusations (4:6). If you learn to expect this opposition, you won't be halted by it. Move ahead with the work God has planned for you, and trust him to show you the way to overcome the obstacles.
EZRA005
1 The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jewish people in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak started working again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were there, helping them.
3 At that time Tattenai, the governor of TRANS-EUPHRATES, and SHETHAR-BOZENAI, and their fellow workers went to the Jewish people and asked, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and fix these walls?"
4 They also asked, "What are the names of the men working on this building?"
5 But their God was watching over the older leaders of the Jewish people. The builders were not stopped until a report could go to King Darius and his written answer could be received.
6 This is a copy of the letter that was sent to King Darius by Tattenai, the governor of TRANS-EUPHRATES, SHETHAR-BOZENAI, and the other important officers of TRANS-EUPHRATES.
7 This is what was said in the report they sent to him: To King Darius. Greetings. May you have peace.
8 King Darius, you should know that we went to the district of Judah where the Temple of the great God is. The people are building that Temple with large stones, and they are putting timbers in the walls. They are working very hard and are building very fast.
9 We asked their older leaders, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and these walls?"
10 We also asked for their names, and we wrote down the names of their leaders so you would know who they are.
11 This is the answer they gave to us: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple that a great king of Israel built and finished many years ago.
12 But our ancestors made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who destroyed this Temple and took the people to Babylon as captives.
13 "Later, in the first year Cyrus was king of Babylon, he gave a special order for this Temple to be rebuilt.
14 Cyrus brought out from the temple in Babylon the gold and silver bowls and pans that came from the Temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from the Temple in Jerusalem and had put them in the temple in Babylon. "Then King Cyrus gave them to Sheshbazzar, his appointed governor.
15 Cyrus said to him, `Take these gold and silver bowls and pans, and put them back in the Temple in Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of God where it was.'
16 So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. From that day until now the work has been going on, but it is not yet finished."
17 Now, if the king wishes, let a search be made in the royal records of Babylon. See if King Cyrus gave an order to rebuild this Temple in Jerusalem. Then let the king write us and tell us what he has decided.
1 But there were prophets in Jerusalem and Judah at that time - Haggai, and Zechariah (the son of Iddo) - who brought messages from the God of Israel to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua (son of Jozadak), encouraging them to begin building again! So they did and the prophets helped them.
3 But Tattenai, the governor of the lands west of the Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions soon arrived in Jerusalem and demanded, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish these walls?"
4 They also asked for a list of the names of all the men who were working on the Temple. 5 But because the Lord was overseeing the entire situation, our enemies did not force us to stop building, but let us continue while King Darius looked into the matter and returned his decision.
6 Following is the letter which Governors Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai and the other officials sent to King Darius:
7 "To King Darius:
"Greetings!
8 "We wish to inform you that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God of Judah. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is being laid in the city walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success. 9 We asked the leaders, `Who has given you permission to do this?' 10 And we demanded their names so that we could notify you. 11 Their answer was, `We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and we are rebuilding the Temple that was constructed here many centuries ago by a great king of Israel. 12 But afterwards our ancestors angered the God of heaven, and he abandoned them and let King Nebuchadnezzar destroy this Temple and exile the people to Babylonia.'
13 "But they insist that King Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple should be rebuilt, 14 and they say King Cyrus returned the gold and silver bowls which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. They say these items were delivered into the safekeeping of a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. 15 The king instructed him to return the bowls to Jerusalem and to let the Temple of God be built there as before. 16 So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple at Jerusalem; and the people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed. 17 We request that you search in the royal library of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever made such a decree; and then let us know your pleasure in this matter."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,172
3,3,5,352
4,4,7,567
5,5,9,648
6,6,11,837
7,7,13,1017
8,8,15,1124
9,9,17,1388
10,10,19,1490
11,11,21,1605
12,12,23,1793
13,13,25,1976
14,14,27,2091
15,15,29,2381
16,16,31,2541
17,17,33,2709
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,300
4,5,5,523
6,6,7,810
7,7,8,927
8,12,11,962
13,17,12,1674
BOLD EZRA 5:11
While rebuilding the Temple, the workers were confronted by the Babylon- appointed governor demanding to know who gave permission for their construction project (5:3). This could have been intimi- dating, but, as we learn from the letter, they boldly replied, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.
It is not always easy to speak up for our faith in an unbelieving world, but we must. The way to deal with pressure and intimidation is to recognize that we are workers for God. Our allegiance is to him first, people second. When we contemplate the reactions and criticisms of hostile people, we can become paralyzed with fear. If we make a policy of offending no one or pleasing everyone, our effectiveness will be stopped. God is our leader, and his rewards are most important. So don't be intimidated. Let others know by your actions and words whom you serve first.
EZRA006
TIMING
1 So King Darius gave an order to search the records kept in the treasury in Babylon.
2 A scroll was found in Ecbatana, the capital city of Media. This is what was written on it: Note:
3 King Cyrus gave an order about the Temple of God in Jerusalem in the first year he was king. This was the order: "Let the Temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices. Let its foundations be laid; it should be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide.
4 It must have three layers of large stones and then one layer of timbers. The costs should be paid from the king's treasury.
5 The gold and silver utensils from the Temple of God should be put back in their places. Nebuchadnezzar took them from the Temple in Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon, but they are to be put back in the Temple of God in Jerusalem."
6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of TRANS-EUPHRATES, SHETHAR-BOZENAI, and all the officers of that area, stay away from there.
7 Do not bother the work on that Temple of God. Let the governor of the Jewish people and the older Jewish leaders rebuild this Temple where it was before.
8 Also, I order you to do this for those older leaders of the Jewish people who are building this Temple: The cost of the building is to be fully paid from the royal treasury, from taxes collected from TRANS-EUPHRATES. Do this so the work will not stop. ide.
9 Give those people anything they need- young bulls, male sheep, or lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil. Give the priests in Jerusalem anything they ask for every day without fail.
10 Then they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven, and they may pray for the life of the king and his sons.
11 Also, I give this order: If anyone changes this order, a wood beam is to be pulled from his house and driven through his body. Because of his crime, make his house a pile of ruins.
12 God has chosen Jerusalem as the place he is to be worshiped. May he punish any king or person who tries to change this order and destroy this Temple. I, Darius, have given this order. Let it be obeyed quickly and carefully.
13 So, Tattenai, the governor of TRANS-EUPHRATES, SHETHAR-BOZENAI, and their fellow workers carried out King Darius' order quickly and carefully.
14 The older Jewish leaders continued to build and were successful because of the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the Temple as the God of Israel had commanded and as kings Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes of Persia had ordered.
15 The Temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year Darius was king.
16 Then the people of Israel celebrated and gave the Temple to God to honor him. Everybody was happy: the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the Jewish people who had returned from captivity.
17 They gave the Temple to God by offering a hundred bulls, two hundred male sheep, and four hundred lambs as sacrifices. And as an offering to forgive the sins of all Israel, they offered twelve male goats, one goat for each tribe in Israel.
18 Then they put the priests and the Levites into their separate groups. Each group had a certain time to serve God in the Temple at Jerusalem as it is written in the Book of Moses.
19 The Jewish people who returned from captivity celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 The priests and Levites had made themselves clean. Then the Levites killed the Passover lambs for all the people who had returned from captivity, for their relatives the priests, and for themselves.
21 So all the people of Israel who returned from captivity ate the Passover lamb. So did the people who had given up the unclean ways of their Non-jewish neighbors in order to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.
22 For seven days they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread in a very joyful way. The LORD had made them happy by changing the mind of the king of Assyria so that he helped them in the work on the Temple of the God of Israel.
1 So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, where documents were stored.
2 Eventually the record was found in the palace at Ecbatana, in the province of Media. This is what it said:
3 "In this first year of the reign of King Cyrus, a decree has been sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem where the Jews offer sacrifices. It is to be rebuilt, and the foundations are to be strongly laid. The height will be ninety feet and the width will be ninety feet. 4 There will be three layers of huge stones in the foundation, topped with a layer of new timber. All expenses will be paid by the king. 5 And the gold and silver bowls, which were taken from the Temple of God by Nebuchadnezzar, shall be taken back to Jerusalem and put into the Temple as they were before."
6 So King Darius II sent this message to Governor Shethar-bozenai and the other officials west of the Euphrates:
"Do not disturb the construction of the Temple. Let it be rebuilt on its former site, 7 and don't molest the governor of Judah and the other leaders in their work. 8 Moreover, I decree that you are to pay the full construction costs without delay from my taxes collected in your territory. 9 Give the priests in Jerusalem young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven; and give them wheat, wine, salt, and olive oil each day without fail. 10 Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for me and my sons. 11 Anyone who attempts to change this message in any way shall have the beams pulled from his house and built into a gallows on which he will be hanged; and his house shall be reduced to a pile of rubble. 12 The God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem will destroy any king and any nation that alters this commandment and destroys this Temple. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be obeyed with all diligence."
13 Governors Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions complied at once with the command of King Darius.
14 So the Jewish leaders continued in their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (son of Iddo).
The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by God and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 The completion date was February 2018 in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius II.
16 The Temple was then dedicated with great joy by the priests, the Levites, and all the people. 17 During the dedication celebration 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs were sacrificed; and twelve male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. 18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various service corps to do the work of God as instructed in the laws of Moses.
19 The Passover was celebrated on the first day of April. 20 For by that time many of the priests and Levites had consecrated themselves. 21-22 And some of the heathen people who had been relocated in Judah turned from their immoral customs and joined the Israelis in worshiping the Lord God. They, with the entire nation, ate the Passover feast and celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria to be generous to Israel and to assist in the construction of the Temple.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,194
4,4,7,455
5,5,9,585
6,6,11,826
7,7,13,955
8,8,15,1115
9,9,17,1378
10,10,19,1610
11,11,21,1736
12,12,23,1924
13,13,25,2155
14,14,27,2305
15,15,29,2595
16,16,31,2699
17,17,33,2898
18,18,35,3145
19,19,37,3331
20,20,39,3450
21,21,41,3656
22,22,43,3873
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,114
3,5,4,224
6,12,6,819
13,13,9,1925
14,15,11,2042
16,18,14,2418
19,22,16,2837
TIMING EZRA 6:18
Feasting and celebration were in order at the great Temple dedication. But the priests and Levites were organized into groups in order to do the work of God as instructed in the laws of Moses. There is a time to celebrate, but there also is a time to work. Both, in their time, are proper and necessary when worshiping and serving God; and God is evident in both.
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EZRA007
1 After these things during the rule of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra was the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the high priest.
6 This Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylon. He was a teacher and knew well the Teachings of Moses that had been given by the LORD, the God of Israel. Ezra received everything he asked for from the king, because the LORD his God was helping him.G
7 In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes more Israelites came to Jerusalem. Among them were priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants.
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of Artaxerxes' seventh year as king.
9 Ezra had left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, because God was helping him.
10 Ezra had worked hard to know and obey the Teachings of the LORD and to teach his rules and commands to the Israelites.
11 King Artaxerxes had given a letter to Ezra, a priest and teacher who taught about the commands and laws the LORD gave Israel. This is a copy of the letter:
12 From Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. Greetings.
13 Now I give this order: Any Israelite in my kingdom who wishes may go with you to Jerusalem, including priests and Levites.
14 Ezra, you are sent by the king and the seven people who advise him to ask how Judah and Jerusalem are obeying the Law of your God, which you are carrying with you.
15 Also take with you the silver and gold that the king and those who advise him have given freely to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem.
16 Also take the silver and gold you receive from the area of Babylon. Take the offerings the Israelites and their priests have given as gifts for the Temple of your God in Jerusalem.
17 With this money buy bulls, male sheep, and lambs, and the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with those sacrifices. Then sacrifice them on the altar in the Temple of your God in Jerusalem.
18 You and your fellow Jews may spend the silver and gold left over as you want and as God wishes.
19 Take to the God of Jerusalem all the utensils for worship in the Temple of your God,
20 which we have given you. Use the royal treasury to pay for anything else you need for the Temple of your God.
21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, give this order to all the men in charge of the treasury of TRANS-EUPHRATES: Give Ezra, a priest and a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, whatever he asks for.
22 Give him up to seventy-five hundred pounds of silver, six hundred bushels of wheat, six hundred gallons of wine, and six hundred gallons of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he wants.
23 Carefully give him whatever the God of heaven wants for the Temple of the God of heaven. We do not want God to be angry with the king and his sons.
24 Remember, you must not make these people pay taxes of any kind: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in this Temple of God.
25 And you, Ezra, use the wisdom you have from your God to choose judges and lawmakers to rule the Jewish people of TRANS-EUPHRATES. They know the laws of your God, and you may teach anyone who does not know them.
26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God or of the king must be punished. He will be killed, or sent away, or have his property taken away, or be put in jail.
27 Praise the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He caused the king to want to honor the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.
28 The LORD has shown me, Ezra, his love in the presence of the king, those who advise the king, and the royal officers. Because the LORD my God was helping me, I had courage, and I gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
1 Here is the genealogy of Ezra, who traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia:
Ezra was the son of Seriah;
Seriah was the son of Azariah;
Azariah was the son of Hilkiah;
Hilkiah was the son of Shallum;
Shallum was the son of Zadok;
Zadok was the son of Ahitub;
Ahitub was the son of Amariah;
Amariah was the son of Meraioth;
Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah;
Zerahiah was the son of Uzzi;
Uzzi was the son of Bukki;
Bukki was the son of Abishua;
Abishua was the son of Phinehas;
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar;
Eleazar was the son of Aaron, the chief priest.
6 As a Jewish religious leader, Ezra was well versed in Jehovah's laws, which Moses had given to the people of Israel. He asked to be allowed to return to Jerusalem, and the king granted his request; for the Lord his God was blessing him. 7-9 Many ordinary people as well as priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple workers traveled with him. They left Babylon in the middle of March in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes and arrived at Jerusalem in the month of August; for the Lord gave them a good trip. 10 This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel.
11 King Artaxerxes presented this letter to Ezra the priest, the student of God's commands:
12 "From: Artaxerxes, the king of kings.
"To: Ezra the priest, the teacher of the laws of the God of heaven.
13 "I decree that any Jew in my realm, including the priests and Levites, may return to Jerusalem with you. 14 I and my Council of Seven hereby instruct you to take a copy of God's laws to Judah and Jerusalem and to send back a report of the religious progress being made there. 15 We also commission you to take with you to Jerusalem the silver and gold, which we are presenting as an offering to the God of Israel.
16 "Moreover, you are to collect voluntary Temple offerings of silver and gold from the Jews and their priests in all of the provinces of Babylon. 17 These funds are to be used primarily for the purchase of oxen, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings, all of which will be offered upon the altar of your Temple when you arrive in Jerusalem. 18 The money that is left over may be used in whatever way you and your brothers feel is the will of your God. 19 And take with you the gold bowls and other items we are giving you for the Temple of your God at Jerusalem. 20 If you run short of money for the construction of the Temple or for any similar needs, you may requisition funds from the royal treasury.
21 "I, Artaxerxes the king, send this decree to all the treasurers in the provinces west of the Euphrates River: `You are to give Ezra whatever he requests of you (for he is a priest and teacher of the laws of the God of heaven), 22 up to $200,000 in silver; 1,225 bushels of wheat; 990 gallons of wine; any amount of salt; 23 and whatever else the God of heaven demands for his Temple; for why should we risk God's wrath against the king and his sons? 24 I also decree that no priest, Levite, choir member, gatekeeper, Temple attendant, or other worker in the Temple shall be required to pay taxes of any kind.'
25 "And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom God has given you to select and appoint judges and other officials to govern all the people west of the Euphrates River; if they are not familiar with the laws of your God, you are to teach them. 26 Anyone refusing to obey the law of your God and the law of the king shall be punished immediately by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment."
27 Well, praise the Lord God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem! 28 And praise God for demonstrating such loving-kindness to me by honoring me before the king and his Council of Seven and before all of his mighty princes! I was given great status because the Lord my God was with me; and I persuaded some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,168
3,3,5,231
4,4,7,298
5,5,9,360
6,6,11,461
7,7,13,711
8,8,15,868
9,9,17,956
10,10,19,1115
11,11,21,1241
12,12,23,1404
13,13,25,1517
14,14,27,1647
15,15,29,1818
16,16,31,1973
17,17,33,2161
18,18,35,2366
19,19,37,2469
20,20,39,2561
21,21,41,2678
22,22,43,2875
23,23,45,3072
24,24,47,3227
25,25,49,3396
26,26,51,3614
27,27,53,3781
28,28,55,3904
1,5,1,1
6,10,18,634
11,11,20,1318
12,12,21,1411
13,15,24,1524
16,20,26,1944
21,24,28,2663
25,26,29,3277
27,28,31,3681
he gc#
"X#?%
CREDIT EZRA 7:27-28
Ezra praised God for all he had done for him and through him. Ezra had honored God throughout his life, and God chose to honor him. Ezra could have assumed that his own great- ness and charisma had won over the king and his princes, but he gave the credit to God. We, too, should be grateful when things work out well for us, refusing to let our pride make us think we did it in our own power.
Moral Dilemmas: Values ,!page "^M0068" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
EZRA008
JOURNEY
1 These are the leaders of the family groups and those who were listed with them who came back with me from Babylon during the rule of King Artaxerxes.
2 From the descendants of Phinehas: Gershom. From the descendants of Ithamar: Daniel. From the descendants of David: Hattush
3 of the descendants of Shecaniah. From the descendants of Parosh: Zechariah, with one hundred fifty men.
4 From the descendants of PAHATH-MOAB: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, with two hundred men.
5 From the descendants of Zattu: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, with three hundred men.
6 From the descendants of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, with fifty men.
7 From the descendants of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, with seventy men.
8 From the descendants of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, with eighty men.
9 From the descendants of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, with two hundred eighteen men.
10 From the descendants of Bani: Shelomith son of Josiphiah, with one hundred sixty men.
11 From the descendants of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, with twenty-eight men.
12 From the descendants of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, with one hundred ten men.
13 From the descendants of Adonikam, these were the last ones: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, with sixty men.
14 From the descendants of Bigvai: Uthai and Zaccur, with seventy men.
15 I called all those people together at the canal that flows toward Ahava, where we camped for three days. I checked all the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites.
16 So I called these leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And I called Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers.
17 I sent these men to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, and told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, who are the Temple servants in Casiphia. I sent them to bring servants to us for the Temple of our God.
18 Our God was helping us, so Iddo's relatives gave us Sherebiah, a wise man from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, who was the son of Israel. And they brought Sherebiah's sons and brothers, for a total of eighteen men.
19 And they brought to us Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews. In all there were twenty men.
20 They also brought two hundred twenty of the Temple servants, a group David and the officers had set up to help the Levites. All of those men were listed by name.
21 There by the Ahava Canal, I announced we would all give up eating and ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.
22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road. We had said to the king, "Our God helps everyone who obeys him, but he is very angry with all who reject him."
23 So we gave up eating and prayed to our God about our trip, and he answered our prayers.
24 Then I chose twelve of the priests who were leaders, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their relatives.
25 I weighed the offering of silver and gold and the utensils given for the Temple of our God, and I gave them to the twelve priests I had chosen. The king, the people who advised him, his officers, and all the Israelites there with us had given these things for the Temple.
26 I weighed out and gave them about fifty thousand pounds of silver, about seventy-five hundred pounds of silver objects, and about seventy-five hundred pounds of gold.
27 I gave them twenty gold bowls that weighed about nineteen pounds and two fine pieces of polished bronze that were as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to the priests, "You and these utensils belong to the LORD for his service. The silver and gold are gifts to the LORD, the God of your ancestors.
29 Guard these things carefully. In Jerusalem, weigh them in front of the leading priests, Levites, and the leaders of the family groups of Israel in the rooms of the Temple of the LORD."
30 So the priests and Levites accepted the silver, the gold, and the utensils that had been weighed to take them to the Temple of our God in Jerusalem.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month we left the Ahava Canal and started toward Jerusalem. Our God helped us and protected us from enemies and robbers along the way.
32 Finally we arrived in Jerusalem where we rested three days.
33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the utensils in the Temple of our God. We handed them to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, as were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.
34 We checked everything by number and by weight, and the total weight was written down.
35 Then the captives who returned made burnt offerings to the God of Israel. They sacrificed twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six male sheep, and seventy-seven lambs. For a sin offering there were twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
36 They took King Artaxerxes' orders to the royal officers and to the governors of TRANS-EUPHRATES. Then these men gave help to the people and the Temple of God.
1 These are the names and genealogies of the leaders who accompanied me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2-14 From the clan of Phinehas - Gershom;
From the clan of Ithamar - Daniel;
From the subclan of David of the clan of Shecaniah - Hattush;
From the clan of Parosh - Zechariah, and 150 other men;
From the clan of Pahath-moab - Eliehoenai (son of Zerahiah), and 200 other men;
From the clan of Shecaniah - the son of Jahaziel, and 300 other men;
From the clan of Adin - Ebed (son of Jonathan), and 50 other men;
From the clan of Elam - Jeshaiah (son of Athaliah), and 70 other men;
From the clan of Shephatiah - Zebadiah (son of Michael), and 80 other men;
From the clan of Joab - Obadiah (son of Jehiel), and 218 other men;
From the clan of Bani - Shelomith (son of Josiphiah), and 160 other men;
From the clan of Bebai - Zechariah (son of Bebai), and 28 other men;
From the clan of Azgad - Johanan (son of Hakkatan), and 110 other men;
From the clan of Adonikam - Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 other men (they arrived at a later time);
From the clan of Bigvai - Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other men.
15 We assembled at the Ahava River and camped there for three days while I went over the lists of the people and the priests who had arrived; and I found that not one Levite had volunteered! 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, the Levite leaders; I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were very wise men. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader of the Jews at Casiphia, to ask him and his brothers and the Temple attendants to send us priests for the Temple of God at Jerusalem. 18 And God was good! He sent us an outstanding man named Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers; he was a very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, the son of Levi and grandson of Israel. 19 God also sent Hashabiah; and Jeshaiah (the son of Merari), with twenty of his sons and brothers; 20 and 220 Temple attendants. (The Temple attendants were assistants to the Levites - a job classification of Temple employees first instituted by King David.) These 220 men were all listed by name.
21 Then I declared a fast while we were at the Ahava River so that we would humble ourselves before our God; and we prayed that he would give us a good journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and cavalry to accompany us and protect us from the enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God would protect all those who worshiped him, and that disaster could come only to those who had forsaken him! 23 So we fasted and begged God to take care of us. And he did.
24 I appointed twelve leaders of the priests - Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests - 25 to be in charge of transporting the silver, gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king and his council and the leaders and people of Israel had presented to the Temple of God. 26-27 I weighed the money as I gave it to them and found it to total $1,300,000 in silver; $200,000 in silver utensils; many millions in gold; and twenty gold bowls worth a total of $100,000. There were also two beautiful pieces of brass that were as precious as gold. 28 I consecrated these men to the Lord and then consecrated the treasures - the equipment and money and bowls that had been given as freewill offerings to the Lord God of our fathers.
29 "Guard these treasures well!" I told them; "present them without a penny lost to the priests and the Levite leaders and the elders of Israel at Jerusalem, where they are to be placed in the treasury of the Temple."
30 So the priests and the Levites accepted the responsibility of taking them to God's Temple in Jerusalem. 31 We broke camp at the Ahava River at the end of March and started off to Jerusalem; and God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So at last we arrived safely at Jerusalem.
33 On the fourth day after our arrival, the silver, gold, and other valuables were weighed in the Temple by Meremoth (the son of Uriah the priest), Eleazar (son of Phinehas), Jozabad (son of Jeshua), and Noadiah (son of Binnui) - all of whom were Levites. 34 A receipt was given for each item, and the weight of the gold and silver was noted.
35 Then everyone in our party sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel - twelve oxen for the nation of Israel; ninety-six rams; seventy-seven lambs; and twelve goats as a sin offering. 36 The king's decrees were delivered to his lieutenants and the governors of all the provinces west of the Euphrates River, and of course they then cooperated in the rebuilding of the Temple of God.
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JOURNEY EZRA 8:21
Ezra and the people traveled approximately 900 miles on foot. The trip took them through dangerous and difficult territory and lasted about four months. They prayed that God would protect them and give them a good journey. Our journeys today may not be as difficult and dangerous as Ezra's, but we should feel free to ask God for guidance and protection.
EZRA009
1 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "Ezra, the Israelites, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the people around us. Those neighbors do evil things, as the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites did.ab
2 The Israelite men and their sons have married these women. They have mixed the people who belong to God with the people around them. The leaders and officers of Israel have led the rest of the Israelites to do this unfaithful thing."
3 When I heard this, I angrily tore my robe and coat, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down in shock.
4 Everyone who trembled in fear at the word of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the captives who had returned. I sat there in shock until the evening sacrifice.
5 At the evening sacrifice I got up from where I had shown my shame. My robe and coat were torn, and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God.
6 I prayed, "My God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are so many. They are higher than our heads. Our guilt even reaches up to the sky.
7 From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we, our kings, and our priests have been punished by the sword and captivity. Foreign kings have taken away our things and shamed us, even as it is today.
8 "But now, for a short time, the LORD our God has been kind to us. He has let some of us come back from captivity and has let us live in safety in his holy place. And so our God gives us hope and a little relief from our slavery.
9 Even though we are slaves, our God has not left us. He caused the kings of Persia to be kind to us and has given us new life. We can rebuild the Temple and repair its ruins. And he has given us a wall to protect us in Judah and Jerusalem.lavery.
10 "But now, our God, what can we say after you have done all this? We have disobeyed your commands
11 that you gave through your servants the prophets. You said, `The land you are entering to own is ruined; the people living there have spoiled it by the evil they do. Their evil filled the land with uncleanness from one end to the other.
12 So do not let your daughters marry their sons, and do not let their daughters marry your sons. Do not wish for their peace or success. Then you will be strong and eat the good things of the land. Then you can leave this land to your descendants forever.'
13 "What has happened to us is our own fault. We have done evil things, and our guilt is great. But you, our God, have punished us less than we deserve; you have left a few of us alive.
14 We should not again break your commands by allowing marriages with these wicked people. If we did, you would get angry enough to destroy us, and none of us would be left alive.
15 LORD, God of Israel, by your goodness a few of us are left alive today. We admit that we are guilty and none of us should be allowed to stand before you."
1 But then the Jewish leaders came to tell me that many of the Jewish people and even some of the priests and Levites had taken up the horrible customs of the heathen people who lived in the land - the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2 The men of Israel had married girls from these heathen nations and had taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy people of God were being polluted by these mixed marriages, and the political leaders were some of the worst offenders.
3 When I heard this, I tore my clothing and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down utterly baffled. 4 Then many who feared the God of Israel because of this sin of his people came and sat with me until the time of the evening burnt offering.
5 Finally I stood before the Lord in great embarrassment; then I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord, 6 and cried out, " my God, I am ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you, for our sins are piled higher than our heads and our guilt is as boundless as the heavens. 7 Our whole history has been one of sin; that is why we and our kings and our priests were slain by the heathen kings - we were captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today. 8 But now we have been given a moment of peace, for you have permitted a few of us to return to Jerusalem from our exile. You have given us a moment of joy and new life in our slavery. 9 For we were slaves, but in your love and mercy you did not abandon us to slavery; instead, you caused the kings of Persia to be favorable to us. They have even given us their assistance in rebuilding the Temple of our God and in giving us Jerusalem as a walled city in Judah.
10 "And now, God, what can we say after all of this? For once again we have abandoned you and broken your laws! 11 The prophets warned us that the land we would possess was totally defiled by the horrible practices of the people living there. From one end to the other it is filled with corruption. 12 You told us not to let our daughters marry their sons, and not to let our sons marry their daughters, and not to help those nations in any way. You warned us that only if we followed this rule could we become a prosperous nation and forever leave that prosperity to our children as an inheritance. 13 And now, even after our punishment in exile because of our wickedness (and we have been punished far less than we deserved), and even though you have let some of us return, 14 we have broken your commandments again and intermarried with people who do these awful things. Surely your anger will destroy us now until not even this little remnant escapes. 15 Lord God of Israel, you are a just God; what hope can we have if you give us justice as we stand here before you in our wickedness?"
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MARRIAGE EZRA 9:2
Some Israelites had married heathen spouses and had lost track of God's purpose for them. The New Testament says that believers should not marry unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life-commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue. One spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. Don't allow emotion or passion to blind you to the ultimate importance of marrying someone with whom you can truly be united.
SIN EZRA 9:5-15
After learning about the sins of the people, Ezra fell to his knees in prayer. His heartfelt prayer provides a good perspective on sin. He recognized (1) that sin is serious (9:6); (2) that no one sins without affecting others (9:7); (3) that he was not sinless, although he didn't have a heathen wife (9:10ff); and (4) that God's love and mercy had spared the nation when they did nothing to deserve it (9:8-9,15). It is easy to view sin lightly in a world that sees sin as inconsequential, but we should view sin as seriously as Ezra did.
EZRA010
1 As Ezra was praying and confessing and crying and throwing himself down in front of the Temple, a large group of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him who were also crying loudly.
2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel the Elamite said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying women from the peoples around us. But even so, there is still hope for Israel.
3 Now let us make an agreement before our God. We will send away all these women and their children as you and those who respect the commands of our God advise. Let it be done to obey God's Teachings.
4 Get up, Ezra. You are in charge, and we will support you. Have courage and do it."
5 So Ezra got up and made the priests, Levites, and all the people of Israel promise to do what was suggested; and they promised.
6 Then Ezra left the Temple and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While Ezra was there, he did not eat or drink, because he was still sad about the unfaithfulness of the captives who had returned.
7 They sent an order in Judah and Jerusalem for all the captives who had returned to meet together in Jerusalem.
8 Whoever did not come to Jerusalem within three days would lose his property and would no longer be a member of the community of the returned captives. That was the decision of the officers and older leaders.
9 So within three days all the people of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people were sitting in the open place in front of the Temple and were upset because of the meeting and because it was raining.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful and have married Non-jewish women. You have made Israel more guilty.
11 Now, confess it to the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Do his will and separate yourselves from the people living around you and from your Non-jewish wives."
12 Then the whole group answered Ezra with a loud voice, "Ezra, you're right! We must do what you say.
13 But there are many people here, and it's the rainy season. We can't stand outside, and this problem can't be solved in a day or two, because we have sinned badly.
14 Let our officers make a decision for the whole group. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a Non-jewish woman meet with the older leaders and judges of each town at a planned time, until the hot anger of our God turns away from us."
15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel, Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, Meshullam, and Shabbethai the Levite were against the plan.
16 So the returned captives did what was suggested. Ezra the priest chose men who were leaders of the family groups and named one from each family division. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to study each case.
17 By the first day of the first month, they had finished with all the men who had married Non-jewish women.
18 These are the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women: From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and Jeshua's brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 (They all promised to divorce their wives, and each one brought a male sheep from the flock as a penalty offering.)
20 From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Among the singers: Eliashib. Among the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And among the other Israelites, these married Non-jewish women: From the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of PAHATH-MOAB: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 From the descendants of Binnui: Shimei,
39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
1 As I lay on the ground in front of the Temple, weeping and praying and making this confession, a large crowd of men, women, and children gathered around and cried with me.
2 Then Shecaniah (the son of Jehiel of the clan of Elam) said to me, "We acknowledge our sin against our God, for we have married these heathen women. But there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 For we agree before our God to divorce our heathen wives and to send them away with our children; we will follow your commands and the commands of the others who fear our God. We will obey the laws of God. 4 Take courage and tell us how to proceed in setting things straight, and we will fully cooperate."
5 So I stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests and the Levites and all the people of Israel swear that they would do as Shecaniah had said; and they all agreed. 6 Then I went into the room of Jehohanan in the Temple and refused all food and drink, for I was mourning because of the sin of the returned exiles.
7-8 Then a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem that everyone should appear at Jerusalem within three days and that the leaders and elders had decided that anyone who refused to come would be disinherited and excommunicated from Israel. 9 Within three days, on the fifth day of December, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had arrived and were sitting in the open space before the Temple; and they were trembling because of the seriousness of the matter and because of the heavy rainfall. 10 Then I, Ezra the priest, arose and addressed them:
"You have sinned, for you have married heathen women; now we are even more deeply under God's condemnation than we were before. 11 Confess your sin to the Lord God of your fathers and do what he demands: separate yourselves from the heathen people about you and from these women."
12 Then all the men spoke up and said, "We will do what you have said. 13 But this isn't something that can be done in a day or two, for there are many of us involved in this sinful affair. And it is raining so hard that we can't stay out here much longer. 14 Let our leaders arrange trials for us. Everyone who has a heathen wife will come at the scheduled time with the elders and judges of his city; then each case will be decided and the situation will be cleared up, and the fierce wrath of our God will be turned away from us."
15 Only Jonathan (son of Asahel), Jahzeiah (son of Tikvah), Meshullam, and Shabbethai the Levite opposed this course of action.
16-19 So this was the plan that was followed: Some of the clan leaders and I were designated as judges; we began our work on December 2015 and finished by March 2015.
Following is the list of priests who had married heathen wives (they vowed to divorce their wives and acknowledged their guilt by offering rams as sacrifices): Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, Gedaliah.
20 The sons of Immer: Hanani, Zebadiah.
21 The sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, Uzziah.
22 The sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, Elasah.
23 The Levites who were guilty: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahaiah, Judah, Eliezer.
24 Of the singers, there was Eliashib.
Of the gatekeepers, Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Here is the list of ordinary citizens who were declared guilty:
From the clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, Benaiah.
26 From the clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, Elijah.
27 From the clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, Aziza.
28 From the clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
29 From the clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, Jeremoth.
30 From the clan of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, Manasseh.
31-32 From the clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
33 From the clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
43 From the clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, Benaiah.
44 Each of these men had heathen wives, and many had children by these wives.
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CHANGED EZRA 10:3-4
Following Ezra's earnest prayer, the people admitted their sin to God. Then they asked for direction in restoring their relationship with God. True repentance does not end when we speak words of confession-that would be mere lip service. It must lead to corrected behavior and changed atti- tudes. When you sin and are truly sorry, confess this to God, ask his forgiveness, and accept his grace and mercy. Then, as an act of thankful- ness for your forgiveness, change your ways.
REBUILT EZRA 10:44
The book of Ezra opens with God's temple in ruins and the people of Judah captive in Babylon. Ezra tells of the return of God's people, the rebuilding of the temple, and the restoration of the sacrificial worship system. Similarly, God is able to restore and rebuild the lives of people today. No one is so far away from God that he or she cannot be restored. Repentance is all that is required. No matter how far we have strayed, or how long it has been since we have worshiped God, he is able to restore our relationship to him and rebuild our lives.
VNEHEM
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
Nehemiah is the last of the Old Testament historical books. It records the history of the third return to Jerusalem after captivity, telling how the walls were rebuilt and how the people were renewed in their faith.
AUTHOR:
Much of the book is written in the first person, suggesting Nehemiah as the author. Nehemiah probably wrote the book, with Ezra serving as editor.
DATE WRITTEN:
Approximately 445-432 B.C.
SETTING:
Zerubbabel led the first return to Jerusalem in 537 B.C. In 458, Ezra led the second return. Finally, in 445, Nehemiah returned with the third group of exiles to rebuild the city walls.
KEY PEOPLE:
Nehemiah, Ezra, Sanballat, Tobiah
KEY PLACE:
Jerusalem
SPECIAL FEATURE:
The book shows the fulfillment of the prophecies of Zechariah and Daniel concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls
Are you a leader? Most people think they are leaders, but real leadership is proven in adversity, in working through tough problems and painful situations. When tough times come, many would-be leaders find they fall apart. Nehemiah was a proven leader. He left a secure position in the government of Persia to return to his homeland and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He succeeded, too, despite incredible obstacles and opposition. The book of Nehemiah tells his story. We often dream of the glory and the praise of leadership, but we tend to forget about the turmoil and difficulty leadership can carry. God uses men and women who show the same tenacity that Nehemiah had. Unfortunately, not many people are like Nehemiah. Read the book to see true leadership in action. And ask God to help you become a leader like Nehemiah._
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
NEHEM001
GRIEF
1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa.
2 One of my brothers named Hanani came with some other men from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem and the Jewish people who lived through the captivity.
3 They answered me, "Those who are left from the captivity are back in Judah, but they are in much trouble and are full of shame. The wall around Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned."
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and ate nothing. I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 "LORD, God of heaven, you are the great God who is to be respected. You are loyal, and you keep your agreement with those who love you and obey your commands.
6 Look and listen carefully. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. My father's family and I have sinned against you.
7 We have been wicked toward you and have not obeyed the commands, rules, and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 "Remember what you taught your servant Moses, saying, `If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations.
9 But if you return to me and obey my commands, I will gather your people from the far ends of the earth. And I will bring them from captivity to where I have chosen to be worshiped.'
10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you have saved with your great strength and power.
11 Lord, listen carefully to the prayer of your servant and the prayers of your servants who love to honor you. Give me, your servant, success today; allow this king to show kindness to me." I was the one who served wine to the king.
1 The autobiography of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah:
In December of the twentieth year of the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, when I was at the palace at Shushan, 2 one of my fellow Jews named Hanani came to visit me with some men who had arrived from Judah. I took the opportunity to inquire about how things were going in Jerusalem.
"How are they getting along - ," I asked, "the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from their exile here?"
3 "Well," they replied, "things are not good; the wall of Jerusalem is still torn down, and the gates are burned."
4 When I heard this, I sat down and cried. In fact, I refused to eat for several days, for I spent the time in prayer to the God of heaven.
5 " Lord God," I cried out; " great and awesome God who keeps his promises and is so loving and kind to those who love and obey him! Hear my prayer! 6-7 Listen carefully to what I say! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you; yes, I and my people have committed the horrible sin of not obeying the commandments you gave us through your servant Moses. 8 Oh, please remember what you told Moses! You said,
" `If you sin, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to me and obey my laws, even though you are exiled to the farthest corners of the universe, I will bring you back to Jerusalem. For Jerusalem is the place in which I have chosen to live.'
10 "We are your servants, the people you rescued by your great power. 11 Lord, please hear my prayer! Heed the prayers of those of us who delight to honor you. Please help me now as I go in and ask the king for a great favor - put it into his heart to be kind to me." (I was the king's cupbearer.)
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11,11,21,1585
1,2,1,1
3,3,5,449
4,4,7,567
5,9,9,710
10,11,11,1449
GRIEF NEHEM 1:4
Nehemiah was deeply grieved about the condition of Jerusalem, but he didn't just brood about it. After his initial grief, he poured his heart out to God (1:5-11) and looked for ways to improve the situation. He put all his resources of knowledge, ex- perience, and organization into determining what should be done. When tragic news comes to you, first pray. Then seek ways to move beyond grief to specific action that offers help to those who need it.
NEHEM002
1 It was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year Artaxerxes was king. He wanted some wine, so I took some and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before.
2 So the king said, "Why does your face look sad even though you are not sick? Your heart must be sad." Then I was very afraid.
3 I said to the king, "May the king live forever! My face is sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire."
4 Then the king said to me, "What do you want?" First I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Then I answered the king, "If you are willing and if I have pleased you, send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so I can rebuild it."
6 The queen was sitting next to the king. He asked me, "How long will your trip take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If you are willing, give me letters for the governors of TRANS-EUPHRATES. Tell them to let me pass safely through their lands on my way to Judah.
8 And may I have a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, telling him to give me timber? I will need it to make boards for the gates of the palace, which is by the Temple, and for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live." So the king gave me the letters, because God was showing kindness to me.
9 Then I went to the governors of TRANS-EUPHRATES and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and soldiers on horses with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite officer heard about this, they were upset that someone had come to help the Israelites.
11 I went to Jerusalem and stayed there three days.
12 Then at night I started out with a few men. I had not told anyone what God had caused me to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except the one I was riding.
13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate. I rode toward the Dragon Well and the Trash Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Then I rode on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for the animal I was riding to pass through.
15 So I went up the valley at night, inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned and went back in through the Valley Gate.
16 The guards did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet said anything to the Jewish people, the priests, the important men, the officers, or any of the others who would do the work.
17 Then I said to them, "You can see the trouble we have here. Jerusalem is a pile of ruins, and its gates have been burned. Come, let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we won't be full of shame any longer."
18 I also told them how God had been kind to me and what the king had said to me. Then they answered, "Let's start rebuilding." So they began to work hard.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite officer, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they made fun of us and laughed at us. They said, "What are you doing? Are you turning against the king?"
20 But I answered them, "The God of heaven will give us success. We, his servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no share, claim, or memorial in Jerusalem."
1 One day in April, four months later, as I was serving the king his wine he asked me, "Why so sad? You aren't sick, are you? You look like a man with deep troubles." (For until then I had always been cheerful when I was with him.) I was badly frightened, 3 but I replied, "Sir, why shouldn't I be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been burned down."
4 "Well, what should be done?" the king asked.
With a quick prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your Majesty and if you look upon me with your royal favor, send me to Judah to rebuild the city of my fathers!"
5-6 The king replied, with the queen sitting beside him, "How long will you be gone? When will you return?"
So it was agreed! And I set a time for my departure!
7 Then I added this to my request: "If it please the king, give me letters to the governors west of the Euphrates River instructing them to let me travel through their countries on my way to Judah; 8 also a letter to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber for the beams and for the gates of the fortress near the Temple, and for the city walls, and for a house for myself."
And the king granted these requests, for God was being gracious to me.
9 When I arrived in the provinces west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king's letters to the governors there. (The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and troops to protect me!) 10 But when Sanballat (the Horonite) and Tobiah (an Ammonite who was a government official) heard of my arrival, they were very angry that anyone was interested in helping Israel.
11-12 Three days after my arrival at Jerusalem I stole out during the night, taking only a few men with me; for I hadn't told a soul about the plans for Jerusalem that God had put into my heart. I was mounted on my donkey and the others were on foot, 13 and we went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal's Well and over to the Dung Gate to see the broken walls and burned gates. 14-15 Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble. So we circled the city, and I followed the brook, inspecting the wall, and entered again at the Valley Gate.
16 The city officials did not know I had been out there or why, for as yet I had said nothing to anyone about my plans - not to the political or religious leaders, or even to those who would be doing the work.
17 But now I told them, "You know full well the tragedy of our city; it lies in ruins and its gates are burned. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rid ourselves of this disgrace!"
18 Then I told them about the desire God had put into my heart, and of my conversation with the king, and the plan to which he had agreed.
They replied at once, "Good! Let's rebuild the wall!" And so the work began.
19 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed and said, "What are you doing, rebelling against the king like this?"
20 But I replied, "The God of heaven will help us, and we, his servants, will rebuild this wall; but you may have no part in this affair."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,180
3,3,5,312
4,4,7,487
5,5,9,576
6,6,11,736
7,7,13,904
8,8,15,1077
9,9,17,1402
10,10,19,1559
11,11,21,1706
12,12,23,1762
13,13,25,1938
14,14,27,2147
15,15,29,2290
16,16,31,2412
17,17,33,2621
18,18,35,2834
19,19,37,2994
20,20,39,3205
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,401
5,6,6,632
7,8,9,797
9,10,12,1282
11,15,14,1664
16,16,16,2274
17,17,18,2487
18,18,20,2676
19,19,23,2896
20,20,25,3052
FEAR NEHEM 2:3
Nehemiah wasn't ashamed to admit his fear, but he refused to allow fear to stop him from doing what God had called him to do. When we allow our fears to rule our lives, we make them more powerful than God. Is there something God wants you to do, but fear is holding you back? God is greater than all our fears. Recognizing your fear is the first step in committing it to God. If God has called you to a task, he will help you accomplish it.
VISION NEHEM 2:17-18
Spiritual renewal often begins with one per- son's vision. Nehemiah had a vision, and he shared it with enthusiasm, inspiring Jerusalem's leaders to rebuild the walls.
We frequently under- estimate people and don't challenge them with our dreams for God's work in the world. When God plants an idea in your mind to accom- plish something for him, share it with others and trust the Holy Spirit to impress them with similar thoughts. Don't see yourself as the only one through whom God is working. Often God uses one person to express the vision and others to turn it into reality. When you encourage and inspire others, you put teamwork into action to accomplish God's goals.
NEHEM003
V'n'D)
1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They gave it to the Lord's service and set its doors in place. They worked as far as the Tower of the Hundred and gave it to the Lord's service. Then they went on to the Tower of Hananel.
2 Next to them, the men of Jericho built part of the wall, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.
3 The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate, laying its boards and setting its doors, bolts, and bars in place.
4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs next to them. Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs next to Meremoth. And Zadok son of Baana made repairs next to Meshullam.
5 The men from Tekoa made repairs next to them, but the leading men of Tekoa would not work under their supervisors.
6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They laid its boards and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place.
7 Next to them, Melatiah from Gibeon, other men from Gibeon and Mizpah, and Jadon from Meronoth made repairs. These places were ruled by the governor of TRANS-EUPHRATES.
8 Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith, made repairs. And next to him, Hananiah, a perfume maker, made repairs. These men rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
9 The next part of the wall was repaired by Rephaiah son of Hur, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem.
10 Next to him, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his own house. And next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of PAHATH-MOAB repaired another part of the wall and the Tower of the Ovens.
12 Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem, and his daughters made repairs.
13 Hanun and the people of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate, rebuilding it and setting its doors, bolts, and bars in place. They also repaired the five hundred yards of the wall to the Trash Gate.
14 Malkijah son of Recab, the ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem, repaired the Trash Gate. He rebuilt that gate and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place.
15 Shallun son of COL-HOZEH, the ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, put a roof over it, and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam next to the King's Garden all the way to the steps that went down from the older part of the city.
16 Next to Shallun was Nehemiah son of Azbuk, the ruler of half of the district of Beth Zur. He made repairs opposite the tombs of David and as far as the man-made pool and the House of the Heroes.
17 Next to him, the Levites made repairs, working under Rehum son of Bani. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half of the district of Keilah, for his district.
18 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad and his Levites made repairs. Binnui was the ruler of the other half of the district of Keilah.
19 Next to them, Ezer son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another part of the wall. He worked across from the way up to the armory, as far as the bend.
20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai worked hard on the wall that went from the bend to the entrance to the house of Eliashib, the high priest.
21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the wall that went from the entrance to Eliashib's house to the far end of it.
22 Next to him worked the priests from the surrounding area.
23 Next to them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their own house. Next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his own house.
24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired the wall that went from Azariah's house to the bend and on to the corner.
25 Palal son of Uzai worked across from the bend and by the tower on the upper palace, which is near the courtyard of the king's guard. Next to Palal, Pedaiah son of Parosh made repairs.
26 The Temple servants who lived on the hill of Ophel made repairs as far as a point opposite the Water Gate. They worked toward the east and the tower that extends from the palace.
27 Next to them, the people of Tekoa repaired the wall from the great tower that extends from the palace to the wall of Ophel.
28 The priests made repairs above the Horse Gate, each working in front of his own house.
29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard of the East Gate, made repairs.
30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, made repairs on another part of the wall. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs across from where he lived.
31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. He worked as far as the house of the Temple servants and the traders, which is across from the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner of the wall.
32 The goldsmiths and the traders made repairs between the room above the corner of the wall and the Sheep Gate.
1 Then Eliashib the High Priest and the other priests rebuilt the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel; then they rebuilt the Sheep Gate, hung its doors, and dedicated it. 2 Men from the city of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was the work crew led by Zaccur (son of Imri).
3 The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah; they did the whole thing - cut the beams, hung the doors, and made the bolts and bars. 4 Meremoth (son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz) repaired the next section of wall, and beyond him were Meshullam (son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel) and Zadok (son of Baana). 5 Next were the men from Tekoa, but their leaders were lazy and didn't help.
6 The Old Gate was repaired by Joiada (son of Paseah) and Meshullam (son of Besodeiah). They laid the beams, set up the doors, and installed the bolts and bars. 7 Next to them were Melatiah from Gibeon; Jadon from Meronoth; and men from Gibeon and Mizpah, who were citizens of the province. 8 Uzziel (son of Harhaiah) was a goldsmith by trade, but he too worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. Repairs were not needed from there to the Broad Wall.
9 Rephaiah (son of Hur), the mayor of half of Jerusalem, was next down the wall from them. 10 Jedaiah (son of Harumaph) repaired the wall beside his own house, and next to him was Hattush (son of Hashabneiah). 11 Then came Malchijah (son of Harim) and Hasshub (son of Pahath-moab), who repaired the Furnace Tower in addition to a section of the wall. 12 Shallum (son of Hallohesh) and his daughters repaired the next section. He was the mayor of the other half of Jerusalem.
13 The people from Zanoah, led by Hanun, built the Valley Gate, hung the doors, and installed the bolts and bars; then they repaired the 1,500 feet of wall to the Dung Gate.
14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah (son of Rechab), the mayor of the Beth-haccherem area; and after building it, he hung the doors and installed the bolts and bars.
15 Shallum (son of Col-hozeh), the mayor of the Mizpah district, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, roofed it, hung its doors, and installed its locks and bars. Then he repaired the wall from the pool of Siloam to the king's garden and the stairs that descend from the City of David section of Jerusalem. 16 Next to him was Nehemiah (son of Azbuk), the mayor of half the Beth-zur district; he built as far as the royal cemetery, the water reservoir, and the old Officers' Club building. 17 Next was a group of Levites working under the supervision of Rehum (son of Bani). Then came Hashabiah, the mayor of half the Keilah district, who supervised the building of the wall in his own district. 18 Next down the line were his clan brothers led by Bavvai (son of Henadad), the mayor of the other half of the Keilah district.
19 Next to them the workers were led by Ezer (son of Jeshua), the mayor of another part of Mizpah; they also worked on the section of wall across from the armory where the wall turns. 20 Next to him was Baruch (son of Zabbai), who built from the turn in the wall to the home of Eliashib the High Priest. 21 Meremoth (son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz) built a section of the wall extending from a point opposite the door of Eliashib's house to the side of the house.
22 Then came the priests from the plains outside the city. 23 Benjamin, Hasshub, and Azariah (son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah) repaired the sections next to their own houses. 24 Next was Binnui (son of Henadad), who built the portion of the wall from Azariah's house to the corner. 25 Palal (son of Uzai) carried on the work from the corner to the foundations of the upper tower of the king's castle beside the prison yard. Next was Pedaiah (son of Parosh).
26 The Temple attendants living in Ophel repaired the wall as far as the East Water Gate and the Projecting Tower. 27 Then came the Tekoites, who repaired the section opposite the Castle Tower and over to the wall of Ophel. 28 The priests repaired the wall beyond the Horse Gate, each one doing the section immediately opposite his own house.
29 Zadok (son of Immer) also rebuilt the wall next to his own house, and beyond him was Shemaiah (son of Shecaniah), the gatekeeper of the East Gate. 30 Next was Hananiah (son of Shelemiah); Hanun (the sixth son of Zalaph); and Meshullam (son of Berechiah), who built next to his own house. 31 Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the Temple attendants' and merchants' Guild Hall, opposite the Muster Gate; then to the upper room at the corner. 32 The other goldsmiths and merchants completed the wall from that corner to the Sheep Gate.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,284
3,3,5,390
4,4,7,508
5,5,9,719
6,6,11,840
7,7,13,987
8,8,15,1161
9,9,17,1344
10,10,19,1461
11,11,21,1600
12,12,23,1722
13,13,25,1848
14,14,27,2048
15,15,29,2213
16,16,31,2538
17,17,33,2740
18,18,35,2906
19,19,37,3044
20,20,39,3209
21,21,41,3357
22,22,43,3507
23,23,45,3572
24,24,47,3750
25,25,49,3875
26,26,51,4066
27,27,53,4252
28,28,55,4383
29,29,57,4477
30,30,59,4639
31,31,61,4845
32,32,63,5077
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,319
6,8,5,708
9,12,7,1193
13,13,9,1671
14,14,11,1848
15,18,13,2024
19,21,15,2857
22,25,17,3321
26,28,19,3782
29,32,21,4128
NEHEM004
1 When Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall, he was very angry, even furious. He made fun of the Jewish people.
2 He said to his friends and those with power in Samaria, "What are these weak Jews doing? Will they rebuild the wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in one day? Can they bring stones back to life from piles of trash and ashes?"
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was next to Sanballat, said, "If a fox climbed up on the stone wall they are building, it would break it down."
4 I prayed, "Hear us, our God. We are hated. Turn the insults of Sanballat and Tobiah back on their own heads. Let them be captured and stolen like valuables.
5 Do not hide their guilt or take away their sins so that you can't see them, because they have insulted the builders."
6 So we rebuilt the wall to half its height, because the people were willing to work.
7 But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from Ashdod were very angry when they heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls were continuing and that the holes in the wall were being closed.
8 So they all made plans to come to Jerusalem and fight and stir up trouble.
9 But we prayed to our God and appointed guards to watch for them day and night.
10 The people of Judah said, "The workers are getting tired. There is so much trash we cannot rebuild the wall."
11 And our enemies said, "The Jews won't know or see anything until we come among them and kill them and stop the work."
12 Then the Jewish people who lived near our enemies came and told us ten times, "Everywhere you turn, the enemy will attack us."
13 So I put people behind the lowest places along the wall- the open places- and I put families together with their swords, spears, and bows.
14 Then I looked around and stood up and said to the important men, the leaders, and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful. Fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives, and your homes."
15 Then our enemies heard that we knew about their plans and that God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall, each to his own work.
16 From that day on, half my people worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and carried a weapon with the other.
18 Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.
19 Then I said to the important men, the leaders, and the rest of the people, "This is a very big job. We are spreading out along the wall so that we are far apart.
20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble there. Our God will fight for us."
21 So we continued to work with half the men holding spears from sunrise till the stars came out.
22 At that time I also said to the people, "Let every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. They can be our guards at night and workmen during the day."
23 Neither I, my brothers, my workers, nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes. Each person carried his weapon even when he went for water.
1 Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage, and insulted and mocked us and laughed at us, and so did his friends and the Samaritan army officers. "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing?" he scoffed. "Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices? And look at those charred stones they are pulling out of the rubbish and using again!"
3 Tobiah, who was standing beside him, remarked, "If even a fox walked along the top of their wall, it would collapse!"
4 Then I prayed, "Hear us, Lord God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back upon their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! 5 Do not ignore their sin. Do not blot it out, for they have despised you in despising us who are building your wall."
6 At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city - for the workers worked hard.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going right ahead and that the breaks in the wall were being repaired, they became furious. 8 They plotted to lead an army against Jerusalem to bring about riots and confusion. 9 But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.
10 Then some of the leaders began complaining that the workmen were becoming tired; and there was so much rubble to be removed that we could never get it done by ourselves. 11 Meanwhile, our enemies were planning to swoop down upon us and kill us, thus ending our work. 12 And whenever the workers who lived in the nearby cities went home for a visit, our enemies tried to talk them out of returning to Jerusalem. 13 So I placed armed guards from each family in the cleared spaces behind the walls.
14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid! Remember the Lord who is great and glorious; fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!"
15 Our enemies learned that we knew of their plot, and that God had exposed and frustrated their plan. Now we all returned to our work on the wall; 16 but from then on, only half worked while the other half stood guard behind them. 17 And the masons and laborers worked with weapons within easy reach beside them 18 or with swords belted to their sides. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.
19 "The work is so spread out," I explained to them, "and we are separated so widely from each other, that when you hear the trumpet blow, you must rush to where I am; and God will fight for us."
20-21 We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset; and half the men were always on guard. 22 I told everyone living outside the walls to move into Jerusalem so that their servants could go on guard duty as well as work during the day. 23 During this period none of us - I, nor my brothers, nor the servants, nor the guards who were with me - ever took off our clothes except for washing. And we carried our weapons with us at all times.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,373
4,4,7,516
5,5,9,679
6,6,11,803
7,7,13,893
8,8,15,1111
9,9,17,1192
10,10,19,1277
11,11,21,1394
12,12,23,1519
13,13,25,1653
14,14,27,1799
15,15,29,2063
16,16,31,2216
17,17,33,2390
18,18,35,2519
19,19,37,2647
20,20,39,2816
21,21,41,2911
22,22,43,3013
23,23,45,3183
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,450
4,5,5,573
6,6,7,868
7,9,9,986
10,13,11,1350
14,14,13,1852
15,18,15,2077
19,19,17,2483
20,23,19,2682
TIRED NEHEM 4:10-14
Accomplishing any large task is tiring. There are always pressures that bring discouragement-the task seems impossible, it can never be finished, or too many things are working against you. The only cure for fatigue and discouragement is focusing on God's purposes. Nehemiah reminded the workers of their calling, of their goal, and of God's protection. If you are over- whelmed by an assignment, feeling tired and discouraged, remember God's purpose for your life and the special purpose of the project.
Moral Dilemmas: Opposition ,!page "^M0043" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
NEHEM005
1 The men and their wives complained loudly against their fellow Jews.
2 Some of them were saying, "We have many sons and daughters in our families. To eat and stay alive, we need grain."
3 Others were saying, "We are borrowing money against our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain because there is not much food."
4 And still others were saying, "We are borrowing money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
5 We are just like our fellow Jews, and our sons are like their sons. But we have to sell our sons and daughters as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been sold. But there is nothing we can do, because our fields and vineyards already belong to other people."
6 When I heard their complaints about these things, I was very angry.
7 After I thought about it, I accused the important people and the leaders, "You are charging your own brothers too much interest." So I called a large meeting to deal with them.
8 I said to them, "As much as possible, we have bought freedom for our fellow Jews who had been sold to foreigners. Now you are selling your fellow Jews to us!" The leaders were quiet and had nothing to say.
9 Then I said, "What you are doing is not right. Don't you fear God? Don't let our foreign enemies shame us.
10 I, my brothers, and my men are also lending money and grain to the people. But stop charging them so much for this.
11 Give back their fields, vineyards, olive trees, and houses right now. Also give back the extra amount you charged- the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine, and oil."
12 They said, "We will give it back and not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I called for the priests, and I made the important men and leaders take an oath to do what they had said.
13 Also I shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out everyone who does not keep his promise. May God shake him out of his house and out of the things that are his. Let that person be shaken out and emptied!" Then the whole group said, "Amen," and they praised the LORD. So the people did what they had promised.I
14 I was appointed governor in the land of Judah in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' rule. I was governor of Judah for twelve years, until his thirty-second year. During that time neither my brothers nor I ate the food that was allowed for a governor.!E
15 But the governors before me had placed a heavy load on the people. They took about one pound of silver from each person, along with food and wine. The governors' helpers before me also controlled the people, but I did not do that, because I feared God.
16 I worked on the wall, as did all my men who were gathered there. We did not buy any fields.
17 Also, I fed one hundred fifty Jewish people and officers at my table, as well as those who came from the nations around us.
18 This is what was prepared every day: one ox, six good sheep, and birds. And every ten days there were all kinds of wine. But I never demanded the food that was due a governor, because the people were already working very hard.
19 Remember to be kind to me, my God, for all the good I have done for these people.
1 About this time there was a great outcry of protest from parents against some of the rich Jews who were profiteering on them. 2-4 What was happening was that families who ran out of money for food had to sell their children or mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to these rich men; and some couldn't even do that, for they already had borrowed to the limit to pay their taxes.
5 "We are their brothers, and our children are just like theirs," the people protested. "Yet we must sell our children into slavery to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to redeem them, for our fields, too, are mortgaged to these men."
6 I was very angry when I heard this; 7 so after thinking about it I spoke out against these rich government officials.
"What is this you are doing?" I demanded. "How dare you demand a mortgage as a condition for helping another Israelite!"
Then I called a public trial to deal with them.
8 At the trial I shouted at them, "The rest of us are doing all we can to help our Jewish brothers who have returned from exile as slaves in distant lands, but you are forcing them right back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?"
And they had nothing to say in their own defense.
9 Then I pressed further. "What you are doing is very evil," I exclaimed. "Should you not walk in the fear of our God? Don't we have enough enemies among the nations around us who are trying to destroy us? 10 The rest of us are lending money and grain to our fellow Jews without any interest. I beg you, gentlemen, stop this business of usury. 11 Restore their fields, vineyards, olive yards, and homes to them this very day and drop your claims against them."
12 So they agreed to do it and said that they would assist their brothers without requiring them to mortgage their lands and sell them their children. Then I summoned the priests and made these men formally vow to carry out their promises. 13 And I invoked the curse of God upon any of them who refused
"May God destroy your homes and livelihood if you fail to keep this promise," I declared.
And all the people shouted, "Amen," and praised the Lord. And the rich men did as they had promised.
14 I would like to mention that for the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah - from the twentieth until the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes - my aides and I accepted no salaries or other assistance from the people of Israel. 15 This was quite a contrast to the former governors who had demanded food and wine and $100 a day in cash, and had put the population at the mercy of their aides who tyrannized them; but I obeyed God and did not act that way. 16 I stayed at work on the wall and refused to speculate in land; I also required my officials to spend time on the wall. 17 All this despite the fact that I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides visitors from other countries! 18 The provisions required for each day were one ox, six fat sheep, and a large number of domestic fowls; and we needed a huge supply of all kinds of wines every ten days. Yet I refused to make a special levy against the people, for they were already having a difficult time. 19 my God, please keep in mind all that I've done for these people and bless me for it.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,197
4,4,7,334
5,5,9,445
6,6,11,717
7,7,13,791
8,8,15,974
9,9,17,1186
10,10,19,1299
11,11,21,1422
12,12,23,1604
13,13,25,1819
14,14,27,2165
15,15,29,2429
16,16,31,2689
17,17,33,2788
18,18,35,2919
19,19,37,3153
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,391
6,7,5,685
8,8,9,979
9,11,12,1279
12,13,14,1743
14,19,18,2242
NEHEM006
1 Then Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there was not one gap in it. But I had not yet set the doors in the gates.
2 So Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, Nehemiah, let's meet together in Kephirim on the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me.
3 So I sent messengers to them with this answer: "I am doing a great work, and I can't come down. I don't want the work to stop while I leave to meet you."
4 Sanballat and Geshem sent the same message to me four times, and each time I sent back the same answer.
5 The fifth time Sanballat sent his helper to me with the message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter.
6 This is what was written: A report is going around to all the nations, and Geshem says it is true, that you and the Jewish people are planning to turn against the king and that you are rebuilding the wall. They say you are going to be their king
7 and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem: "There is a king of Judah!" The king will hear about this. So come, let's discuss this together.
8 So I sent him back this answer: "Nothing you are saying is really happening. You are just making it up in your own mind."
9 Our enemies were trying to scare us, thinking, "They will get too weak to work. Then the wall will not be finished." But I prayed, "God, make me strong."
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had to stay at home. He said, "Nehemiah, let's meet in the Temple of God. Let's go inside the Temple and close the doors, because men are coming at night to kill you."
11 But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Should I run for my life into the Temple? I will not go."
12 I knew that God had not sent him but that Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to prophesy against me.
13 They paid him to frighten me so I would do this and sin. Then they could give me a bad name to shame me.
14 I prayed, "My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat and what they have done. Also remember the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to frighten me."
15 The wall of Jerusalem was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took fifty-two days to rebuild.
16 When all our enemies heard about it and all the nations around us saw it, they were shamed. They then understood that the work had been done with the help of our God.
17 Also in those days the important men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and he answered them.
18 Many Jewish people had promised to be faithful to Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. And Tobiah's son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.
19 These important men kept telling me about the good things Tobiah was doing, and then they would tell Tobiah what I said about him. So Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that we had almost completed the rebuilding of the wall - though we had not yet hung all the doors of the gates - 2 they sent me a message asking me to meet them in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to kill me, 3 so I replied by sending back this message to them: "I am doing a great work! Why should I stop to come and visit with you?"
4 Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply. 5-6 The fifth time, Sanballat's servant came with an open letter in his hand, and this is what it said:
"Geshem tells me that everywhere he goes he hears that the Jews are planning to rebel, and that is why you are building the wall. He claims you plan to be their king - that is what is being said. 7 He also reports that you have appointed prophets to campaign for you at Jerusalem by saying, `Look! Nehemiah is just the man we need!'
"You can be very sure that I am going to pass along these interesting comments to King Artaxerxes! I suggest that you come and talk it over with me - for that is the only way you can save yourself!"
8 My reply was, "You know you are lying. There isn't one bit of truth to the whole story. 9 You're just trying to scare us into stopping our work." ( Lord God, please strengthen me!)
10 A few days later I went to visit Shemaiah (son of Delaiah, who was the son of Mehetabel), for he said he was receiving a message from God.
"Let us hide in the Temple and bolt the door," he exclaimed, "for they are coming tonight to kill you."
11 But I replied, "Should I, the governor, run away from danger? And if I go into the Temple, not being a priest, I would forfeit my life. No, I won't do it!"
12-13 Then I realized that God had not spoken to him, but Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him to scare me and make me sin by fleeing to the Temple; and then they would be able to accuse me.
14 " my God," I prayed, "don't forget all the evil of Tobiah, Sanballat, Noadiah the prophetess, and all the other prophets who have tried to discourage me."
15 The wall was finally finished in early September - just fifty-two days after we had begun!
16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated, and they realized that the work had been done with the help of our God. 17 During those fifty-two days many letters went back and forth between Tobiah and the wealthy politicians of Judah. 18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because his father-in-law was Shecaniah (son of Arah) and because his son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam (son of Berechiah). 19 They all told me what a wonderful man Tobiah was, and then they told him everything I had said; and Tobiah sent many threatening letters to frighten me.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,188
3,3,5,346
4,4,7,506
5,5,9,616
6,6,11,727
7,7,13,979
8,8,15,1145
9,9,17,1273
10,10,19,1433
11,11,21,1695
12,12,23,1804
13,13,25,1911
14,14,27,2023
15,15,29,2202
16,16,31,2326
17,17,33,2500
18,18,35,2604
19,19,37,2807
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,463
8,9,7,1182
10,10,9,1368
11,11,12,1618
12,13,14,1780
14,14,16,1972
15,15,18,2133
16,19,20,2230
COURAGE NEHEM 6:10-13
When Nehemiah was attacked personally, he refused to give in to fear and flee to the Temple. According to God's law, it would have been wrong for Nehemiah to go into the Temple to hide because he wasn't a priest (Numbers 18:22). If he had run for his life, he would have undermined the courage he was trying to instill in the people. Leaders are targets for attacks. Make it a practice to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2). Pray that they will stand against per- sonal attacks and temptation. They need God-given courage to overcome fear.
NEHEM007
1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were chosen.
2 I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the palace, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was honest and feared God more than most people.
3 I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut and bolt the doors. Appoint people who live in Jerusalem as guards, and put some at guard posts and some near their own houses."
4 The city was large and roomy, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.
5 Then my God caused me to gather the important men, the leaders, and the common people so I could register them by families. I found the family history of those who had returned first. This is what I found written there:
6 These are the people of the area who returned from captivity, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken away. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each going back to his own town.
7 These people returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. These are the people from Israel:
8 the descendants of Parosh- 2,172;
9 the descendants of Shephatiah- 372;
10 the descendants of Arah- 652;
11 the descendants of PAHATH-MOAB (through the family of Jeshua and Joab)- 2,818;
12 the descendants of Elam- 1,254;
13 the descendants of Zattu- 845;
14 the descendants of Zaccai- 760;
15 the descendants of Binnui- 648;
16 the descendants of Bebai- 628;
17 the descendants of Azgad- 2,322;
18 the descendants of Adonikam- 667;
19 the descendants of Bigvai- 2,067;
20 the descendants of Adin- 655;
21 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah)- 98;
22 the descendants of Hashum- 328;
23 the descendants of Bezai- 3
24; 24 the descendants of Hariph- 112;
25 the descendants of Gibeon- 95.
26 These are the people from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah- 188;
27 of Anathoth- 1
28; 28 of Beth Azmaveth- 42;
29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth- 743;
30 of Ramah and Geba- 621;
31 of Micmash- 122;
32 of Bethel and Ai- 123;
33 of the other Nebo- 52;
34 of the other Elam- 1,254;
35 of Harim- 320;
36 of Jericho- 345;
37 of Lod, Hadid, and Ono- 721;
38 of Senaah- 3,930.
39 These are the priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua)- 973;
40 the descendants of Immer- 1,052;
41 the descendants of Pashhur- 1,247;
42 the descendants of Harim- 1,017.
43 These are the Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the family of Hodaviah)- 74.
44 These are the singers: the descendants of Asaph- 148.
45 These are the gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai- 138.
46 These are the Temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 Keros, Sia, Padon,
48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,
53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 Neziah, and Hatipha.
57 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
59 Shephatiah, Hattil, POKERETH-HAZZEBAIM, and Amon.
60 The Temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon totaled 392 people.
61 Some people came to Jerusalem from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their ancestors came from Israel. Here are their names and their number:
62 the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda- 642.
63 And these priests could not prove that their ancestors came from Israel: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (He had married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and was called by her family name.)
64 These people searched for their family records, but they could not find them. So they could not be priests, because they were thought to be unclean.
65 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the holy food until a priest settled this matter by using the Urim and Thummim.
66 The total number of those who returned was 42,360.
67 This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants and the 245 male and female singers with them.
68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the family leaders gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury about 19 pounds of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests.
71 Some of the family leaders gave about 375 pounds of gold and about 2,660 pounds of silver to the treasury for the work.
72 The total of what the other people gave was about 375 pounds of gold, about 2,250 pounds of silver, and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests.
73 So these people all settled in their own towns: the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and all the other people of Israel. By the seventh month the Israelites were settled in their own towns.
1 After the wall was finished and we had hung the doors in the gates and had appointed the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites, 2 I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani and to Hananiah, the commander of the fortress - a very faithful man who revered God more than most people do. 3 I issued instructions to them not to open the Jerusalem gates until well after sunrise, and to close and lock them while the guards were still on duty. I also directed that the guards be residents of Jerusalem, and that they must be on duty at regular times, and that each homeowner who lived near the wall must guard the section of wall next to his own home. 4 For the city was large, but the population was small; and only a few houses were scattered throughout the city.
5 Then the Lord told me to call together all the leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. For I had found the record of the genealogies of those who had returned to Judah before, and this is what was written in it:
6 "The following is a list of the names of the Jews who returned to Judah after being exiled by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
57-59 "Following is a list of the descendants of Solomon's officials who returned to Judah: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, Amon.
60 "In all, the Temple assistants and the descendants of Solomon's officers numbered 392."
61 Another group returned to Jerusalem at that time from the Persian cities of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer. But they had lost their genealogies and could not prove their Jewish ancestry; 62 these were the subclans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda - a total of 642.
63 There were also several subclans of priests named after Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (he married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and took her family name), 64-65 whose genealogies had been lost. So they were not allowed to continue as priests or even to receive the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until the Urim and Thummim had been consulted to find out from God whether or not they actually were descendants of priests.
66 There was a total of 42,360 citizens who returned to Judah at that time; 67 also, 7,337 slaves and 245 choir members, both men and women. 68-69 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of their leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave $5,000 in gold, 50 20gold bowls, and 530 sets of clothing for the priests. 71 The other leaders gave a total of $100,000 in gold and $77,000 in silver; 72 and the common people gave $100,000 in gold, $70,000 in silver, and sixty-seven sets of clothing for the priests.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir members, the Temple attendants, and the rest of the people now returned home to their own towns and villages throughout Judah. But during the month of September, they came back to Jerusalem.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,288
4,4,7,562
5,5,9,672
6,6,11,898
7,7,13,1089
8,8,15,1271
9,9,17,1311
10,10,19,1353
11,11,21,1390
12,12,23,1476
13,13,25,1515
14,14,27,1553
15,15,29,1592
16,16,31,1631
17,17,33,1669
18,18,35,1709
19,19,37,1750
20,20,39,1791
21,21,41,1828
22,22,43,1883
23,24,45,1922
25,25,49,1999
26,26,51,2037
27,28,53,2112
29,29,57,2166
30,30,59,2220
31,31,61,2251
32,32,63,2275
33,33,65,2305
34,34,67,2335
35,35,69,2368
36,36,71,2390
37,37,73,2414
38,38,75,2450
39,39,77,2475
40,40,79,2569
41,41,81,2609
42,42,83,2651
43,43,85,2691
44,44,87,2801
45,45,89,2862
46,46,91,2970
47,47,93,3052
48,48,95,3078
49,49,97,3110
50,50,99,3139
51,51,101,3169
52,52,103,3198
53,53,105,3231
54,54,107,3263
55,55,109,3295
56,56,111,3325
57,57,113,3353
58,58,115,3459
59,59,117,3489
60,60,119,3546
61,61,121,3640
62,62,123,3846
63,63,125,3906
64,64,127,4125
65,65,129,4281
66,66,131,4412
67,67,133,4470
68,68,135,4582
69,69,137,4621
70,70,139,4659
71,71,141,4824
72,72,143,4951
73,73,145,5101
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,789
6,6,4,1037
7,38,6,1168
39,42,40,2597
43,45,46,2835
46,56,51,3090
57,59,53,3428
60,60,55,3619
61,62,57,3713
63,65,59,3999
66,69,61,4457
70,72,63,4681
73,73,65,5021
NEHEM008
1 All the people of Israel gathered together in the square by the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the teacher to bring out the Book of the Teachings of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought out the Teachings for the crowd. Men, women, and all who could listen and understand had gathered.
3 At the square by the Water Gate Ezra read the Teachings out loud from early morning until noon to the men, women, and everyone who could listen and understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Teachings.
4 Ezra the teacher stood on a high wooden platform that had been built just for this time. On his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. And on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book in full view of everyone, because he was above them. As he opened it, all the people stood up.
6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 These Levites explained the Teachings to the people as they stood there: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah.
8 They read from the Book of the Teachings of God and explained what it meant so the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who were teaching said to all the people, "This is a holy day to the LORD your God. Don't be sad or cry." All the people had been crying as they listened to the words of the Teachings.
10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy good food and sweet drinks. Send some to people who have none, because today is a holy day to the Lord. Don't be sad, because the joy of the LORD will make you strong."
11 The Levites helped calm the people, saying, "Be quiet, because this is a holy day. Don't be sad."
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send some of their food to others, and to celebrate with great joy. They finally understood what they had been taught.
13 On the second day of the month, the leaders of all the families, the priests, and the Levites met with Ezra the teacher. They gathered to study the words of the Teachings.
14 This is what they found written in the Teachings: The LORD commanded through Moses that the people of Israel were to live in shelters during the feast of the seventh month.
15 The people were supposed to preach this message and spread it through all their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the mountains, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, myrtle trees, palms, and shade trees. Make shelters with them, as it is written."
16 So the people went out and got tree branches. They built shelters on square by the Water Gate, and in the square next to the Gate of Ephraim.
17 The whole group that had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done this since the time of Joshua son of Nun. And they were very happy.
18 Ezra read to them every day from the Book of the Teachings, from the first day to the last. The people of Israel celebrated the feast for seven days, and then on the eighth day the people gathered as the law said.
1 Now, in mid-September, all the people assembled at the plaza in front of the Water Gate and requested Ezra, their religious leader, to read to them the law of God, which he had given to Moses.
So Ezra the priest brought out to them the scroll of Moses' laws. He stood on a wooden stand made especially for the occasion so that everyone could see him as he read. He faced the square in front of the Water Gate and read from early morning until noon. Everyone stood up as he opened the scroll. And all who were old enough to understand paid close attention. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddenah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people said, "Amen," and lifted their hands toward heaven; then they bowed and worshiped the Lord with their faces toward the ground.
7-8 As Ezra read from the scroll, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites went among the people and explained the meaning of the passage that was being read. 9 All the people began sobbing when they heard the commands of the law.
Then Ezra the priest, and I as governor, and the Levites who were assisting me said to them, "Don't cry on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God - 10 it is a time to celebrate with a hearty meal and to send presents to those in need, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. You must not be dejected and sad!"
11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, "That's right! Don't weep! For this is a day of holy joy, not of sadness."
12 So the people went away to eat a festive meal and to send presents; it was a time of great and joyful celebration because they could hear and understand God's words.
13 The next day the clan leaders and the priests and Levites met with Ezra to go over the law in greater detail. 14 As they studied it, they noted that Jehovah had told Moses that the people of Israel should live in tents during the Festival of Tabernacles to be held that month. 15 He had said also that a proclamation should be made throughout the cities of the land, especially in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, myrtle, palm, and fig trees and to make huts in which to live for the duration of the feast.
16 So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build huts on the roofs of their houses, or in their courtyards, or in the court of the Temple, or on the plaza beside the Water Gate, or at the Ephraim Gate Plaza. 17 They lived in these huts for the seven days of the feast, and everyone was filled with joy! (This procedure had not been carried out since the days of Joshua.) 18 Ezra read from the scroll on each of the seven days of the feast, and on the eighth day there was a solemn closing service as required by the laws of Moses.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,196
3,3,5,367
4,4,7,597
5,5,9,864
6,6,11,986
7,7,13,1169
8,8,15,1363
9,9,17,1491
10,10,19,1755
11,11,21,1960
12,12,23,2065
13,13,25,2242
14,14,27,2421
15,15,29,2601
16,16,31,2879
17,17,33,3028
18,18,35,3215
1,5,1,1
6,6,4,734
7,10,6,928
11,11,9,1593
12,12,11,1730
13,15,13,1902
16,18,15,2459
APPLICATION NEHEM 8:1-5
The people paid close attention to Ezra as he read God's word, and their lives were changed. Because we hear the Bible so often, we can become dulled to its words and immune to its teachings. Instead, we should listen carefully to every verse and ask the Holy Spirit to help us answer the question, How does this apply to my life?
ACT ON IT! NEHEM 8:13
After Ezra read God's laws to the people, they studied them further and then acted upon them. A careful reading of Scripture always calls for a response to these questions: What should I do with this knowledge? How should my life change? We must do something about what we have learned if it is to have real significance for our lives.
NEHEM009
1 On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the people of Israel gathered. They did not eat, and they wore rough cloth and put dust on their heads to show their sadness.
2 Those people whose ancestors were from Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors' sins.
3 For a fourth of the day they stood where they were and read from the Book of the Teachings of the LORD their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
4 These Levites were standing on the stairs: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kanani. They called out to the LORD their God with loud voices.
5 Then these Levites spoke: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said, "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who lives forever and ever." "Blessed be your wonderful name. It is more wonderful than all blessing and praise.
6 You are the only LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, with all the stars. You made the earth and everything on it, the seas and everything in them; you give life to everything. The heavenly army worships you.
7 "You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur in Babylonia and named him Abraham.
8 You found him faithful to you, so you made an agreement with him to give his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. You have kept your promise, because you do what is right.
9 "You saw our ancestors suffering in Egypt and heard them cry out at the Red Sea.
10 You did signs and miracles against the king of Egypt, and against all his officers and all his people, because you knew how proud they were. You became as famous as you are today.
11 You divided the sea in front of our ancestors; they walked through on dry ground. But you threw the people chasing them into the deep water, like a stone thrown into mighty waters.
12 You led our ancestors with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire at night. It lit the way they were supposed to go.
13 You came down to Mount Sinai and spoke from heaven to our ancestors. You gave them fair rules and true teachings, good orders and commands.
14 You told them about your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, orders, and teachings through your servant Moses.
15 When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought them water from the rock. You told them to enter and take over the land you had promised to give them.
16 "But our ancestors were proud and stubborn and did not obey your commands.
17 They refused to listen; they forgot the miracles you did for them. So they became stubborn and turned against you, choosing a leader to take them back to slavery. But you are a forgiving God. You are kind and full of mercy. You do not become angry quickly, and you have great love. So you did not leave them.
18 Our ancestors even made an idol of a calf for themselves. They said, `This is your god, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' They spoke against you.
19 "You have great mercy, so you did not leave them in the desert. The pillar of cloud guided them by day, and the pillar of fire led them at night, lighting the way they were to go.
20 You gave your good Spirit to teach them. You gave them manna to eat and water when they were thirsty.
21 You took care of them for forty years in the desert; they needed nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.
22 "You gave them kingdoms and nations; you gave them more land. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.
23 You made their children as many as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and take over.
24 So their children went into the land and took over. The Canaanites lived there, but you defeated them for our ancestors. You handed over to them the Canaanites, their kings, and the people of the land. Our ancestors could do what they wanted with them.
25 They captured strong, walled cities and fertile land. They took over houses full of good things, wells that were already dug, vineyards, olive trees, and many fruit trees. They ate until they were full and grew fat; they enjoyed your great goodness.
26 "But they were disobedient and turned against you and ignored your teachings. Your prophets warned them to come back to you, but they killed those prophets and spoke against you.
27 So you handed them over to their enemies, and their enemies treated them badly. But in this time of trouble our ancestors cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. You had great mercy and gave them saviors who saved them from the power of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had rest, they again did what was evil. So you left them to their enemies who ruled over them. When they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven. Because of your mercy, you saved them again and again.
29 You warned them to return to your teachings, but they were proud and did not obey your commands. If someone obeys your laws, he will live, but they sinned against your laws. They were stubborn, unwilling, and disobedient.
30 You were patient with them for many years and warned them by your Spirit through the prophets, but they did not pay attention. So you handed them over to other countries.
31 But because your mercy is great, you did not kill them all or leave them. You are a kind and merciful God.
32 "And so, our God, you are the great and mighty and wonderful God. You keep your agreement of love. Do not let all our trouble seem unimportant to you. This trouble has come to us, to our kings and our leaders, to our priests and prophets, to our ancestors and all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
33 You have been fair in everything that has happened to us; you have been loyal, but we have been wicked.
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your teachings; they did not pay attention to the commands and warnings you gave them.
35 Even when our ancestors were living in their kingdom, enjoying all the good things you had given them, enjoying the land that was fertile and full of room, they did not stop their evil ways.
36 "Look, we are slaves today in the land you gave our ancestors. They were to enjoy its fruit and its good things, but look, we are slaves here.
37 The land's great harvest belongs to the kings you have put over us because of our sins. Those kings rule over us and our cattle as they please, so we are in much trouble.
38 "Because of all this, we are making an agreement in writing, and our leaders, Levites, and priests are putting their seals on it."
1 On October 10 the people returned for another observance; this time they fasted and clothed themselves with sackcloth and sprinkled dirt in their hair. And the Israelis separated themselves from all foreigners. 3 The laws of God were read aloud to them for two or three hours, and for several more hours they took turns confessing their own sins and those of their ancestors. And everyone worshiped the Lord their God. 4 Some of the Levites were on the platform praising the Lord God with songs of joy. These men were Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani.
5 Then the Levite leaders called out to the people, "Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting. Praise his glorious name! It is far greater than we can think or say."
The leaders in this part of the service were Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah.
6 Then Ezra prayed, "You alone are God. You have made the skies and the heavens, the earth and the seas, and everything in them. You preserve it all; and all the angels of heaven worship you.
7 "You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. 8 When he was faithful to you, you made a contract with him to forever give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites; and now you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.
9 "You saw the troubles and sorrows of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea. 10 You displayed great miracles against Pharaoh and his people, for you knew how brutally the Egyptians were treating them; you have a glorious reputation because of those never-to-be-forgotten deeds. 11 You divided the sea for your people so they could go through on dry land! And then you destroyed their enemies in the depths of the sea; they sank like stones beneath the mighty waters. 12 You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.
13 "You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them good laws and true commandments, 14 including the laws about the holy Sabbath; and you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey them all.
15 "You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go in and conquer the land you had sworn to give them; 16 but our ancestors were a proud and stubborn lot, and they refused to listen to your commandments.
17 "They refused to obey and didn't pay any attention to the miracles you did for them; instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt! But you are a God of forgiveness, always ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and full of love and mercy; you didn't abandon them, 18 even though they made a calf idol and proclaimed, `This is our God! He brought us out of Egypt!' They sinned in so many ways, 19 but in your great mercy you didn't abandon them to die in the wilderness! The pillar of cloud led them forward day by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. 20 You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them bread from heaven or water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing in all that time. Their clothes didn't wear out, and their feet didn't swell!
22 "Then you helped them conquer great kingdoms and many nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land; they completely took over the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan. 23 You caused a population explosion among the Israelis and brought them into the land you had promised to their ancestors. 24 You subdued whole nations before them - even the kings and the people of the Canaanites were powerless! 25 Your people captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took over houses full of good things, with cisterns and vineyards and olive yards and many, many fruit trees; so they ate and were full and enjoyed themselves in all your blessings.
26 "But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They threw away your law, killed the prophets who told them to return to you, and they did many other terrible things. 27 So you gave them to their enemies. But in their time of trouble they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven, and in great mercy you sent them saviors who delivered them from their enemies. 28 But when all was going well, your people turned to sin again, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever your people returned to you and cried to you for help, once more you listened from heaven, and in your wonderful mercy delivered them! 29 You punished them in order to turn them toward your laws; but even though they should have obeyed them, they were proud and wouldn't listen, and continued to sin. 30 You were patient with them for many years. You sent your prophets to warn them about their sins, but still they wouldn't listen. So once again you allowed the heathen nations to conquer them. 31 But in your great mercy you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
32 "And now, great and awesome God, you who keep your promises of love and kindness - do not let all the hardships we have gone through become as nothing to you. Great trouble has come upon us and upon our kings and princes and priests and prophets and ancestors from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until now. 33 Every time you punished us you were being perfectly fair; we have sinned so greatly that you gave us only what we deserved. 34 Our kings, princes, priests, and ancestors didn't obey your laws or listen to your warnings. 35 They did not worship you despite the wonderful things you did for them and the great goodness you showered upon them. You gave them a large, fat land, but they refused to turn from their wickedness.
36 "So now we are slaves here in the land of plenty that you gave to our ancestors! Slaves among all this abundance! 37 The lush yield of this land passes into the hands of the kings whom you have allowed to conquer us because of our sins. They have power over our bodies and our cattle, and we serve them at their pleasure and are in great misery. 38 Because of all this, we again promise to serve the Lord! And we and our princes and Levites and priests put our names to this covenant."
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BLESSINGS NEHEM 9:35-36
Sometimes the very blessings God has showered on us make us forget him. We often are tempted to rely on money for security rather than on God. As you see what happened to the Israelites, look at your own life. Do your blessings make you thankful to God and draw you closer to him, or do they make you feel independent and forgetful of God?
NEHEM010
1 These are the men who sealed the agreement: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah.
2 Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These are the priests.
9 These are the Levites who sealed it: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10 and their fellow Levites: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 These are the leaders of the people who sealed the agreement: Parosh, PAHATH-MOAB, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 The rest of the people took an oath. They were the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, all those who separated themselves from foreigners to keep the Teachings of God, and also their wives and their sons and daughters who could understand.
29 They joined their fellow Israelites and their leading men in taking an oath, which was tied to a curse in case they broke the oath. They promised to follow the Teachings of God, which they had been given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey all the commands, rules, and laws of the LORD our God.
30 They said: We promise not to let our daughters marry foreigners nor to let our sons marry their daughters.
31 Foreigners may bring goods or grain to sell on the Sabbath, but we will not buy on the Sabbath or any holy day. Every seventh year we will not plant, and that year we will forget all that people owe us.
32 We will be responsible for the commands to pay for the service of the Temple of our God. We will give an eighth of an ounce of silver each year.
33 It is for the bread that is set out on the table; the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals, and special feasts; the holy offerings; the offerings to remove the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to God; and for the work of the Temple of our God.
34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have thrown lots to decide at what time of year each family must bring wood to the Temple. The wood is for burning on the altar of the LORD our God, and we will do this as it is written in the Teachings.
35 We also will bring the first fruits from our crops and the first fruits of every tree to the Temple each year.
36 We will bring to the Temple our firstborn sons and cattle and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, as it is written in the Teachings. We will bring them to the priests who are serving in the Temple.
37 We will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the Temple the first of our ground meal, our offerings, the fruit from all our trees, and our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tenth of our crops to the Levites, who will collect these things in all the towns where we work.
38 A priest of Aaron's family must be with the Levites when they receive the tenth of the people's crops. The Levites must bring a tenth of all they receive to the Temple of our God to put in the storerooms of the treasury.
39 The people of Israel and the Levites are to bring to the storerooms the gifts of grain, new wine, and oil. That is where the utensils for the Temple are kept and where the priests who are serving, the gatekeepers, and singers stay. We will not ignore the Temple of our God.
1 I, Nehemiah the governor, signed the covenant. The others who signed it were: Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. (All those listed above were priests.)
9-13 These were the Levites who signed: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (son of Henadad), Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
28 These men signed on behalf of the entire nation - for the common people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir members, the Temple servants, and all the rest who, with their wives and sons and daughters who were old enough to understand, had separated themselves from the heathen people of the land in order to serve God. 29 For we all heartily agreed to this oath and vowed to accept the curse of God unless we obeyed God's laws as issued by his servant Moses.
30 We also agreed not to let our daughters marry non-Jewish men and not to let our sons marry non-Jewish girls.
31 We further agreed that if the heathen people in the land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts of our brother Jews.
32 We also agreed to charge ourselves annually with a Temple tax so that there would be enough money to care for the Temple of our God; 33 for we needed supplies of the special Bread of the Presence, as well as grain offerings and burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moon feasts, and the annual feasts. We also needed to purchase the other items necessary for the work of the Temple and for the atonement of Israel.
34 Then we tossed a coin to determine when - at regular times each year - the families of the priests, Levites, and leaders should supply the wood for the burnt offerings at the Temple as required in the law.
35 We also agreed always to bring the first part of every crop to the Temple - whether it be a ground crop or from our fruit and olive trees.
36 We agreed to give to God our oldest sons and the firstborn of all our cattle, herds, and flocks, just as the law requires; we presented them to the priests who minister in the Temple of our God. 37 They stored the produce in the Temple of our God - the best of our grain crops, and other contributions, the first of our fruit, and the first of the new wine and olive oil. And we promised to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produced, for the Levites were responsible to collect the tithes in all our rural towns. 38 A priest - a descendant of Aaron - would be with the Levites as they received these tithes, and a tenth of all that was collected as tithes was delivered to the Temple and placed in the storage areas. 39 The people and the Levites were required by law to bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple and place them in the sacred containers for use by the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the choir singers.
So we agreed together not to neglect the Temple of our God.
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COMMITTED NEHEM 10:28
The wall was com- pleted, and the covenant God made with his people in the days of Moses was restored (Deuteronomy 8). This covenant includes principles that are important for us today. Our relationship with God goes far beyond church attendance and regular devotions. It should affect our relationships (10:30), our time (10:31), and our material resources (10:32-40). When you chose to follow God, you promised to serve him. The Israelites had fallen away from the original commitment they had made to follow God. We must be careful not to do the same.
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NEHEM011
1 The leaders of Israel lived in Jerusalem. But the rest of the people threw lots to choose one person out of every ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city. The other nine could stay in their own cities.
2 The people blessed those who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 These are the area leaders who lived in Jerusalem. (Some people lived on their own land in the cities of Judah. These included Israelites, priests, Levites, Temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants.
4 Others from the families of Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem.) These are the descendants of Judah who moved into Jerusalem. There was Athaiah son of Uzziah. (Uzziah was the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was a descendant of Perez.)
5 There was also Masseiah son of Baruch. (Baruch was the son of COL-HOZEH, the son of Hazaiah. Hazaiah was the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib. Joiarib was the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.)
6 All the descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 men. They were soldiers.
7 These are descendants of Benjamin who moved into Jerusalem. There was Sallu son of Meshullam. (Meshullam was the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah. Pedaiah was the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah. Maaseiah was the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah.)
8 Following him were Gabbai and Sallai, for a total of 928 men.
9 Joel son of Zicri was appointed over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in charge of the new area of the city.
10 These are the priests who moved into Jerusalem. There was Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin,
11 and Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the supervisor in the Temple. (Hilkiah was the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok. Zadok was the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub.)
12 And there were others with them who did the work for the Temple. All together there were 822 men. Also there was Adaiah son of Jeroham. (Jeroham was the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi. Amzi was the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur. Pashhur was the son of Malkijah.)
13 And there were family heads with him. All together there were 242 men. Also there was Amashsai son of Azarel. (Azarel was the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth. Meshillemoth was the son of Immer.)
14 And there were brave men with Amashsai. All together there were 128 men. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was appointed over them.
15 These are the Levites who moved into Jerusalem. There was Shemaiah son of Hasshub. (Hasshub was the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah. Hashabiah was the son of Bunni.)
16 And there were Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the leaders of the Levites who were in charge of the work outside the Temple.
17 There was Mattaniah son of Mica. (Mica was the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph.) Mattaniah was the director who led the people in thanksgiving and prayer. There was Bakbukiah, who was second in charge over his fellow Levites. And there was Abda son of Shammua. (Shammua was the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.)
18 All together 284 Levites lived in the holy city of Jerusalem.
19 The gatekeepers who moved into Jerusalem were Akkub, Talmon, and others with them. There was a total of 172 men who guarded the city gates.
20 The other Israelites, priests, and Levites lived on their own land in all the cities of Judah.
21 The Temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.
22 Uzzi son of Bani was appointed over the Levites in Jerusalem. (Bani was the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Mica.) Uzzi was one of Asaph's descendants, who were the singers responsible for the service of the Temple.
23 The singers were under the king's orders, which regulated them day by day.
24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel was the king's spokesman. (Meshezabel was a descendant of Zerah, the son of Judah.)
25 Some of the people of Judah lived in villages with their surrounding fields. They lived in Kiriath Arba and its surroundings, in Dibon and its surroundings, in Jekabzeel and its surroundings,
26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet,
27 Hazar Shual, Beersheba and its surroundings,
28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its surroundings,
29 in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and the fields around it, and in Azekah and its surroundings. So they settled from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The descendants of the Benjaminites from Geba lived in Micmash, Aija, Bethel and its surroundings,
32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
35 Lod, Ono, and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.
36 Some groups of the Levites from Judah settled in the land of Benjamin.
1 The Israeli officials were living in Jerusalem, the Holy City, at this time; but now a tenth of the people from the other cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin were selected by lot to live there too. 2 Some who moved to Jerusalem at this time were volunteers, and they were highly honored.
3 Following is a list of the names of the provincial officials who came to Jerusalem (though most of the leaders, the priests, the Levites, the Temple assistants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants continued to live in their own homes in the various cities of Judah).
4-6 Leaders from the tribe of Judah:
Athaiah (son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez);
Maaseiah (son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite).
These were the 468 stalwart descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem.
7-9 Leaders from the tribe of Benjamin:
Sallu (son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah).
The 968 descendants of Gabbai and Sallai. Their chief was Joel, son of Zichri, who was assisted by Judah, son of Hassenuah.
10-14 Leaders from among the priests:
Jedaiah (son of Joiarib);
Jachin;
Seraiah (son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub the chief priest).
In all, there were 822 priests doing the work at the Temple under the leadership of these men. And there were 242 priests under the leadership of Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah).
There were also 128 stalwart men under the leadership of Amashsai (son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer), who was assisted by Zabdiel (son of Haggedolim).
15-17 Levite leaders:
Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni);
Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were in charge of the work outside the Temple;
Mattaniah (son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph) was the one who began the thanksgiving services with prayer;
Bakbukiah and Abda (son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun) were his assistants.
18 In all, there were 284 Levites in Jerusalem.
19 There were also 172 gatekeepers, led by Akkub, Talmon, and others of their clan. 20 The other priests, Levites, and people lived wherever their family inheritance was located. 21 However, the Temple workers (whose leaders were Ziha and Gishpa) all lived in Ophel.
22-23 The supervisor of the Levites in Jerusalem and of those serving at the Temple was Uzzi (son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica), a descendant of Asaph, whose clan became the Tabernacle singers. He was appointed by King David, who also set the pay scale of the singers.
24 Pethahiah (son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah, a son of Judah) assisted in all matters of public administration.
25-30 Some of the towns where the people of Judah lived were: Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel (and their surrounding villages), Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beersheba (and its surrounding villages), Ziklag, Meconah and its villages, En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam (and their surrounding villages), Lachish and its nearby fields, Azekah and its towns.
So the people spread from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.
31-35 The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived at: Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel (and its surrounding villages), Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, Lod, Ono (the Valley of the Craftsmen).
36 Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were sent to live with the tribe of Benjamin.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,218
3,3,5,287
4,4,7,506
5,5,9,823
6,6,11,1032
7,7,13,1127
8,8,15,1386
9,9,17,1454
10,10,19,1580
11,11,21,1676
12,12,23,1845
13,13,25,2124
14,14,27,2332
15,15,29,2463
16,16,31,2641
17,17,33,2772
18,18,35,3092
19,19,37,3161
20,20,39,3308
21,21,41,3410
22,22,43,3509
23,23,45,3765
24,24,47,3847
25,25,49,3966
26,26,51,4165
27,27,53,4204
28,28,55,4256
29,29,57,4307
30,30,59,4344
31,31,61,4528
32,32,63,4634
33,33,65,4668
34,34,67,4698
35,35,69,4730
36,36,71,4783
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,297
4,6,5,575
7,9,10,944
10,14,14,1235
15,17,21,1859
18,18,27,2243
19,21,29,2294
22,23,31,2564
24,24,33,2864
25,30,35,2989
31,35,38,3429
36,36,40,3657
8 0>2<2<2
NEHEM012
1 These are the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua. There were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. They were the leaders of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. Mattaniah and his relatives were in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their relatives, stood across from them in the services.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada.
11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, these priests were the leaders of the families of priests: Meraiah, from Seraiah's family; Hananiah, from Jeremiah's family;
13 Meshullam, from Ezra's family; Jehohanan, from Amariah's family;
14 Jonathan, from Malluch's family; Joseph, from Shecaniah's family;
15 Adna, from Harim's family; Helkai, from Meremoth's family;
16 Zechariah, from Iddo's family; Meshullam, from Ginnethon's family;
17 Zicri, from Abijah's family; Piltai, from Miniamin's and Moadiah's families;
18 Shammua, from Bilgah's family; Jehonathan, from Shemaiah's family;
19 Mattenai, from Joiarib's family; Uzzi, from Jedaiah's family;
20 Kallai, from Sallu's family; Eber, from Amok's family;
21 Hashabiah, from Hilkiah's family; and Nethanel, from Jedaiah's family.
22 The leaders of the families of the Levites and the priests were written down in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, while Darius the Persian was king.
23 The family leaders among the Levites were written down in the history book, but only up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their relatives. Their relatives stood across from them and gave praise and thanksgiving to God. One group answered the other group, as David, the man of God, had commanded.
25 These were the gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms next to the gates: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub.
26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak. They also served in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and teacher.
27 When the wall of Jerusalem was offered as a gift to God, they asked the Levites to come from wherever they lived to Jerusalem to celebrate with joy the gift of the wall. They were to celebrate with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 They also brought together singers from all around Jerusalem, from the Netophathite villages,
29 from Beth Gilgal, and from the areas of Geba and Azmaveth. The singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and Levites made themselves pure, and they also made the people, the gates, and the wall of Jerusalem pure.
31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large choruses to give thanks. One chorus went to the right on top of the wall, toward the Trash Gate.
32 Behind them went Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah.
33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah also went.
35 Some priests with trumpets also went, along with Zechariah son of Jonathan. (Jonathan was the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur. Zaccur was the son of Asaph.)
36 Zechariah's relatives also went. They were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. These men played the musical instruments of David, the man of God, and Ezra the teacher walked in front of them.
37 They went from the Fountain Gate straight up the steps to the highest part of the wall by the older part of the city. They went on above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second chorus went to the left, while I followed them on top of the wall with half the people. We went from the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
39 over the Gate of Ephraim to the Old Gate and the Fish Gate, to the Gate and stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40 The two choruses took their places at the Temple. Half of the leaders and I did also.
41 These priests were there with their trumpets: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah.
42 These people were also there: Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. The choruses sang, led by Jezrahiah.
43 The people offered many sacrifices that day and were happy because God had given them great joy. The women and children were happy. The sound of happiness in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
44 At that time the leaders appointed men to be in charge of the storerooms. These rooms were for the gifts, the first fruits, and the ten percent that the people brought. The Teachings said they should bring a share for the priests and Levites from the fields around the towns. The people of Judah were happy to do this for the priests and Levites who served.
45 They performed the service of their God in making things pure. The singers and gatekeepers also did their jobs, as David had commanded his son Solomon.
46 Earlier, in the time of David and Asaph, there was a leader of the singers and of the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 So it was in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah. All the people of Israel gave something to the singers and gatekeepers, and they also set aside part for the Levites. Then the Levites set aside part for the descendants of Aaron.
1 Here is a list of the priests who accompanied Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.
8 The Levites who went with them were: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah - who was the one in charge of the thanksgiving service.
9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their fellow clansmen, helped them during the service.
10-11 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim;
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib;
Eliashib was the father of Joiada;
Joiada was the father of Jonathan;
Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12-21 The following were the clan leaders of the priests who served under the High Priest Joiakim:
Meraiah, leader of the Seraiah clan;
Hananiah, leader of the Jeremiah clan;
Meshullam, leader of the Ezra clan;
Jehohanan, leader of the Amariah clan;
Jonathan, leader of the Malluchi clan;
Joseph, leader of the Shebaniah clan;
Adna, leader of the Harim clan;
Helkai, leader of the Meraioth clan;
Zechariah, leader of the Iddo clan;
Meshullam, leader of the Ginnethon clan;
Zichri, leader of the Abijah clan;
Piltai, leader of the Moadiah and Miniamin clans;
Shammua, leader of the Bilgah clan;
Jehonathan, leader of the Shemaiah clan;
Mattenai, leader of the Joiarib clan;
Uzzi, leader of the Jedaiah clan;
Kallai, leader of the Sallai clan;
Eber, leader of the Amok clan;
Hashabiah, leader of the Hilkiah clan;
Nethanel, leader of the Jedaiah clan.
22 A genealogical record of the heads of the clans of the priests and Levites was compiled during the reign of King Darius of Persia, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua - all of whom were Levites. 23 In The Book of the Chronicles the Levite names were recorded down to the days of Johanan, the son of Eliashib.
24 These were the chiefs of the Levites at that time: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua (son of Kadmiel).
Their fellow clansmen helped them during the ceremonies of praise and thanksgiving, just as commanded by David, the man of God.
25 The gatekeepers who had charge of the collection centers at the gates were: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub.
26 These were the men who were active in the time of Joiakim (son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak), and when I was the governor, and when Ezra was the priest and teacher of religion.
27 During the dedication of the new Jerusalem wall, all the Levites throughout the land came to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies and to take part in the joyous occasion with their thanksgiving, cymbals, psaltries, and harps. 28 The choir members also came to Jerusalem from the surrounding villages and from the villages of the Netophathites; 29 they also came from Beth-gilgal and the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own villages as suburbs of Jerusalem. 30 The priests and Levites first dedicated themselves, then the people, the gates, and the wall.
31-32 I led the Judean leaders to the top of the wall and divided them into two long lines to walk in opposite directions along the top of the wall, giving thanks as they went. The group which went to the right toward the Dung Gate consisted of half of the leaders of Judah, 33 including Hoshaiah, Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.
35-36 The priests who played the trumpets were Zechariah (son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph), Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. (They used the original musical instruments of King David.) Ezra the priest led this procession. 37 When they arrived at the Fountain Gate they went straight ahead and climbed the stairs that go up beside the castle to the old City of David; then they went to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The other group, of which I was a member, went around the other way to meet them. We walked from the Tower of Furnaces to the Broad Wall, 39 then from the Ephraim Gate to the Old Gate, passed the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and went on to the gate of the Tower of the Hundred; then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Prison Gate.
40-41 Both choirs then proceeded to the Temple. Those with me were joined by the trumpet-playing priests - Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, 42 and by the singers - Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.
They sang loudly and clearly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choirmaster.
43 Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given us cause for great joy. The women and children rejoiced, too, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem was heard far away!
44 On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the treasuries, the wave offerings, the tithes, and first-of-the-harvest offerings, and to collect these from the farms as decreed by the laws of Moses. These offerings were assigned to the priests and Levites, for the people of Judah appreciated the priests and Levites and their ministry. 45 They also appreciated the work of the singers and gatekeepers, who assisted them in worshiping God and performing the purification ceremonies as required by the laws of David and his son Solomon. 46 (It was in the days of David and Asaph that the custom began of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanks to God.) 47 So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, the people brought a daily supply of food for the members of the choir, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,140
3,3,5,173
4,4,7,207
5,5,9,238
6,6,11,270
7,7,13,304
8,8,15,425
9,9,17,579
10,10,19,662
11,11,21,774
12,12,23,855
13,13,25,1011
14,14,27,1083
15,15,29,1156
16,16,31,1222
17,17,33,1296
18,18,35,1380
19,19,37,1454
20,20,39,1523
21,21,41,1585
22,22,43,1663
23,23,45,1836
24,24,47,1971
25,25,49,2233
26,26,51,2374
27,27,53,2538
28,28,55,2814
29,29,57,2915
30,30,59,3045
31,31,61,3172
32,32,63,3355
33,33,65,3419
34,34,67,3452
35,35,69,3510
36,36,71,3733
37,37,73,3967
38,38,75,4161
39,39,77,4322
40,40,79,4439
41,41,81,4532
42,42,83,4658
43,43,85,4804
44,44,87,5004
45,45,89,5369
46,46,91,5528
47,47,93,5662
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,284
9,11,5,436
12,21,13,709
22,23,35,1602
24,24,37,1936
25,25,40,2173
26,26,42,2312
27,30,44,2492
31,34,46,3080
35,37,48,3451
38,39,50,3969
40,42,52,4331
43,43,55,4691
44,47,57,4885
ing @F.
NEHEM013
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1 On that day they read the Book of Moses to the people, and they found that it said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed in the meeting to worship.
2 The Ammonites and Moabites had not welcomed the Israelites with food and water. Instead, they had hired Balaam to put a curse on Israel. (But our God turned the curse into a blessing.)
3 When the people heard this teaching, they separated all foreigners from Israel.
4 Before that happened, Eliashib the priest, who was in charge of the Temple storerooms, was friendly with Tobiah.
5 Eliashib let Tobiah use one of the large storerooms. Earlier it had been used for grain offerings, incense, the utensils, and the tenth offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil that belonged to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers. It had also been used for gifts for the priests.
6 I was not in Jerusalem when this happened. I had gone back to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year he was king. Finally I asked the king to let me leave.
7 When I returned to Jerusalem, I found out the evil Eliashib had done by letting Tobiah have a room in the Temple courtyard.
8 I was very upset at this, so I threw all of Tobiah's goods out of the room.
9 I ordered the rooms to be purified, and I brought back the utensils for God's Temple, the grain offerings, and the incense.
10 Then I found out the people were not giving the Levites their shares. So the Levites and singers who served had gone back to their own farms.
11 I argued with the officers, saying, "Why haven't you taken care of the Temple?" Then I gathered the Levites and singers and put them back at their places.
12 All the people of Judah then brought to the storerooms a tenth of their crops, new wine, and olive oil.
13 I put these men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the teacher, and Pedaiah a Levite. I made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their helper. Everyone knew they were honest men. They gave out the portions that went to their relatives.
14 Remember me, my God, for this. Do not ignore my love for the Temple and its service.
15 In those days I saw people in Judah working in the winepresses on the Sabbath day. They were bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys. And they were bringing loads of wine, grapes, and figs into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them about selling food on that day.
16 People from the city of Tyre who were living in Jerusalem brought in fish and other things and sold them there on the Sabbath day to the people of Judah.
17 I argued with the important men of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing? You are ruining the Sabbath day.
18 This is just what your ancestors did. So our God did terrible things to us and this city. Now you are making him even more angry at Israel by ruining the Sabbath day."
19 So I ordered that the doors be shut at sunset before the Sabbath and not be opened until the Sabbath was over. I put my servants at the gates so no load could come in on the Sabbath.
20 Once or twice traders and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem.
21 So I warned them, "Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do it again, I will force you away." After that, they did not come back on the Sabbath.
22 Then I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the city gates to make sure the Sabbath remained holy. Remember me, my God, for this. Have mercy on me because of your great love.
23 In those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24 Half their children were speaking the language of Ashdod or some other place, and they couldn't speak the language of Judah.
25 I argued with those people, put curses on them, hit some of them, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to make a promise to God, saying, "Do not let your daughters marry the sons of foreigners, and do not take the daughters of foreigners as wives for your sons or yourselves.
26 Foreign women made King Solomon of Israel sin. There was never a king like him in any of the nations. God loved Solomon and made him king over all Israel, but foreign women made him sin.
27 And now you are not obedient when you do this evil thing. You are unfaithful to our God when you marry foreign wives."
28 Joiada was the son of Eliashib the high priest. One of Joiada's sons married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I sent him away from me.
29 Remember them, my God, because they made the priesthood unclean and the agreement of the priests and Levites unclean.
30 So I purified them of everything that was foreign. I appointed duties for the priests and Levites, giving each man his own job.
1 On that same day, as the laws of Moses were being read, the people found a statement which said that the Ammonites and Moabites should never be permitted to worship at the Temple.
2 For they had not been friendly to the people of Israel. Instead, they had hired Balaam to curse them - although God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When this rule was read, all the foreigners were immediately expelled from the assembly.
4 Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as custodian of the Temple storerooms and who was also a good friend of Tobiah, 5 had converted a storage room into a beautiful guest room for Tobiah. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, frankincense, bowls, and tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil. Moses had decreed that these offerings belonged to the priests, Levites, the members of the choir, and the gatekeepers.
6 I was not in Jerusalem at the time, for I had returned to Babylon in the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes (though I later received his permission to go back again to Jerusalem). 7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem and learned of this evil deed of Eliashib - that he had prepared a guest room in the Temple for Tobiah - 8 I was very upset and threw out all of his belongings from the room. 9 Then I demanded that the room be thoroughly cleaned, and I brought back the Temple bowls, the grain offerings, and frankincense.
10 I also learned that the Levites had not been given what was due them, so they and the choir singers who were supposed to conduct the worship services had returned to their farms. 11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, "Why has the Temple been forsaken?" Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties. 12 And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple treasury.
13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah the Levite in charge of the administration of the storehouses; and I appointed Hanan (son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah) as their assistant. These men had an excellent reputation, and their job was to make an honest distribution to their fellow Levites.
14 my God, remember this good deed and do not forget all that I have done for the Temple.
15 One day I was on a farm and saw some men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, hauling in sheaves, and loading their donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce, which they took that day into Jerusalem. So I opposed them publicly. 16 There were also some men from Tyre bringing in fish and all sorts of wares and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Jerusalem.
17 Then I asked the leaders of Judah, "Why are you profaning the Sabbath? 18 Wasn't it enough that your fathers did this sort of thing and brought the present evil days upon us and upon our city? And now you are bringing more wrath upon the people of Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way."
19 So from then on I commanded that the gates of the city be shut as darkness fell on Friday evenings and not be opened until the Sabbath had ended; and I sent some of my servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 The merchants and tradesmen camped outside Jerusalem once or twice, 21 but I spoke sharply to them and said, "What are you doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you." And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath.
22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the sanctity of the Sabbath. Remember this good deed, my God! Have compassion upon me in accordance with your great goodness.
23 About the same time I realized that some of the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab, 24 and that many of their children spoke in the language of Ashdod and couldn't speak the language of Judah at all. 25 So I confronted these parents and cursed them and punched a few of them and knocked them around and pulled out their hair; and they vowed before God that they would not let their children intermarry with non-Jews.
26 "Wasn't this exactly King Solomon's problem?" I demanded. "There was no king who could compare with him, and God loved him and made him the king over all Israel; but even so he was led into idolatry by foreign women. 27 Do you think that we will let you get away with this sinful deed?"
28 One of the sons of Jehoiada (the son of Eliashib the High Priest) was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him out of the Temple. 29 Remember them, O my God, for they have defiled the priesthood and the promises and vows of the priests and Levites. 30 So I purged out the foreigners and assigned tasks to the priests and Levites, making certain that each knew his work. 31 They supplied wood for the altar at the proper times and cared for the sacrifices and the first offerings of every harvest. Remember me, my God, with your kindness.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,163
3,3,5,354
4,4,7,440
5,5,9,559
6,6,11,850
7,7,13,1026
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26,26,51,4076
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29,29,57,4546
30,30,59,4671
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,186
4,5,5,433
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22,22,21,3583
23,25,23,3810
26,27,25,4250
28,31,27,4543
LEADERSHIP NEHEM 13:31
Nehemiah's life story provides many principles of effective leadership that are still valid today. (1) Have a clear purpose; and keep evaluating it in light of God's will. Nothing prevented Nehemiah from staying on track. (2) Be straightforward and honest. Everyone knew exactly what Nehemiah needed, and he spoke the truth even when it made his goal harder to achieve. (3) Live above reproach. The accusations against Nehemiah were empty and false. (4) Be a person of constant prayer, deriving power and wisdom from your contact with God. Everything Nehemiah did glorified God.
Leadership appears glamorous at times, but it often is lonely, thankless, and filled with pressures to compromise values and standards. Nehemiah was able to accomplish a huge task against incredible odds because he learned that there is no success without risk of failure, no reward without hard work, no opportunity without criticism, and no true leadership without trust in God.
VESTHE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To demonstrate God's sovereignty and his loving care for his people
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Possibly Mordecai (9:29). Some have suggested Ezra or Nehemiah because of the similarity of the writing style.
DATE WRITTEN:
Approximately 483-471 B.C. (Esther became queen in 479)
SETTING:
Although Esther follows Nehemiah in the Bible, the events are about 30 years prior to those recorded in Nehemiah. The story is set in the Persian empire, and most of the action takes place in the king's palace in Shushan (Susa), the Persian capital.
KEY PEOPLE:
Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, Haman
KEY PLACE:
The king's palace in Shushan (Susa), Persia
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Esther is one of only two books named for women (Ruth is the other). The book is unusual in that, in the original version, God's name doesn't appear in it. This caused some early church leaders to question its inclusion in the Bible. But God's presence is clear throughout the book.
Overflowing with fans, the gymnasium rocks with excitement. It's the crucial moment-the one anticipated all season-but joy mixes with fear and tension. Only one point behind, the team could find its season ending abruptly. But two seconds remain in the game, and their player is at the free throw line. Cheers erupt as the ball swishes through the hoop. But then silence engulfs the stands as the player approaches the line for the second shot. Everything seems to be on the line-the play-offs, the dreams, the season. But the shooter's training pays off. The basket is made, the game is won, and a hero is made. He came through when it counted. In Persia, Esther similarly faced a crucial moment-but the stakes were the lives of thousands. All the Jews in Persia were to be killed, and Esther, the queen and a Jew, was the only one who could save them. She could make the difference. She could have pled "not me," or looked for an easy out. But Esther knew God had placed her in an influential position "for such a time as this" (4:14). She seized the moment and took action, regardless of the consequences (4:16). Because of Esther, lives were spared, the victory won. Read Esther and commit yourself to act for God when he gives you the opportunity. Remember, he places you where you can make a difference "for such a time as this."
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ESTHE001
1 This is what happened during the time of King Xerxes, the king who ruled the one hundred twenty-seven states from India to Cush.
2 In those days King Xerxes ruled from his capital city of Susa.
3 In the third year of his rule, he gave a banquet for all his important men and royal officers. The army leaders from the countries of Persia and Media and the important men from all Xerxes' empire were there.
4 The banquet lasted one hundred eighty days. All during that time King Xerxes was showing off the great wealth of his kingdom and his own great riches and glory.
5 When the one hundred eighty days were over, the king gave another banquet. It was held in the courtyard of the palace garden for seven days, and it was for everybody in the palace at Susa, from the greatest to the least.
6 The courtyard had fine white curtains and purple drapes that were tied to silver rings on marble pillars by white and purple cords. And there were gold and silver couches on a floor set with tiles of white marble, shells, and gems.
7 Wine was served in gold cups of various kinds. And there was plenty of the king's wine, because he was very generous.
8 The king commanded that the guests be permitted to drink as much as they wished. He told the wine servers to serve each person what he wanted.
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
10 On the seventh day of the banquet, King Xerxes was very happy, because he had been drinking much wine. He gave a command to the seven eunuchs who served him- Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas.
11 He commanded them to bring him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. She was to come to show her beauty to the people and important men, because she was very beautiful.
12 The eunuchs told Queen Vashti about the king's command, but she refused to come. Then the king became very angry; his anger was like a burning fire.
13 It was a custom for the king to ask advice from experts about law and order. So King Xerxes spoke with the wise men who would know the right thing to do.
14 The wise men the king usually talked to were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven of the important men of Persia and Media. These seven had special privileges to see the king and had the highest rank in the kingdom.
15 The king asked them, "What does the law say must be done to Queen Vashti? She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes, which the eunuchs took to her."
16 Then Memucan said to the king and the other important men, "Queen Vashti has not done wrong to the king alone. She has also done wrong to all the important men and all the people in all the empire of King Xerxes.
17 All the wives of the important men of Persia and Media will hear about the queen's actions. Then they will no longer honor their husbands. They will say, `King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought to him, but she refused to come.'
18 Today the wives of the important men of Persia and Media have heard about the queen's actions. So they will speak in the same way to their husbands, and there will be no end to disrespect and anger.
19 "So, our king, if it pleases you, give a royal order, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be changed. The law should say Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her place as queen to someone who is better than she is.
20 And let the king's order be announced everywhere in his enormous kingdom. Then all the women will respect their husbands, from the greatest to the least."
21 The king and his important men were happy with this advice, so King Xerxes did as Memucan suggested.
22 He sent letters to all the states of the kingdom in the writing of each state and in the language of each group of people. These letters announced that each man was to be the ruler of his own family.
1 It was the third year of the reign of King Ahasuerus, emperor of vast Media-Persia, with its 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. This was the year of the great celebration at Shushan Palace, to which the emperor invited all his governors, aides, and army officers, bringing them in from every part of Media-Persia for the occasion. 4 The celebration lasted six months, a tremendous display of the wealth and glory of his empire.
5 When it was all over, the king gave a special party for the palace servants and officials - janitors and cabinet officials alike - for seven days of revelry, held in the 20courtyard of the palace garden. 6 The decorations were green, white, and blue, 20fastened with purple ribbons tied to silver rings imbedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver benches stood on pavements of black, red, white, and yellow marble. 7 Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, for the king was feeling very generous. 8 The only restriction on the drinking was that no one should be compelled to take more than he wanted, but those who wished could have as much as they pleased. For the king had instructed his officers to let everyone decide this matter for himself.
9 Queen Vashti gave a party for the women of the palace at the same time.
10 On the final day when the king was feeling high, half drunk from wine, he told the seven eunuchs who were his personal aides - Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas - 11 to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown upon her head so that all the men could gaze upon her beauty - for she was a very beautiful woman. 12 But when they conveyed the emperor's order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. The king was furious 13-15 but first consulted his lawyers, for he did nothing without their advice. They were men of wisdom who knew the temper of the times as well as Persian law and justice, and the king trusted their judgment. These men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan - seven high officials of Media-Persia. They were his personal friends as well as being the chief officers of the government.
"What shall we do about this situation?" he asked them. "What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king's orders, properly sent through his aides?"
16 Memucan answered for the others, "Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but every official and citizen of your empire. 17 For women everywhere will begin to disobey their husbands when they learn what Queen Vashti has done. 18 And before this day is out, the wife of every one of us officials throughout your empire will hear what the queen did and will start talking to us husbands the same way, and there will be contempt and anger throughout your realm. 19 We suggest that, subject to your agreement, you issue a royal edict, a law of the Medes and Persians that can never be changed, that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she. 20 When this decree is published throughout your great kingdom, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will be respected by their wives!"
21 The king and all his aides thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel 22 and sent letters to all of his provinces, in all the local languages, stressing that every man should rule his home and should assert his authority.
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DECISIONS ESTHE 1:10-11
Ahasuerus made a rash, half-drunk decision, based purely on feelings. His self-restraint and practical wisdom were weakened by too much wine, and he later regretted his decision (2:1). Poor decisions are made when clear thinking is not involved. Base your decisions on careful thinking, not on the spur of the moment.
RESPECT ESTHE 1:20-21
One way to rule is to issue edicts that force people to comply. King Ahasuerus and his advisers responded this way. But in Matthew 20:25-26, Jesus states that this is how the heathen act, lording it over everyone. As believers, we are to act differently. God offers his free gift of salvation to all (Titus 2:11), and he tells us to treat each other with respect and love (1 Corinthians 13).
ESTHE002
1 Later, when King Xerxes was not so angry, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and his order about her.
2 Then the king's personal servants suggested, "Let a search be made for beautiful young girls for the king.
3 Let the king choose supervisors in every state of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young girl to the palace at Susa. They should be taken to the women's quarters and put under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women. And let beauty treatments be given to them.
4 Then let the girl who most pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti." The king liked this idea, so he did as they said.
5 Now there was a Jewish man in the palace of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. Jair was the son of Shimei, the son of Kish. Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin,
6 which had been taken captive from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They were part of the group taken into captivity with Jehoiachin king of Judah.
7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, who had no father or mother, so Mordecai took care of her. Hadassah was also called Esther, and she had a very pretty figure and face. Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
8 When the king's command and order had been heard, many girls had been brought to the palace in Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the king's palace and put under the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
9 Esther pleased Hegai, and he liked her. So Hegai quickly began giving Esther her beauty treatments and special food. He gave her seven servant girls chosen from the king's palace. Then he moved her and her seven servant girls to the best part of the women's quarters.
10 Esther did not tell anyone about her family or who her people were, because Mordecai had told her not to.
11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth near the courtyard where the king's women lived to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Before a girl could take her turn with King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments that were ordered for the women. For six months she was treated with oil and myrrh and for six months with perfumes and cosmetics.
13 Then she was ready to go to the king. Anything she asked for was given to her to take with her from the women's quarters to the king's palace.
14 In the evening she would go to the king's palace, and in the morning she would return to another part of the women's quarters. There she would be placed under the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the slave women. The girl would not go back to the king again unless he was pleased with her and asked for her by name.
15 The time came for Esther daughter of Abihail, Mordecai's uncle, who had been adopted by Mordecai, to go to the king. She asked for only what Hegai suggested she should take. (Hegai was the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women.) Everyone who saw Esther liked her.
16 So Esther was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, during Xerxes' seventh year as king.
17 And the king was pleased with Esther more than with any of the other girls. He liked her more than any of the other girls, so he put a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 Then the king gave a great banquet for Esther and invited all his important men and royal officers. He announced a holiday for all the empire and had the government give away gifts.
19 Now Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate when the girls were gathered the second time.
20 Esther still had not told anyone about her family or who her people were, just as Mordecai had commanded her. She obeyed Mordecai just as she had done when she was under his care.
21 Now Bigthana and Teresh were two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway. While Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, they became angry and began to make plans to kill King Xerxes.
22 But Mordecai found out about their plans and told Queen Esther. Then Esther told the king how Mordecai had discovered the evil plan.
23 When the report was investigated, it was found to be true, and the two officers who had planned to kill the king were hanged. All this was written down in the daily court record in the king's presence.
1 But after King Ahasuerus' anger had cooled, he began brooding over the loss of Vashti, realizing that he would never see her again.
2 So his aides suggested, "Let us go and find the most beautiful girls in the empire and bring them to the king for his pleasure. 3 We will appoint agents in each province to select young lovelies for the royal harem. Hegai, the eunuch in charge, will see that they are given beauty treatments, 4 and after that, the girl who pleases you most shall be the queen instead of Vashti."
This suggestion naturally pleased the king very much, and he put the plan into immediate effect.
5 Now there was a certain Jew at the palace named Mordecai (son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite). 6 He had been captured when Jerusalem was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and had been exiled to Babylon along with King Jeconiah of Judah and many others. 7 This man had a beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah (also called Esther), whose father and mother were dead, and whom he had adopted into his family and raised as his own daughter. 8 So now, as a result of the king's decree, Esther was brought to the king's harem at Shushan Palace along with many other young girls. 9 Hegai, who was responsible for the harem, was very much impressed with her and did his best to make her happy; he ordered a special menu for her, favored her for the beauty treatments, gave her seven girls from the palace as her maids, and gave her the most luxurious apartment in the harem. 10 Esther hadn't told anyone that she was a Jewess, for Mordecai had said not to. 11 He came daily to the court of the harem to ask about Esther and to find out what was happening to her.
12-14 The instructions concerning these girls were that before being taken to the king's bed, each would be given six months of beauty treatments with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. Then, as each girl's turn came for spending the night with King Ahasuerus, she was given her choice of clothing or jewelry she wished, to enhance her beauty. She was taken to the king's apartment in the evening and the next morning returned to the second harem where the king's wives lived. There she was under the care of Shaashgaz, another of the king's eunuchs and lived there the rest of her life, never seeing the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and called for her by name.
15 When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem, dressing according to his instructions. And all the other girls exclaimed with delight when they saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to the palace of the king in January of the seventh year of his reign. 17 Well, the king loved Esther more than any of the other girls. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. 18 To celebrate the occasion, he threw another big party for all his officials and servants, giving generous gifts to everyone and making grants to the provinces in the form of remission of taxes.
19 Later the king demanded a second bevy of beautiful girls. By that time Mordecai had become a government official.
20 Esther still hadn't told anyone she was a Jewess, for she was still following Mordecai's orders, just as she had in his home.
21 One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh - who were guards at the palace gate - became angry at the king and plotted to assassinate him. 22 Mordecai heard about it and passed on the information to Queen Esther, who told the king, crediting Mordecai with the information. 23 An investigation was made, the two men found guilty, and impaled alive. This was all duly recorded in the book of the history of King Ahasuerus' reign.
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ESTHE003
1 After these things happened, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He gave him a new rank that was higher than all the important men.
2 All the royal officers at the king's gate would bow down and kneel before Haman, as the king had ordered. But Mordecai would not bow down or show him honor.
3 Then the royal officers at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why don't you obey the king's command?"
4 And they said this to him every day. When he did not listen to them, they told Haman about it. They wanted to see if Haman would accept Mordecai's behavior because Mordecai had told them he was Jewish.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him or honor him, he became very angry.
6 He thought of himself as too important to try to kill only Mordecai. He had been told who the people of Mordecai were, so he looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai's people, the Jews, in all of Xerxes' kingdom.
7 It was in the first month of the twelfth year of King Xerxes' rule- the month of Nisan. Pur (that is, the lot) was thrown before Haman to choose a day and a month. So the twelfth month, the month of Adar, was chosen.
8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain group of people scattered among the other people in all the states of your kingdom. Their customs are different from those of all the other people, and they do not obey the king's laws. It is not right for you to allow them to continue living in your kingdom.
9 If it pleases the king, let an order be given to destroy those people. Then I will pay seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of silver to those who do the king's business, and they will put it into the royal treasury."
10 So the king took his signet ring off and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people.
11 Then the king said to Haman, "The money and the people are yours. Do with them as you please."
12 On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal secretaries were called, and they wrote out all of Haman's orders. They wrote to the king's governors and to the captains of the soldiers in each state and to the important men of each group of people. The orders were written in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring.
13 Letters were sent by messengers to all the king's empire ordering them to destroy, kill, and completely wipe out all the Jewish people. That meant young and old, women and little children, too. It was to happen on a single day- the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was Adar. And they could take everything the Jewish people owned.
14 A copy of the order was given out as a law in every state so all the people would be ready for that day.
15 The messengers set out, hurried by the king's command, as soon as the order was given in the palace at Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
1 Soon afterwards King Ahasuerus appointed Haman (son of Hammedatha the Agagite) as prime minister. He was the most powerful official in the empire next to the king himself. 2 Now all the king's officials bowed before him in deep reverence whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow.
3-4 "Why are you disobeying the king's commandment?" the others demanded day after day, but he still refused. Finally they spoke to Haman about it to see whether Mordecai could get away with it because of his being a Jew, which was the excuse he had given them. 5-6 Haman was furious but decided not to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but to move against all of Mordecai's people, the Jews, and destroy all of them throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 The most propitious time for this action was determined by throwing dice. This was done in April of the twelfth year of the reign of Ahasuerus, and February of the following year was the date indicated.
8 Haman now approached the king about the matter. "There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your kingdom," he began, "and their laws are different from those of any other nation, and they refuse to obey the king's laws; therefore, it is not in the king's interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will pay $20,000,000 into the royal treasury for the expenses involved in this purge."
10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his ring from his finger and giving it to Haman, telling him, 11 "Keep the money, but go ahead and do as you like with these people - whatever you think best."
12 Two or three weeks later, Haman called in the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the governors and officials throughout the empire, to each province in its own languages and dialects; these letters were signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with his ring.
13 They were then sent by messengers into all the provinces of the empire, decreeing that the Jews - young and old, women and children - must all be killed on the 28th day of February of the following year and their property given to those who killed them. 14 "A copy of this edict," the letter stated, "must be proclaimed as law in every province and made known to all your people, so that they will be ready to do their duty on the appointed day." 15 The edict went out by the king's speediest couriers, after being first proclaimed in the city of Shushan. Then the king and Haman sat down for a drinking spree as the city fell into confusion and panic.
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CONVICTION ESTHE 3:2
Mordecai's faith was based on conviction. He did not first take a poll to determine the safest or most popular course of action; he had the courage to stand alone. Doing what is right is not always popular. Those who do right often will be in the minority. But to obey God is more important than to obey people (Acts 5:29).
Profile: Esther ,!page "^esther" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
Moral Dilemmas: Taking a Stand ,!page "^M0067" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ESTHE004
1 When Mordecai heard about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on rough cloth and ashes, and went out into the city crying loudly and painfully.
2 But Mordecai went only as far as the king's gate, because no one was allowed to enter that gate dressed in rough cloth.
3 As the king's order reached every area, there was great sadness and loud crying among the Jewish people. They gave up eating and cried out loud, and many of them lay down on rough cloth and ashes to show how sad they were.
4 When Esther's servant girls and eunuchs came to her and told her about Mordecai, she was very upset and afraid. She sent clothes for Mordecai to put on instead of the rough cloth, but he would not wear them.
5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs chosen by the king to serve her. Esther ordered him to find out what was bothering Mordecai and why.
6 So Hathach went to Mordecai, who was in the city square in front of the king's gate.
7 Mordecai told Hathach everything that had happened to him, and he told Hathach about the amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasury for the killing of the Jewish people.
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the order to kill the Jewish people, which had been given in Susa. He wanted Hathach to show it to Esther and to tell her about it. And Mordecai told him to order Esther to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and to plead with him for her people.
9 Hathach went back and reported to Esther everything Mordecai had said.
10 Then Esther told Hathach to tell Mordecai,
11 "All the royal officers and people of the royal states know that no man or woman may go to the king in the inner courtyard without being called. There is only one law about this: Anyone who enters must be put to death unless the king holds out his gold scepter. Then that person may live. And I have not been called to go to the king for thirty days."i
12 Esther's message was given to Mordecai.
13 Then Mordecai sent back word to Esther: "Just because you live in the king's palace, don't think that out of all the Jewish people you alone will escape.
14 If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father's family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for just such a time as this."
15 Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai:
16 "Go and get all the Jewish people in Susa together. For my sake, give up eating; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my servant girls will also give up eating. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I die, I die."
17 So Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had told him to do.
6 6 1 When Mordecai learned what had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 2 Then 20he stood outside the gate of the palace, for no one was permitted to enter in mourning clothes. 3 And throughout all the provinces there was great mourning among the Jews, fasting, weeping, and despair at the king's decree; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed and sent clothing to him to replace the sackcloth, but he refused it. 5 Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant, and told him to go out to Mordecai and find out what the trouble was and why he was acting like that. 6 So Hathach went out to the city square and found Mordecai just outside the palace gates, 7 and heard the whole story from him, and about the $20,000,000 Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the king's decree dooming all Jews, and told him to show it to Esther and to tell her what was happening and that she should go to the king to plead for her people. 9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai's message. 10 Esther told Hathach to go back and say to Mordecai, 11 "All the world knows that anyone, whether man or woman, who goes into the king's inner court without his summons is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter; and the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month."
12 So Hathach gave Esther's message to Mordecai.
13 This was Mordecai's reply to Esther: "Do you think you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed? 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what's more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?"
15 Then Esther sent this message to Mordecai: 16 "Go and gather together all the Jews of Shushan and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day; and I and my maids will do the same; and then, though it is strictly forbidden, I will go in to see the king; and if I perish, I perish."
17 So Mordecai did as Esther told him to.
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ESTHE005
A A 1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner courtyard of the king's palace, facing the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the doorway.
2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, he was pleased. He held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand, so Esther went forward and touched the end of it.
3 The king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."
4 Esther answered, "My king, if it pleases you, come today with Haman to a banquet that I have prepared for him."
5 Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly so we may do what Esther asks." So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared for them.
6 As they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, "Now, what are you asking for? I will give it to you. What is it you want? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."
7 Esther answered, "This is what I want and what I ask for.
8 My king, if you are pleased with me and if it pleases you, give me what I ask for and do what I want. Come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will answer your question about what I want."
9 Haman left the king's palace that day happy and content. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and saw that Mordecai did not stand up or tremble with fear before him, Haman became very angry with Mordecai.
10 But he controlled his anger and went home. Then Haman called together his friends and his wife, Zeresh.
11 He told them how wealthy he was and how many sons he had. He also told them all the ways the king had honored him and how the king had placed him higher than his important men and his royal officers.
12 He also said, "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the banquet she gave. And tomorrow also the queen has asked me to be her guest with the king.
13 But all this does not really make me happy when I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."
14 Then Haman's wife, Zeresh, and all his friends said, "Have a seventy-five foot platform built, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and be happy." Haman liked this suggestion, so he ordered the platform to be built.
1 Three days later Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court just beyond the royal hall of the palace, where the king was sitting upon his royal throne. 2 And when he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her, holding out the golden scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched its tip.
3 Then the king asked her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!"
4 And Esther replied, "If it please Your Majesty, I want you and Haman to come to a banquet I have prepared for you today."
5 The king turned to his aides. "Tell Haman to hurry!" he said. So the king and Haman came to Esther's banquet.
6 During the wine course the king said to Esther, "Now tell me what you really want, and I will give it to you, even if it is half of the kingdom!"
7-8 Esther replied, "My request, my deepest wish, is that if Your Majesty loves me 20and wants to grant my request, that you come again with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I shall prepare for you. And tomorrow I will explain what this is all about."
9 What a happy man was Haman as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai there at the gate, not standing up or trembling before him, he was furious. 10 However, he restrained himself, went on home, and gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 and boasted to them about his wealth, his many children, and promotions the king had given him, and how he had become the greatest man in the kingdom next to the king himself.
12 Then he delivered his punch line: "Yes, and Esther the queen invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us; and tomorrow we are invited again! 13 But yet," he added, "all this is nothing when I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there in front of the king's gate, refusing to bow to me."
14 "Well," suggested Zeresh, his wife, and all his friends, "get ready a 75-foot-high gallows, and in the morning ask the king to let you hang Mordecai on it; and 20when this is done you can go on your merry way with the king to the banquet." This pleased Haman immensely, and he ordered the gallows built.
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ESTHE006
1 That same night the king could not sleep. So he gave an order for the daily court record to be brought in and read to him.
2 It was found recorded that Mordecai had warned the king about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway and who had planned to kill the king.
3 The king asked, "What honor and reward have been given to Mordecai for this?" The king's personal servants answered, "Nothing has been done for Mordecai."
4 The king said, "Who is in the courtyard?" Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace. He had come to ask the king about hanging Mordecai on the platform he had prepared.
5 The king's personal servants said, "Haman is standing in the courtyard." The king said, "Bring him in."
6 So Haman came in. And the king asked him, "What should be done for a man whom the king wants very much to honor?" And Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king want to honor more than me?"
7 So he answered the king, "This is what you could do for the man you want very much to honor.
8 Have the servants bring a royal robe that the king himself has worn. And also bring a horse with a royal crown on its head, a horse that the king himself has ridden.
9 Let the robe and the horse be given to one of the king's most important men. Let the servants put the robe on the man the king wants to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the city streets. As they are leading him, let them announce: `This is what is done for the man whom the king wants to honor!' "
10 The king commanded Haman, "Go quickly. Take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do all this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not leave out anything you have suggested."
11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and he put the robe on Mordecai. Then he led him on horseback through the city streets, announcing before Mordecai: "This is what is done for the man whom the king wants to honor!"
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hurried home with his head covered, because he was embarrassed and ashamed.
13 He told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Haman's wife and the men who gave him advice said, "You are starting to lose power to Mordecai. Since he is a Jew, you cannot win against him. You will surely be ruined."
14 While they were still talking, the king's eunuchs came to Haman's house and made him hurry to the banquet Esther had prepared.
1 That night the king had trouble sleeping and decided to read awhile. He ordered the historical records of his kingdom from the library, and in them he came across the item telling how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, watchmen at the palace gates, who had plotted to assassinate him.
3 "What reward did we ever give Mordecai for this?" the king asked.
His courtiers replied, "Nothing!"
4 "Who is on duty in the outer court?" the king inquired. Now, as it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai from the gallows he was building.
5 So the courtiers replied to the king, "Haman is out there."
"Bring him in," the king ordered. 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?"
Haman thought to himself, "Whom would he want to honor more than me?" 7-8 So he replied, "Bring out some of the royal robes the king himself has worn, and the king's own horse, and the royal crown, 9 and instruct one of the king's most noble princes to robe the man and to lead him through the streets on the king's own horse, shouting before him, `This is the way the king honors those who truly please him!' "
10 "Excellent!" the king said to Haman. "Hurry and take these robes and my horse, and do just as you have said - to Mordecai the Jew, who works at the Chancellery. Follow every detail you have suggested."
11 So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, and mounted him on the king's own steed, and led him through the streets of the city, shouting, "This is the way the king honors those he delights in."
12 Afterwards Mordecai returned to his job, but Haman hurried home utterly humiliated. 13 When Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends what had happened, they said, "If Mordecai is a Jew, you will never succeed in your plans against him; to continue to oppose him will be fatal."
14 While they were still discussing it with him, the king's messengers arrived to conduct Haman quickly to the banquet Esther had prepared.
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BRAGGING ESTHE 6:12
Just the night before (5:9-14), Haman had bragged about his position and the honor he was about to receive. Now he was humiliated and soon to be marked for death (7:8-10). How quickly the course of life can change! Because we cannot predict what will happen, it is best to avoid bragging (James 4:13-16). God is displeased with this kind of self-confidence and self-reliance.
ESTHE007
1 So the king and Haman went in to eat with Queen Esther.
2 As they were drinking wine on the second day, the king asked Esther again, "What are you asking for? I will give it to you. What is it you want? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."
3 Then Queen Esther answered, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you, let me live. This is what I ask. And let my people live, too. This is what I want.
4 My people and I have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed and completely wiped out. If we had been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because that would not be enough of a problem to bother the king."
5 Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he? Who has done such a thing?"
6 Esther said, "Our enemy and foe is this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen.
7 The king was very angry, so he got up, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther to save his life. He could see that the king had already decided to kill him.
8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying. The king said, "Will he even attack the queen while I am in the house?" As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman's face.
9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs there serving the king, said, "Look, a seventy-five foot platform stands near Haman's house. This is the one Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who gave the warning that saved the king." The king said, "Hang Haman on it!"
10 So they hanged Haman on the platform he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king was not so angry anymore.
1 So the king and Haman came to Esther's banquet. 2 Again, during the wine course, the king asked her, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? What do you wish? Whatever it is, I will give it to you, even if it is half of my kingdom!"
3 And at last Queen Esther replied, "If I have won your favor, O King, and if it please Your Majesty, save my life and the lives of my people. 4 For I and my people have been sold to those who will destroy us. We are doomed to destruction and slaughter. If we were only to be sold as slaves, perhaps I could remain quiet, though even then there would be incalculable damage to the king that no amount of money could begin to cover."
5 "What are you talking about?" King Ahasuerus demanded. "Who would dare touch you?"
6 Esther replied, "This wicked Haman is our enemy."
Then Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. 7 The king jumped to his feet and went out into the palace garden as Haman stood up to plead for his life to Queen Esther, for he knew that he was doomed. 8 In despair he fell upon the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king returned from the palace garden.
"Will he even rape the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?" the king roared. Instantly the death veil was placed over Haman's face.
9 Then Harbona, one of the king's aides, said, "Sir, Haman has just ordered a 75-foot gallows constructed, to hang Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination! It stands in Haman's courtyard."
"Hang Haman on it," the king ordered.
10 So they did, and the king's wrath was pacified.
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ESTHE008
1 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther everything Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people, had left when he died. And Mordecai came in to see the king, because Esther had told the king how he was related to her.
2 Then the king took off his signet ring that he had taken back from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of everything Haman left when he died.
3 Once again Esther spoke to the king. She fell at the king's feet and cried and begged him to stop the evil plan that Haman the Agagite had planned against the Jews.
4 The king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood in front of him.
5 She said, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you to do this, if you think it is the right thing to do, and if you are happy with me, let an order be written to cancel the letters Haman wrote. Haman the Agagite sent messages to destroy all the Jewish people in all of your kingdom.
6 I could not stand to see that terrible thing happen to my people. I could not stand to see my family killed."
7 King Xerxes answered Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman was against the Jewish people, I have given his things to Esther, and my soldiers have hanged him.
8 Now, in the king's name, write another order to the Jewish people as it seems best to you. Then seal the order with the king's signet ring, because no letter written in the king's name and sealed with his signet ring can be canceled."
9 At that time the king's secretaries were called. This was the twenty-third day of the third month, which is Sivan. The secretaries wrote out all of Mordecai's orders to the Jews, to the governors, to the captains of the soldiers in each state, and to the important men of the one hundred twenty-seven states that reached from India to Cush. They wrote in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jewish people in their own writing and language.
10 Mordecai wrote orders in the name of King Xerxes and sealed the letters with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the king's orders by messengers on fast horses, horses that were raised just for the king.
11 These were the king's orders: The Jewish people in every city have the right to gather together to protect themselves. They may destroy, kill, and completely wipe out the army of any state or people who attack them. And they are to do the same to the women and children of that army. They may also take by force the property of their enemies.eey wrote in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jewish people in their own wriZ
12 The one day set for the Jewish people to do this in all the empire of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
13 A copy of the king's order was to be sent out as a law in every state. It was to be made known to the people of every nation living in the kingdom so the Jewish people would be ready on that set day to strike back at their enemies.
14 The messengers hurried out, riding on the royal horses, because the king commanded those messengers to hurry. And the order was also given in the palace at Susa.
15 Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal clothes of blue and white and a large gold crown. He also had a purple robe made of the best linen. And the people of Susa shouted for joy.
16 It was a time of happiness, joy, gladness, and honor for the Jewish people.
17 As the king's order went to every state and city, there was joy and gladness among the Jewish people. In every state and city to which the king's order went, they were having feasts and celebrating. And many people through all the empire became Jews, because they were afraid of the Jewish people.
1 On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate of Haman, the Jews' enemy, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king that he was her cousin and foster father
2 The king took off his ring - which he had taken back from Haman - and gave it to Mordecai appointing him prime minister; and Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's estate.
3 And now once more Esther came before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop Haman's plot against the Jews. 4 And again the king held out the golden scepter to Esther. So she arose and stood before him, 5 and said, "If it please Your Majesty, and if you love me, send out a decree reversing Haman's order to destroy the Jews throughout the king's provinces. 6 For how can 20I 20endure it, to see my people butchered and destroyed?"
7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "I have given Esther the palace of Haman, and he has been hanged upon the gallows because he tried to destroy you. 8 Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews, telling them whatever you want to in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring so that it can never be reversed."
9-10 Immediately the king's secretaries were called in - it was now the 23rd day of the month of July - and they wrote as Mordecai dictated - a decree to the Jews and to the officials, governors, and princes of all the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 in all: the decree was translated into the languages and dialects of all the people of the kingdom. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed the message with the king's ring and sent the letters by swift carriers - riders on camels, mules, and young dromedaries used in the king's service. 11 This decree gave the Jews everywhere permission to unite in the defense of their lives and their families, to destroy all the forces opposed to them, and to take their property. 12 The day chosen for this throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus was the 28th day of February!
13 It further stated that a copy of this decree, which must be recognized everywhere as law, must be broadcast 20to all the people so that the Jews would be ready and prepared to overcome their enemies. 14 So the mail went out swiftly, carried by the king's couriers and speeded by the king's commandment. The same decree was also issued at Shushan Palace.
15 Then Mordecai put on the royal robes of blue and white and the great crown of gold, with an outer cloak of fine linen and purple, and went out from the presence of the king through the city streets filled with shouting people. 16 And the Jews had joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. 17 And in every city and province, as the king's decree arrived, the Jews were filled with joy and had a great celebration and declared a holiday. And many of the people of the land pretended to be Jews, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.
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PAY THE PRICE ESTHE 8:15-17
Everyone wants to be a hero and receive praise, honor, and wealth. But few are willing to pay the price. Mordecai served the government faithfully for years, bore Haman's hatred and oppression, and risked his life for his people. The price to be paid by God's heroes is long-term commitment. Are you ready and willing to pay the price?
x-<+--
ESTHE009
1 The order the king had commanded was to be done on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. That was the day the enemies of the Jewish people had hoped to defeat them, but that was changed. So the Jewish people themselves defeated those who hated them.
2 The Jews met in their cities in all the empire of King Xerxes in order to attack those who wanted to harm them. No one was strong enough to fight against them, because all the other people living in the empire were afraid of them.
3 All the important men of the states, the governors, captains of the soldiers, and the king's officers helped the Jewish people, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 Mordecai was very important in the king's palace. He was famous in all the empire, because he was becoming a leader of more and more people.
5 And, with their swords, the Jewish people defeated all their enemies, killing and destroying them. And they did what they wanted with those people who hated them.
6 In the palace at Susa, they killed and destroyed five hundred men.
7 They also killed: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
10 the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jewish people. But the Jewish people did not take their belongings.
11 On that day the number killed in the palace at Susa was reported to the king.
12 The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jewish people have killed and destroyed five hundred people in the palace at Susa, and they have also killed Haman's ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the king's empire! Now what else are you asking? I will do it! What else do you want? It will be done!"
13 Esther answered, "If it pleases the king, give the Jewish people who are in Susa permission to do again tomorrow what the king ordered for today. And let the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hanged on the platform."
14 So the king ordered that it be done. A law was given in Susa, and the bodies of the ten sons of Haman were hanged.
15 The Jewish people in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar. They killed three hundred people in Susa, but they did not take their belongings.
16 At that same time, all the Jewish people in the king's empire also met to protect themselves and get rid of their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not take their belongings.
17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of joyful feasting.
18 But the Jewish people in Susa met on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the month of Adar. Then they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of joyful feasting.
19 This is why the Jewish people who live in the country and small villages celebrate on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar. It is a day of joyful feasting and a day for exchanging gifts.
20 Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to all the Jewish people in all the empire of King Xerxes, far and near.
21 He told them to celebrate every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,
22 because that was when the Jewish people got rid of their enemies. They were also to celebrate it as the month their sadness was turned to joy and their crying for the dead was turned into celebration. He told them to celebrate those days as days of joyful feasting and as a time for giving food to each other and presents to the poor.
23 So the Jewish people agreed to do what Mordecai had written to them, and they agreed to hold the celebration every year.
24 Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, was the enemy of all the Jewish people. He had made an evil plan against the Jewish people to destroy them, and he had thrown the Pur (that is, the lot) to choose a day to ruin and destroy them.
25 But when the king learned of the evil plan, he sent out written orders that the evil plans Haman had made against the Jewish people would be used against him. And those orders said that Haman and his sons should be hanged on the platform.
26 So these days were called Purim, which comes from the word "Pur" (the lot). Because of everything written in this letter and what they had seen and what happened to them,
27 the Jewish people set up this custom. They and their descendants and all those who join them are always to celebrate these two days every year. They should do it in the right way and at the time Mordecai had ordered them in the letter.
28 These two days should be remembered and celebrated from now on in every family, in every state, and in every city. These days of Purim should always be celebrated by the Jewish people, and their descendants should always remember to celebrate them, too.
29 So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote this second letter about Purim. Using the power they had, they wrote to prove the first letter was true.
30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jewish people in the one hundred twenty-seven states of the kingdom of Xerxes, writing them a message of peace and truth.
31 He wrote to set up these days of Purim at the chosen times. Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had sent out the order for the Jewish people, just as they had set up things for themselves and their descendants: On these two days the people should give up eating and cry loudly.
32 Esther's letter set up the rules for Purim, and they were written down in the records.
1 So on the 28th day of February, the day the two decrees of the king were to be put into effect - the day the Jews' enemies had hoped to vanquish them, though it turned out quite to the contrary - the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king's provinces to defend themselves against any who might try to harm them; but no one tried, for they were greatly feared. 3 And all the rulers of the provinces - the governors, officials, and aides - helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai; 4 for Mordecai was a mighty name in the king's palace and his fame was known throughout all the provinces, for he had become more and more powerful.
5 But the Jews went ahead on that appointed day and slaughtered their enemies. 6 They even killed 500 men in Shushan. 7-10 They also killed the ten sons of Haman (son of Hammedatha), the Jews' enemy - Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. But they did not try to take Haman's property.
11 Late that evening, when the king was informed of the number of those slain in Shushan, 12 he called for Queen Esther. "The Jews have killed 500 men in Shushan alone," he exclaimed, "and also Haman's ten sons. If they have done that here, I wonder what has happened in the rest of the provinces! But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you. Tell me and I will do it."
13 And Esther said, "If it please Your Majesty, let the Jews who are here at Shushan do again tomorrow as they have done today, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows."
14 So the king agreed, and the decree was announced at Shushan, and they hung up the bodies of Haman's ten sons. 15 Then the Jews at Shushan gathered together the next day also and killed 300 more men, though again they took no property.
16 Meanwhile the other Jews throughout the king's provinces had gathered together and stood for their lives and destroyed all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them; but they did not take their goods. 17 Throughout the provinces this was done on the 28th day of February, and the next day they rested, celebrating their victory with feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews at Shushan went on killing their enemies the second day also and rested the next day, with feasting and gladness. 19 And so it is that the Jews in the unwalled villages throughout Israel to this day have an annual celebration on the second day 20when they rejoice and send gifts to each other.
20 Mordecai wrote a history of all these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the king's provinces, 21 encouraging them to declare an annual holiday on the last two days of the month, 22 to celebrate with feasting, gladness, and the giving of gifts these historic days when the Jews were saved from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned to gladness and their mourning into happiness.
23 So the Jews adopted Mordecai's suggestion and began this annual custom 24-25 as a reminder of the time when Haman (son of Hammedatha the Agagite), the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy them at the time determined by a throw of the dice; and to remind them that when the matter came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman's plot to boomerang, and he and his sons were hanged on the gallows. 26 That is why this celebration is called "Purim" because the word for "throwing dice" in Persian is pur. 27 All the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who became Jews; they declared they would never fail to celebrate these two days at the appointed time each year. 28 It would be an annual event from generation to generation, celebrated by every family throughout the countryside and cities of the empire, so that the memory of what had happened would never perish from the Jewish race.
29-31 Meanwhile Queen Esther (daughter of Abihail and later adopted by Mordecai the Jew) had written a letter throwing her full support behind Mordecai's letter inaugurating his annual Feast of Purim. In addition, letters were sent to all the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus with messages of good will and encouragement to confirm these two days annually as the Feast of Purim, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and by Queen Esther; indeed, the Jews themselves had decided upon this tradition as a remembrance of the time of their national fasting and prayer. 32 So the commandment of Esther confirmed these dates, and it was recorded as law.
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12,12,23,1432
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15,15,29,2083
16,16,31,2256
17,17,33,2485
18,18,35,2622
19,19,37,2799
20,20,39,2996
21,21,41,3147
22,22,43,3250
23,23,45,3592
24,24,47,3720
25,25,49,3960
26,26,51,4206
27,27,53,4384
28,28,55,4627
29,29,57,4888
30,30,59,5072
31,31,61,5238
32,32,63,5521
1,4,1,1
5,10,3,646
11,12,5,997
13,13,7,1384
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16,19,11,1810
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23,28,15,2915
29,32,17,3902
AVAILABLE ESTHE 9:29-31
Among Jews, women were expected to be quiet, to serve in the home, and to stay on the fringe of religious and political life. But Esther was a Jewish woman who broke through the cultural norms, stepping outside her expected role to risk her life to help God's people. Whatever your place in life, God can use you. Be open, available, and ready-God may use you to do what others are afraid even to consider.
Ult. Issues: Women of the Bible ,!page "^women" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ESTHE010
1 King Xerxes demanded taxes everywhere, even from the cities on the seacoast.
2 And all the great things Xerxes did by his power and strength are written in the record books of the kings of Media and Persia. Also written in those record books are all the things done by Mordecai, whom the king made great.
1 King Ahasuerus not only laid tribute upon the mainland but even on the islands of the sea. 2 His great deeds, and also the full account of the greatness of Mordecai and the honors given him by the king, are written in The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia. 3 Mordecai the Jew was the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Ahasuerus himself. He was, of course, very great among the Jews and respected by all his countrymen because he did his best for his people and was a friend at court for all of them.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
1,1,1,1
IN CONTROL ESTHE 10:3
In the book of Esther, we clearly see God at work in the lives of individuals and in the affairs of a nation. Even when it looks as if the world is in the hands of evil people, God is still in control, protecting those who belong to him. Although we may not understand everything happening around us, we must trust in God's protection and retain our integrity by doing what we know is right. Esther, who risked her life appearing before the king, became a heroine. Mordecai, who was on death row (so to speak), rose to become the prime minister of the nation. No matter how hopeless our condition, or how much we would like to give up, we need not despair. God is in control of our world.
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To demonstrate God's sovereignty and the meaning of true faith. It addresses the question, do the righteous suffer?
AUTHOR:
Possibly Job. Some have suggested Moses, Solomon, or Elihu.
DATE WRITTEN:
Unknown. Records events that probably occurred during the time of the patriarchs, approximately 2000-1800 B.C.
SETTING:
The land of Uz, probably located northeast of Palestine, near desert land between Damascus and the Euphrates River.
KEY PEOPLE:
Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, Elihu the Buzite
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Job is the first of the poetic books in the Hebrew Bible. Many believe this to be the oldest book in the Bible. The book gives us insights into the work of Satan. Ezekiel 14:14,20 and James 5:11 mention Job as a historical character.
"Why me, God?" Have you ever thought, whispered, or screamed that question? Have you ever thought that God was against you personally? At one time or another, everyone does . . . even people in the Bible. That is not surprising. What is surprising is God's answer to their questions. Job loved God, and everything was going great in his life. He had money, land, possessions, and a large, wonderful family. But one day his world fell apart. He lost everything . . . except his life, a bitter wife, and accusing "friends." As you might imagine, Job asked why. Why him? Why now? The book of Job tells this story, and it gives God's reply. And after God spoke, Job was silent. Job is a book about success, tragedy, friends, and faith. As you read Job, allow God to begin changing your ideas about suffering. Learn to trust God even when you don't understand.k
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
18,9
JOB001
1 A man named Job lived in the land of Uz. He was an honest and innocent man; he honored God and stayed away from evil.
2 Job had seven sons and three daughters.
3 He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys. He also had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4 Job's sons took turns holding feasts in their homes and invited their sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 After a feast was over, Job would send and have them made clean. Early in the morning Job would offer a burnt offering for each of them, because he thought, "My children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Job did this every time.t.
6 One day the angels came to show themselves before the LORD, and Satan was with them.
7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "I have been wandering around the earth, going back and forth in it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him. He is an honest and innocent man, honoring God and staying away from evil."
9 But Satan answered the LORD, "Job honors God for a good reason.
10 You have put a wall around him, his family, and everything he owns. You have blessed the things he has done. His flocks and herds are so large they almost cover the land.
11 But reach out your hand and destroy everything he has, and he will curse you to your face."
12 The LORD said to Satan, "All right, then. Everything Job has is in your power, but you must not touch Job himself." Then Satan left the LORD' s presence.
13 One day Job's sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine together at the oldest brother's house.
14 A messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were eating grass nearby,
15 when the Sabeans attacked and carried them away. They killed the servants with swords, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you!"
16 The messenger was still speaking when another messenger arrived and said, "Lightning from God fell from the sky. It burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you!"
17 The second messenger was still speaking when another messenger arrived and said, "The Babylonians sent three groups of attackers that swept down and stole your camels and killed the servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you!"
18 The third messenger was still speaking when another messenger arrived and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine together at the oldest brother's house.
19 Suddenly a great wind came from the desert, hitting all four corners of the house at once. The house fell in on the young people, and they are all dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you!"
20 When Job heard this, he got up and tore his robe and shaved his head to show how sad he was. Then he bowed down to the ground to worship God.
21 He said: "I was naked when I was born, and I will be naked when I die. The LORD gave these things to me, and he has taken them away. Praise the name of the LORD."
22 In all this Job did not sin or blame God.
1 There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job - a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil. 2-3 He had a large family of seven sons and three daughters and was immensely wealthy, for he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and employed many servants. He was, in fact, the richest cattleman in that entire area.
4 Every year when Job's sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to their homes for a celebration. On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment. 5 When these birthday parties ended - and sometimes they lasted several days - Job would summon his children to him and sanctify them, getting up early in the morning and offering a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and turned away from God
in their hearts." This was Job's regular practice.
6 One day as the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them.
7 "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan.
And Satan replied, "From earth, where I've been watching everything that's going on."
8 Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth - a good man who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil."
9 "Why shouldn't he when you pay him so well?" Satan scoffed. 10 "You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does - look how rich he is! No wonder he `worships' you! 11 But just take away his wealth, and you'll see him curse you to your face!"
12-13 And the Lord replied to Satan, "You may do anything you like with his wealth, but don't harm him physically."
So Satan went away; and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job's sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother's house, tragedy struck.
14-15 A messenger rushed to Job's home with this news: "Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us, drove away the animals, and killed all the farmhands except me. I am the only one left."
16 While this messenger was still speaking, another arrived with more bad news: "The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the herdsmen, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
17 Before this man finished, still another messenger rushed in: "Three bands of Chaldeans have driven off your camels and killed your servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
18 As he was still speaking, another arrived to say, "Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and engulfed the house so that the roof fell in on them and all are dead; and I alone escaped to tell you."
20 Then Job stood up and tore his robe in grief and fell down upon the ground before God. 21 "I came naked from my mother's womb," he said, "and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
22 In all of this Job did not sin or revile God.
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TRUST JOB 1:1
When reading the book of Job, we have information that the characters of the story do not. Job, the main character of the book, lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why all this was happening to him, it became clear that he was not meant to know the reasons. He would have to face life with the answers and explanations held back. Only then would his faith fully develop.
We must experience life as Job did-one day at a time and without complete answers to all of life's questions. Will we, like Job, trust God no matter what? Or will we give in to the temptation to say that God doesn't really care?
HEARTBREAK JOB 1:20-22
Job did not hide his overwhelming grief. This emotional display did not mean he had lost his faith in God; instead, it showed that he was human and that he loved his family. God created our emotions, and it is not sinful to express them as Job did. If you have experienced deep loss, disappointment, or heartbreak, admit your feelings to yourself and others, and grieve.
JOB002
1 On another day the angels came to show themselves before the LORD, and Satan was with them again.
2 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "I have been wandering around the earth, going back and forth in it."
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him. He is an honest and innocent man, honoring God and staying away from evil. You caused me to ruin him for no good reason, but he continues to be without blame."
4 "One skin for another!" Satan answered. "A man will give all he has to save his own life.
5 But reach out your hand and destroy his flesh and bones, and he will curse you to your face."
6 The LORD said to Satan, "All right, then. Job is in your power, but you may not take his life."
7 So Satan left the LORD' s presence. He put painful sores on Job's body, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
8 Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, and he sat in ashes in misery.
9 Job's wife said to him, "Why are you trying to stay innocent? Curse God and die!"
10 Job answered, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Should we take only good things from God and not trouble?" In spite of all this Job did not sin in what he said.
11 Now Job had three friends: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When these friends heard about Job's troubles, they agreed to meet and visit him. They wanted to show their concern and to comfort him.
12 They saw Job from far away, but he looked so different they almost didn't recognize him. They began to cry loudly and tore their robes and put dirt on their heads to show how sad they were.
13 Then they sat on the ground with Job seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how much he was suffering.
1 Now the angels came again to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan was with them.
2 "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan.
"From earth, where I've been watching everything that's going on," Satan replied.
3 "Well, have you noticed my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "He is the finest man in all the earth - a good man who fears God and turns away from all evil. And he has kept his faith in me despite the fact that you persuaded me to let you harm him without any cause."
4-5 "Skin for skin," Satan replied. "A man will give anything to save his life. Touch his body with sickness, and he will curse you to your face!"
6 "Do with him as you please," the Lord replied; "only spare his life."
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. 8 Then Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse him and die."
10 But he replied, "You talk like some heathen woman. What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and never anything unpleasant?" So in all this Job said nothing wrong.
11 When three of Job's friends heard of all the tragedy that had befallen him, they got in touch with each other and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. 12 Job was so changed that they could scarcely recognize him. Wailing loudly in despair, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air and put earth on their heads to demonstrate their sorrow. 13 Then they sat upon the ground with him silently for seven days and nights, no one speaking a word; for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.
1,1,1,1
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11,13,18,1239
COMFORT JOB 2:13
Why did Job's friends arrive and then just sit quietly? According to Jewish tradition, people who come to comfort someone in mourning are not to speak until the mourner speaks. Often the best response to another person's suffering is silence. Job's friends realized that his pain was too deep to be healed with mere words, so they said nothing. (If only they had continued to just sit quietly!) Often, we feel we must say something spiritual and insightful to a hurting friend. Perhaps what he or she needs most is just our presence, showing that we care. Pat answers and trite quotations say much less than caring silence and loving companionship.
JOB003
1 After seven days Job cried out and cursed the day he had been born,
2 saying:
3 "Let the day I was born be destroyed, and the night it was said, `A boy is born!'
4 Let that day turn to darkness. Don't let God care about it. Don't let light shine on it.
5 Let darkness and gloom have that day. Let a cloud hide it. Let thick darkness cover its light.
6 Let thick darkness capture that night. Don't count it among the days of the year or put it in any of the months.
7 Let that night be empty, with no shout of joy to be heard.
8 Let those who curse days curse that day. Let them prepare to wake up the sea monster Leviathan.
9 Let that day's morning stars never appear; let it wait for daylight that never comes. Don't let it see the first light of dawn,
10 because it allowed me to be born and did not hide trouble from my eyes.
11 "Why didn't I die as soon as I was born? Why didn't I die when I came out of the womb?
12 Why did my mother's knees receive me, and my mother's breasts feed me?
13 If they had not been there, I would be lying dead in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
14 with kings and wise men of the earth who built places for themselves that are now ruined.
15 I would be asleep with rulers who filled their houses with gold and silver.
16 Why was I not buried like a child born dead, like a baby who never saw the light of day?
17 In the grave the wicked stop making trouble, and the weary workers are at rest.
18 In the grave there is rest for the captives who no longer hear the shout of the slave driver.
19 People great and small are in the grave, and the slave is freed from his master.
20 "Why is light given to those in misery? Why is life given to those who are so unhappy?
21 They want to die, but death does not come. They search for death more than for hidden treasure.
22 They are very happy when they get to the grave.
23 They cannot see where they are going. God has hidden the road ahead.
24 I make sad sounds as I eat; my groans pour out like water.
25 Everything I feared and dreaded has happened to me.
26 I have no peace or quietness. I have no rest, only trouble."
1 At last Job spoke and cursed the day of his birth.
2-3 "Let the day of my birth be cursed," he said, "and the night when I was conceived. 4 Let that day be forever forgotten. Let it be lost even to God, shrouded in eternal darkness. 5 Yes, let the darkness claim it for its own, and may a black cloud overshadow it. 6 May it be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the month of that year. 7 Let that night be bleak and joyless. 8 Let those who are experts at cursing curse it.
9 Let the stars of the night disappear. Let it long for light but never see it, never see the morning light. 10 Curse it for its failure to shut my mother's womb, for letting me be born to come to all this trouble.
11 "Why didn't I die at birth? 12 Why did the midwife let me live? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? 13 For if only I had died at birth, then I would be quiet now, asleep and at rest, 14-15 along with prime ministers and kings with all their pomp, and wealthy princes whose castles are full of rich treasures. 16 Oh, to have been stillborn! - to have never breathed or seen the light. 17 For there in death the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 18 There even prisoners are at ease, with no brutal jailer to curse them. 19 Both rich and poor alike are there, and the slave is free at last from his master.
20-21 "Oh, why should light and life be given to those in misery and bitterness, who long for death, and it won't come; who search for death as others search for food or money? 22 What blessed relief when at last they die! 23 Why is a man allowed to be born if God is only going to give him a hopeless life of uselessness and frustration? 24 I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. 25 What I always feared has happened to me. 26 I was not fat and lazy, yet trouble struck me down."
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JOB004
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 "If someone tried to speak with you, would you be upset? I cannot keep from speaking.
3 Think about the many people you have taught and the weak hands you have made strong.
4 Your words have comforted those who fell, and you have strengthened those who could not stand.
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; trouble hits you, and you are terrified.
6 You should have confidence because you respect God; you should have hope because you are innocent.
7 "Remember that the innocent will not die; honest people will never be destroyed.
8 I have noticed that people who plow evil and plant trouble, harvest it.
9 God's breath destroys them, and a blast of his anger kills them.
10 Lions may roar and growl, but when the teeth of a strong lion are broken,
11 that lion dies of hunger. The cubs of the mother lion are scattered.
12 "A word was brought to me in secret, and my ears heard a whisper of it.
13 It was during a nightmare when people are in deep sleep.
14 I was trembling with fear; all my bones were shaking.
15 A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.
16 The spirit stopped, but I could not see what it was. A shape stood before my eyes, and I heard a quiet voice.
17 It said, `Can a human be more right than God? Can a person be pure before his maker?
18 God does not trust his angels; he blames them for mistakes.
19 So he puts even more blame on people who live in clay houses, whose foundations are made of dust, who can be crushed like a moth.
20 Between dawn and sunset many people are broken to pieces; without being noticed, they die and are gone forever.
21 The ropes of their tents are pulled up, and they die without wisdom.'
1 A reply to Job from Eliphaz the Temanite:
2 "Will you let me say a word? For who could keep from speaking out? 3-4 In the past you have told many a troubled soul to trust in God* and have encouraged those who are weak or falling, or lie crushed upon the ground or are tempted to despair. 5 But now when trouble strikes, you faint and are broken.
6 "At such a time as this should not trust in God still be your confidence? Shouldn't you believe that God will care for those who are good?
7-8 Stop and think! Have you ever known a truly good and innocent person who was punished? Experience teaches that it is those who sow sin and trouble who harvest the same. 9 They die beneath the hand of God. 10 Though they are fierce as young lions, they shall all be broken and destroyed. 11 Like aged, helpless lions they shall starve, and all their children shall be scattered.
12 "This truth was given me in secret, as though whispered in my ear. 13 It came in a nighttime vision as others slept. 14 Suddenly, fear gripped me; I trembled and shook with terror, 15 as a spirit passed before my face - my hair stood up on end. 16 I felt the spirit's presence, but couldn't see it standing there. Then out of the dreadful silence came this voice:
17 " `Is mere man more just than God? More pure than his Creator?'
18-19 "If God cannot trust his own messengers (for even angels make mistakes), how much less men made of dust, who are crushed to death as easily as moths! 20 They are alive in the morning, but by evening they are dead, gone forever with hardly a thought from anyone. 21 Their candle of life is snuffed out. They die and no one cares.
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Profile: Job ,!page "^job" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOB005
ADVICE
1 "Call if you want to, Job, but no one will answer you. You can't turn to any of the holy ones.
2 Anger kills the fool, and jealousy slays the stupid.
3 I have seen a fool succeed, but I cursed his home immediately.
4 His children are far from safety and are crushed in court with no defense.
5 The hungry eat his harvest, even taking what grew among the thorns, and thirsty people want his wealth.
6 Hard times do not come up from the ground, and trouble does not grow from the earth.
7 People produce trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 "But if I were you, I would call on God and bring my problem before him.
9 God does wonders that cannot be understood; he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
10 He gives rain to the earth and sends water on the fields.
11 He makes the humble person important and lifts the sad to places of safety.
12 He ruins the plans of those who trick others so they have no success.
13 He catches the wise in their own clever traps and sweeps away the plans of those who try to trick others.
14 Darkness covers them up in the daytime; even at noon they feel around in the dark.
15 God saves the needy from their lies and from the harm done by powerful people.
16 So the poor have hope, while those who are unfair are silenced.
17 "The one whom God corrects is happy, so do not hate being corrected by the Almighty.
18 God hurts, but he also bandages up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
19 He will save you from six troubles; even seven troubles will not harm you.
20 God will buy you back from death in times of hunger, and in battle he will save you from the sword.
21 You will be protected from the tongue that strikes like a whip, and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger, and you will not fear the wild animals,
23 because you will have an agreement with the stones in the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is safe, because you will check the things you own and find nothing missing.
25 You will know that you will have many children, and your descendants will be like the grass on the earth.
26 You will come to the grave with all your strength, like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.
27 "We have checked this, and it is true, so hear it and decide what it means to you."
1 "They cry for help but no one listens; they turn to their gods, but none gives them aid. 2 They die in helpless frustration, overcome by their own anger. 3 Those who turn from God may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster. 4 Their children are cheated, with no one to defend them. 5 Their harvests are stolen, and their wealth slakes the thirst of many others, not themselves! 6 Misery comes upon them to punish them for sowing seeds of sin. 7 Mankind heads for sin and misery as predictably as flames shoot upwards from a fire.
8 "My advice to you is this: Go to God and confess your sins to him.
9 For he does wonderful miracles, marvels without number. 10 He sends the rain upon the earth to water the fields, 11 and gives prosperity to the poor and humble, and takes sufferers to safety.
12 "He frustrates the plans of crafty men. 13 They are caught in their own traps; he thwarts their schemes. 14 They grope like blind men in the daylight; they see no better in the daytime than at night.
15 "God saves the fatherless and the poor from the grasp of these oppressors. 16 And so at last the poor have hope, and the fangs of the wicked are broken.
17 "How enviable the man whom God corrects! Oh, do not despise the chastening of the Lord when you sin. 18 For though he wounds, he binds and heals again. 19 He will deliver you again and again so that no evil can touch you.
20 "He will keep you from death in famine and from the power of the sword in time of war.
21 "You will be safe from slander; no need to fear the future.
22 "You shall laugh at war and famine; wild animals will leave you alone. 23 Dangerous animals will be at peace with you.
24 "You need not worry about your home while you are gone; nothing shall be stolen from your barns.
25 "Your sons shall become important men; your descendants shall be as numerous as grass! 26 You shall live a long, good life; like standing grain, you'll not be harvested until it's time! 27 I have found from experience that all of this is true. For your own good, listen to my counsel."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,315
6,6,11,425
7,7,13,516
8,8,15,579
9,9,17,662
10,10,19,764
11,11,21,831
12,12,23,914
13,13,25,996
14,14,27,1110
15,15,29,1201
16,16,31,1287
17,17,33,1359
18,18,35,1451
19,19,37,1531
20,20,39,1613
21,21,41,1724
22,22,43,1847
23,23,45,1937
24,24,47,2059
25,25,49,2172
26,26,51,2286
27,27,53,2394
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,558
9,11,5,630
12,14,7,827
15,16,9,1033
17,19,11,1192
20,20,13,1420
21,21,15,1513
22,23,17,1579
24,24,19,1704
25,27,21,1807
ADVICE JOB 5:17
Eliphaz was correct-it is a blessing to be disciplined by God when we do wrong. His advice, however, did not apply to Job. As we know from the beginning of the book, Job's suffering was not a result of some great sin. We sometimes give people excellent advice only to learn that it does not apply to them and is therefore not very helpful. All those who offer counsel from God's word should take care to thoroughly understand a person's situation before giving advice.
JOB006
1 Then Job answered:
2 "I wish my suffering could be weighed and my misery put on scales.
3 My sadness would be heavier than the sand of the seas. No wonder my words seem careless.
4 The arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are gathered against me.
5 A wild donkey does not bray when it has grass to eat, and an ox is quiet when it has feed.
6 Tasteless food is not eaten without salt, and there is no flavor in the white of an egg.
7 I refuse to touch it; such food makes me sick.
8 "How I wish that I might have what I ask for and that God would give me what I hope for.
9 How I wish God would crush me and reach out his hand to destroy me.
10 Then I would have this comfort and be glad even in this unending pain, because I would know I did not reject the words of the Holy One.
11 "I do not have the strength to wait. There is nothing to hope for, so why should I be patient?
12 I do not have the strength of stone; my flesh is not bronze.
13 I have no power to help myself, because success has been taken away from me.
14 "They say, `A man's friends should be kind to him when he is in trouble, even if he stops fearing the Almighty.'
15 But my brothers cannot be counted on. They are like streams that do not always flow, streams that sometimes run over.
16 They are made dark by melting ice and rise with melting snow.
17 But they stop flowing in the dry season; they disappear when it is hot.
18 Travelers turn away from their paths and go into the desert and die.
19 The groups of travelers from Tema look for water, and the traders of Sheba look hopefully.
20 They are upset because they had been sure; when they arrive, they are disappointed.
21 You also have been no help. You see something terrible, and you are afraid.
22 I have never said, `Give me a gift. Use your wealth to pay my debt.
23 Save me from the enemy's power. Buy me back from the clutches of cruel people.'
24 "Teach me, and I will be quiet. Show me where I have been wrong.
25 Honest words are painful, but your arguments prove nothing.
26 Do you mean to correct what I say? Will you treat the words of a troubled man as if they were only wind?
27 You would even gamble for orphans and would trade away your friend.
28 "But now please look at me. I would not lie to your face.
29 Change your mind; do not be unfair; think again, because my innocence is being questioned.
30 What I am saying is not wicked; I can tell the difference between right and wrong.
1 Job's reply:
2 "Oh, that my sadness and troubles were weighed. 3 For they are heavier than the sand of a thousand seashores. That is why I spoke so rashly. 4 For the Lord has struck me down with his arrows; he has sent his poisoned arrows deep within my heart. All God's terrors are arrayed against me. 5-7 When wild donkeys bray, it is because their grass is gone; oxen do not low when they have food; a man complains when there is no salt in his food. And how tasteless is the uncooked white of an egg - my appetite is gone when I look at it; I gag at the thought of eating it!
8-9 "Oh, that God would grant the thing I long for most - to die beneath his hand and be freed from his painful grip. 10 This, at least, gives me comfort despite all the pain - that I have not denied the words of the holy God. 11 Oh, why does my strength sustain me? How can I be patient till I die? 12 Am I unfeeling, like stone? Is my flesh made of brass? 13 For I am utterly helpless, without any hope.
14 "One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you have accused me without the slightest fear of God. 15-18 My brother, you have proved as unreliable as a brook; it floods when there is ice and snow, but in hot weather, disappears. The caravans turn aside to be refreshed, but there is nothing there to drink, and so they perish. 19-21 When caravans from Tema and from Sheba stop for water there, their hopes are dashed. And so my hopes in you are dashed - you turn away from me in terror and refuse to help. 22 But why? Have I ever asked you for one slightest thing? Have I begged you for a present? 23 Have I ever asked your help? 24 All I want is a reasonable answer - then I will keep quiet. Tell me, what have I done wrong?
25-26 "It is wonderful to speak the truth, but your criticisms are not based on fact. Are you going to condemn me just because I impulsively cried out in desperation? 27 That would be like injuring a helpless orphan, or selling a friend. 28 Look at me! Would I lie to your face? 29 Stop assuming my guilt, for I am righteous. Don't be so unjust. 30 Don't I know the difference between right and wrong? Would I not admit it if I had sinned?
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,99
4,4,7,196
5,5,9,314
6,6,11,411
7,7,13,506
8,8,15,559
9,9,17,655
10,10,19,729
11,11,21,872
12,12,23,974
13,13,25,1042
14,14,27,1126
15,15,29,1248
16,16,31,1373
17,17,33,1442
18,18,35,1521
19,19,37,1598
20,20,39,1697
21,21,41,1790
22,22,43,1874
23,23,45,1950
24,24,47,2040
25,25,49,2115
26,26,51,2182
27,27,53,2296
28,28,55,2371
29,29,57,2436
30,30,59,2536
1,1,1,1
2,7,2,18
8,13,4,588
14,24,6,997
25,30,8,1731
STRUGGLES JOB 6:8-9
In his grief, Job wanted to give in, to be freed from his discomfort, and to die. But God did not grant Job's request. He had a greater plan for him. Our tendency, like Job's, is to want to give up and get out when the going gets tough. To trust God in the good times is commendable, but to trust him during the difficult times tests us to our limits and exercises our faith. In your struggles, large or small, trust that God is in control (Romans 8:28).
JOB007
1 "People have a hard task on earth, and their days are like those of a laborer.
2 They are like a slave wishing for the evening shadows, like a laborer waiting to be paid.
3 But I am given months that are empty, and nights of misery have been given to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, `How long until I get up?' The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with faster than a weaver's tool, and they come to an end without hope. 7 Remember, God, that my life is only a breath. My eyes will never see happy times again. 8 Those who see me now will see me no more; you will look for me, but I will be gone. 9 As a cloud disappears and is gone, people go to the grave and never return. 10 They will never come back to their houses again, and their places will not know them anymore. 11 "So I will not stay quiet; I will speak out in the suffering of my spirit. I will complain because I am so unhappy. 12 I am not the sea or the sea monster. So why have you set a guard over me? 13 Sometimes I think my bed will comfort me or that my couch will stop my complaint. 14 Then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions. 15 My throat prefers to be choked; my bones welcome death. 1
6 I hate my life; I don't want to live forever. Leave me alone, because my days have no meaning. 1
7 "Why do you make people so important and give them so much attention? 1
8 You examine them every morning and test them every moment. 1
9 Will you never look away from me or leave me alone even long enough to swallow? 20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you watcher of humans? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a heavy load for you? 21 Why don't you pardon my wrongs and forgive my sins? I will soon lie down in the dust of death. Then you will search for me, but I will be no more."
1 "How mankind must struggle. A man's life is long and hard, like that of a slave. 2 How he longs for the day to end. How he grinds on to the end of the week and his wages. 3 And so to me also have been allotted months of frustration, these long and weary nights. 4 When I go to bed I think, `Oh, that it were morning,' and then I toss till dawn.
5 "My skin is filled with worms and blackness. My flesh breaks open, full of pus. 6 My life drags by - day after hopeless day. 7 My life is but a breath, and nothing good is left. 8 You see me now, but not for long. Soon you'll look upon me dead. 9 As a cloud disperses and vanishes, so those who die shall go away forever - 10 gone forever from their family and their home - never to be seen again. 11 Ah, let me express my anguish. Let me be free to speak out of the bitterness of my soul.
12 "O God, am I some monster that you never leave me alone? 13-14 Even when I try to forget my misery in sleep, you terrify with nightmares. 15 I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on like this. 16 I hate my life. Oh, leave me alone for these few remaining days. 17 What is mere man that you should spend your time persecuting him? 18 Must you be his inquisitor every morning and test him every moment of the day? 19 Why won't you leave me alone - even long enough to spit?
20 "Has my sin harmed you, O God, watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your target, and made my life so heavy a burden to me? 21 Why not just pardon my sin and take it all away? For all too soon I'll lie down in the dust and die, and when you look for me, I shall be gone."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,182
4,4,7,270
5,5,9,371
6,6,11,1243
7,7,13,1345
8,8,15,1423
9,9,17,1489
1,4,1,1
5,11,3,351
12,19,5,846
20,21,7,1337
ve p
JOB008
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 "How long will you say such things? Your words are no more than wind.
3 God does not twist justice; the Almighty does not make wrong what is right.
4 Your children sinned against God, and he punished them for their sins.
5 But you should ask God for help and pray to the Almighty for mercy.
6 If you are good and honest, he will stand up for you and bring you back where you belong.
7 Where you began will seem unimportant, because your future will be so successful.
8 "Ask old people; find out what their ancestors learned,
9 because we were only born yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are only a shadow.
10 Those people will teach you and tell you and speak about what they know.
11 Papyrus plants cannot grow where there is no swamp, and reeds cannot grow tall without water.
12 While they are still growing and not yet cut, they will dry up quicker than grass.
13 That is what will happen to those who forget God; the hope of the wicked will be gone.
14 What they hope in is easily broken; what they trust is like a spider's web.
15 They lean on the spider's web, but it breaks. They grab it, but it does not hold up.
16 They are like well-watered plants in the sunshine that spread their roots all through the garden.
17 They wrap their roots around a pile of rocks and look for a place among the stones.
18 But if a plant is torn from its place, then that place rejects it and says, `I never saw you.'
19 Now joy has gone away; other plants grow up from the same dirt.
20 "Surely God does not reject the innocent or give strength to those who do evil.
21 God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
22 Your enemies will be covered with shame, and the tents of the wicked will be gone."
1 Bildad the Shuhite replies to Job:
2 "How long will you go on like this, Job, blowing words around like wind? 3 Does God twist justice? 4 If your children sinned against him, and he punished them, 5 and you begged Almighty God for them - 6 if you were pure and good, he would hear your prayer and answer you and bless you with a happy home. 7 And though you started with little, you would end with much.
8 "Read the history books and see - 9 for we were born but yesterday and know so little; our days here on earth are as transient as shadows. 10 But the wisdom of the past will teach you. The experience of others will speak to you, reminding you that 11-13 those who forget God have no hope. They are like rushes without any mire to grow in; or grass without water to keep it alive. Suddenly it begins to wither, even before it is cut. 14 A man without God is trusting in a spider's web. Everything he counts on will collapse. 15 If he counts on his home for security, it won't last. 16 At dawn he seems so strong and virile, like a green plant; his branches spread across the garden. 17 His roots are in the stream, down among the stones. 18 But when he disappears, he isn't even missed! 19 That is all he can look forward to! And others spring up from the earth to replace him!
20 "But look! God will not cast away a good man, nor prosper evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. 22 Those who hate you shall be clothed with shame, and the wicked destroyed."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,42
3,3,5,120
4,4,7,203
5,5,9,280
6,6,11,354
7,7,13,453
8,8,15,541
9,9,17,603
10,10,19,703
11,11,21,783
12,12,23,884
13,13,25,974
14,14,27,1071
15,15,29,1157
16,16,31,1251
17,17,33,1358
18,18,35,1450
19,19,37,1554
20,20,39,1625
21,21,41,1712
22,22,43,1797
1,1,1,1
2,7,2,40
8,19,4,412
20,22,6,1294
SECURITY JOB 8:14-15
Bildad wrongly assumed that Job was trusting in something other than God for security, so he pointed out that such supports will collapse. One of man's basic needs is security, and people will do almost anything to feel secure. Eventually, however, our money, possessions, knowledge, and relationships will fail or be gone. Only God can give lasting security. What have you trusted for your security? How lasting is it? If you have a secure foundation with God, then feelings of insecurity cannot uproot you.
JOB009
1 Then Job answered:
2 "Yes, I know that this is true, but how can anyone be right in the presence of God?
3 Someone might want to argue with God, but no one could answer God, not one time out of a thousand.
4 God's wisdom is deep, and his power is great; no one can fight him without getting hurt.
5 God moves mountains without anyone knowing it and turns them over when he is angry.
6 He shakes the earth out of its place and makes its foundations tremble.
7 He commands the sun not to shine and shuts off the light of the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the skies and walks on the waves of the sea.
9 It is God who made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades and the groups of stars in the southern sky.
10 He does wonders that cannot be understood; he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by me, I do not recognize him.
12 If he snatches something away, no one can stop him or say to him, `What are you doing?'
13 God will not hold back his anger. Even the helpers of the monster Rahab lie at his feet in fear.
14 So how can I argue with God, or even find words to argue with him?
15 Even if I were right, I could not answer him; I could only beg God, my Judge, for mercy.
16 If I called to him and he answered, I still don't believe he would listen to me.
17 He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
19 When it comes to strength, God is stronger than I; when it comes to justice, no one can accuse him.
20 Even if I were right, my own mouth would say I was wrong; if I were innocent, my mouth would say I was guilty.
21 "I am innocent, but I don't care about myself. I hate my own life.
22 It is all the same. That is why I say, `God destroys both the innocent and the guilty.'
23 If the whip brings sudden death, God will laugh at the suffering of the innocent.
24 When the land falls into the hands of evil people, he covers the judges' faces so they can't see it. If it is not God who does this, then who is it?
25 "My days go by faster than a runner; they fly away without my seeing any joy.
26 They glide past like paper boats. They attack like eagles swooping down to feed.
27 Even though I say, `I will forget my complaint; I will change the look on my face and smile,'
28 I still dread all my suffering. I know you will hold me guilty.
29 I have already been found guilty, so why should I struggle for no reason?
30 I might wash myself with soap and scrub my hands with strong soap,
31 but you would push me into a dirty pit, and even my clothes would hate me.
32 "God is not a man like me, so I cannot answer him. We cannot meet each other in court.
33 I wish there were someone to make peace between us, someone to decide our case.
34 Maybe he could remove God's punishment so his terror would no longer frighten me.
35 Then I could speak without being afraid, but I am not able to do that.
1 Job's reply:
2 "Yes, I know all that. You're not telling me anything new. But how can a man be truly good in the eyes of God? 3 If God decides to argue with him, can a man answer even one question of a thousand he asks? 4 For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever opposed him successfully?
5 "Suddenly he moves the mountains, overturning them in his anger. 6 He shakes the earth to its foundations. 7 The sun won't rise, the stars won't shine, if he commands it so! 8 Only he has stretched the heavens out and stalked along the seas. 9 He made the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern Zodiac.
10 "He does incredible miracles, too many to count. 11 He passes by, invisible; he moves along, but I don't see him go. 12 When he sends death to snatch a man away,who can stop him? Who dares to ask him, `What are you doing?'
13 "And God does not abate his anger. The pride of man collapses before him. 14 And who am I that I should try to argue with Almighty God, or even reason with him? 15 Even if I were sinless, I wouldn't say a word. I would only plead for mercy. 16 And even if my prayers were answered, I could scarce believe that he had heard my cry. 17 For he is the one who destroys, and multiplies my wounds without a cause. 18 He will not let me breathe, but fills me with bitter sorrows. 19 He alone is strong and just.
20 "But I? Am I righteous? My own mouth says no. Even if I were perfect, God would prove me wicked. 21 And even if I am utterly innocent, I dare not think of it. I despise what I am. 22 Innocent or evil, it is all the same to him, for he destroys both kinds. 23 He will laugh when calamity crushes the innocent. 24 The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked. God blinds the eyes of the judges and lets them be unfair. If not he, then who?
25 "My life passes swiftly away, filled with tragedy. 26 My years disappear like swift ships, like the eagle that swoops upon its prey.
27 "If I decided to forget my complaints against God, to end my sadness and be cheerful, 28 then he would pour even greater sorrows upon me. For I know that you will not hold me innocent, O God, 29 but will condemn me. So what's the use of trying? 30 Even if I were to wash myself with purest water and cleanse my hands with lye to make them utterly clean, 31 even so you would plunge me into the ditch and mud; and even my clothing would be less filthy than you consider me to be!
32-33 "And I cannot defend myself, for you are no mere man as I am. If you were, then we could discuss it fairly, but there is no umpire between us, no middle man, no mediator to bring us together. 34 Oh, let him stop beating me, so that I need no longer live in terror of his punishment. 35 Then I could speak without fear to him and tell him boldly that I am not guilty.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,116
4,4,7,221
5,5,9,316
6,6,11,406
7,7,13,485
8,8,15,562
9,9,17,636
10,10,19,743
11,11,21,843
12,12,23,934
13,13,25,1033
14,14,27,1139
15,15,29,1214
16,16,31,1312
17,17,33,1400
18,18,35,1476
19,19,37,1558
20,20,39,1668
21,21,41,1787
22,22,43,1863
23,23,45,1959
24,24,47,2050
25,25,49,2206
26,26,51,2291
27,27,53,2379
28,28,55,2481
29,29,57,2552
30,30,59,2634
31,31,61,2709
32,32,63,2792
33,33,65,2890
34,34,67,2977
35,35,69,3067
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,18
5,9,4,303
10,12,6,641
13,19,7,868
20,24,9,1379
25,26,11,1824
27,31,13,1963
32,35,15,2448
JOB010
1 "I hate my life, so I will complain without holding back; I will speak because I am so unhappy.
2 I will say to God: Do not hold me guilty, but tell me what you have against me.
3 Does it make you happy to trouble me? Don't you care about me, the work of your hands? Are you happy with the plans of evil people?
4 Do you have human eyes that see as we see?
5 Are your days like the days of humans, and your years like our years?
6 You look for the evil I have done and search for my sin.
7 You know I am not guilty, but no one can save me from your power.
8 "Your hands shaped and made me. Do you now turn around and destroy me?
9 Remember that you molded me like a piece of clay. Will you now turn me back into dust?
10 You formed me inside my mother like cheese formed from milk.
11 You dressed me with skin and flesh; you sewed me together with bones and muscles.
12 You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your care you watched over my life.
13 "But in your heart you hid other plans. I know this was in your mind.
14 If I sinned, you would watch me and would not let my sin go unpunished.
15 How terrible it will be for me if I am guilty! Even if I am right, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and experience only pain.
16 If I hold up my head, you hunt me like a lion and again show your terrible power against me.
17 You bring new witnesses against me and increase your anger against me. Your armies come against me.
18 "So why did you allow me to be had been carried straight from birth to the grave. 20 The few days of my life are almost over. Leave me alone so I can have a moment of joy. 21 Soon I will leave; I will not return from the land of darkness and gloom, 22 the land of darkest night, from the land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is darkness."
1 "I am weary of living. Let me complain freely. I will speak in my sorrow and bitterness. 2 I will say to God, `Don't just condemn me - tell me why you are doing it. 3 Does it really seem right to you to oppress and despise me, a man you have made; and to send joy and prosperity to the wicked? 4-7 Are you unjust like men? Is your life so short that you must hound me for sins you know full well I've not committed? Is it because you know no one can save me from your hand?
8 " `You have made me, and yet you destroy me. 9 Oh, please remember that I'm made of dust - will you change me back again to dust so soon? 10 You have already poured me from bottle to bottle like milk and curdled me like cheese. 11 You gave me skin and flesh and knit together bones and sinews. 12 You gave me life and were so kind and loving to me, and I was preserved by your care.
13-14 " `Yet all the time your real motive in making me was to destroy me if I sinned, and to refuse to forgive my iniquity. 15 Just the slightest wickedness, and I am done for. And if I'm good, that doesn't count. I am filled with frustration. 16 If 20I start to get up off the ground, you leap upon me like a lion and quickly finish me off. 17 Again and again you witness against me and pour out an ever-increasing volume of wrath upon me and bring fresh armies against me.
18 " `Why then did you even let me be born? Why didn't you let me die at birth? 19 Then I would have been spared this miserable existence. I would have gone directly from the womb to the grave. 20-21 Can't you see how little time I have left? Oh, leave me alone that I may have a little moment of comfort before I leave for the land of darkness and the shadow of death, never to return - 22 a land as dark as midnight, a land of the shadow of death where only confusion reigns and where the brightest light is dark as midnight.' "
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,189
4,4,7,328
5,5,9,377
6,6,11,454
7,7,13,517
8,8,15,589
9,9,17,669
10,10,19,764
11,11,21,832
12,12,23,926
13,13,25,1021
14,14,27,1099
15,15,29,1178
16,16,31,1320
17,17,33,1423
18,22,35,1530
1,7,1,1
8,12,3,482
13,17,5,870
18,22,7,1349
UNFAIR JOB 10:1
When we face baffling affliction, a natural response is to feel sorry for ourselves. Pain pushes us toward self-pity. At this point we are only one step from self-righteousness, where we keep track of life's injustices and say, Look what happened to me; how unfair it is! This comes close to saying that God is unfair. Remember that life's trials, whether allowed by God or sent by God, can help us grow and mature. When facing difficult situations, ask, What can I learn and how can I grow? rather than Who did this to me and how can I get out of it?
JOB011
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 "Should these words go unanswered? Is this talker in the right?
3 Your lies do not make people quiet; people should correct you when you make fun of God.
4 You say, `My teachings are right, and I am clean in God's sight.'
5 I wish God would speak and open his lips against you
6 and tell you the secrets of wisdom, because wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
7 "Can you understand the secrets of God? Can you search the limits of the Almighty?
8 His limits are higher than the heavens; you cannot reach them! They are deeper than the grave; you cannot understand them!
9 His limits are longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
10 "If God comes along and puts you in prison or calls you into court, no one can stop him.
11 God knows who is evil, and when he sees evil, he takes note of it.
12 A fool cannot become wise any more than a wild donkey can be born tame.
13 "You must give your whole heart to him and hold out your hands to him for help.
14 Put away the sin that is in your hand; let no evil remain in your tent.
15 Then you can lift up your face without shame, and you can stand strong without fear.
16 You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by.
17 Your life will be as bright as the noonday sun, and darkness will seem like morning.
18 You will feel safe because there is hope; you will look around and rest in safety.
19 You will lie down, and no one will scare you. Many people will want favors from you.
20 But the wicked will not be able to see, so they will not escape. Their only hope will be to die."
1 Zophar the Naamathite replies to Job:
2 "Shouldn't someone stem this torrent of words? Is a man proved right by all this talk? 3 Should I remain silent while you boast? When you mock God, shouldn't someone make you ashamed? 4 You claim you are pure in the eyes of God! 5 Oh, that God would speak and tell you what he thinks! 6 Oh, that he would make you truly see yourself, for he knows everything you've done. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!
7 "Do you know the mind and purposes of God? Will long searching make them known to you? Are you qualified to judge the Almighty? 8 He is as faultless as heaven is high - but who are you? His mind is fathomless - what can you know in comparison? 9 His Spirit is broader than the earth and wider than the sea. 10 If he rushes in and makes an arrest, and calls the court to order, who is going to stop him? 11 For he knows perfectly all the faults and sins of mankind; he sees all sin without searching.
12 "Mere man is as likely to be wise as a wild donkey's colt is likely to be born a man!
13-14 "Before you turn to God and stretch out your hands to him, get rid of your sins and leave all iniquity behind you. 15 Only then, without the spots of sin to defile you, can you walk steadily forward to God without fear. 16 Only then can you forget your misery. It will all be in the past. 17 And your life will be cloudless; any darkness will be as bright as morning!
18 "You will have courage because you will have hope. You will take your time 20and rest in safety. 19 You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help. 20 But the wicked shall find no way to escape; their only hope is death."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,44
3,3,5,114
4,4,7,208
5,5,9,281
6,6,11,341
7,7,13,466
8,8,15,555
9,9,17,684
10,10,19,753
11,11,21,850
12,12,23,924
13,13,25,1003
14,14,27,1090
15,15,29,1169
16,16,31,1262
17,17,33,1339
18,18,35,1431
19,19,37,1522
20,20,39,1615
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,43
7,11,4,485
12,12,6,990
13,17,8,1082
18,20,10,1459
HIDING JOB 11:11
Zophar incorrectly assumed that Job was hiding secret faults and sins. Although his assumption was wrong, he explained quite accurately that God knows and sees everything. We are often tempted by the thought, No one will ever know! Perhaps we can hide some sin from others, but we can do nothing without God knowing about it. Our very thoughts are known to God, so of course he will notice our sins. Job understood this as well as Zophar did, but it didn't apply to his current dilemma.
JOB012
1 Then Job answered:
2 "You really think you are the only wise people and that when you die, wisdom will die with you!
3 But my mind is as good as yours; you are not better than I am. Everyone knows all these things.
4 My friends all laugh at me when I call on God and expect him to answer me; they laugh at me even though I am right and innocent!
5 Those who are comfortable don't care that others have trouble; they think it right that those people should have troubles.
6 The tents of robbers are not bothered, and those who make God angry are safe. They have their god in their pocket.
7 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
8 Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you.
9 Every one of these knows that the hand of the LORD has done this.
10 The life of every creature and the breath of all people are in God's hand.
11 The ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
12 Older people are wise, and long life brings understanding.
13 "But only God has wisdom and power, good advice and understanding.
14 What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; anyone he puts in prison cannot be let out.
15 If God holds back the waters, there is no rain; if he lets the waters go, they flood the land.
16 He is strong and victorious; both the one who fools others and the one who is fooled belong to him.
17 God leads the wise away as captives and turns judges into fools.
18 He takes off chains that kings put on and puts a garment on their bodies.
19 He leads priests away naked and destroys the powerful.
20 He makes trusted people be silent and takes away the wisdom of older leaders.
21 He brings disgrace on important people and takes away the weapons of the strong.
22 He uncovers the deep things of darkness and brings dark shadows into the light.
23 He makes nations great and then destroys them; he makes nations large and then scatters them.
24 He takes understanding away from the leaders of the earth and makes them wander through a pathless desert.
25 They feel around in darkness with no light; he makes them stumble like drunks.
1 Job's reply:
2 "Yes, I realize you know everything! All wisdom will die with you! 3 Well, I know a few things myself - you are no better than I am. And who doesn't know these things you've been saying? 4 I, the man who begged God for help, and God answered him, have become a laughingstock to my neighbors. Yes, I, a righteous man, am now the man they scoff at. 5 Meanwhile, the rich mock those in trouble and are quick to despise all those in need. 6 For robbers prosper. Go ahead and provoke God - it makes no difference! He will supply your every need anyway!
7-9 "Who doesn't know that the Lord does things like that? Ask the dumbest beast - he knows that it is so; ask the birds - they will tell you; or let the earth teach you, or the fish of the sea. 10 For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of God, and the breath of all mankind. 11 Just as my mouth can taste good food, so my mind tastes truth when I hear it. 12 And as you say, older men like me are wise. They understand. 13 But true wisdom and power are God's. He alone knows what we should do; he understands.
14 "And how great is his might! What he destroys can't be rebuilt. When he closes in on a man, there is no escape. 15 He withholds the rain, and the earth becomes a desert; he sends the storms and floods the ground. 16 Yes, with him is strength and wisdom. Deceivers and deceived are both his slaves.
17 "He makes fools of counselors and judges. 18 He reduces kings to slaves and frees their servants. 19 Priests are led away as slaves. He overthrows the mighty. 20 He takes away the voice of orators and the insight of the elders. 21 He pours contempt upon princes and weakens the strong. 22 He floods the darkness with light, even the dark shadow of death. 23 He raises up a nation and then destroys it. He makes it great, and then reduces it to nothing. 24-25 He takes away the understanding of presidents and kings, and leaves them wandering, lost and groping, without a guiding light.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,130
4,4,7,233
5,5,9,368
6,6,11,497
7,7,13,619
8,8,15,725
9,9,17,811
10,10,19,883
11,11,21,966
12,12,23,1021
13,13,25,1088
14,14,27,1163
15,15,29,1252
16,16,31,1357
17,17,33,1465
18,18,35,1537
19,19,37,1620
20,20,39,1686
21,21,41,1774
22,22,43,1865
23,23,45,1954
24,24,47,2056
25,25,49,2170
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,18
7,13,4,571
14,16,6,1096
17,25,8,1400
GUIDANCE JOB 12:24-25
Job affirms that no leader has any real wisdom apart from God. No research or report can outweigh God's opinion. When we look for guidance for our lives, we must recognize that God's wisdom is superior to any the world has to offer.
JOB013
1 "Now my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know. You are not better than I am.
3 But I want to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God.
4 But you smear me with lies. You are worthless doctors, all of you!
5 I wish you would just stop talking; then you would really be wise!
6 Listen to my argument, and hear the pleading of my lips.
7 You should not speak evil in the name of God; you cannot speak God's truth by telling lies.
8 You should not unfairly choose his side against mine; you should not argue the case for God.
9 You will not do well if he examines you; you cannot fool God as you might fool humans.
10 God would surely scold you if you unfairly took one person's side.
11 His bright glory would scare you, and you would be very much afraid of him.
12 Your wise sayings are worth no more than ashes, and your arguments are as weak as clay.
13 "Be quiet and let me speak. Let things happen to me as they will.
14 Why should I put myself in danger and take my life in my own hands?
15 Even if God kills me, I have hope in him; I will still defend my ways to his face.
16 This is my salvation. The wicked cannot come before him.
17 Listen carefully to my words; let your ears hear what I say.
18 See, I have prepared my case, and I know I will be proved right.
19 No one can accuse me of doing wrong. If someone can, I will be quiet and die.
20 "God, please just give me these two things, and then I will not hide from you:
21 Take your punishment away from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors.
22 Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and you answer.
23 How many evil things and sins have I done? Show me my wrong and my sin.
24 Don't hide your face from me; don't think of me as your enemy.
25 Don't punish a leaf that is blown by the wind; don't chase after straw.
26 You write down cruel things against me and make me suffer for my boyhood sins.
27 You put my feet in chains and keep close watch wherever I go. You even mark the soles of my feet.
28 "Everyone wears out like something rotten, like clothing eaten by moths.
- - 1 "Look, I have seen many instances such as you describe. I understand what you are saying. 2 I know as much as you do. I'm not stupid. 3 Oh, how I long to speak directly to the Almighty. I want to talk this over with God himself. 4 For you are misinterpreting the whole thing. You are doctors who don't know what they are doing. 5 Oh, please be quiet! That would be your highest wisdom.
6 "Listen to me now, to my reasons for what I think and to my pleadings.
7 "Must you go on `speaking for God' when he never once has said the things that you are putting in his mouth? 8 Does God want your help if you are going to twist the truth for him? 9 Be careful that he doesn't find out what you are doing! Or do you think you can fool God as well as men? 10 No, you will be in serious trouble with him if you use lies to try to help him out. 11 Doesn't his majesty strike terror to your heart? How can you do this thing? 12 These tremendous statements you have made have about as much value as ashes. Your defense of God is as fragile as a clay vase!
13 "Be silent now and leave me alone, that I may speak - and I am willing to face the consequences. 14 Yes, I will take my life in my hand and say what I really think. 15 God may kill me for saying this - in fact, I expect him to. Nevertheless, I am going to argue my case with him.
16 This at least will be in my favor, that I am not godless, to be rejected instantly from his presence. 17 Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out.
18 "This is my case: I know that I am righteous. 19 Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would stop defending myself and die.
20 "O God, there are two things I beg you not to do to me; only then will I be able to face you. 21 Don't abandon me. And don't terrify me with your awesome presence. 22 Call to me to come - how quickly I will answer! Or let me speak to you, and you reply. 23 Tell me, what have I done wrong? Help me! Point out my sin to me. 24 Why do you turn away from me? Why hand me over to my enemy? 25 Would you blame a leaf that is blown about by the wind? Will you chase dry, useless straws?
26 "You write bitter things against me and bring up all the follies of my youth. 27-28 You send me to prison and shut me in on every side. I am like a fallen, rotten tree, like a moth-eaten coat.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,223
5,5,9,297
6,6,11,371
7,7,13,434
8,8,15,534
9,9,17,633
10,10,19,726
11,11,21,802
12,12,23,885
13,13,25,982
14,14,27,1056
15,15,29,1131
16,16,31,1225
17,17,33,1289
18,18,35,1358
19,19,37,1431
20,20,39,1516
21,21,41,1605
22,22,43,1695
23,23,45,1768
24,24,47,1847
25,25,49,1919
26,26,51,2002
27,27,53,2092
28,28,55,2200
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,392
7,12,5,468
13,15,7,1056
16,17,9,1342
18,19,11,1508
20,25,13,1666
26,28,15,2153
JOB014
1 "All of us born to women live only a few days and have lots of trouble.
2 We grow up like flowers and then dry up and die. We are like a passing shadow that does not last.
3 Lord, do you need to watch me like this? Must you bring me before you to be judged?
4 No one can bring something clean from something dirty.
5 Our time is limited. You have given us only so many months to live and have set limits we cannot go beyond.
6 So look away from us and leave us alone until we put in our time like a laborer.
7 "If a tree is cut down, there is hope that it will grow again and will send out new branches.
8 Even if its roots grow old in the ground, and its stump dies in the dirt,
9 at the smell of water it will bud and put out new shoots like a plant.
10 But we die, and our bodies are laid in the ground; we take our last breath and are gone.
11 Water disappears from a lake, and a river loses its water and dries up.
12 In the same way, we lie down and do not rise again; we will not get up or be awakened until the heavens disappear.
13 "I wish you would hide me in the grave; hide me until your anger is gone. I wish you would set a time and then remember me!
14 If a person dies, will he live again? All my days are a struggle; I will wait until my change comes.
15 You will call, and I will answer you; you will desire the creature your hands have made.
16 Then you will count my steps, but you will not keep track of my sin.
17 My wrongs will be and crumbles; and a rock can be moved from its place. 19 Water washes over stones and wears them down, and rushing waters wash away the dirt. In the same way, you destroy my hope. 20 You defeat a person forever, and he is gone; you change his appearance and send him away. 21 His sons are honored, but he does not know it; his sons are disgraced, but he does not see it. 22 He only feels the pain of his body and feels sorry for himself."
1 "How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble! 2 He blossoms for a moment like a flower - and withers; as the shadow of a passing cloud, he quickly disappears. 3 Must you be so harsh with frail men and demand an accounting from them? 4 How can you demand purity in one born impure? 5 You have set mankind so brief a span of life - months is all you give him! Not one bit longer may he live. 6 So give him a little rest, won't you? Turn away your angry gaze and let him have a few moments of relief before he dies.
7 "For there is hope for a tree - if it's cut down, it sprouts again and grows tender, new branches. 8-9 Though its roots have grown old in the earth, and its stump decays, it may sprout and bud again at the touch of water, like a new seedling. 10 But when a man dies and is buried, where does his spirit go? 11-12 As water evaporates from a lake, as a river disappears in drought, so a man lies down for the last time and does not rise again until the heavens are no more; he shall not awaken, nor be roused from his sleep. 13 Oh, that you would hide me with the dead and forget me there until your anger ends; but mark your calendar to think of me again!
14 "If a man dies, shall he live again? This thought gives me hope, so that in all my anguish I eagerly await sweet death! 15 You would call and I would come, and you would reward all I do. 16 But now, instead, you give me so few steps upon the stage of life and notice every mistake I make. 17 You bundle them all together as evidence against me.
18-19 "Mountains wear away and disappear. Water grinds the stones to sand. Torrents tear away the soil. So every hope of man is worn away. 20-21 Always you are against him, and then he passes off the scene. You make him old and wrinkled, then send him away. He never knows it if his sons are honored; or they may fail and face disaster, but he knows it not. 22 For him there is only sorrow and pain."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,183
4,4,7,276
5,5,9,338
6,6,11,454
7,7,13,541
8,8,15,642
9,9,17,722
10,10,19,799
11,11,21,897
12,12,23,978
13,13,25,1101
14,14,27,1232
15,15,29,1340
16,16,31,1436
17,22,33,1512
1,6,1,1
7,13,3,531
14,17,5,1191
18,22,7,1542
GUARANTEE JOB 14:1
Life is brief and full of trouble, Job lamented in his closing remarks. Sickness, loneliness, disappointment, and the deaths of others caused him to say that life is not fair. Still, Job held on to the one truth that also gives hope to us: resurrection (14:14-15). God's solution to an unfair world is to guarantee life with him forever. No matter how unfair your present world seems, God offers the hope of being in his presence eternally.
JOB015
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 "A wise person would not answer with empty words or fill his stomach with the hot east wind.
3 He would not argue with useless words or make speeches that have no value.
4 But you even destroy respect for God and limit the worship of him.
5 Your sin teaches your mouth what to say; you use words to trick others.
6 It is your own mouth, not mine, that shows you are wicked; your own lips testify against you.
7 "You are not the first man ever born; you are not older than the hills.
8 You did not listen in on God's secret council. But you limit wisdom to yourself.
9 You don't know any more than we know. You don't understand any more than we understand.
10 Old people with gray hair are on our side; they are even older than your father.
11 Is the comfort God gives you not enough for you, even when words are spoken gently to you?
12 Has your heart carried you away from God? Why do your eyes flash with anger?
13 Why do you speak out your anger against God? Why do these words pour out of your mouth?
14 "How can anyone be pure? How can someone born to a woman be good?
15 God places no trust in his holy ones, and even the heavens are not pure in his eyes.
16 How much less pure is one who is terrible and rotten and drinks up evil as if it were water!
17 "Listen to me, and I will tell you about it; I will tell you what I have seen.
18 These are things wise men have told; their fathers told them, and they have hidden nothing.
19 (The land was given to their fathers only, and no foreigner lived among them.)
20 The wicked suffer pain all their lives; the cruel suffer during all the years saved up for them.
21 Terrible sounds fill their ears, and when things seem to be going well, robbers attack them.
22 Evil people give up trying to escape from the darkness; it has been decided that they will die by the sword.
23 They wander around and will become food for vultures. They know darkness will soon come.
24 Worry and suffering terrify them; they overwhelm them, like a king ready to attack,
25 because they shake their fists at God and try to get their own way against the Almighty.
26 They stubbornly charge at God with thick, strong shields.
27 "Although the faces of the wicked are thick with fat, and their bellies are fat with flesh,
28 they will live in towns that are ruined, in houses where no one lives, which are crumbling into ruins.
29 The wicked will no longer get rich, and the riches they have will not last; the things they own will no longer spread over the land.
30 They will not escape the darkness. A flame will dry up their branches; God's breath will carry the wicked away.
31 The wicked should not fool themselves by trusting what is useless. If they do, they will get nothing in return.
32 Their branches will dry up before they finish growing and will never turn green.
33 They will be like a vine whose grapes are pulled off before they are ripe, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms.
34 People without God can produce nothing. Fire will destroy the tents of those who take money to do evil,
35 who plan trouble and give birth to evil, whose hearts plan ways to trick others."
1 The answer of Eliphaz the Temanite:
2 "You are supposed to be a wise man, and yet you give us all this foolish talk. You are nothing but a windbag. 3 It isn't right to speak so foolishly. What good do such words do? 4-5 Have you no fear of God? No reverence for him? Your sins are telling your mouth what to say! Your words are based on clever deception, 6 but why should I condemn you? Your own mouth does!
7-8 "Are you the wisest man alive? Were you born before the hills were made? Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Are you called into his counsel room? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know more than we do? What do you understand that we don't? 10 On our side are aged men much older than your father! 11 Is God's comfort too little for you? Is his gentleness too rough?
12 "What is this you are doing, getting carried away by your anger, with flashing eyes? 13 And you turn against God and say all these evil things against him. 14 What man in all the earth can be as pure and righteous as you claim to be? 15 Why, God doesn't even trust the angels! Even the heavens can't be absolutely pure compared with him! 16 How much less someone like you, who is corrupt and sinful, drinking in sin as a sponge soaks up water!
17-19 "Listen, and I will answer you from my own experience, confirmed by the experience of wise men who have been told this same thing from their fathers - our ancestors to whom alone the land was given - and they have passed this wisdom to us:
20 "A wicked man is always in trouble throughout his life. 21 He is surrounded by terrors, and if there are good days, they will soon be gone. 22 He dares not go out into the darkness lest he be murdered. 23-24 He wanders around begging for food. He lives in fear, distress, and anguish. His enemies conquer him as a king defeats his foes. 25-26 Armed with his tin shield, he clenches his fist against God, defying the Almighty, stubbornly assaulting him.
27-28 "This wicked man is fat and rich, and has lived in conquered cities after killing off their citizens. 29 But he will not continue to be rich, or to extend his possessions. 30 No, darkness shall overtake him forever; the breath of God shall destroy him; the flames shall burn up all he has.
31 "Let him no longer trust in foolish riches; let him no longer deceive himself, for the money he trusts in will be his only reward. 32 Before he dies, all this futility will become evident to him. For all he counted on will disappear 33 and fall to the ground like a withered grape. How little will come of his hopes! 34 For the godless are barren: they can produce nothing truly good. God's fire consumes them with all their possessions. 35 The only thing they can `conceive' is sin, and their hearts give birth only to wickedness."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,44
3,3,5,143
4,4,7,224
5,5,9,298
6,6,11,377
7,7,13,479
8,8,15,558
9,9,17,645
10,10,19,740
11,11,21,828
12,12,23,926
13,13,25,1010
14,14,27,1107
15,15,29,1183
16,16,31,1277
17,17,33,1377
18,18,35,1463
19,19,37,1562
20,20,39,1648
21,21,41,1752
22,22,43,1855
23,23,45,1971
24,24,47,2067
25,25,49,2159
26,26,51,2255
27,27,53,2324
28,28,55,2423
29,29,57,2533
30,30,59,2676
31,31,61,2795
32,32,63,2917
33,33,65,3005
34,34,67,3133
35,35,69,3244
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,41
7,11,4,416
12,16,6,810
17,19,8,1260
20,26,9,1507
27,30,11,1966
31,35,13,2265
Ult. Issues: Suffering and Evil ,!page "^suffering" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOB016
1 Then Job answered:
2 "I have heard many things like these. You are all painful comforters!
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end? What makes you keep on arguing?
4 I also could speak as you do if you were in my place. I could make great speeches against you and shake my head at you.
5 But, instead, I would encourage you, and my words would bring you relief.
6 "Even if I speak, my pain is not less, and if I don't speak, it still does not go away.
7 God, you have surely taken away my strength and destroyed my whole family.
8 You have made me thin and weak, and this shows I have done wrong.
9 God attacks me and tears me with anger; he grinds his teeth at me; my enemy stares at me with his angry eyes.
10 People open their mouths to make fun of me and hit my cheeks to insult me. They join together against me.
11 God has turned me over to evil people and has handed me over to the wicked.
12 Everything was fine with me, but God broke me into pieces; he held me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me. He stabs my kidneys without mercy; he spills my blood on the ground.
14 Again and again God attacks me; he runs at me like a soldier.
15 "I have sewed rough cloth over my skin to show my sadness and have buried my face in the dust.
16 My face is red from crying; I have dark circles around my eyes.
17 Yet my hands have never done anything cruel, and my prayer is pure.
18 "Earth, please do not cover up my blood. Don't let my cry ever stop being heard!
19 Even now I have one who speaks for me in heaven; the one who is on my side is high above.
20 The one who speaks for me is my friend. My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 He begs God on behalf of a human as a person begs for his friend.
22 "Only a few years will pass before I go on the journey of no return.
1 Job's reply:
2 "I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters all of you are. 3 Won't you ever stop your flow of foolish words? What have I said that makes you speak so endlessly? 4 But perhaps I'd sermonize the same as you - if you were I and I were you. I would spout off my criticisms against you and shake my head at you. 5 But no! I would speak in such a way that it would help you. I would try to take away your grief.
6 "But now my grief remains no matter how I defend myself; nor does it help if I refuse to speak. 7 For God has ground me down and taken away my family. 8 O God, you have turned me to skin and bones - as a proof, they say, of my sins. 9 God hates me and angrily tears at my flesh; he has gnashed upon me with his teeth and watched to snuff out any sign of life. 10 These `comforters' have gaping jaws to swallow me; they slap my cheek. My enemies gather themselves against me. 11 And God has delivered me over to sinners, into the hands of the wicked.
12 "I was living quietly until he broke me apart. He has taken me by the neck and dashed me to pieces, then hung me up as his target. 13 His archers surround me, letting fly their arrows, so that the ground is wet from my blood. 14 Again and again he attacks me, running upon me like a giant. 15 Here I sit in sackcloth; and have laid all hope in the dust. 16 My eyes are red with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death.
17 "Yet I am innocent, and my prayer is pure. 18 O Earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it protest on my behalf.
19 "Yet even now the witness to my innocence is there in heaven; my advocate is there on high. 20 My friends scoff at me, but I pour out my tears to God, 21 pleading that he will listen as a man would listen to his neighbor. 22 For all too soon I must go down that road from which I shall never return.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,27
3,3,5,104
4,4,7,184
5,5,9,311
6,6,11,393
7,7,13,487
8,8,15,568
9,9,17,640
10,10,19,756
11,11,21,869
12,12,23,959
13,13,25,1092
14,14,27,1193
15,15,29,1264
16,16,31,1367
17,17,33,1438
18,18,35,1513
19,19,37,1601
20,20,39,1699
21,21,41,1778
22,22,43,1851
1,1,1,1
2,5,2,18
6,11,4,443
12,16,6,998
17,18,8,1433
19,22,10,1548
SINCERE HELP JOB 16:1
Job's friends were supposed to be comforting him in his grief. Instead they condemned him for causing his own suffering. Job began his reply to Eliphaz by calling him and his friends miserable comforters. Job's words reveal several ways to become a better comforter to those in pain: (1) don't talk just for the sake of talking; (2) don't sermonize by giving pat answers; (3) don't criticize; (4) put yourself in the other person's place; and (5) offer sincere help and encouragement. Try Job's suggestions, knowing that they are given by a person who needed great comfort. The best comforters are those who know something about personal suffering.
JOB017
1 My spirit is broken; the days of my life are almost gone. The grave is waiting for me.
2 Those who laugh at me surround me; I watch them insult me.
3 "God, make me a promise. No one will make a pledge for me.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding. Do not let them win over me.
5 A person might speak against his friends for money, but if he does, the eyes of his children go blind.
6 "God has made my name a curse word; people spit in my face.
7 My sight has grown weak because of my sadness, and my body is as thin as a shadow.
8 Honest people are upset about this; innocent people are upset with those who do wrong.
9 But those who do right will continue to do right, and those whose hands are not dirty with sin will grow stronger.
10 "But, all of you, come and try again! I do not find a wise person among you.
11 My days are gone, and my plans have been destroyed, along with the desires of my heart.
12 These men think night is day; when it is dark, they say, `Light is near.'
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to the grave, `You are my father,' and to the worm, `You are my mother' or `You are my sister,'
15 where, then, is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will hope go down to the gates of death? Will we go down together into the dust?"
1 "I am sick and near to death; the grave is ready to receive me. 2 I am surrounded by mockers. I see them everywhere. 3-4 Will no one anywhere confirm my innocence? But you, O God, have kept them back from understanding this. Oh, do not let them triumph. 5 If they accept bribes to denounce their friends, their children shall go blind.
6 "He has made me a mockery among the people; they spit in my face. 7 My eyes are dim with weeping and I am but a shadow of my former self. 8 Fair-minded men are astonished when they see me.
"Yet, finally, the innocent shall come out on top, above the godless; 9 the righteous shall move onward and forward; those with pure hearts shall become stronger and stronger.
10 "As for you - all of you please go away; for I do not find a wise man among you. 11 My good days are in the past. My hopes have disappeared. My heart's desires are broken. 12 They say that night is day and day is night; how they pervert the truth!
13-14 "If I die, I go out into darkness, and call the grave my father, and the worm my mother and my sister. 15 Where then is my hope? Can anyone find any? 16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We shall rest together in the dust!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,228
5,5,9,310
6,6,11,420
7,7,13,488
8,8,15,577
9,9,17,670
10,10,19,793
11,11,21,878
12,12,23,974
13,13,25,1055
14,14,27,1141
15,15,29,1259
16,16,31,1320
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,342
10,12,6,713
13,16,8,967
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JOB018
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 "When will you stop these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 You think of us as cattle, as if we are stupid.
4 You tear yourself to pieces in your anger. Should the earth be vacant just for you? Should the rocks move from their places?
5 "The lamp of the wicked will be put out, and the flame in their lamps will stop burning.
6 The light in their tents will grow dark, and the lamps by their sides will go out.
7 Their strong steps will grow weak; they will fall into their own evil traps.
8 Their feet will be caught in a net when they walk into its web.
9 A trap will catch them by the heel and hold them tight.
10 A trap for them is hidden on the ground, right in their path.
11 Terrible things startle them from every side and chase them at every step.
12 Hunger takes away their strength, and disaster is at their side.
13 Disease eats away parts of their skin; death gnaws at their arms and legs.
14 They are torn from the safety of their tents and dragged off to Death, the King of Terrors.
15 Their tents are set on fire, and sulfur is scattered over their homes.
16 Their roots dry up below ground, and their branches die above ground.
17 People on earth will not remember them; their names will be forgotten in the land.
18 They will be driven from light into darkness and chased out of the world.
19 They have no children or descendants among their people, and no one will be left alive where they once lived.
20 People of the west will be shocked at what has happened to them, and people of the east will be very frightened.
21 Surely this is what will happen to the wicked; such is the place of one who does not know God."
1 The further reply of Bildad the Shuhite:
2 "Who are you trying to fool? Speak some sense if you want us to answer! 3 Have we become like animals to you, stupid and dumb? 4 Just because you tear your clothes in anger, is this going to start an earthquake? Shall we all go and hide?
5 "The truth remains that if you do not prosper, it is because you are wicked. And your bright flame shall be put out. 6 There will be darkness in every home where there is wickedness.
7 "The confident stride of the wicked man will be shortened; he will realize his failing strength. 8-9 He walks into traps, and robbers will ambush him. 10 There is a booby trap in every path he takes. 11 He has good cause for fear - his enemy is close behind him!
12 "His vigor is depleted by hunger; calamity stands ready to pounce upon him. 13 His skin is eaten by disease. Death shall devour him. 14 The wealth he trusted in shall reject him, and he shall be brought down to the king of terrors. 15 His home shall disappear beneath a fiery barrage of brimstone. 16 He shall die from the roots up, and all his branches will be lopped off.
17 "All memory of his existence will perish from the earth; no one will remember him. 18 He will be driven out from the kingdom of light into darkness and chased out of the world. 19 He will have neither son nor grandson left, nor any other relatives. 20 Old and young alike will be horrified by his fate. 21 Yes, that is what happens to sinners, to those rejecting God."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,42
3,3,5,122
4,4,7,179
5,5,9,313
6,6,11,409
7,7,13,498
8,8,15,581
9,9,17,651
10,10,19,713
11,11,21,782
12,12,23,865
13,13,25,937
14,14,27,1019
15,15,29,1118
16,16,31,1197
17,17,33,1274
18,18,35,1365
19,19,37,1452
20,20,39,1573
21,21,41,1693
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,46
5,6,4,289
7,11,6,477
12,16,8,745
17,21,10,1125
JOB019
' ' 1 Then Job answered:
2 "How long will you hurt me and crush me with your words?
3 You have insulted me ten times now and attacked me without shame.
4 Even if I have sinned, it is my worry alone.
5 If you want to make yourselves look better than I, you can blame me for my suffering.
6 Then know that God has wronged me and pulled his net around me.
7 "I shout, `I have been wronged!' But I get no answer. I scream for help but I get no justice.
8 God has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has covered my paths with darkness.
9 He has taken away my honor and removed the crown from my head.
10 He beats me down on every side until I am gone; he destroys my hope like a fallen tree.
11 His anger burns against me, and he treats me like an enemy.
12 His armies gather; they prepare to attack me. They camp around my tent.
13 "God has made my brothers my enemies, and my friends have become strangers.
14 My relatives have gone away, and my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my female servants treat me like a stranger; they look at me as if I were a foreigner.
16 I call for my servant, but he does not answer, even when I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My wife can't stand my breath, and my own family dislikes me.
18 Even the little boys hate me and talk about me when I leave.
19 All my close friends hate me; even those I love have turned against me.
20 I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, my friends, pity me, because the hand of God has hit me.
22 Why do you chase me as God does? Haven't you hurt me enough?
23 "How I wish my words were written down, written on a scroll.
24 I wish they were carved with an iron pen into lead, or carved into stone forever.
25 I know that my Defender lives, and in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed, in my flesh I will see God.
27 I will see him myself; I will see him with my very own eyes. How my heart wants that to happen!
28 "If you say, `We will continue to trouble Job, because the problem lies with him,'
29 you should be afraid of the sword yourselves. God's anger will bring punishment by the sword. Then you will know there is judgment."
1 The reply of Job:
2 "How long are you going to trouble me, and try to break me with your words? 3 Ten times now you have declared I am a sinner. Why aren't you ashamed to deal with me so harshly? 4 And if indeed I was wrong, you have yet to prove it. 5 You think yourselves so great? Then prove my guilt!
6 "The fact of the matter is that God has overthrown me and caught me in his net. 7 I scream for help and no one hears me. I shriek, but get no justice. 8 God has blocked my path and turned my light to darkness. 9 He has stripped me of my glory and removed the crown from my head. 10 He has broken me down on every side, and I am done for. He has destroyed all hope. 11 His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12 He sends his troops to surround my tent.
13 "He has sent away my brothers and my friends. 14 My relatives have failed me; my friends have all forsaken me. 15 Those living in my home, even my servants, regard me as a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16 I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even beg him! 17 My own wife and brothers refuse to recognize me. 18 Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they mock.
19 "My best friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20 I am skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21 "Oh, my friends, pity me, for the angry hand of God has touched me. 22 Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish? 23-24 Oh, that I could write my plea with an iron pen in the rock forever.
25 "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And I know that after this body has decayed, this body shall see God!
27 Then he will be on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not as a stranger, but as a friend! What a glorious hope!
28 "How dare you go on persecuting me, as though I were proven guilty? 29 I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,89
4,4,7,165
5,5,9,217
6,6,11,309
7,7,13,381
8,8,15,486
9,9,17,572
10,10,19,641
11,11,21,736
12,12,23,804
13,13,25,886
14,14,27,972
15,15,29,1043
16,16,31,1151
17,17,33,1245
18,18,35,1315
19,19,37,1383
20,20,39,1462
21,21,41,1544
22,22,43,1617
23,23,45,1685
24,24,47,1755
25,25,49,1845
26,26,51,1928
27,27,53,2002
28,28,55,2106
29,29,57,2196
1,1,1,1
2,5,2,23
6,12,4,313
13,18,6,783
19,20,8,1182
21,24,10,1324
25,26,12,1557
27,27,14,1730
28,29,16,1846
JOB020
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 "My troubled thoughts cause me to answer, because I am very upset.
3 You correct me and I am insulted, but I understand how to answer you.
4 "You know how it has been for a long time, ever since people were first put on the earth.
5 The happiness of evil people is brief, and the joy of the wicked lasts only a moment.
6 Their pride may be as high as the heavens, and their heads may touch the clouds,
7 but they will be gone forever, like their own dung. People who knew them will say, `Where are they?'
8 They will fly away like a dream and not be found again; they will be chased away like a vision in the night.
9 Those who saw them will not see them again; the places where they lived will see them no more.
10 Their children will have to pay back the poor, and they will have to give up their wealth.
11 They had the strength of their youth in their bones, but it will lie with them in the dust of death.
12 "Evil may taste sweet in their mouths, and they may hide it under their tongues.
13 They cannot stand to let go of it; they keep it in their mouths.
14 But their food will turn sour in their stomachs, like the poison of a snake inside them.
15 They have swallowed riches, but they will spit them out; God will make them vomit their riches up.
16 They will suck the poison of snakes, and the snake's fangs will kill them.
17 They will not admire the sparkling streams or the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 They must give back what they worked for without eating it; they will not enjoy the money they made from their trading,
19 because they troubled the poor and left them with nothing. They have taken houses they did not build.
20 "Evil people never lack an appetite, and nothing escapes their selfishness.
21 But nothing will be left for them to eat; their riches will not continue.
22 When they still have plenty, trouble will catch up to them, and great misery will come down on them.
23 When the wicked fill their stomachs, God will send his burning anger against them, and blows of punishment will fall on them like rain.
24 The wicked may run away from an iron weapon, but a bronze arrow will stab them.
25 They will pull the arrows out of their backs and pull the points out of their livers. Terrors will come over them;
26 total darkness waits for their treasure. A fire not fanned by people will destroy them and burn up what is left of their tents.
27 The heavens will show their guilt, and the earth will rise up against them.
28 A flood will carry their houses away, swept away on the day of God's anger.
29 This is what God plans for evil people; this is what he has decided they will receive."
1 The speech of Zophar the Naamathite:
2 "I hasten to reply, for I have the answer for you. 3 You have tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for calling you a sinner, but my spirit won't let me stop.
4 "Don't you realize that ever since man was first placed upon the earth, 5 the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? 6 Though the godless be proud as the heavens and walk with his nose in the air, 7 yet he shall perish forever, cast away like his own dung. Those who knew him will wonder where he has gone. 8 He will fade like a dream. 9 Neither his friends nor his family will ever see him again.
10 "His children shall beg from the poor, their hard labor shall repay his debts. 11 Though still a young man, his bones shall lie in the dust.
12 "He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt in his mouth, 13 sipping it slowly, lest it disappear.
14 "But suddenly the food he has eaten turns sour within him. 15 He will vomit the plunder he gorged. God won't let him keep it down. 16 It is like poison and death to him. 17 He shall not enjoy the goods he stole; they will not be butter and honey to him after all. 18 His labors shall not be rewarded; wealth will give him no joy. 19 For he has oppressed the poor and foreclosed their homes; he will never recover. 20 Though he was always greedy, now he has nothing; of all the things he dreamed of - none remain. 21 Because he stole at every opportunity, his prosperity shall not continue.
22 "He shall run into trouble at the peak of his powers; all the wicked shall destroy him. 23 Just as he is about to fill his belly, God will rain down wrath upon him. 24 He will be chased and struck down. 25 The arrow is pulled from his body - and the glittering point comes out from his gall. The terrors of death are upon him.
26 "His treasures will be lost in deepest darkness. A raging fire will devour his goods, consuming all he has left. 27 The heavens will reveal his sins, and the earth will give testimony against him. 28 His wealth will disappear beneath the wrath of God. 29 This is what awaits the wicked man, for God prepares it for him."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,45
3,3,5,120
4,4,7,198
5,5,9,297
6,6,11,389
7,7,13,476
8,8,15,585
9,9,17,700
10,10,19,801
11,11,21,899
12,12,23,1007
13,13,25,1099
14,14,27,1171
15,15,29,1270
16,16,31,1378
17,17,33,1463
18,18,35,1558
19,19,37,1685
20,20,39,1800
21,21,41,1885
22,22,43,1967
23,23,45,2076
24,24,47,2220
25,25,49,2308
26,26,51,2430
27,27,53,2565
28,28,55,2648
29,29,57,2731
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,42
4,9,4,208
10,11,6,661
12,13,8,808
14,21,10,926
22,25,12,1522
26,29,14,1855
JOB021
1 Then Job answered:
2 "Listen carefully to my words, and let this be the way you comfort me.
3 Be patient while I speak. After I have finished, you may continue to make fun of me.
4 "My complaint is not just against people; I have reason to be impatient.
5 Look at me and be shocked; put your hand over your mouth in shock.
6 When I think about this, I am terribly afraid and my body shakes.
7 Why do evil people live a long time? They grow old and become more powerful.
8 They see their children around them; they watch them grow up.
9 Their homes are safe and without fear; God does not punish them.
10 Their bulls never fail to mate; their cows have healthy calves.
11 They send out their children like a flock; their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of tambourines and harps, and the sound of the flute makes them happy.
13 Evil people enjoy successful lives and then go peacefully to the grave.
14 They say to God, `Leave us alone! We don't want to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?'
16 The success of the wicked is not their own doing. Their way of thinking is different from mine.
17 Yet how often are the lamps of evil people turned off? How often does trouble come to them? How often do they suffer God's angry punishment?
18 How often are they like straw in the wind or like chaff that is blown away by a storm?
19 It is said, `God saves up a person's punishment for his children.' But God should punish the wicked themselves so they will know it.
20 Their eyes should see their own destruction, and they should suffer the anger of the Almighty.
21 They do not care about the families they leave behind when their lives have come to an end.
22 "No one can teach knowledge to God; he is the one who judges even the most important people.
23 One person dies while he still has all his strength, feeling completely safe and comfortable.
24 His body was well fed, and his bones were strong and healthy.
25 But another person dies with an unhappy heart, never enjoying any happiness.
26 They are buried next to each other, and worms cover them both.
27 "I know very well your thoughts and your plans to wrong me.
28 You ask about me, `Where is this great man's house? Where are the tents where the wicked live?'
29 Have you never asked those who travel? Have you never listened to their stories?
30 On the day of God's anger and punishment, it is the wicked who are spared.
31 Who will accuse them to their faces? Who will pay them back for the evil they have done?
32 They are carried to their graves, and someone keeps watch over their tombs.
33 The dirt in the valley seems sweet to them. Everybody follows after them, and many people go before them.
34 "So how can you comfort me with this nonsense? Your answers are only lies!"
1 Job's reply:
2-3 "Listen to me; let me speak, and afterwards, mock on.
4 "I am complaining about God, not man; no wonder my spirit is so troubled. 5 Look at me in horror, and lay your hand upon your mouth. 6 Even I am frightened when I see myself. Horror takes hold upon me and I shudder.
7 "The truth is that the wicked live on to a good old age and become great and powerful. 8 They live to see their children grow to maturity around them, and their grandchildren too. 9 Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. 10 Their cattle are productive, 11 they have many happy children, 12-13 they spend their time singing and dancing. They are wealthy and need deny themselves nothing; they are prosperous to the end. 14 All this despite the fact that they ordered God away and wanted no part of him and his ways.
15 " `Who is Almighty God?' they scoff. `Why should we obey him? What good will it do us?'
16 "Look, everything the wicked touch has turned to gold! But I refuse even to deal with people like that. 17 Yet the wicked get away with it every time. They never have trouble, and God skips them when he distributes his sorrows and anger. 18 Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm? Not at all!
19 "`Well,' you say, `at least God will punish their children!' But I say that God should punish the man who sins, not his children! Let him feel the penalty himself. 20 Yes, let him be destroyed for his iniquity. Let him drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty. 21 For when he is dead, then he will never again be able to enjoy his family.
22 "But who can rebuke God, the supreme Judge? 23-24 He destroys those who are healthy, wealthy, fat, and prosperous; 25 God also destroys those in deep and grinding poverty who have never known anything good. 26 Both alike are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same worms.
27 "I know what you are going to say - 28 you will tell me of rich and wicked men who came to disaster because of their sins. 29 But I reply, Ask anyone who has been around and he can tell you the truth, 30-32 that the evil man is usually spared in the day of calamity and allowed to escape. No one rebukes him openly. No one repays him for what he has done. And an honor guard keeps watch at his grave. 33 A great funeral procession precedes and follows him as the soft earth covers him. 34 How can you comfort me when your whole premise is so wrong?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,105
4,4,7,199
5,5,9,278
6,6,11,353
7,7,13,428
8,8,15,513
9,9,17,584
10,10,19,655
11,11,21,729
12,12,23,811
13,13,25,912
14,14,27,991
15,15,29,1065
16,16,31,1157
17,17,33,1261
18,18,35,1410
19,19,37,1507
20,20,39,1650
21,21,41,1757
22,22,43,1857
23,23,45,1957
24,24,47,2058
25,25,49,2127
26,26,51,2211
27,27,53,2281
28,28,55,2348
29,29,57,2451
30,30,59,2539
31,31,61,2621
32,32,63,2717
33,33,65,2800
34,34,67,2913
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,18
4,6,4,79
7,14,6,300
15,15,8,849
16,18,9,941
19,21,11,1280
22,26,13,1626
27,34,15,1912
SUCCESS JOB 21:1
Job refuted Zophar's idea that evil people never experience wealth and happiness, pointing out that in the real world the wicked do indeed prosper. God does what he wants to individuals (21:22-25), and people should not use their circumstances to measure their own goodness or God's-prosperity and goodness are not necessarily related. To Job's friends, success was based on outward performance; to God, however, success is based on a person's heart.
ATTITUDE JOB 21:22
In the middle of Job's confusion about his suffering, he asked, But who can rebuke God, the supreme Judge? Even if your personal struggles seem as great and difficult as Job's, your response will indicate your current attitude toward God. Rather than becoming angry with God, continue to trust him, no matter what your circumstances may be. Although it is sometimes difficult to see, God is in control.
JOB022
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 "Can anyone be of real use to God? Can even a wise person do him good?
3 Does it help the Almighty for you to be good? Does he gain anything if you are innocent?
4 Does God punish you for respecting him? Does he bring you into court for this?
5 No! It is because your evil is without limits and your sins have no end.
6 You took your brothers' things for a debt they didn't owe; you took clothes from people and left them naked.
7 You did not give water to tired people, and you kept food from the hungry.
8 You were a powerful man who owned land; you were honored and lived in the land.
9 But you sent widows away empty-handed, and you mistreated orphans.
10 That is why traps are all around you and sudden danger frightens you.
11 That is why it is so dark you cannot see and a flood of water covers you.
12 "God is in the highest part of heaven. See how high the highest stars are!
13 But you ask, `What does God know? Can he judge us through the dark clouds?
14 Thick clouds cover him so he cannot see us as he walks around high up in the sky.'
15 Are you going to stay on the old path where evil people walk?
16 They were carried away before their time was up, and their foundations were washed away by a flood.
17 They said to God, `Leave us alone! The Almighty can do nothing to us.'
18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things. Their way of thinking is different from mine.
19 "Good people can watch and be glad; the innocent can laugh at them and say,
20 `Surely our enemies are destroyed, and fire burns up their wealth.'
21 "Obey God and be at peace with him; this is the way to happiness.
22 Accept teaching from his mouth, and keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be blessed again. So remove evil from your house.
24 Throw your gold nuggets into the dust and your fine gold among the rocks in the ravines.
25 Then the Almighty will be your gold and the best silver for you.
26 You will find pleasure in the Almighty, and you will look up to him.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will keep your promises to him.
28 Anything you decide will be done, and light will shine on your ways.
29 When people are made humble and you say, `Have courage,' then the humble will be saved.
30 Even a guilty person will escape and be saved because your hands are clean."
1 Another address from Eliphaz:
2 "Is mere man of any worth to God? Even the wisest is of value only to himself! 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect? 4 Is it because you are good that he is punishing you? 5 Not at all! It is because of your wickedness! Your sins are endless!
6 "For instance, you must have refused to loan money to needy friends unless they gave you all their clothing as a pledge - yes, you must have stripped them to the bone. 7 You must have refused water to the thirsty and bread to the starving. 8 But no doubt you gave men of importance anything they wanted and let the wealthy live wherever they chose. 9 You sent widows away without helping them and broke the arms of orphans. 10-11 That is why you are now surrounded by traps and sudden fears, and darkness and waves of horror.
12 "God is so great - higher than the heavens, higher than the stars. 13 But you reply, `That is why he can't see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness? 14 For thick clouds swirl about him so that he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.'
15-16 "Don't you realize that those treading the ancient paths of sin are snatched away in youth, and the foundations of their lives washed out forever? 17 For they said to God, `Go away, God! What can you do for us?' 18 (God forbid that I should say a thing like that.) Yet they forgot that he had filled their homes with good things. 19 And now the righteous shall see them destroyed; the innocent shall laugh the wicked to scorn. 20 `See,' they will say, `the last of our enemies have been destroyed in the fire.'
21 "Quit quarreling with God! Agree with him and you will have peace at last! His favor will surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong. 22 Listen to his instructions and store them in your heart. 23 If you return to God and put right all the wrong in your home, then you will be restored. 24 If you give up your lust for money and throw your gold away, 25 then the Almighty himself shall be your treasure; he will be your precious silver!
26 "Then you will delight yourself in the Lord and look up to God. 27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill all your promises to him. 28 Whatever you wish will happen! And the light of heaven will shine upon the road ahead of you. 29 If you are attacked and knocked down, you will know that there is someone who will lift you up again. Yes, he will save the humble 30 and help even sinners by your pure hands."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,43
3,3,5,120
4,4,7,215
5,5,9,300
6,6,11,379
7,7,13,494
8,8,15,575
9,9,17,661
10,10,19,734
11,11,21,811
12,12,23,892
13,13,25,974
14,14,27,1056
15,15,29,1146
16,16,31,1215
17,17,33,1322
18,18,35,1400
19,19,37,1510
20,20,39,1593
21,21,41,1668
22,22,43,1741
23,23,45,1814
24,24,47,1911
25,25,49,2007
26,26,51,2079
27,27,53,2155
28,28,55,2246
29,29,57,2322
30,30,59,2417
1,1,1,1
2,5,2,35
6,11,4,353
12,14,6,884
15,20,7,1176
21,25,8,1694
26,30,10,2150
re i r
JOB023
1 Then Job answered:
2 "My complaint is still bitter today. I groan because God's heavy hand is on me.
3 I wish I knew where to find God so I could go to where he lives.
4 I would present my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how he would answer me and would think about what he would say.
6 Would he not argue strongly against me? No, he would really listen to me.
7 Then an honest person could present his case to God, and I would be saved forever by my judge.
8 "If I go to the east, God is not there; if I go to the west, I do not see him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I catch no sight of him; when he turns to the south, I cannot see him.
10 But God knows the way that I take, and when he has tested me, I will come out like gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have stayed in his way; I did not turn aside.
12 I have never left the commands he has spoken; I have treasured his words more than my own.
13 "But he is the only God. Who can come against him? He does anything he wants.
14 He will do to me what he said he would do, and he has many plans like this.
15 That is why I am frightened of him; when I think of this, I am afraid of him.
16 God has made me afraid; the Almighty terrifies me.
17 But I am not hidden by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.
1 The reply of Job:
2 "My complaint today is still a bitter one, and my punishment far more severe than my fault deserves. 3 Oh, that I knew where to find God - that I could go to his throne and talk with him there. 4-5 I would tell him all about my side of this argument, and listen to his reply, and understand what he wants. 6 Would he merely overpower me with his greatness? No, he would listen with sympathy. 7 Fair and honest men could reason with him and be acquitted by my Judge.
8 "But I search in vain. I seek him here, I seek him there and cannot find him. 9 I seek him in his workshop in the north but cannot find him there; nor can I find him in the south; there, too, he hides himself. 10 But he knows every detail of what is happening to me; and when he has examined me, he will pronounce me completely innocent - as pure as solid gold!
11 "I have stayed in God's paths, following his steps. I have not turned aside. 12 I have not refused his commandments but have enjoyed them more than my daily food. 13 Nevertheless, his mind concerning me remains unchanged, and who can turn him from his purposes? Whatever he wants to do, he does. 14 So he will do to me all he has planned, and there is more ahead.
15 "No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I think of it, terror grips me. 16-17 God has given me a fainting heart; he, the Almighty, has terrified me with darkness all around me, thick, impenetrable darkness everywhere.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,112
4,4,7,183
5,5,9,258
6,6,11,342
7,7,13,422
8,8,15,523
9,9,17,608
10,10,19,718
11,11,21,814
12,12,23,910
13,13,25,1008
14,14,27,1093
15,15,29,1176
16,16,31,1261
17,17,33,1319
1,1,1,1
2,7,2,23
8,10,4,494
11,14,6,861
15,17,8,1231
PURPOSE JOB 23:14
Job wavered back and forth, first proclaiming loyalty to God and then calling God his enemy. His friends' words and his own suspicions were undermining his confidence in God. When affliction comes, it is natural to blame God and to think that our suffering must be divine punishment. But we must not assume that God is being hostile toward us. His purposes go deeper than our ability to grasp all that is really happening. While this sounds like a pat answer, it is the same answer God gave Job in chapters 38:41. We shouldn't demand to know why certain calamities hit us. Often we cannot know, or are not meant to know, until later.
JOB024
1 "I wish the Almighty would set a time for judging. Those who know God do not see such a day.
2 Wicked people take other people's land; they steal flocks and take them to new pastures.
3 They chase away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox when she has no money.
4 They push needy people off the path; all the poor of the land hide from them.
5 The poor become like wild donkeys in the desert who go about their job of finding food. The desert gives them food for their children.
6 They gather hay and straw in the fields and pick up leftover grapes from the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, because they have no clothes, nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are soaked from mountain rains and stay near the large rocks because they have no shelter.
9 The fatherless child is grabbed from its mother's breast; they take a poor mother's baby to pay for what she owes.
10 So the poor go around naked without any clothes; they carry bundles of grain but still go hungry;
11 they crush olives to get oil and grapes to get wine, but they still go thirsty.
12 Dying people groan in the city, and the injured cry out for help, but God accuses no one of doing wrong.
13 "Those who fight against the light do not know God's ways or stay in his paths.
14 When the day is over, the murderers get up to kill the poor and needy. At night they go about like thieves.
15 Those who are guilty of adultery watch for the night, thinking, `No one will see us,' and they keep their faces covered.
16 In the dark, evil people break into houses. In the daytime they shut themselves up in their own houses, because they want nothing to do with the light.
17 Darkness is like morning to all these evil people who make friends with the terrors of darkness.
18 "They are like foam floating on the water. Their part of the land is cursed; no one uses the road that goes by their vineyards.
19 As heat and dryness quickly melt the snow, so the grave quickly takes away the sinners.
20 Their mothers forget them, and worms will eat their bodies. They will not be remembered, so wickedness is broken in pieces like a stick.
21 These evil people abuse women who cannot have children and show no kindness to widows.
22 But God drags away the strong by his power. Even though they seem strong, they do not know how long they will live.
23 God may let these evil people feel safe, but he is watching their ways.
24 For a little while they are important, and then they die; they are laid low and buried like everyone else; they are cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If this is not true, who can prove I am wrong? Who can show that my words are worth nothing?"
1 "Why doesn't God open the court and listen to my case? Why must the godly wait for him in vain? 2 For a crime wave has engulfed us - landmarks are moved, flocks of sheep are stolen, 3 and even the donkeys of the poor and fatherless are taken. Poor widows must surrender the little they have as a pledge to get a loan. 4 The needy are kicked aside; they must get out of the way. 5 Like the wild donkeys in the desert, the poor must spend all their time just getting barely enough to keep soul and body together. They are sent into the desert to search for food for their children. 6 They eat what they find that grows wild and must even glean the vineyards of the wicked. 7 All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing or covering. 8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains and live in caves for want of a home.
9 "The wicked snatch fatherless children from their mother's breasts, and take a poor man's baby as a pledge before they will loan him any money or grain. 10 That is why they must go about naked, without clothing, and are forced to carry food while they are starving. 11 They are forced to press out the olive oil without tasting it and to tread out the grape juice as they suffer from thirst. 12 The bones of the dying cry from the city; the wounded cry for help; yet God does not respond to their moaning.
13 "The wicked rebel against the light and are not acquainted with the right and the good. 14-15 They are murderers who rise in the early dawn to kill the poor and needy; at night they are thieves and adulterers, waiting for the twilight `when no one will see me,' they say. They mask their faces so no one will know them. 16 They break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime - they are not acquainted with the light. 17 The black night is their morning; they ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.
18 "But how quickly they disappear from the face of the earth. Everything they own is cursed. They leave no property for their children. 19 Death consumes sinners as drought and heat consume snow. 20 Even the sinner's own mother shall forget him. Worms shall feed sweetly on him. No one will remember him anymore. For wicked men are broken like a tree in the storm. 21 For they have taken advantage of the childless who have no protecting sons. They refuse to help the needy widows.
22-23 "Yet sometimes it seems as though God preserves the rich by his power and restores them to life when anyone else would die. God gives them confidence and strength, and helps them in many ways. 24 But though they are very great now, yet in a moment they shall be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain. 25 Can anyone claim otherwise? Who can prove me a liar and claim that I am wrong?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,195
4,4,7,284
5,5,9,368
6,6,11,509
7,7,13,616
8,8,15,721
9,9,17,823
10,10,19,944
11,11,21,1049
12,12,23,1136
13,13,25,1248
14,14,27,1335
15,15,29,1450
16,16,31,1578
17,17,33,1737
18,18,35,1841
19,19,37,1976
20,20,39,2071
21,21,41,2215
22,22,43,2309
23,23,45,2432
24,24,47,2511
25,25,49,2667
1,8,1,1
9,12,3,834
13,17,5,1345
18,21,7,1865
22,25,9,2351
JOB025
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 "God rules and he must be honored; he set up order in his high heaven.
3 No one can count God's armies. His light shines on all people.
4 So no one can be good in the presence of God, and no one born to a woman can be pure.
5 Even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes.
6 People are much less! They are like insects. They are only worms!"
1 The further reply of Bildad the Shuhite:
2 "God is powerful and dreadful. He enforces peace in heaven. 3 Who is able to number his hosts of angels? And his light shines down on all the earth. 4 How can mere man stand before God and claim to be righteous? Who in all the earth can boast that he is clean? 5 God is so glorious that even the moon and stars are less than nothing as compared to him. 6 How much less is man, who is but a worm in his sight?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,41
3,3,5,118
4,4,7,187
5,5,9,279
6,6,11,353
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,46
JOB026
1 Then Job answered:
2 "You are no help to the helpless! You have not aided the weak!
3 Your advice lacks wisdom! You have shown little understanding!
4 Who has helped you say these words? And where did you get these ideas?
5 "The spirits of the dead tremble, those who are beneath and in the waters.
6 Death is naked before God; destruction is uncovered before him.
7 God stretches the northern sky out over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his thick clouds, but the clouds do not break under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the moon, spreading his clouds over it.
10 He draws the horizon like a circle on the water at the place where light and darkness meet.
11 Heaven's foundations shake when he thunders at them.
12 With his power he quiets the sea; by his wisdom he destroys Rahab, the sea monster.
13 He breathes, and the sky clears. His hand stabs the fleeing snake.
14 And these are only a small part of God's works. We only hear a small whisper of him. Who could understand God's thundering power?"
1 Job's reply:
2 "What wonderful helpers you all are! And how you have encouraged me in my great need! 3 How you have enlightened my stupidity! What wise things you have said! 4 How did you ever think of all these brilliant comments?
5-6 "The dead stand naked, trembling before God in the place where they go. 7 God stretches out heaven over empty space and hangs the earth upon nothing. 8 He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds are not split by the weight. 9 He shrouds his throne with his clouds. 10 He sets a boundary for the ocean, yes, and a boundary for the day and for the night. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble at his rebuke. 12 And by his power the sea grows calm; he is skilled at crushing its pride! 13 The heavens are made beautiful by his Spirit; he pierces the swiftly gliding serpent.
14 "These are some of the minor things he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who then can withstand his thunder?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,26
3,3,5,95
4,4,7,164
5,5,9,241
6,6,11,322
7,7,13,392
8,8,15,482
9,9,17,580
10,10,19,648
11,11,21,747
12,12,23,807
13,13,25,898
14,14,27,972
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,18
5,13,4,240
14,14,6,825
COMPASSION JOB 26:2-4
With great sarcasm, Job attacked his friends' comments. Their theological explanations failed to bring any relief because they were unable to turn their knowledge into helpful counsel. When dealing with people, it is more important to love and understand them than to analyze them or give advice. Compassion produces greater results than criticism or blame.
JOB027
1 And Job continued speaking:
2 "As surely as God lives, who has taken away my rights, the Almighty, who has made me unhappy,
3 as long as I am alive and God's breath of life is in my nose,
4 my lips will not speak evil, and my tongue will not tell a lie.
5 I will never agree you are right; until I die, I will never stop saying I am innocent.
6 I will insist that I am right; I will not back down. My conscience will never bother me.
7 "Let my enemies be like evil people, my foes like those who are wrong.
8 What hope do the wicked have when they die, when God takes their life away?
9 God will not listen to their cries when trouble comes to them.
10 They will not find joy in the Almighty, even though they call out to God all the time.
11 "I will teach you about the power of God and will not hide the ways of the Almighty.
12 You have all seen this yourselves. So why are we having all this talk that means nothing?
13 "Here is what God has planned for evil people, and what the Almighty will give to cruel people:
14 They may have many children, but the sword will kill them. Their children who are left will never have enough to eat.
15 Then they will die of disease and be buried, and the widows will not even cry for them.
16 The wicked may heap up silver like piles of dirt and have so many clothes they are like piles of clay.
17 But good people will wear what evil people have gathered, and the innocent will divide up their silver.
18 The houses the wicked build are like a spider's web, like a hut that a guard builds.
19 The wicked are rich when they go to bed, but they are rich for the last time; when they open their eyes, everything is gone.
20 Fears come over them like a flood, and a storm snatches them away in the night.
21 The east wind will carry them away, and then they are gone, because it sweeps them out of their place.
22 The wind will hit them without mercy as they try to run away from its power.
23 It will be as if the wind is clapping its hands; it will whistle at them as they run from their place.
1 Job's final defense:
2 "I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, even the Almighty God who has embittered my soul, 3 that as long as I live, while I have breath from God, 4 my lips shall speak no evil, my tongue shall speak no lies. 5 I will never, never agree that you are right; until I die I will vow my innocence. 6 I am not a sinner - I repeat it again and again. My conscience is clear for as long as I live. 7 Those who declare otherwise are my wicked enemies. They are evil men.
8 "But what hope has the godless when God cuts him off and takes away his life? 9 Will God listen to his cry when trouble comes upon him? 10 For he does not delight himself in the Almighty or pay any attention to God except in times of crisis.
11 "I will teach you about God - 12 but really, I don't need to, for you yourselves know as much about him as I do; yet you are saying all these useless things to me.
13 "This is the fate awaiting the wicked from the hand of the Almighty: 14 If he has a multitude of children, it is so that they will die in war or starve to death. 15 Those who survive shall be brought down to the grave by disease and plague, with no one to mourn them, not even their wives.
16 "The evil man may accumulate money like dust, with closets jammed full of clothing - 17 yes, he may order them made by his tailor, but the innocent shall wear that clothing and shall divide his silver among them. 18 Every house built by the wicked is as fragile as a spider web, as full of cracks as a leafy booth!
19 "He goes to bed rich but wakes up to find that all his wealth is gone. 20 Terror overwhelms him, and he is blown away in the storms of the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone. It sweeps him into eternity. 22 For God shall hurl at him unsparingly. He longs to flee from God. 23 Everyone will cheer at his death and boo him into eternity.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,35
3,3,5,135
4,4,7,203
5,5,9,275
6,6,11,368
7,7,13,463
8,8,15,540
9,9,17,622
10,10,19,691
11,11,21,785
12,12,23,877
13,13,25,975
14,14,27,1079
15,15,29,1205
16,16,31,1302
17,17,33,1413
18,18,35,1524
19,19,37,1616
20,20,39,1749
21,21,41,1836
22,22,43,1946
23,23,45,2030
1,1,1,1
2,7,2,26
8,10,4,511
11,12,6,758
13,15,8,928
16,18,10,1224
19,23,12,1545
CONSCIENCE JOB 27:6
To all the accusations, Job was able to declare, My conscience is clear. Only right living before God can bring a clear conscience, and how important Job's record became as he was being accused! Like Job, we can't claim sinless lives, but we can claim forgiven lives. When we confess our sins to God, we are forgiven and can live our lives with clear consciences (1 John 1:9).
JOB028
1 "There are mines where people dig silver and places where gold is made pure.
2 Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is melted out of rocks.
3 Miners bring lights and search deep into the mines for ore in thick darkness.
4 Miners dig a tunnel far from where people live, where no one has ever walked; they work far from people, swinging and swaying from ropes.
5 Food grows on top of the earth, but below ground things are changed as if by fire.
6 Sapphires are found in rocks, and gold dust is also found there.
7 No hawk knows that path; the falcon has not seen it.
8 Proud animals have not walked there, and no lions cross over it.
9 Miners hit the rocks of flint and dig away at the bottom of the mountains.
10 They cut tunnels through the rock and see all the treasures there.
11 They search for places where rivers begin and bring things hidden out into the light.
12 "But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding live?
13 People do not understand the value of wisdom; it cannot be found among those who are alive.
14 The deep ocean says, `It's not in me;' the sea says, `It's not in me.'
15 Wisdom cannot be bought with gold, and its cost cannot be weighed in silver.
16 Wisdom cannot be bought with fine gold or with valuable onyx or sapphire gems.
17 Gold and crystal are not as valuable as wisdom, and you cannot buy it with jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worth talking about, and the price of wisdom is much greater than rubies.
19 The topaz from Cush cannot compare to wisdom; it cannot be bought with the purest gold.
20 "So where does wisdom come from, and where does understanding live?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, even from the birds of the air.
22 The places of destruction and death say, `We have heard reports about it.'
23 Only God understands the way to wisdom, and he alone knows where it lives,
24 because he looks to the farthest parts of the earth and sees everything under the sky.
25 When God gave power to the wind and measured the water,
26 when he made rules for the rain and set a path for a thunderstorm to follow,
27 then he looked at wisdom and decided its worth; he set wisdom up and tested it.
28 Then he said to humans, `The fear of the Lord is wisdom; to stay away from evil is understanding.' "
1 "Men know how to mine silver and refine gold, 2 to dig iron from the earth and melt copper from stone. 3-4 Men know how to put light into darkness so that a mine shaft can be sunk into the earth, and the earth searched and its deep secrets explored. Into the black rock, shadowed by death, men descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
5 "Men know how to obtain food from the surface of the earth, while underneath there is fire.
6 "They know how to find sapphires and gold dust - 7 treasures that no bird of prey can see, no eagle's eye observe - 8 for they are deep within the mines. No wild animal has ever walked upon those treasures; no lion has set his paw there. 9 Men know how to tear apart flinty rocks and how to overturn the roots of mountains. 10 They drill tunnels in the rocks and lay bare precious stones. 11 They dam up streams of water and pan the gold.
12 "But though men can do all these things, they don't know where to find wisdom and understanding. 13 They not only don't know how to get it, but, in fact, it is not to be found among the living.
14 " `It's not here,' the oceans say; and the seas reply, `Nor is it here.'
15 "It cannot be bought for gold or silver, 16 nor for all the gold of Ophir or precious onyx stones or sapphires. 17 Wisdom is far more valuable than gold and glass. It cannot be bought for jewels mounted in fine gold. 18 Coral or crystal is worthless in trying to get it; its price is far above rubies. 19 Topaz from Ethiopia cannot purchase it, nor even the purest gold.
20 "Then where can we get it? Where can it be found? 21 For it is hid from the eyes of all mankind; even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
22 "But Destruction and Death speak of knowing something about it! 23-24 And God surely knows where it is to be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth, under all the heavens. 25 He makes the winds blow and sets the boundaries of the oceans. 26 He makes the laws of the rain and a path for the lightning. 27 He knows where wisdom is and declares it to all who will listen. He established it and examined it thoroughly. 28 And this is what he says to all mankind: `Look, to fear the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,240
5,5,9,385
6,6,11,477
7,7,13,548
8,8,15,608
9,9,17,680
10,10,19,764
11,11,21,840
12,12,23,934
13,13,25,1008
14,14,27,1107
15,15,29,1185
16,16,31,1269
17,17,33,1355
18,18,35,1453
19,19,37,1559
20,20,39,1654
21,21,41,1729
22,22,43,1821
23,23,45,1906
24,24,47,1990
25,25,49,2084
26,26,51,2147
27,27,53,2232
28,28,55,2319
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,343
6,11,5,440
12,13,7,884
14,14,9,1084
15,19,10,1161
20,21,12,1538
22,28,14,1698
WISE JOB 28:12
People can perform all kinds of technological wonders. They can find stars invisible to the eye, they can visit space, they can store volumes of information on a microchip. But even the greatest scientists, on their own, are at a loss to discover wisdom for their daily lives. Only God can show them where to look to find wisdom because he is the source of wisdom (28:27). True wisdom is having God's perspective on life. As the Creator of life, only he knows what is best for his creation. It is fruitless for us to try to become wise merely through our own observations and efforts because God alone sees the greater purpose for his world.
JOB029
1 Job continued to speak:
2 "How I wish for the months that have passed and the days when God watched over me.
3 God's lamp shined on my head, and I walked through darkness by his light.
4 I wish for the days when I was strong, when God's close friendship blessed my house.
5 The Almighty was still with me, and my children were all around me.
6 It was as if my path were covered with cream and the rocks poured out olive oil for me.
7 I would go to the city gate and sit in the public square.
8 When the young men saw me, they would step aside, and the old men would stand up in respect.
9 The leading men stopped speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
10 The voices of the important men were quiet, as if their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Anyone who heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me praised me,
12 because I saved the poor who called out and the orphan who had no one to help.
13 The dying person blessed me, and I made the widow's heart sing.
14 I put on right living as if it were clothing; I wore fairness like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.
16 I was like a father to needy people, and I took the side of strangers who were in trouble.
17 I broke the fangs of evil people and snatched the captives from their teeth.
18 "I thought, `I will live for as many days as there are grains of sand, and I will die in my own house.
19 My roots will reach down to the water. The dew will lie on the branches all night.
20 New honors will come to me continually, and I will always have great strength.'
21 "People listened to me carefully and waited quietly for my advice.
22 After I finished speaking, they spoke no more. My words fell very gently on their ears.
23 They waited for me as they would for rain and drank in my words like spring rain.
24 I smiled at them when they doubted, and my approval was important to them.
25 I chose the way for them and was their leader. I lived like a king among his army, like a person who comforts sad people.
1 Job continues:
2 "Oh, for the years gone by when God took care of me, 3 when he lighted the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness; 4 yes, in my early years, when the friendship of God was felt in my home; 5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me; 6 when my projects prospered and even the rock poured out streams of olive oil to me!
7 "Those were the days when I went out to the city gate and took my place among the honored elders. 8 The young saw me and stepped aside, and even the aged rose and stood up in respect at my coming. 9 The princes stood in silence and laid their hands upon their mouths. 10 The highest officials of the city stood in quietness. 11 All rejoiced in what I said. All who saw me spoke well of me.
12 "For I, as an honest judge, helped the poor in their need and the fatherless who had no one to help them. 13 I helped those who were ready to perish, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows' hearts to sing for joy. 14 All I did was just and honest, for righteousness was my clothing! 15 I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. 16 I was as a father to the poor and saw to it that even strangers received a fair trial. 17 I knocked out the fangs of the godless oppressors and made them drop their victims.
18 "I thought, `Surely I shall die quietly in my nest after a long, good life.' 19 For everything I did prospered; the dew lay all night upon my fields and watered them. 20 Fresh honors were constantly given me, and my abilities were constantly 20refreshed and renewed. 21 Everyone listened to me and valued my advice, and was silent until I spoke. 22 And after I spoke, they spoke no more, for my counsel satisfied them. 23 They longed for me to speak as those in drought-time long for rain. They waited eagerly with open mouths. 24 When they were discouraged, I smiled and that encouraged them and lightened their spirits. 25 I told them what they should do and corrected them as their chief, or as a king instructs his army, and as one who comforts those who mourn.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,31
3,3,5,120
4,4,7,200
5,5,9,291
6,6,11,365
7,7,13,459
8,8,15,523
9,9,17,625
10,10,19,707
11,11,21,815
12,12,23,894
13,13,25,982
14,14,27,1053
15,15,29,1149
16,16,31,1204
17,17,33,1303
18,18,35,1387
19,19,37,1498
20,20,39,1588
21,21,41,1675
22,22,43,1750
23,23,45,1845
24,24,47,1935
25,25,49,2017
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,20
7,11,4,386
12,17,6,781
18,25,8,1310
JOB030
1 "But now men who are younger than I make fun of me. I would not have even let their fathers sit with my sheep dogs.
2 What use did I have for their strength since they had lost their strength to work?
3 They were thin from hunger and wandered the dry and ruined land at night.
4 They gathered desert plants among the brush and ate the root of the broom tree.
5 They were forced to live away from people; people shouted at them as if they were thieves.
6 They lived in dried up streambeds, in caves, and among the rocks.
7 They howled like animals among the bushes and huddled together in the brush.
8 They are worthless people without names and were forced to leave the land.
9 "Now they make fun of me with songs; my name is a joke among them.
10 They hate me and stay far away from me, but they do not mind spitting in my face.
11 God has taken away my strength and made me suffer, so they attack me with all their anger.
12 On my right side they rise up like a mob. They lay traps for my feet and prepare to attack me.
13 They break up my road and work to destroy me, and no one helps me.
14 They come at me as if through a hole in the wall, and they roll in among the ruins.
15 Great fears overwhelm me. They blow my honor away as if by a great wind, and my safety disappears like a cloud.
16 "Now my life is almost over; my days are full of suffering.
17 At night my bones ache; gnawing pains never stop.
18 In his great power God grabs hold of my clothing and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 He throws me into the mud, and I become like dirt and ashes.
20 "I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you just look at me.
21 You have turned on me without mercy; with your powerful hand you attacked me.
22 You snatched me up and threw me into the wind and tossed me about in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death, to the place where all living people must go.
24 "Surely no one would hurt a ruined man when he cries for help in his time of trouble.
25 I cried for those who were in trouble; I have been very sad for poor people.
26 But when I hoped for good, only evil came to me; when I looked for light, darkness came.
27 I never stop being upset; days of suffering are ahead of me.
28 I have turned black, but not by the sun. I stand up in public and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to wild dogs and a friend to ostriches.
30 My skin has become black and peels off, as my body burns with fever.
31 My harp is tuned to sing a sad song, and my flute is tuned to moaning.
1 "But now those younger than I deride me - young men whose fathers are less than my dogs. 2 Oh, they have strong backs all right, but they are useless, stupid fools. 3 They are gaunt with famine and have been cast out into deserts and the wastelands, desolate and gloomy. 4 They eat roots and leaves, 5 having been driven from civilization. Men shouted after them as after thieves. 6 So now they live in frightening ravines, and in caves, and among the rocks. 7 They sound like animals among the bushes, huddling together for shelter beneath the nettles. 8 These sons of theirs have also turned out to be fools, yes, children of no name, outcasts of civilization.
9 "And now I have become the subject of their ribald song! I am a joke among them! 10 They despise me and won't come near me, and don't mind spitting in my face. 11 For God has placed my life in jeopardy. These young men, having humbled me, now cast off all restraint before me. 12 This rabble trips me and lays traps in my path. 13 They block my road and do everything they can to hasten my calamity, knowing full well that I have no one to help me. 14 They come at me from all directions. They rush upon me when I am down.
15 "I live in terror now. They hold me in contempt, and my prosperity has vanished as a cloud before a strong wind. 16 My heart is broken. Depression haunts my days. 17 My weary nights are filled with pain as though something were relentlessly gnawing at my bones. 18 All night long I toss and turn, and my garments bind about me. 19 God has thrown me into the mud. I have become as dust and ashes.
20 "I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer me. I stand before you and you 20don't bother to look. 21 You have become cruel toward me and persecute me with great power and effect. 22 You throw me into the whirlwind and dissolve me in the storm. 23 And I know that your purpose for me is death. 24 I expected my fall to be broken, just as one who falls stretches out his hand or cries for help in his calamity.
25 "And did I not weep for those in trouble? Wasn't I deeply grieved for the needy? 26 I therefore looked for good to come. Evil came instead. I waited for the light. Darkness came. 27 My heart is troubled and restless. Waves of affliction have come upon me. 28-29 I am black but not from sunburn. I stand up and cry to the assembly for help. But I might as well save my breath, for I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches. 30 My skin is black and peeling. My bones burn with fever. 31 The voice of joy and gladness has turned to mourning.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,213
4,4,7,295
5,5,9,382
6,6,11,480
7,7,13,555
8,8,15,638
9,9,17,719
10,10,19,792
11,11,21,883
12,12,23,981
13,13,25,1085
14,14,27,1159
15,15,29,1250
16,16,31,1373
17,17,33,1442
18,18,35,1499
19,19,37,1597
20,20,39,1665
21,21,41,1756
22,22,43,1841
23,23,45,1928
24,24,47,2021
25,25,49,2115
26,26,51,2201
27,27,53,2297
28,28,55,2366
29,29,57,2454
30,30,59,2528
31,31,61,2606
1,8,1,1
9,14,3,669
15,19,5,1201
20,24,7,1603
25,31,9,2018
JOB031
1 "But I made an agreement with my eyes not to look with desire at a girl.
2 What has God above promised for people? What has the Almighty planned from on high?
3 It is ruin for evil people and disaster for those who do wrong.
4 God sees my ways and counts every step I take.
5 "If I have been dishonest or lied to others,
6 then let God weigh me on honest scales. Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
7 If I have turned away from doing what is right, or my heart has been led by my eyes to do wrong, or my hands have been made unclean,
8 then let other people eat what I have planted, and let my crops be plowed up.
9 "If I have desired another woman or have waited at my neighbor's door for his wife,
10 then let my wife grind another man's grain, and let other men have sexual relations with her.
11 That would be shameful, a sin to be punished.
12 It is like a fire that burns and destroys; all I have done would be plowed up.
13 "If I have been unfair to my male and female slaves when they had a complaint against me,
14 how could I tell God what I did? What will I answer when he asks me to explain what I've done?
15 God made me in my mother's womb, and he also made them; the same God formed both of us in our mothers' wombs.
16 "I have never refused the appeals of the poor or let widows give up hope while looking for help.
17 I have not kept my food to myself but have given it to the orphans.
18 Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans. From my birth I guided the widows.
19 I have not let anyone die for lack of clothes or let a needy person go without a coat.
20 That person's heart blessed me, because I warmed him with the wool of my sheep.
21 I have never hurt an orphan even when I knew I could win in court.
22 If I have, then let my arm fall off my shoulder and be broken at the joint.
23 I fear destruction from God, and I fear his majesty, so I could not do such things.
24 "I have not put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, `You are my security.'
25 I have not celebrated my great wealth or the riches my hands had gained.
26 I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness nor admired the moon moving in glory
27 so that my heart was pulled away from God. My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship.
28 If I had, these also would have been sins to be punished, because I would have been unfaithful to God.
29 "I have not been happy when my enemy fell or laughed when he had trouble.
30 I have not let my mouth sin by cursing my enemy's life.
31 The men of my house have always said, `Everyone has eaten all he wants of Job's food.'
32 No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street, because I always let travelers stay in my home.
33 I have not hidden my sin as others do, secretly keeping my guilt to myself.
34 I was not so afraid of the crowd that I kept quiet and stayed inside because I feared being hated by other families.
35 ("How I wish a court would hear my case! Here I sign my name to show I have told the truth. Now let the Almighty answer me; let the one who accuses me write it down.
36 I would wear the writing on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown.
37 I would explain to God every step I took, and I would come near to him like a prince.)
38 "If my land cries out against me and its plowed rows are not wet with tears,
39 if I have taken the land's harvest without paying or have broken the spirit of those who worked the land,
40 then let thorns come up instead of wheat, and let weeds come up instead of barley." The words of Job are finished.
1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a girl. 2-3 I know full well that Almighty God above sends calamity on those who do. 4 He sees everything I do and every step I take.
5 "If I have lied and deceived - 6 but God knows that I am innocent - 7-8 or if I have stepped off God's pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin, then let someone else reap the crops I have sown and let all that I have planted be rooted out.
9 "Or if I have longed for another man's wife, 10 then may I die, and may my wife be in another man's home and someone else become her husband. 11 For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. 12 It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell and would root out all I have planted.
13 "If I have been unfair to my servants, 14 how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me about it? 15 For God made me and made my servant too. He created us both.
16 "If I have hurt the poor, or caused widows to weep, 17 or refused food to hungry orphans - 18 (but we have always cared for orphans in our home, treating them as our own children) - 19-20 or if I have seen anyone freezing and not given him clothing or fleece from my sheep to keep him warm, 21 or if I have taken advantage of an orphan because I thought I could get away with it - 22 if I have done any of these things, then let my arm be torn from its socket! Let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! 23 Rather that than face the judgment sent by God; that I dread more than anything else. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?
24 "If I have put my trust in money, 25 if my happiness depends on wealth, 26 or if I have looked at the sun shining in the skies or the moon walking down her silver 20pathway 27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and I have worshiped them 20by kissing my hand to them, 28 this, too, must be punished by the judges. For if I had done such things, it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.
29 "If I have rejoiced at harm to an enemy - 30 (but actually I have never cursed anyone nor asked for revenge) - 31 or if any of my servants have ever gone hungry - 32 (actually I have never turned away even a stranger but have opened my doors to all) - 33 or if, like Adam, I have tried to hide my sins, 34 fearing the crowd and its contempt so that I refused to acknowledge my sin and do not go out of my way to help others - 35 (oh, that there were someone who would listen to me and try to see my side of this argument. Look, I will sign my signature to my defense; now let the Almighty show me that I am wrong; let him approve the indictments made against me by my enemies. 36 I would treasure it like a crown.
37 Then I would tell him exactly what I have done and why, presenting my defense as one he listens to).
38-39 "Or if my land accuses me because I stole the fruit it bears, or if I have murdered its owners to get their land for myself, 40 then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley."
Job's words are ended.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,173
4,4,7,243
5,5,9,297
6,6,11,348
7,7,13,439
8,8,15,578
9,9,17,663
10,10,19,760
11,11,21,862
12,12,23,915
13,13,25,1002
14,14,27,1099
15,15,29,1201
16,16,31,1320
17,17,33,1424
18,18,35,1499
19,19,37,1602
20,20,39,1696
21,21,41,1785
22,22,43,1859
23,23,45,1949
24,24,47,2041
25,25,49,2126
26,26,51,2206
27,27,53,2312
28,28,55,2424
29,29,57,2534
30,30,59,2615
31,31,61,2679
32,32,63,2778
33,33,65,2893
34,34,67,2976
35,35,69,3105
36,36,71,3283
37,37,73,3364
38,38,75,3460
39,39,77,3545
40,40,79,3663
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,199
9,12,5,502
13,15,7,802
16,23,9,985
24,28,11,1641
29,36,13,2043
37,37,15,2765
38,40,17,2872
COVER-UP JOB 31:33-34
Job declared that he did not try to hide his sin as Adam did (Genesis 3). Adam did not have a crowd watching him, but he tried to hide from God. The fear that our sins will be discovered leads us to patterns of deception. We cover up with lies so that we will appear good to others. But we cannot hide from God. Do you try to keep people from seeing the real you? Acknowledge your sins and free yourself to receive forgiveness and a new life.
Moral Dilemmas: Pornography ,!page "^M0050" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
JOB032
WISDOM
1 These three men stopped trying to answer Job, because he was so sure he was right.
2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, from the family of Ram, became very angry with Job, because Job claimed he was right instead of God.
3 Elihu was also angry with Job's three friends who had no answer to show that Job was wrong, yet continued to blame him.
4 Elihu had waited before speaking to Job, because the three friends were older than he was.
5 But when Elihu saw that the three men had nothing more to say, he became very angry.
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said this: "I am young, and you are old. That is why I was afraid to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, `Older people should speak, and those who have lived many years should teach wisdom.'
8 But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives understanding.
9 It is not just older people who are wise; they are not the only ones who understand what is right.
10 So I say, listen to me. I too will tell you what I know.
11 I waited while you three spoke, and listened to your explanations. While you looked for words to use,
12 I paid close attention to you. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments.
13 Don't say, `We have found wisdom; only God will show Job to be wrong, not people.'
14 Job has not spoken his words against me, so I will not use your arguments to answer Job.
15 "These three friends are defeated and have no more to say; words have failed them.
16 Now they are standing there with no answers for Job. Now that they are quiet, must I wait to speak?
17 No, I too will speak and tell what I know.
18 I am full of words, and the spirit in me causes me to speak.
19 I am like wine that has been bottled up; I am ready to burst like a new leather wine bag.
20 I must speak so I will feel relief; I must open my mouth and answer.
21 I will be fair to everyone and not flatter anyone.
22 I don't know how to flatter, and if I did, my Maker would quickly take me away.
1 The three men refused to reply further to Job because he kept insisting on his innocence.
2 Then Elihu (son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the clan of Ram) became angry because Job refused to admit he had sinned and to acknowledge that God had just cause for punishing him. 3 But he was also angry with Job's three friends because they had been unable to answer Job's arguments and yet had condemned him. 4 Elihu had waited until now to speak because the others were older than he.
5 But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily, 6 and said, "I am young and you are old, so I held back and did not dare to tell you what I think, 7 for those who are older are said to be wiser; 8-9 but it is not mere age that makes men wise. Rather, it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that makes him intelligent. 10 So listen to me awhile and let me express my opinion.
11-12 "I have waited all this time, listening very carefully to your arguments, but not one of them has convinced Job that he is a sinner or has proved that he is. 13 And don't give me that line about `only God can convince the sinner of his sin.' 14 If Job had been arguing with me, I would not answer with that kind of logic!
15 "You sit there baffled, with no further replies. 16 Shall I then continue to wait when you are silent? 17 No, I will give my answer too. 18 For I am pent up and full of words, and the spirit within me urges me on. 19 I am like a wine cask without a vent! My words are ready to burst out! 20 I must speak to find relief, so let me give my answers. 21-22 Don't insist that I be cautious lest I insult someone, and don't make me flatter anyone. Let me be frank lest God should strike me dead.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,93
3,3,5,239
4,4,7,368
5,5,9,465
6,6,11,556
7,7,13,691
8,8,15,794
9,9,17,888
10,10,19,997
11,11,21,1061
12,12,23,1173
13,13,25,1293
14,14,27,1383
15,15,29,1481
16,16,31,1571
17,17,33,1679
18,18,35,1729
19,19,37,1797
20,20,39,1894
21,21,41,1970
22,22,43,2031
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,96
5,10,5,488
11,14,7,905
15,22,9,1236
WISDOM JOB 32:7-9
It is not enough to recognize a great truth; the truth must be lived out in our lives. Elihu recognized the truth that God was the only source of real wisdom, but he did not use God's wisdom to help Job. While he recognized where wisdom came from, he did not seek to acquire it. Becoming wise is an ongoing, lifelong pursuit. Don't be content just to know about wisdom; make it part of your life.
JOB033
1 "Now, Job, listen to my words. Pay attention to everything I say.
2 I open my mouth and am ready to speak.
3 My words come from an honest heart, and I am sincere in saying what I know.
4 The Spirit of God created me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.
5 Answer me if you can; get yourself ready and stand before me.
6 I am just like you before God; I too am made out of clay.
7 Don't be afraid of me; I will not be hard on you.
8 "But I heard what you have said; I heard every word.
9 You said, `I am pure and without sin; I am innocent and free from guilt.
10 But God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy.
11 He locks my feet in chains and closely watches everywhere I go.'
12 "But I tell you, you are not right in saying this, because God is greater than we are.
13 Why do you accuse God of not answering anyone?
14 God does speak- sometimes one way and sometimes another- even though people may not understand it.
15 He speaks in a dream or a vision of the night when people are in a deep sleep, lying on their beds.
16 He speaks in their ears and frightens them with warnings
17 to turn them away from doing wrong and to keep them from being proud.
18 God does this to save a person from death, to keep him from dying.
19 A person may be corrected while in bed in great pain; he may have continual pain in his very bones.
20 He may be in such pain that he even hates food, even the very best meal.
21 His body becomes so thin there is almost nothing left of it, and his bones that were hidden now stick out.
22 He is near death, and his life is almost over.
23 "But there may be an angel to speak for him, one out of a thousand, who will tell him what to do.
24 The angel will beg for mercy and say: `Save him from death. I have found a way to pay for his life.'
25 Then his body is made new like a child's. It will return to the way it was when he was young.
26 That person will pray to God, and God will listen to him. He will see God's face and will shout with happiness. And God will set things right for him again.
27 Then he will say to others, `I sinned and twisted what was right, but I did not receive the punishment I should have received.
28 God bought my life back from death, and I will continue to enjoy life.'
29 "God does all these things to a person two or even three times
30 so he won't die as punishment for his sins and so he may still enjoy life.
31 "Job, pay attention and listen to me; be quiet, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, because I want to prove you right.
33 But if you have nothing to say, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom."
1 "Please listen, Job, to what I have to say. 2 I have begun to speak; now let me continue. 3 I will speak the truth with all sincerity. 4 For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 Don't hesitate to answer me if you can.
6 "Look, I am the one you were wishing for, someone to stand between you and God and to be both his representative and yours. 7 You need not be frightened of me. I am not some person of renown to make you nervous and afraid. I, too, am made of common clay.
8 "You have said it in my hearing, yes, you've said it again and again - 9 `I am pure, I am innocent; I have not sinned.' 10 You say God is using a fine-tooth comb to try to find a single fault, and so to count you as his enemy. 11 `And he puts my feet in the stocks,' you say, `and watches every move I make.'
12 "All right, here is my reply: In this very thing, you have sinned by speaking of God that way. For God is greater than man. 13 Why should you fight against him just because he does not give account to you of what he does?
14 "For God speaks again and again, 15 in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men as they lie on their beds. 16 He opens their ears in times like that and gives them wisdom and instruction, 17-18 causing them to change their minds, and keeping them from pride, and warning them of the penalties of sin, and keeping them from falling into some trap.
19 "Or God sends sickness and pain, even though no bone is broken, 20 so that a man loses all taste and appetite for food and doesn't care for even the daintiest dessert. 21 He becomes thin, mere skin and bones, 22 and draws near to death.
23-24 "But if a messenger from heaven is there to intercede for him as a friend, to show him what is right, then God pities him and says, `Set him free. Do not make him die, for I have found a substitute.' 25 Then his body will become as healthy as a child's, firm and youthful again. 26 And when he prays to God, God will hear and answer and receive him with joy, and return him to his duties. 27 And he will declare to his friends, `I sinned, but God let me go. 28 He did not let me die. I will go on living in the realm of light.'
29 "Yes, God often does these things for man - 30 brings back his soul from the pit, so that he may live in the light of the living. 31 Mark this well, O Job. Listen to me, and let me say more. 32 But if you have anything to say at this point, go ahead. I want to hear it, for I am anxious to justify you. 33 But if not, then listen to me. Keep silence and I will teach you wisdom!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,118
4,4,7,200
5,5,9,281
6,6,11,349
7,7,13,413
8,8,15,469
9,9,17,528
10,10,19,608
11,11,21,675
12,12,23,747
13,13,25,841
14,14,27,895
15,15,29,1001
16,16,31,1108
17,17,33,1172
18,18,35,1249
19,19,37,1323
20,20,39,1430
21,21,41,1511
22,22,43,1628
23,23,45,1682
24,24,47,1787
25,25,49,1895
26,26,51,1996
27,27,53,2161
28,28,55,2295
29,29,57,2376
30,30,59,2446
31,31,61,2528
32,32,63,2601
33,33,65,2693
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,266
8,11,5,526
12,13,6,838
14,18,8,1066
19,22,10,1439
23,28,12,1682
29,33,13,2217
JOB034
1 Then Elihu said:
2 "Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you who know a lot.
3 The ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
4 Let's decide for ourselves what is right, and let's learn together what is good.
5 "Job says, `I am not guilty, and God has refused me a fair trial.
6 Instead of getting a fair trial, I am called a liar. I have been seriously hurt, even though I have not sinned.'
7 There is no other man like Job; he takes insults as if he were drinking water.
8 He keeps company with those who do evil and spends time with wicked men,
9 because he says, `It is no use to try to please God.'
10 "So listen to me, you who can understand. God can never do wrong! It is impossible for the Almighty to do evil.
11 God pays a person back for what he has done and gives him what his actions deserve.
12 Truly God will never do wrong; the Almighty will never twist what is right.
13 No one chose God to rule over the earth or put him in charge of the whole world.
14 If God should decide to take away life and breath,
15 then everyone would die together and turn back into dust.
16 "If you can understand, hear this; listen to what I have to say.
17 Can anyone govern who hates what is right? How can you blame God who is both fair and powerful?
18 God is the one who says to kings, `You are worthless,' or to important people, `You are evil.'
19 He is not nicer to princes than other people, nor kinder to rich people than poor people, because he made them all with his own hands.
20 They can die in a moment, in the middle of the night. They are struck down, and then they pass away; powerful people die without help.
21 "God watches where people go; he sees every step they take.
22 There is no dark place or deep shadow where those who do evil can hide from him.
23 He does not set a time for people to come before him for judging.
24 Without asking questions, God breaks powerful people into pieces and puts others in their place.
25 Because God knows what people do, he defeats them in the night, and they are crushed.
26 He punishes them for the evil they do so that everyone else can watch,
27 because they stopped following God and did not care about any of his ways.
28 The cry of the poor comes to God; he hears the cry of the needy.
29 But if God keeps quiet, who can blame him? If he hides his face, who can see him? God still rules over both nations and persons alike.
30 He keeps the wicked from ruling and from trapping others.
31 "But suppose someone says to God, `I am guilty, but I will not sin anymore.
32 Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done wrong, I will not do it again.'
33 So, Job, should God reward you as you want when you refuse to change? You must decide, not I, so tell me what you know.
34 "Those who understand speak, and the wise who hear me say,
35 `Job speaks without knowing what is true; his words show he does not understand.'
36 I wish Job would be tested completely, because he answered like an evil man!
37 Job now adds to his sin by turning against God. He claps his hands in protest, speaking more and more against God."
1 Elihu continued:
2 "Listen to me, you wise men. 3 We can choose the sounds we want to listen to; we can choose the taste we want in food, 4 and we should choose to follow what is right. But first of all we must define among ourselves what is good. 5 For Job has said, `I am innocent, but God says I'm not. 6 I am called a liar, even though I am innocent. I am horribly punished, even though I have not sinned.'
7-8 "Who else is as arrogant as Job? He must have spent much time with evil men, 9 for he said, `Why waste time trying to please God?'
10 "Listen to me, you with understanding. Surely everyone knows that God doesn't sin! 11 Rather, he punishes the sinners. 12 There is no truer statement than this: God is never wicked or unjust. 13 He alone has authority over the earth and dispenses justice for the world. 14 If God were to withdraw his Spirit, 15 all life would disappear and mankind would turn again to dust.
16 "Listen now and try to understand. 17 Could God govern if he hated justice? Are you going to condemn the Almighty Judge? 18 Are you going to condemn this God who says to kings and nobles, `You are wicked and unjust'? 19 For he doesn't care how great a man may be, and doesn't pay any more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all. 20 In a moment they die, and at midnight great and small shall suddenly pass away, removed by no human hand.
21 "For God carefully watches the goings on of all mankind; he sees them all. 22 NO darkness is thick enough to hide evil men from his eyes, 23 so there is no need to wait for some great crime before a man is called before God in judgment. 24 Without making a big issue over it, God simply shatters the greatest of men and puts others in their places. 25 He watches what they do and in a single night he overturns them, destroying them, 26 or openly strikes them down as wicked men. 27 For they turned aside from following him, 28 causing the cry of the poor to come to the attention of God. Yes, he hears the cries of those being oppressed. 29-30 Yet when he chooses not to speak, who can criticize? Again, he may prevent a vile man from ruling, thus saving a nation from ruin, and he can depose an entire nation just as easily.
31 "Why don't people exclaim to their God, `We have sinned, but we will stop,' 32 or `We know not what evil we have done; only tell us, and we will cease at once'?
33 "Must God tailor his justice to your demands? Must he change the order of the universe to suit your whims? The answer must be obvious even to you! 34-35 Anyone even half bright will agree with me that you, Job, are speaking like a fool. 36 You should be given the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked about God. 37 For now you have added rebellion, arrogance, and blasphemy to your other sins."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,24
3,3,5,94
4,4,7,149
5,5,9,238
6,6,11,310
7,7,13,433
8,8,15,518
9,9,17,597
10,10,19,657
11,11,21,783
12,12,23,877
13,13,25,961
14,14,27,1049
15,15,29,1107
16,16,31,1172
17,17,33,1244
18,18,35,1347
19,19,37,1449
20,20,39,1594
21,21,41,1738
22,22,43,1806
23,23,45,1894
24,24,47,1970
25,25,49,2078
26,26,51,2172
27,27,53,2250
28,28,55,2332
29,29,57,2404
30,30,59,2548
31,31,61,2613
32,32,63,2697
33,33,65,2780
34,34,67,2911
35,35,69,2980
36,36,71,3069
37,37,73,3153
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,22
7,9,3,417
10,15,4,553
16,20,6,938
21,30,8,1400
31,32,10,2233
33,37,12,2400
JOB035
1 Then Elihu said:
2 "Do you think this is fair? You say, `God will show that I am right,'
3 but you also ask, `What's the use? I don't gain anything by not sinning.'
4 "I will answer you and your friends who are with you.
5 Look up at the sky and see the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, it does nothing to God; even if your sins are many, they do nothing to him.
7 If you are good, you give nothing to God; he receives nothing from your hand.
8 Your evil ways only hurt a man like yourself, and the good you do only helps other human beings.
9 "People cry out when they are in trouble; they beg for relief from powerful people.
10 But no one asks, `Where is God, my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,
11 who makes us smarter than the animals of the earth and wiser than the birds of the air?'
12 God does not answer evil people when they cry out, because the wicked are proud.
13 God does not listen to their useless begging; the Almighty pays no attention to them.
14 He will listen to you even less when you say that you do not see him, that your case is before him, that you must wait for him,
15 that his anger never punishes, and that he doesn't notice evil.
16 So Job is only speaking nonsense, saying many words without knowing what is true."
1 Elihu continued:
2-3 "Do you think it is right for you to claim, `I haven't sinned, but I'm no better off before God than if I had'?
4 "I will answer you and all your friends too. 5 Look up there into the sky, high above you. 6 If you sin, does that shake the heavens and knock God from his throne? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have upon him? 7 Or if you are good, is this some great gift to him? 8 Your sins may hurt another man, or your good deeds may profit him. 9-10 The oppressed may shriek beneath their wrongs and groan beneath the power of the rich; yet none of them cry to God, asking, `Where is God my Maker who gives songs in the night 11 and makes us a little wiser than the animals and birds?'
12 "But when anyone does cry out this question to him, he never replies by instant punishment of the tyrants.
13 But it is false to say he doesn't hear those cries; 14-15 and it is even more false to say that he doesn't see what is going on. He does bring about justice at last if you will only wait. But do you cry out against him because he does not instantly respond in anger? 16 Job, you have spoken like a fool."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,25
3,3,5,103
4,4,7,184
5,5,9,244
6,6,11,307
7,7,13,403
8,8,15,487
9,9,17,591
10,10,19,681
11,11,21,763
12,12,23,859
13,13,25,947
14,14,27,1040
15,15,29,1175
16,16,31,1247
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,22
4,11,4,141
12,12,5,740
13,16,7,853
JOB036
1 Elihu continued:
2 "Listen to me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said for God.
3 What I know comes from far away. I will show that my Maker is right.
4 You can be sure that my words are not false; one who really knows is with you.
5 "God is powerful, but he does not hate people; he is powerful and sure of what he wants to do.
6 He will not keep evil people alive, but he gives the poor their rights.
7 He always watches over those who do right; he sets them on thrones with kings and they are honored forever.
8 If people are bound in chains, or if trouble, like ropes, ties them up,
9 God tells them what they have done, that they have sinned in their pride.
10 God makes them listen to his warning and commands them to change from doing evil.
11 If they obey and serve him, the rest of their lives will be successful, and the rest of their years will be happy.
12 But if they do not listen, they will die by the sword, and they will die without knowing why.
13 "Those who have wicked hearts hold on to anger. Even when God punishes them, they do not cry for help.
14 They die while they are still young, and their lives end in disgrace.
15 But God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain.
16 "God is gently calling you from the jaws of trouble to an open place of freedom where he has set your table full of the best food.
17 But now you are being punished like the wicked; you are getting justice.
18 Be careful! Don't be led away from God by riches; don't let much money turn you away.
19 Neither your wealth nor all your great strength will keep you out of trouble.
20 Don't wish for the night when people are taken from their homes.
21 Be careful not to turn to evil, which you seem to want more than suffering.
22 "God is great and powerful; no other teacher is like him.
23 No one has planned his ways for him; no one can say to God, `You have done wrong.'
24 Remember to praise his work, about which people have sung.
25 Everybody has seen it; people look at it from far off.
26 God is so great, greater than we can understand! No one knows how old he is.
27 "He evaporates the drops of water from the earth and turns them into rain.
28 The rain then pours down from the clouds, and showers fall on people.
29 No one understands how God spreads out the clouds or how he sends thunder from where he lives.
30 Watch how God scatters his lightning around him, lighting up the deepest parts of the sea.
31 This is the way God governs the nations; this is how he gives us enough food.
32 God fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its target.
33 His thunder announces the coming storm, and even the cattle know it is near.
1 Elihu continued:
2 "Let me go on and I will show you the truth of what I am saying. For I have not finished defending God! 3 I will give you many illustrations of the righteousness of my Maker. 4 I am telling you the honest truth, for I am a man of well-rounded knowledge.
5 "God is almighty and yet does not despise anyone! And he is perfect in his understanding. 6 He does not reward the wicked with his blessings, but gives them their full share of punishment. 7 He does not ignore the good men but honors them by placing them upon eternal, kingly thrones. 8 If troubles come upon them and they are enslaved and afflicted, 9 then he takes the trouble to point out to them the reason, what they have done that is wrong, or how they have behaved proudly. 10 He helps them hear his instruction to turn away from their sin.
11 "If they listen and obey him, then they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. 12 If they won't listen to him, they shall perish in battle and die because of their lack of good sense. 13 But the godless reap his anger. They do not even return to him when he punishes them. 14 They die young after lives of dissipation and depravity. 15 He delivers by distress! This makes them listen to him!
16 "How he wanted to lure you away from danger into a wide and pleasant valley and to prosper you there. 17 But you are too preoccupied with your imagined grievances against others. 18 Watch out! Don't let your anger at others lead you into scoffing at God! Don't let your suffering embitter you at the only one who can deliver you. 19 Do you really think that if you shout loudly enough against God, he will be ashamed and repent? Will this put an end to your chastisement?
20 "Do not desire the nighttime, with its opportunities for crime. 21 Turn back from evil, for it was to prevent you from getting into a life of evil that God sent this suffering.
22 "Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him? 23 Who can say that what he does is absurd or evil? 24 Instead, glorify him for his mighty works for which he is so famous. 25 Everyone has seen these things from a distance.
26 "God is so great that we cannot begin to know him. No one can begin to understand eternity. 27 He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain, 28 which the skies pour down. 29 Can anyone really understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunders within? 30 See how he spreads the lightning around him, and blankets the tops of the mountains. 31 By his fantastic powers in nature he punishes or blesses the people, giving them food in abundance. 32 He fills his hands with lightning bolts. He hurls each at its target. 33 We feel his presence in the thunder. Even the cattle know when a storm is coming.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,24
3,3,5,120
4,4,7,196
5,5,9,281
6,6,11,382
7,7,13,464
8,8,15,578
9,9,17,657
10,10,19,740
11,11,21,832
12,12,23,956
13,13,25,1062
14,14,27,1174
15,15,29,1251
16,16,31,1357
17,17,33,1495
18,18,35,1575
19,19,37,1668
20,20,39,1755
21,21,41,1829
22,22,43,1918
23,23,45,1985
24,24,47,2075
25,25,49,2141
26,26,51,2203
27,27,53,2287
28,28,55,2369
29,29,57,2448
30,30,59,2552
31,31,61,2651
32,32,63,2736
33,33,65,2817
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,22
5,10,4,281
11,15,6,834
16,19,8,1249
20,21,10,1727
22,25,12,1910
26,33,14,2146
GOD JOB 36:26
One theme in the poetic literature of the Bible is that we cannot know God completely. This does not mean that we cannot have any knowledge about God because the Bible is full of details about who God is, how we can know him, and how we can have an eternal relationship with him. What it means is that we can never know enough to answer all of life's questions (Ecclesiastes 3:11), to predict our own future, or to manipulate God for our own ends. Life always has more questions than answers, and we must constantly go to God for fresh insights into life's dilemmas. (See 37:19-24.)
JOB037
1 "At the sound of his thunder, my heart pounds as if it will jump out of my chest.
2 Listen! Listen to the thunder of God's voice and to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 He turns his lightning loose under the whole sky and sends it to the farthest parts of the earth.
4 After that you can hear the roar when he thunders with a great sound. He does not hold back the flashing when his voice is heard.
5 God's voice thunders in wonderful ways; he does great things we cannot understand.
6 He says to the snow, `Fall on the earth,' and to the shower, `Be a heavy rain.'
7 With it, he stops everyone from working so everyone knows it is the work of God.
8 The animals take cover from the rain and stay in their dens.
9 The storm comes from where it was stored; the cold comes with the strong winds.
10 The breath of God makes ice, and the wide waters become frozen.
11 He fills the clouds with water and scatters his lightning through them.
12 At his command they swirl around over the whole earth, doing whatever he commands.
13 He uses the clouds to punish people or to water his earth and show his love.
14 "Job, listen to this: Stop and notice God's miracles.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky? Do you know the miracles of God, who knows everything?
17 You suffer in your clothes when the land is silenced by the hot, south wind.
18 You cannot stretch out the sky like God and make it look as hard as polished bronze.
19 Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot get our arguments ready because we do not have enough understanding.
20 Should God be told that I want to speak? Would a person ask to be swallowed up?
21 No one can look at the sun when it is bright in the sky after the wind has blown all the clouds away.
22 God comes out of the north in golden light, in overwhelming greatness.
23 The Almighty is too high for us to reach. He has great strength; he is always right and never punishes unfairly.
24 That is why people honor him; he does not respect those who say they are wise."
1 "My heart trembles at this. 2 Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice. 3 It rolls across the heavens and his lightning flashes out in every direction. 4 Afterwards comes the roaring of the thunder - the tremendous voice of his majesty. 5 His voice is glorious in the thunder. We cannot comprehend the greatness of his power. 6 For he directs the snow, the showers, and storm to fall upon the earth. 7 Man's work stops at such a time so that all men everywhere may recognize his 20power. 8 The wild animals hide in the rocks or in their dens.
9 "From the south comes the rain; from the north, the cold. 10 God blows upon the rivers, and even the widest torrents freeze. 11 He loads the clouds with moisture, and they send forth his lightning. 12 The lightning bolts are directed by his hand and do whatever he commands throughout the earth. 13 He sends the storms as punishment or, in his loving-kindness, to encourage.
14 "Listen, O Job, stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God. 15 Do you know how God controls all nature and causes the lightning to flash forth from the clouds? 16-17 Do you understand the balancing of the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? Do you know why you become warm when the south wind is blowing and everything is still? 18 Can you spread out the gigantic mirror of the skies as he does?
19-20 "You who think you know so much, teach the rest of us how we should approach God. For we are too dull to know! With your wisdom, would we then dare to approach him? Well, does a man wish to be swallowed alive? 21 For as we cannot look at the sun for its brightness when the winds have cleared away the clouds, 22 neither can we gaze at the terrible majesty of God breaking forth upon us from heaven, clothed in dazzling splendor. 23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty, and yet he is so just and merciful that he does not destroy us. 24 No wonder men everywhere fear him! For he is not impressed by the world's wisest men!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
3,3,5,187
4,4,7,291
5,5,9,430
6,6,11,526
7,7,13,612
8,8,15,699
9,9,17,767
10,10,19,857
11,11,21,933
12,12,23,1013
13,13,25,1103
14,14,27,1187
15,15,29,1248
16,16,31,1326
17,17,33,1432
18,18,35,1516
19,19,37,1608
20,20,39,1731
21,21,41,1818
22,22,43,1927
23,23,45,2007
24,24,47,2128
1,8,1,1
9,13,3,551
14,18,5,931
19,24,7,1346
JOB038
1 Then the LORD answered Job from the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that makes my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?
3 Be strong like a man! I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
4 Where were you when I made the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off how big it should be? Surely you know! Who stretched a ruler across it?
6 What were the earth's foundations set on, or who put its cornerstone in place
7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted with joy?
8 "Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born,
9 when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea and wrapped it in dark clouds,
10 when I put limits on the sea and put its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said to the sea, `You may come this far, but no farther; this is where your proud waves must stop'?
12 "Have you ever ordered the morning to begin, or shown the dawn where its place was
13 in order to take hold of the earth by its edges and shake evil people out of it?
14 At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal; the hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.
15 Light is not given to evil people; their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
16 "Have you ever gone to where the sea begins or walked in the valleys under the sea?
17 Have the gates of death been opened to you? Have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
18 Do you understand how wide the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things.
19 "What is the path to light's home, and where does darkness live?
20 Can you take them to their places? Do you know the way to their homes?
21 Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened! Have you lived that many years?
22 "Have you ever gone into the storehouse of the snow or seen the storehouses for hail,
23 which I save for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?
24 Where is the place from which light comes? Where is the place from which the east winds blow over the earth?
25 Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains and sets a path for the thunderstorm?
26 Who waters the land where no one lives, the desert that has no grow? 28 Does the rain have a father? Who is father to the drops of dew? 29 Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the sky 30 when the water becomes hard as stone, and even the surface of the ocean is frozen? 31 "Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades or loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion? 32 Can you bring out the stars on time or lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the sky and understand their rule over the earth? 34 "Can you shout an order to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? 35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way? Do they come to you and say, `Here we are'? 36 Who put wisdom inside the mind or understanding in the heart? 37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of the sky 38 when the dust becomes hard and the clumps of dirt stick together? 39 "Do you hunt food for the female lion to satisfy the hunger of the young lions 40 while they lie in their dens or hide in the bushes waiting to attack? 41 Who gives food to the birds when their young cry out to God and wander about without food?
1 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 "Why are you using your ignorance to deny my providence? 3 Now get ready to fight, for I am going to demand some answers from you, and you must reply.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. 5 Do you know how its dimensions were determined, and who did the surveying? 6-7 What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone 20as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
8-9 "Who decreed the boundaries of the seas when they gushed from the depths? Who clothed them with clouds and thick darkness 10 and barred them by limiting their shores, 11 and said, `Thus far and no farther shall you come, and here shall your proud waves stop'?
12 "Have you ever once commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? 13 Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth, to end the night's wickedness? 14 Have you ever robed the dawn in red, 15 and disturbed the haunts of wicked men, and stopped the arm raised to strike?
16 "Have you explored the springs from which the seas come, or walked in the sources of their depths? 17-18 Has the location of the gates of death been revealed to you? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know! 19 Where does the light come from, and how do you get there? Or tell me about the darkness. Where does it come from? 20 Can you find its boundaries, or go to its source? 21 But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!
22-23 "Have you visited the treasuries of the snow, or seen where hail is made and stored? For I have reserved it for the time when I will need it in war. 24 Where is the path to the distribution point of light? Where is the home of the east wind? 25-27 Who dug the valleys for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning, causing the rain to fall upon the barren deserts, so that the parched and barren ground is satisfied with water and tender grass springs up?
28 "Has the rain a father? Where does dew come from? 29 Who is the mother of the ice and frost? 30 For the water changes and turns to ice as hard as rock.
31 "Can you hold back the stars? Can you restrain Orion or Pleiades? 32 Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons, or guide the constellation of the Bear with her satellites across the heavens? 33 Do you know the laws of the universe and how the heavens influence the earth? 34 Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? 35 Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct it?
36 "Who gives intuition and instinct?"
37-38 Who is wise enough to number all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven, when everything is dust and clods? 39-40 Can you stalk prey like a lioness, to satisfy the young lions' appetites as they lie in their dens or lie in wait in the jungle? 41 Who provides for the ravens when their young cry out to God as they try to struggle up from their nest in hunger?
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,60
3,3,5,147
4,4,7,225
5,5,9,310
6,6,11,406
7,7,13,493
8,8,15,574
9,9,17,655
10,10,19,739
11,11,21,813
12,12,23,927
13,13,25,1019
14,14,27,1109
15,15,29,1235
16,16,31,1330
17,17,33,1421
18,18,35,1518
19,19,37,1605
20,20,39,1679
21,21,41,1760
22,22,43,1872
23,23,45,1968
24,24,47,2038
25,25,49,2154
26,41,51,2250
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,52
4,7,4,208
8,11,6,515
12,15,8,782
16,21,10,1104
22,27,12,1630
28,30,14,2115
31,35,16,2273
36,36,18,2682
37,41,20,2724
JOB039
1 "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the deer gives birth to her fawn?
2 Do you count the months until they give birth and know the right time for them to give birth?
3 They lie down, their young are born, and then the pain of giving birth is over.
4 Their young ones grow big and strong in the wild country. Then they leave their homes and do not return.
5 "Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?
6 I am the one who gave the donkey the desert as its home; I gave it the desert lands as a place to live.
7 The wild donkey laughs at the confusion in the city, and it does not hear the drivers shout.
8 It roams the hills looking for pasture, looking for anything green to eat.
9 "Will the wild ox agree to serve you and stay by your feeding box at night?
10 Can you hold it to the plowed row with a harness so it will plow the valleys for you?
11 Will you depend on the wild ox for its great strength and leave your heavy work for it to do?
12 Can you trust the ox to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 "The wings of the ostrich flap happily, but they are not like the feathers of the stork.
14 The ostrich lays its eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand.
15 It does not stop to think that a foot might step on them and crush them; it does not care that some animal might walk on them.
16 The ostrich is cruel to its young, as if they were not even its own. It does not care that its work is for nothing,
17 because God did not give the ostrich wisdom; God did not give it a share of good sense.
18 But when the ostrich gets up to run, it is so fast that it laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 "Job, are you the one who gives the horse its strength or puts a flowing mane on its neck?
20 Do you make the horse jump like a locust? It scares people with its proud snorting.
21 It paws wildly, enjoying its strength, and charges into battle.
22 It laughs at fear and is afraid of nothing; it does not run away from the sword.
23 The bag of arrows rattles against the horse's side, along with the flashing spears and swords.
24 With great excitement, the horse races over the ground; and it cannot stand still when it hears the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet blows, the horse snorts, `Aha!' It smells the battle from far away; it hears the shouts of commanders and the battle cry.
26 "Is it through your wisdom that the hawk flies and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Are you the one that commands the eagle to fly and build its nest so high?
28 It lives on a high cliff and stays there at night; the rocky peak is its protected place.
29 From there it looks for its food; its eyes can see it from far away.
30 Its young eat blood, and where there is something dead, the eagle is there."
B B 1 "Do you know how mountain goats give birth? Have you ever seen them giving birth to their young? 2-3 Do you know how many months of pregnancy they have before they bow themselves to give birth to their young and carry their burden no longer? 4 Their young grow up in the open field, then leave their parents and return to them no more.
5 "Who makes the wild donkeys wild? 6 I have placed them in the wilderness and given them salt plains to live in. 7 For they hate the noise of the city and want no drivers shouting at them! 8 The mountain ranges are their pastureland; there they search for every blade of grass.
9 "Will the wild ox be your happy servant? Will he stay beside your feeding crib? 10 Can you use a wild ox to plow with? Will he pull the harrow for you? 11 Because he is so strong, will you trust him? Will you let him decide where to work? 12 Can you send him out to bring in the grain from the threshing floor?
13 "The ostrich flaps her wings grandly but has no true motherly love. 14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth, to warm them in the dust. 15 She forgets that someone may step on them and crush them, or the wild animals destroy them. 16 She ignores her young as though they weren't her own and is unconcerned though they die, 17 for God has deprived her of wisdom. 18 But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.
19 "Have you given the horse strength or clothed his neck with a quivering mane? 20 Have you made him able to leap forward like a locust? His majestic snorting is something to hear! 21-23 He paws the earth and rejoices in his strength, and when he goes to war, he is unafraid and does not run away though the arrows rattle against him, or the flashing spear and javelin. 24 Fiercely he paws the ground and rushes forward into battle when the trumpet blows. 25 At the sound of the bugle he shouts, `Aha!' He smells the battle when far away. He rejoices at the shouts of battle and the roar of the captain's commands.
26 "Do you know how a hawk soars and spreads her wings to the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle rises high upon the cliffs to make her nest? 28 She lives upon the cliffs, making her home in her mountain fortress. 29 From there she spies her prey, from a very great distance. 30 Her nestlings gulp down blood, for she goes wherever the slain are."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,211
4,4,7,297
5,5,9,411
6,6,11,474
7,7,13,584
8,8,15,687
9,9,17,771
10,10,19,854
11,11,21,947
12,12,23,1048
13,13,25,1144
14,14,27,1242
15,15,29,1321
16,16,31,1455
17,17,33,1580
18,18,35,1677
19,19,37,1778
20,20,39,1876
21,21,41,1969
22,22,43,2040
23,23,45,2128
24,24,47,2230
25,25,49,2347
26,26,51,2493
27,27,53,2588
28,28,55,2671
29,29,57,2770
30,30,59,2846
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,342
9,12,5,624
13,18,7,940
19,25,9,1391
26,30,11,2010
JOB040
1 The LORD said to Job:
2 "Will the person who argues with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who accuses God answer him."
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 "I am not worthy; I cannot answer you anything, so I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke one time, but I will not answer again; I even spoke two times, but I will say nothing more."
6 Then the LORD spoke to Job from the storm:
7 "Be strong, like a man! I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
8 Would you say that I am unfair? Would you blame me to make yourself look right?
9 Are you as strong as God? Can your voice thunder like his?
10 If so, then decorate yourself with glory and beauty; dress in honor and greatness as if they were clothing.
11 Let your great anger punish; look at the proud and bring them down.
12 Look at the proud and make them humble. Crush the wicked wherever they are.
13 Bury them all in the dirt together; cover their faces in the grave.
14 If you can do that, then I myself will praise you, because you are strong enough to save yourself.
15 "Look at the behemoth, which I made just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength it has in its body; the muscles of its stomach are powerful.
17 Its tail is like a cedar tree; the muscles of its thighs are woven together.
18 Its bones are like tubes of bronze; its legs are like bars of iron.
19 It is one of the first of God's works, but its Maker can destroy it.
20 The hills, where the wild animals play, provide food for it.
21 It lies under the lotus plants, hidden by the tall grass in the swamp.
22 The lotus plants hide it in their shadow; the poplar trees by the streams surround it.
23 If the river floods, it will not be afraid; it is safe even if the Jordan River rushes to its mouth.
24 Can anyone blind its eyes and capture it? Can anyone put hooks in its nose?
1 The Lord went on:
2 "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? Or will you yield? Do you - God's critic - have the answers?"
3 Then Job replied to God:
4 "I am nothing - how could I ever find the answers? I lay my hand upon my mouth in silence. 5 I have said too much already."
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job again from the whirlwind:
7 "Stand up like a man and brace yourself for battle. Let me ask you a question, and give me the answer. 8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so that you can say you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God, and can you shout as loudly as he? 10 All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12 Humiliate the haughty with a glance; tread down the wicked where they stand. 13 Knock them into the dust, stone-faced in death. 14 If you can do that, then I'll agree with you that your own strength can save you.
15 "Take a look at the hippopotamus! I made him, too, just as I made you! He eats grass like an ox. 16 See his powerful loins and the muscles of his belly. 17 His tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit together. 18 His vertebrae lie straight as a tube of brass. His ribs are like iron bars. 19 How ferocious he is among all of God's creation, so let whoever hopes to master him bring a sharp sword! 20 The mountains offer their best food to him - the other wild animals on which he preys. 21 He lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds, 22 covered by their shade among the willows there beside the stream. 23 He is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon him. 24 No one can catch him off guard or put a ring in his nose and lead him away.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,29
3,3,5,138
4,4,7,172
5,5,9,263
6,6,11,375
7,7,13,424
8,8,15,504
9,9,17,590
10,10,19,655
11,11,21,770
12,12,23,845
13,13,25,928
14,14,27,1004
15,15,29,1111
16,16,31,1200
17,17,33,1289
18,18,35,1373
19,19,37,1448
20,20,39,1524
21,21,41,1593
22,22,43,1671
23,23,45,1766
24,24,47,1874
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,23
3,3,4,137
4,5,5,166
6,6,7,295
7,14,8,352
15,24,10,966
ANSWERS JOB 40:2-5
How do you argue with the Almighty God? Do you demand answers when things don't go your way, when you get cut from a team, when someone close to you is ill or dies, when money is tight, when you fail, or when unexpected changes occur? The next time you are tempted to complain to God, consider how much he loves you and remember Job's reaction when he had his chance to speak. Are you worse off than Job, or more righteous? Give God a chance to reveal his greater purposes for you, but remember that they may unfold over the course of your life and not at any given moment.
JOB041
1 "Can you catch the leviathan on a fishhook or tie its tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy and speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you and let you take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of the leviathan as you would a bird or put it on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders try to bargain with you for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you stick darts all over its skin or fill its head with fishing spears?
8 If you put one hand on it, you will never forget the battle, and you will never do it again!
9 There is no hope of defeating it; just seeing it overwhelms people.
10 No one is brave enough to make it angry, so who would be able to stand up against me?
11 No one has ever given me anything that I must pay back, because everything under the sky belongs to me.
12 "I will speak about Leviathan's arms and legs, its great strength and well-formed body.
13 No one can tear off its outer hide or poke through its double armor.
14 No one can force open its great jaws; they are filled with frightening teeth.
15 It has rows of shields on its back that are tightly sealed together.
16 Each shield is so close to the next one that no air can go between them.
17 They are joined strongly to one another; they hold on to each other and cannot be separated.
18 When it snorts, flashes of light are thrown out, and its eyes look like the light at dawn.
19 Flames blaze from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours out of its nose, as if coming from a large pot over a hot fire.
21 Its breath sets coals on fire, and flames come out of its mouth.
22 There is great strength in its neck. People are afraid and run away.
23 The folds of its skin are tightly joined; they are set and cannot be moved.
24 Its chest is as hard as a rock, even as hard as a grinding stone.
25 The powerful fear its terrible looks and draw back in fear as it moves.
26 The sword that hits it does not hurt it, nor the arrows, darts, and spears.
27 It treats iron as if it were straw and bronze metal as if it were rotten wood.
28 It does not run away from arrows; stones from slings are like chaff to it.
29 Clubs feel like pieces of straw to it, and it laughs when they shake a spear at it.
30 The underside of its body is like broken pieces of pottery. It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing board.
31 It makes the deep sea bubble like a boiling pot; it stirs up the sea like a pot of oil.
32 When it swims, it leaves a shining path in the water that makes the sea look as if it had white hair.
33 Nothing else on earth is equal to it; it is a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all those who are too proud; it is king over all proud creatures."
1 "Can you catch a crocodile with a hook and line? Or put a noose around his tongue? 2 Can you tie him with a rope through the nose, or pierce his jaw with a spike? 3 Will he beg you to desist or try to flatter you from your intentions? 4 Will he agree to let you make him your slave for life? 5 Can you make a pet of him like a bird, or give him to your little girls to play with? 6 Do fishing partners sell him to the fishmongers? 7 Will his hide be hurt by darts, or his head with a harpoon?
8 "If you lay your hands upon him, you will long remember the battle that ensues and you will never try it again! 9 No, it's useless to try to capture him. It is frightening even to think about it! 10 No one dares to stir him up, let alone try to conquer him. And if no one can stand before him, who can stand before me? 11 I owe no one anything. Everything under the heaven is mine.
12 "I should mention, too, the tremendous strength in his limbs and throughout his enormous frame. 13 Who can penetrate his hide, or who dares come within reach of his jaws? 14 For his teeth are terrible. 15-17 His overlapping scales are his pride, making a tight seal so no air can get between them, and nothing can penetrate.
18 "When he sneezes, the sunlight sparkles like lightning across the vapor droplets. His eyes glow like sparks. 19 Fire leaps from his mouth. 20 Smoke flows from his nostrils, like steam from a boiling pot that is fired by dry rushes. 21 Yes, his breath would kindle coals - flames leap from his mouth.
22 "The tremendous strength in his neck strikes terror wherever he goes. 23 His flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat. 24 His heart is hard as rock, just like a millstone. 25 When he stands up, the strongest are afraid. Terror grips them. 26 No sword can stop him, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft. 27-28 Iron is nothing but straw to him, and brass is rotten wood. Arrows cannot make him flee. Sling stones are as ineffective as straw. 29 Clubs do no good, and he laughs at the javelins hurled at him. 30 His belly is covered with scales as sharp as shards; they tear up the ground as he drags through the mud.
31-32 "He makes the water boil with his commotion. He churns the depths. He leaves a shining wake of froth behind him. One would think the sea was made of frost! 33 There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. 34 Of all the beasts, he is the proudest - monarch of all that he sees."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,227
5,5,9,312
6,6,11,411
7,7,13,506
8,8,15,588
9,9,17,688
10,10,19,765
11,11,21,858
12,12,23,970
13,13,25,1066
14,14,27,1145
15,15,29,1232
16,16,31,1308
17,17,33,1390
18,18,35,1490
19,19,37,1591
20,20,39,1656
21,21,41,1739
22,22,43,1813
23,23,45,1889
24,24,47,1973
25,25,49,2046
26,26,51,2125
27,27,53,2208
28,28,55,2295
29,29,57,2377
30,30,59,2469
31,31,61,2591
32,32,63,2686
33,33,65,2795
34,34,67,2871
1,7,1,1
8,11,3,499
12,17,5,892
18,21,7,1223
22,30,9,1529
31,34,11,2150
JOB042
1 Then Job answered the LORD:
2 "I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined.
3 You asked, `Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know.
4 You said, `Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.'
5 My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you.
6 So now I hate myself; I will change my heart and life. I will sit in the dust and ashes."
7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job did.
8 Now take seven bulls and seven male sheep, and go to my servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will listen to his prayer. Then I will not punish you for being foolish. You have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job did."
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD said, and the LORD listened to Job's prayer.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD gave him success again. The LORD gave Job twice as much as he had owned before.
11 Job's brothers and sisters came to his house, along with everyone who had known him before, and they all ate with him there. They comforted him and made him feel better about the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave Job a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 The LORD blessed the last part of Job's life even more than the first part. Job had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand teams of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.
13 Job also had seven sons and three daughters.
14 He named the first daughter Jemimah, the second daughter Keziah, and the third daughter KEREN-HAPPUCH.
15 There were no other women in all the land as beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father Job gave them land to own along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived one hundred forty years. He lived to see his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
1 Then Job replied to God:
2 "I know that you can do anything and that no one can stop you. 3 You ask who it is who has so foolishly denied your providence. It is I. I was talking about things I knew nothing about and did not understand, things far too wonderful for me.
4 "You said, `Listen and I will speak! Let me put the questions to you! See if you can answer them!'
5 "But now I say, `I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you, 6 and I loathe myself and repent in dust and ashes.' "
7 After the Lord had finished speaking with Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite:
"I am angry with you and with your two friends, for you have not been right in what you have said about me, as my servant Job was. 8 Now take seven young bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves; and my servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf, and won't destroy you as I should because of your sin, your failure to speak rightly concerning my servant Job."
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer on their behalf. 10 Then, when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his wealth and happiness! In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! 11 Then all of his brothers, sisters, and former friends arrived and feasted with him in his home, consoling him for all his sorrow and comforting him because of all the trials the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.
12 So the Lord blessed Job at the end of his life more than at the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
13-14 God also gave him seven more sons and three more daughters. These were the names of his daughters: Jemima, Kezia, Keren.
15 And in all the land there were no other girls as lovely as the daughters of Job; and their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren too. 17 Then at last he died, an old, old man, after living a long, good life.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,35
3,3,5,119
4,4,7,311
5,5,9,409
6,6,11,481
7,7,13,577
8,8,15,782
9,9,17,1082
10,10,19,1220
11,11,21,1354
12,12,23,1634
13,13,25,1828
14,14,27,1880
15,15,29,1990
16,16,31,2142
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,30
4,4,4,277
5,6,5,379
7,8,6,509
9,11,9,1035
12,12,11,1607
13,14,13,1778
15,15,15,1908
16,17,17,2062
QUESTIONS JOB 42:1
Throughout the book, Job's friends had asked him to admit his sin and ask for forgiveness, and eventually Job did indeed repent. Ironically, Job's repentance was not the kind called for by his friends. He did not ask for forgiveness for secret sins, but for questioning God's sovereignty and justice. Job repented of his attitude and acknowledged God's great power and perfect justice. We sin when we angrily ask, If God is in control, how could he let this happen? Since we are locked into time, unable to see beyond today, we cannot know the reasons for everything that happens. Thus we often must choose between anger and trust. Will you trust God with your unanswered questions?
FORGIVE JOB 42:8-10
After receiving much criticism, Job was still able to pray for his three friends. It is difficult to forgive someone who has accused you of wrongdoing, but Job did. Are you praying for those who have wronged you? Can you forgive them? Follow the actions of Job, whom God called a good man, and pray for those who wrong you.
VPSALM
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To provide poetry for the expression of praise, worship, and confession to God.
AUTHORS:
David wrote 73 psalms; Asaph wrote 12; the sons of Korah wrote 9; Solomon wrote 2; Heman (with the sons of Korah), Ethan, and Moses each wrote 1; and 51 Psalms are anonymous, though the New Testament ascribes two of the anonymous psalms-Psalms 2 and 95-to David (See Acts 4:25; Hebrews 4:7)
DATE WRITTEN:
Between the time of Moses (around 1440 B.C.) and the Babylonian captivity (586 B.C.)
SETTING:
For the most part, the psalms were not intended to be narrations of historical events. However, they often parallel events in history, such as David's flight from Saul and his sin with Bathsheba.
KEY PERSON:
David
KEY PLACE:
God's holy temple
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Psalms has a unified plan, but each psalm can be read and understood alone. Psalms is probably the most widely read book of the Bible, because it is easy to relate to the writers' emotions.
Emotions. We experience countless feelings every day, ranging from exuberant joy to deep grief. We feel pain when someone we love dies. We feel anger when things go wrong. We feel confusion when we don't understand. And we feel joy when something good happens. Emotions add spice and color to life. The book of Psalms is about emotions. The pages are filled with them: anger, confusion, joy, pain, humility, bewilderment, contentment-all directed toward God. God created us with emotions, and he knows they will be part of our dealings with him. Many people read the book of Psalms because of its honesty. Rather than ignoring the "negative" emotions or condemning them as sinful, the writers faced their feelings and continued to talk with God. Psalms also is loved because of the clear picture of God it presents. Our emotions change constantly, but God is constant. While we fret, worry, and shout about injustice, God remains calm. When we fall on our face before him because of our awful sin, he isn't surprised-he is gentle and ready to forgive. Psalms reminds us that God is exalted, the Creator and Ruler of the world, and worthy of worship. He alone is God. How are you feeling today? Angry? Afraid? Frustrated? Or are you joyful, happy, and excited? Read Psalms and express yourself honestly to God.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
PSALM001
1 Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked, who don't go where sinners go, who don't do what evil people do.
2 They love the LORD' s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night.
3 They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don't die. Everything they do will succeed.
4 But wicked people are not like that. They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 So the wicked will not escape God's punishment. Sinners will not worship with God's people.
6 This is because the LORD takes care of his people, but the wicked will be destroyed.
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men's advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. 2 But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.
3 They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.
4 But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away like chaff before the wind. 5 They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,120
3,3,5,211
4,4,7,360
5,5,9,449
6,6,11,547
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,295
4,5,5,451
6,6,7,615
Moral Dilemmas: Friendship ,!page "^M0024" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM002
FREEDOM
1 Why are the nations so angry? Why are the people making useless plans?
2 The kings of the earth prepare to fight, and their leaders make plans together against the LORD and his appointed one.
3 They say, "Let's break the chains that hold us back and throw off the ropes that tie us down."
4 But the one who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord makes fun of them.
5 Then the LORD warns them and frightens them with his anger.
6 He says, "I have appointed my own king to rule in Jerusalem on my holy mountain, Zion."
7 Now I will tell you what the LORD has declared: He said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your father.
8 If you ask me, I will give you the nations; all the people on earth will be yours.
9 You will rule over them with an iron rod. You will break them into pieces like pottery."
10 So, kings, be wise; rulers, learn this lesson.
11 Obey the LORD with great fear. Be happy, but tremble.
12 Show that you are loyal to his son, or you will be destroyed by his anger, because he can quickly become angry. But happy are those who trust him for protection.
1 What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God!* 2 For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King.
3 "Come, let us break his chains," they say, "and free ourselves from all this slavery to God."
4 But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. 5 And then in fierce fury he rebukes them and fills them with fear.
6 For the Lord declares, "This is the King of my choice, and I have enthroned him in Jerusalem, my holy city."
7 His chosen one replies, "I will reveal the everlasting purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, `You are my Son. This is your Coronation Day.* Today I am giving you your glory.' " 8 "Only ask and I will give you all the nations of the world. 9 Rule them with an iron rod; smash them like clay pots!"
10 O kings and rulers of the earth, listen while there is time. 11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear; rejoice with trembling. 12 Fall down before his Son and kiss his feet before his anger is roused and you perish. I am warning you - his wrath will soon begin. But oh, the joys of those who put their trust in him!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,203
4,4,7,304
5,5,9,377
6,6,11,443
7,7,13,537
8,8,15,656
9,9,17,745
10,10,19,840
11,11,21,894
12,12,23,955
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,223
4,5,5,322
6,6,7,466
7,9,9,580
10,12,11,890
o he/
FREEDOM PSALM 2:3
People often think they will be free if they can get away from God. Yet we all inevitably serve somebody or something, whether a human king, the wishes of friends, or our own selfish desires. Just as a fish is not free when it leaves the water and a tree is not free when it leaves the soil, we are not free when we leave the Lord. The one sure route to freedom is whole heartedly serving God the Creator. He can set you free to be who he created you to be.
PSALM003
1 LORD, I have many enemies! Many people have turned against me.
2 Many are saying about me, "God won't rescue him." [Selah]
3 But, LORD, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage.
4 I will pray to the LORD, and he will answer me from his holy mountain. [Selah]
5 I can lie down and go to sleep, and I will wake up again, because the LORD gives me strength.
6 Thousands of troops may surround me, but I am not afraid.
7 LORD, rise up! My God, come save me! You have struck my enemies on the cheek; you have broken the teeth of the wicked.
8 The LORD can save his people. LORD, bless your people. [Selah]
1 A Psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom. O Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many enemies. 2 So many say that God will never help me. 3 But Lord, you are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame.
4 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me from his Temple in Jerusalem.
5 Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me on every side, I am not afraid. 7 I will cry to him, "Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!" And he will slap them in the face, insulting them and breaking off their teeth.
8 For salvation comes from God. What joys he gives to all his people.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,134
4,4,7,209
5,5,9,294
6,6,11,394
7,7,13,458
8,8,15,583
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,290
5,7,5,366
8,8,7,683
PSALM004
1 Answer me when I pray to you, my God who does what is right. Make things easier for me when I am in trouble. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 People, how long will you turn my honor into shame? How long will you love what is false and look for new lies? [Selah]
3 You know that the LORD has chosen for himself those who are loyal to him. The LORD listens when I pray to him.
4 When you are angry, do not sin. Think about these things quietly as you go to bed. [Selah]
5 Do what is right as a sacrifice to the LORD and trust the LORD.
6 Many people ask, "Who will give us anything good?" LORD, be kind to us.
7 But you have made me very happy, happier than they are, even with all their grain and new wine.
8 I go to bed and sleep in peace, because, LORD, only you keep me safe.
1 O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer.
2 The Lord God asks, "Sons of men, will you forever turn my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim that's made for them is false?"
3 Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself. Therefore he will listen to me and answer when I call to him. 4 Stand before the Lord in awe, and do not sin against him. Lie quietly upon your bed in silent meditation. 5 Put your trust in the Lord, and offer him pleasing sacrifices.
6 Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong, O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us. 7 Yes, the gladness you have given me is far greater than their joys at harvest time as they gaze at their bountiful crops. 8 I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am alone, O Lord, you will keep me safe.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,153
3,3,5,279
4,4,7,396
5,5,9,493
6,6,11,563
7,7,13,641
8,8,15,743
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,164
3,5,5,326
6,6,7,631
PRAYERS PSALM 4:3
David knew God heard his prayers and would answer him. We, too, can know that God listens and answers when we call on him. Sometimes we think God will not hear us because we have fallen short of his high standards for holy living. But God listens to us because we have been forgiven. When you feel that your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, remember that as a believer you have been set apart by God, and he loves you. He hears and answers (although his answers may not be what we expect). Look at your problems in the light of God's power instead of looking at God in the light of your problems.
PSALM005
1 LORD, listen to my words. Understand my sadness.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, because I pray to you.
3 LORD, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer.
4 You are not a God who is pleased with the wicked; you do not live with those who do evil.
5 Those people who make fun of you cannot stand before you. You hate all those who do evil.
6 You destroy liars; the LORD hates those who kill and trick others.
7 Because of your great love, I can come into your Temple. Because I fear and respect you, I can worship in your holy Temple.
8 LORD, since I have many enemies, show me the right thing to do. Show me clearly how you want me to live.
9 My enemies' mouths do not tell the truth; in their hearts they want to destroy others. Their throats are like open graves; they use their tongues for telling lies.
10 God, declare them guilty! Let them fall into their own traps. Send them away because their sins are many; they have turned against you.
11 But let everyone who trusts you be happy; let them sing glad songs forever. Protect those who love you and who are happy because of you.
12 LORD, you bless those who do what is right; you protect them like a soldier's shield.
1 O Lord, hear me praying; listen to my plea, O God my King, for I will never pray to anyone but you. 3 Each morning I will look to you in heaven and lay my requests before you, praying earnestly.
4 I know you get no pleasure from wickedness and cannot tolerate the slightest sin. 5 Therefore, proud sinners will not survive your searching gaze, for how you hate their evil deeds. 6 You will destroy them for their lies; how you abhor all murder and deception.
7 But as for me, I will come into your Temple protected by your mercy and your love; I will worship you with deepest awe.
8 Lord, lead me as you promised me you would; otherwise my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, which way to turn. 9 For they cannot speak one truthful word. Their hearts are filled to the brim with wickedness. Their suggestions are full of the stench of sin and death. Their tongues are filled with flatteries to gain their wicked ends. 10 O God, hold them responsible. Catch them in their own traps; let them fall beneath the weight of their own transgressions, for they rebel against you.
11 But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you. Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them. Fill all who love you with your happiness. 12 For you bless the godly man, O Lord; you protect him with your shield of love.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,56
3,3,5,132
4,4,7,244
5,5,9,340
6,6,11,436
7,7,13,509
8,8,15,639
9,9,17,750
10,10,19,920
11,11,21,1063
12,12,23,1207
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,201
7,7,5,468
8,10,7,593
11,12,9,1104
PSALM006
1 LORD, don't correct me when you are angry; don't punish me when you are very angry.
2 LORD, have mercy on me because I am weak. Heal me, LORD, because my bones ache.
3 I am very upset. LORD, how long will it be?
4 LORD, return and save me; save me because of your kindness.
5 Dead people don't remember you; those in the grave don't praise you.
6 I am tired of crying to you. Every night my bed is wet with tears; my bed is soaked from my crying.
7 My eyes are weak from so much crying; they are weak from crying about my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you who do evil, because the LORD has heard my crying.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for help; the LORD will answer my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and troubled. They will turn and suddenly leave in shame.
1 No, Lord! Don't punish me in the heat of your anger. 2 Pity me, O Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, for my body is sick, 3 and I am upset and disturbed. My mind is filled with apprehension and with gloom. Oh, restore me soon.
4 Come, O Lord, and make me well. In your kindness save me. 5 For if I die, I cannot give you glory by praising you before my friends.
6 I am worn out with pain; every night my pillow is wet with tears. 7 My eyes are growing old and dim with grief because of all my enemies.
8 Go, leave me now, you men of evil deeds, for the Lord has heard my weeping 9 and my pleading. He will answer all my prayers. 10 All my enemies shall be suddenly dishonored, terror-stricken, and disgraced. God will turn them back in shame.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,227
5,5,9,293
6,6,11,368
7,7,13,474
8,8,15,562
9,9,17,645
10,10,19,719
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,228
6,7,5,366
8,10,7,509
Scrapbook: "Jenna: Feeling depressed and confused " ,!page "jenna1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PSALM007
1 LORD my God, I trust in you for protection. Save me and rescue me from those who are chasing me.
2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart. They will rip me to pieces, and no one can save me.
3 LORD my God, what have I done? Have my hands done something wrong?
4 Have I done wrong to my friend or stolen without reason from my enemy?
5 If I have, let my enemy chase me and capture me. Let him trample me into the dust and bury me in the ground. [Selah]
6 LORD, rise up in your anger; stand up against my enemies' anger. Get up and demand fairness.
7 Gather the nations around you and rule them from above.
8 LORD, judge the people. LORD, defend me because I am right, because I have done no wrong, God Most High.
9 God, you do what is right. You know our thoughts and feelings. Stop those wicked actions done by evil people, and help those who do what is right.
10 God protects me like a shield; he saves those whose hearts are right.
11 God judges by what is right, and God is always ready to punish the wicked.
12 If they do not change their lives, God will sharpen his sword; he will string his bow and take aim.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he has made his flaming arrows.
14 There are people who think up evil and plan trouble and tell lies.
15 They dig a hole to trap others, but they will fall into it themselves.
16 They will get themselves into trouble; the violence they cause will hurt only themselves.
17 I praise the LORD because he does what is right. I sing praises to the LORD Most High.
1 I am depending on you, O Lord my God, to save me from my persecutors. 2 Don't let them pounce upon me as a lion would and maul me and drag me away with no one to rescue me. 3 It would be different, Lord, if I were doing evil things - 4 if I were paying back evil for good or unjustly attacking those I dislike. 5 Then it would be right for you to let my enemies destroy me, crush me to the ground, and trample my life in the dust.
6 But Lord! Arise in anger against the anger of my enemies. Awake! Demand justice for me, Lord! 7-8 Gather all peoples before you; sit high above them, judging their sins. But justify me publicly; establish my honor and truth before them all. 9 End all wickedness, O Lord, and bless all who truly worship God; for you, the righteous God, look deep within the hearts of men and examine all their motives and their thoughts.
10 God is my shield; he will defend me. He saves those whose hearts and lives are true and right.
11 God is a judge who is perfectly fair, and he is angry with the wicked every day. 12 Unless they repent, he will sharpen his sword and slay them.
He has bent and strung his bow 13 and fitted it with deadly arrows made from shafts of fire.
14 The wicked man conceives an evil plot, labors with its dark details, and brings to birth his treachery and lies; 15 let him fall into his own trap. 16 May the violence he plans for others boomerang upon himself; let him die.
17 Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because he is so good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord who is above all lords.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,210
4,4,7,283
5,5,9,360
6,6,11,483
7,7,13,582
8,8,15,644
9,9,17,755
10,10,19,908
11,11,21,985
12,12,23,1067
13,13,25,1174
14,14,27,1249
15,15,29,1323
16,16,31,1401
17,17,33,1498
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,437
10,10,5,863
11,13,7,964
14,16,10,1209
17,17,12,1440
REVENGE PSALM 7:1-6
Have you ever been falsely accused or badly hurt and wanted revenge? David wrote this psalm in response to the slanderous accusations of those who claimed he was trying to kill King Saul and seize the throne (1 Samuel 24:9-11). Instead of seeking revenge, David cried out to God for justice. The proper response to slander is prayer, not revenge. God says, Justice belongs to me; I will repay them (Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Hebrews 10:30). Instead of striking back, ask God to take your case, bring justice, and restore your reputation.
Ult. Issues: Made in the Image of God ,!page "^image" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM008
1 LORD our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth! It brings you praise in heaven above.
2 You have taught children and babies to sing praises to you because of your enemies. And so you silence your enemies and destroy those who try to get even.
3 I look at your heavens, which you made with your fingers. I see the moon and stars, which you created.
4 But why are people important to you? Why do you take care of human beings?
5 You made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made. You put all things under their control:
7 all the sheep, the cattle, and the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that lives under water.
9 LORD our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
1 O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. 2 You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies!
3 When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you have made - 4 I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!
5 And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.
6 You have put him in charge of everything you made; everything is put under his authority: 7 all sheep and oxen, and wild animals too, 8 the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea. 9 O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name fills the earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,276
4,4,7,385
5,5,9,466
6,6,11,556
7,7,13,649
8,8,15,704
9,9,17,792
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,217
5,5,5,422
6,6,7,542
PSALM009
1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart. I will tell all the miracles you have done.
2 I will be happy because of you; God Most High, I will sing because of you. 4 You have heard my complaint; you sat on your throne and judged by what was right. 5 You spoke strongly against the foreign nations and destroyed the wicked; you wiped out their names forever and ever. 6 The enemy is gone forever. You destroyed their cities; no one even remembers them. 7 But the LORD rules forever. He sits on his throne to judge, 8 and he will judge the world in fairness; he will decide what is fair for the nations. 9 The LORD defends those who suffer; he defends them in times of trouble. 10 Those who know the LORD trust him, because he will not leave those who come to him. 11 Sing praises to the LORD who is king on Mount Zion. Tell the nations what he has done. 12 He remembers who the murderers are; he will not forget the cries of those who suffer. 1
3 LORD, have mercy on me. See how my enemies hurt me. Do not let me go through the gates of death. 1
4 Then, at the gates of Jerusalem, I will praise you; I will rejoice because you saved me. 1
5 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug. Their feet are caught in the nets they laid. 1
6 The LORD has made himself known by his fair decisions; the wicked get trapped by what they do. [Higgaion.] [Selah] 1
7 Wicked people will go to the grave, and so will all those who forget God. 1
8 But those who have troubles will not be forgotten. The hopes of the poor will never die. 1
9 LORD, rise up and judge the nations. Don't let people think they are strong. 20 Teach them to fear you, LORD. The nations must learn that they are only human. [Selah]
1 O Lord, I will praise you with all my heart and tell everyone about the marvelous things you do. 2 I will be glad, yes, filled with joy because of you. I will sing your praises, O Lord God above all gods.
3 My enemies will fall back and perish in your presence; 4 you have vindicated me; you have endorsed my work, declaring from your throne that it is good.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked, blotting out their names forever and ever. 6 O enemies of mine, you are doomed forever. The Lord will destroy your cities; even the memory of them will disappear.
7-8 But the Lord lives on forever; he sits upon his throne to judge justly the nations of the world. 9 All who are oppressed may come to him. He is a refuge for them in their times of trouble. 10 All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on you for help. For you have never yet forsaken those who trust in you.
11 Oh, sing out your praises to the God who lives in Jerusalem. ell the world about his unforgettable deeds. 12 He who avenges murder has an open ear to those who cry to him for justice. He does not ignore the prayers of men in trouble when they call to him for help.
13 And now, O Lord, have mercy on me; see how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me. Lord, snatch me back from the jaws of death. 14 Save me, so that I can praise you publicly before all the people at Jerusalem's gates and rejoice that you have rescued me.
15 The nations fall into the pitfalls they have dug for others; the trap they set has snapped on them. 16 The Lord is famous for the way he punishes the wicked in their own snares!
17 The wicked shall be sent away to hell; this is the fate of all the nations forgetting the Lord. 18 For the needs of the needy shall not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor shall not always be crushed.
19 O Lord, arise and judge and punish the nations; don't let them defy you! 20 Make them tremble in fear; put the nations in their place until at last they know they are but puny men.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,955
4,4,7,1059
5,5,9,1155
6,6,11,375
7,7,13,1376
8,8,15,1457
9,9,17,1553
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,211
5,6,5,368
7,10,7,591
11,12,9,911
13,14,11,1182
15,16,13,1447
17,18,15,1631
19,20,17,1844
WITNESSING PSALM 9:1-2
One of the natural results of praising God is witnessing. When we know God is wonderful, we naturally want to tell others and have them praise God with us.
PSALM010
DOUBTS
1 LORD, why are you so far away? Why do you hide when there is trouble?
2 Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer. Let them be caught in their own traps.
3 They brag about the things they want. They bless the greedy but hate the LORD.
4 The wicked people are too proud. They do not look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts.
5 They always succeed. They are far from keeping your laws; they make fun of their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to me; I will never be ruined."
7 Their mouths are full of curses, lies, and threats; they use their tongues for sin and evil.
8 They hide near the villages. They look for innocent people to kill; they watch in secret for the helpless.
9 They wait in hiding like a lion. They wait to catch poor people; they catch the poor in nets.
10 The poor are thrown down and crushed; they are defeated because the others are stronger.
11 The wicked think, "God has forgotten us. He doesn't see what is happening."
12 LORD, rise up and punish the wicked. Don't forget those who need help.
13 Why do wicked people hate God? They say to themselves, "God won't punish us."
14 LORD, surely you see these cruel and evil things; look at them and do something. People in trouble look to you for help. You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the power of wicked people. Punish them for the evil they have done.
16 The LORD is King forever and ever. Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.
17 LORD, you have heard what the poor people want. Do what they ask, and listen to them.
18 Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering so they will no longer be afraid of evil people.
1 Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?
2 Come and deal with all these proud and wicked men who viciously persecute the poor. Pour upon these men the evil they planned for others! 3 For these men brag of all their evil lusts; they revile God and congratulate those the Lord abhors, whose only goal in life is money.
4 These wicked men, so proud and haughty, seem to think that God is dead. hey wouldn't think of looking for him! 5 Yet there is success in everything they do, and their enemies fall before them. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. 6 They boast that neither God nor man can ever keep them down - somehow they'll find a way!
7 Their mouths are full of profanity and lies and fraud. They are always boasting of their evil plans. 8 They lurk in dark alleys of the city and murder passersby. 9 Like lions they crouch silently, waiting to pounce upon the poor. Like hunters they catch their victims in their traps. 10 The unfortunate are overwhelmed by their superior strength and fall beneath their blows. 11 "God isn't watching," they say to themselves; "he'll never know!"
12 O Lord, arise! O God, crush them! Don't forget the poor or anyone else in need. 13 Why do you let the wicked get away with this contempt for God? For they think that God will never call them to account. 14 Lord, you see what they are doing. You have noted each evil act. You know what trouble and grief they have caused. Now punish them. O Lord, the poor man trusts himself to you; you are known as the helper of the helpless. 15 Break the arms of these wicked men. Go after them until the last of them is destroyed.
16 The Lord is King forever and forever. Those who follow other gods shall be swept from his land.
17 Lord, you know the hopes of humble people. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort their hearts by helping them. 18 You will be with the orphans and all who are oppressed, so that mere earthly man will terrify them no longer.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,77
3,3,5,170
4,4,7,255
5,5,9,364
6,6,11,460
7,7,13,552
8,8,15,651
9,9,17,764
10,10,19,864
11,11,21,960
12,12,23,1043
13,13,25,1121
14,14,27,1206
15,15,29,1373
16,16,31,1455
17,17,33,1559
18,18,35,1652
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,95
4,6,5,374
7,11,7,711
12,15,9,1161
16,16,11,1684
17,18,13,1786
DOUBTS PSALM 10:1
To the psalmist, God seemed far away. Why do you hide when I need you the most? he asked God. But though he had honest doubts, he did not stop praying or assume that God no longer cared. He was not complaining but was asking God to hurry to his aid. It is during those times when we feel most alone or oppressed that we need to keep praying, telling God about our troubles.
PSALM011
1 I trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, "Fly like a bird to your mountain.
2 Like hunters, the wicked string their bows; they set their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from dark places at those who are honest.
3 When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD sits on his throne in heaven. He sees what people do; he keeps his eye on them.
5 The LORD tests those who do right, but he hates the wicked and those who love to hurt others.
6 He will send hot coals and burning sulfur on the wicked. A whirlwind is what they will get.
7 The LORD does what is right, and he loves justice, so honest people will see his face.
1 How dare you tell me, "Flee to the mountains for safety," when I am trusting in the Lord?
2 For the wicked have strung their bows, drawn their arrows tight against the bowstrings, and aimed from ambush at the people of God. 3 "Law and order have collapsed," we are told. "What can the righteous do but flee?"
4 But the Lord is still in his holy temple; he still rules from heaven. He closely watches everything that happens here on earth. 5 He puts the righteous and the wicked to the test; he hates those loving violence. 6 He will rain down fire and brimstone on the wicked and scorch them with his burning wind.
7 For God is good, and he loves goodness; the godly shall see his face.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,247
4,4,7,314
5,5,9,441
6,6,11,541
7,7,13,639
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,96
4,6,5,318
7,7,7,627
PSALM012
1 Save me, LORD, because the good people are all gone; no true believers are left on earth.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbors; they say one thing and mean another.
3 The LORD will stop those flattering lips and cut off those bragging tongues.
4 They say, "Our tongues will help us win. We can say what we wish; no one is our master."
5 But the LORD says, "I will now rise up, because the poor are being hurt. Because of the moans of the helpless, I will give them the help they want."
6 The LORD' s words are pure, like silver purified by fire, like silver purified seven times over.
7 LORD, you will keep us safe; you will always protect us from such people.
8 But the wicked are all around us; everyone loves what is wrong.
1 Lord! Help! Godly men are fast disappearing. Where in all the world can dependable men be found? 2 Everyone deceives and flatters and lies. There is no sincerity left.
3-4 But the Lord will not deal gently with people who act like that; he will destroy those proud liars who say, "We will lie to our hearts' content. Our lips are our own; who can stop us?"
5 The Lord replies, "I will arise and defend the oppressed, the poor, the needy. I will rescue them as they have longed for me to do." 6 The Lord's promise is sure. He speaks no careless word; all he says is purest truth, like silver seven times refined. 7 O Lord, we know that you will forever preserve your own from the reach of evil men, 8 although they prowl on every side and vileness is praised throughout the land.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,172
4,4,7,255
5,5,9,350
6,6,11,505
7,7,13,608
8,8,15,688
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,174
5,5,5,366
LYING PSALM 12:2-4
We may be tempted to believe that lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But deceit, flattery, boasting, and lies are not overlooked by God. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that eventually is expressed in our speech. The tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (James 3:5). Be careful how you use yours.
PSALM013
1 How long will you forget me, LORD? Forever? How long will you hide from me?
2 How long must I worry and feel sad in my heart all day? How long will my enemy win over me?
3 LORD, look at me. Answer me, my God; tell me, or I will die.
4 Otherwise my enemy will say, "I have won!" Those against me will rejoice that I've been defeated.
5 I trust in your love. My heart is happy because you saved me.
6 I sing to the LORD because he has taken care of me.
1 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long will you look the other way when I am in need? 2 How long must I be hiding daily anguish in my heart? How long shall my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Answer me, O Lord my God; give me light in my darkness lest I die. 4 Don't let my enemies say, "We have conquered him!" Don't let them gloat that I am down.
5 But I will always trust in you and in your mercy and shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he has blessed me so richly.
Scrapbook: "Eric: Angry at God " ,!page "eric1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,181
4,4,7,248
5,5,9,352
6,6,11,420
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,206
5,5,5,368
e rest
PSALM014
1 Fools say to themselves, "There is no God." Fools are evil and do terrible things; there is no one who does anything good.
2 The LORD looked down from heaven on all people to see if anyone understood, if anyone was looking to God for help.
3 But all have turned away. Together, everyone has become evil. There is no one who does anything good, not even one.
4 Don't the wicked understand? They destroy my people as if they were eating bread. They do not ask the LORD for help.
5 But the wicked are filled with terror, because God is with those who do what is right.
6 The wicked upset the plans of the poor, but the LORD will protect them.
7 I pray that victory will come to Israel from Mount Zion! May the LORD bring them back. Then the people of Jacob will rejoice, and the people of Israel will be glad.
1 That man is a fool who says to himself, "There is no God!" Anyone who talks like that is warped and evil and cannot really be a good person at all.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God. 3 But no, all have strayed away; all are rotten with sin. Not one is good, not one! 4 They eat my people like bread and wouldn't think of praying! Don't they really know any better?
5 Terror shall grip them, for God is with those who love him. 6 He is the refuge of the poor and humble when evildoers are oppressing them. 7 Oh, that the time of their rescue were already here, that God would come from Zion now to save his people. What gladness when the Lord has rescued Israel!
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,154
5,5,5,450
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,251
4,4,7,373
5,5,9,496
6,6,11,589
7,7,13,667
PSALM015
1 LORD, who may enter your Holy Tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 Only those who are innocent and who do what is right. Such people speak the truth from their hearts
3 and do not tell lies about others. They do no wrong to their neighbors and do not gossip.
4 They do not respect hateful people but honor those who honor the LORD. They keep their promises to their neighbors, even when it hurts.
5 They do not charge interest on money they lend and do not take money to hurt innocent people. Whoever does all these things will never be destroyed. 1
1 Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill?
2 Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. 3 Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, 4 speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even if it ruins him, 5 does not crush his debtors with high interest rates, and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes offered him - such a man shall stand firm forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,185
4,4,7,281
5,5,9,423
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,92
V V V
PSALM016
1 Protect me, God, because I trust in you.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from you."
3 As for the godly people in the world, they are the wonderful ones I enjoy.
4 But those who turn to idols will have much pain. I will not offer blood to those idols or even speak their names.
5 No, the LORD is all I need. He takes care of me.
6 My share in life has been pleasant; my part has been beautiful.
7 I praise the LORD because he advises me. Even at night, I feel his leading.
8 I keep the LORD before me always. Because he is close by my side, I will not be hurt.
9 So I rejoice and am glad. Even my body has hope,
10 because you will not leave me in the grave. You will not let your holy one rot.
11 You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.
1 Save me, O God, because I have come to you for refuge. 2 I said to him, "You are my Lord; I have no other help but yours." 3 I want the company of the godly men and women in the land; they are the true nobility. 4 Those choosing other gods shall all be filled with sorrow; I will not offer the sacrifices they do or even speak the names of their gods.
5 The Lord himself is my inheritance, my prize. He is my food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine. 6 He sees that I am given pleasant brooks and meadows as my share!
What a wonderful inheritance! 7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me; he gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do.
8 I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or to fall.
9 Heart, body, and soul are filled with joy. 10 For you will not leave me among the dead; you will not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave. 11 You have let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,48
3,3,5,133
4,4,7,214
5,5,9,334
6,6,11,389
7,7,13,459
8,8,15,541
9,9,17,633
10,10,19,688
11,11,21,775
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,358
8,8,6,674
9,11,8,776
PSALM017
1 LORD, hear me begging for fairness; listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, because I speak the truth.
2 You will judge that I am right; your eyes can see what is true.
3 You have examined my heart; you have tested me all night. You questioned me without finding anything wrong; I have not sinned with my mouth.
4 I have obeyed your commands, so I have not done what evil people do.
5 I have done what you told me; I have not failed.
6 I call to you, God, and you answer me. Listen to me now, and hear what I say.
7 Your love is wonderful. By your power you save those who trust you from their enemies.
8 Protect me as you would protect your own eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
9 Keep me from the wicked who attack me, from my enemies who surround me.
10 They are selfish and brag about themselves.
11 They have chased me until they have surrounded me. They plan to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like lions ready to kill; like lions, they sit in hiding.
13 LORD, rise up, face the enemy, and throw them down. Save me from the wicked with your sword.
14 LORD, save me by your power from those whose reward is in this life. They have plenty of food. They have many sons and leave much money to their children.
15 Because I have lived right, I will see your face. When I wake up, I will see your likeness and be satisfied.
1 I am pleading for your help, O Lord; for I have been honest and have done what is right, and you must listen to my earnest cry! 2 Publicly acquit me, Lord, for you are always fair. 3 You have tested me and seen that I am good. You have come even in the night and found nothing amiss and know that I have told the truth. 4 I have followed your commands and have not gone along with cruel and evil men. 5 My feet have not slipped from your paths.
6 Why am I praying like this? Because I know you will answer me, O God! Yes, listen as I pray. 7 Show me your strong love in wonderful ways, O Savior of all those seeking your help against their foes. 8 Protect me as you would the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings as you hover over me.
9 My enemies encircle me with murder in their eyes. 10 They are pitiless and arrogant. Listen to their boasting. 11 They close in upon me and are ready to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like lions eager to tear me apart, like young lions hiding and waiting their chance.
13-14 Lord, arise and stand against them. Push them back! Come and save me from these men of the world whose only concern is earthly gain - these men whom you have filled with your treasures so that their children and grandchildren are rich and prosperous.
15 But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face-to-face.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,125
3,3,5,195
4,4,7,342
5,5,9,417
6,6,11,472
7,7,13,556
8,8,15,649
9,9,17,741
10,10,19,819
11,11,21,870
12,12,23,965
13,13,25,1039
14,14,27,1139
15,15,29,1301
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,451
9,12,5,762
13,14,7,1041
15,15,9,1301
PSALM018
1 I love you, LORD. You are my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender.
3 I will call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I will be saved from my enemies.
4 The ropes of death came around me; the deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
5 The ropes of death wrapped around me. The traps of death were before me.
6 In my trouble I called to the LORD. I cried out to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my call for help reached his ears.
7 The earth trembled and shook. The foundations of the mountains began to shake. They trembled because the LORD was angry.
8 Smoke came out of his nose, and burning fire came out of his mouth. Burning coals went before him.
9 He tore open the sky and came down with dark clouds under his feet.
10 He rode a creature with wings and flew. He raced on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his shelter around him, surrounded by fog and clouds.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence came clouds with hail and lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High raised his voice, and there was hail and lightning.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies. His many bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
15 LORD, you spoke strongly. The wind blew from your nose. Then the valleys of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the earth were seen.
16 The LORD reached down from above and took me; he pulled me from the deep water.
17 He saved me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at my time of trouble, but the LORD supported me.
19 He took me to a safe place. Because he delights in me, he saved me.
20 The LORD spared me because I did what was right. Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.
21 I have followed the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning away from my God.
22 I remember all his laws and have not broken his rules.
23 I am innocent before him; I have kept myself from doing evil.
24 The LORD rewarded me because I did what was right, because I did what the LORD said was right.
25 LORD, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good.
26 You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are bad.
27 You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud.
28 LORD, you give light to my lamp. My God brightens the darkness around me.
29 With your help I can attack an army. With God's help I can jump over a wall.
30 The ways of God are without fault. The LORD' s words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him.
31 Who is God? Only the LORD. Who is the Rock? Only our God.
32 God is my protection. He makes my way free from fault.
33 He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains.
34 He trains my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
35 You protect me with your saving shield. You support me with your right hand. You have stooped to make me great.
36 You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them. I did not quit until they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so they couldn't rise up again. They fell beneath my feet.
39 You gave me strength in battle. You made my enemies bow before me.
40 You made my enemies turn back, and I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They called for help, but no one came to save them. They called to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat my enemies into pieces, like dust in the wind. I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43 You saved me when the people attacked me. You made me the leader of nations. People I never knew serve me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me. Foreigners obey me.
45 They all become afraid and tremble in their hiding places.
46 The LORD lives! May my Rock be praised. Praise the God who saves me!
47 God gives me victory over my enemies and brings people under my rule.
48 He saves me from my enemies. You set me over those who hate me. You saved me from cruel men.
49 So I will praise you, LORD, among the nations. I will sing praises to your name.
50 The LORD gives great victories to his king. He is loyal to his appointed king, to David and his descendants forever.
1 This song of David was written at a time when the Lord had delivered him from his many enemies, including Saul. Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me.
2 The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull. 3 All I need to do is cry to him - oh, praise the Lord - and I am saved from all my enemies!
4 Death bound me with chains, and the floods of ungodliness mounted a massive attack against me. 5 Trapped and helpless, I struggled against the ropes that drew me on to death.
6 In my distress I screamed to the Lord for his help. And he heard me from heaven; my cry reached his ears. 7 Then the earth rocked and reeled, and mountains shook and trembled. How they quaked! For he was angry. 8 Fierce flames leaped from his mouth, setting fire to the earth; smoke blew from his nostrils. 9 He bent the heavens down and came to my defense; thick darkness was beneath his feet. 10 Mounted on a mighty angel, he sped swiftly to my aid with wings of wind. 11 He enshrouded himself with darkness, veiling his approach with dense clouds dark as murky waters. 12 Suddenly the brilliance of his presence broke through the clouds with lightning and a mighty storm of hail.
13 The Lord thundered in the heavens; the God above all gods has spoken - oh, the hailstones; oh, the fire! 14 He flashed his fearful arrows of lightning and routed all my enemies. See how they run! 15 Then at your command, O Lord, the sea receded from the shore. At the blast of your breath the depths were laid bare.
16 He reached down from heaven and took me and drew me out of my great trials. He rescued me from deep waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me - I who was helpless in their hands.
18 On the day when I was weakest, they attacked. But the Lord held me steady. 19 He led me to a place of safety, for he delights in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me for doing right and being pure. 21 For I have followed his commands and have not sinned by turning back from following him. 22 I kept close watch on all his laws; I did not refuse a single one. 23 I did my best to keep them all, holding myself back from doing wrong. 24 And so the Lord has paid me with his blessings, for I have done what is right, and I am pure of heart. This he knows, for he watches my every step.
25 Lord, how merciful you are to those who are merciful. And you do not punish those who run from evil.
26 You give blessings to the pure but pain to those who leave your paths. 27 You deliver the humble but condemn the proud and haughty ones. 28 You have turned on my light! The Lord my God has made my darkness turn to light. 29 Now in your strength I can scale any wall, attack any troop.
30 What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him. 31 For who is God except our Lord? Who but he is as a rock?
32 He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go. 33 He gives me the surefootedness of a mountain goat upon the crags. He leads me safely along the top of the cliffs. 34 He prepares me for battle and gives me strength to draw an iron bow!
35 You have given me your salvation as my shield. Your right hand, O Lord, supports me; your gentleness has made me great. 36 You have made wide steps beneath my feet so that I need never slip. 37 I chased my enemies; I caught up with them and did not turn back until all were conquered. 38 I pinned them to the ground; all were helpless before me. I placed my feet upon their necks. 39 For you have armed me with strong armor for the battle. My enemies quail before me and fall defeated at my feet. 40 You made them turn and run; I destroyed all who hated me. 41 They shouted for help, but no one dared to rescue them; they cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer them. 42 So I crushed them fine as dust and cast them to the wind. I threw them away like sweepings from the floor. 43-45 You gave me victory in every battle. The nations came and served me. Even those I didn't know before come now and bow before me. Foreigners who have never seen me submit instantly. They come trembling from their strongholds.
46 God is alive! Praise him who is the great rock of protection. 47 He is the God who pays back those who harm me and subdues the nations before me.
48 He rescues me from my enemies; he holds me safely out of their reach and saves me from these powerful opponents. 49 For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations. 50 Many times you have miraculously rescued me, the king you appointed. You have been loving and kind to me and will be to my descendants.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,46
3,3,5,200
4,4,7,293
5,5,9,368
6,6,11,447
7,7,13,591
8,8,15,718
9,9,17,823
10,10,19,897
11,11,21,979
12,12,23,1071
13,13,25,1153
14,14,27,1258
15,15,29,1364
16,16,31,1509
17,17,33,1596
18,18,35,1703
19,19,37,1777
20,20,39,1852
21,21,41,1958
22,22,43,2053
23,23,45,2115
24,24,47,2184
25,25,49,2286
26,26,51,2377
27,27,53,2459
28,28,55,2527
29,29,57,2608
30,30,59,2692
31,31,61,2801
32,32,63,2866
33,33,65,2928
34,34,67,3024
35,35,69,3095
36,36,71,3214
37,37,73,3284
38,38,75,3370
39,39,77,3451
40,40,79,3525
41,41,81,3599
42,42,83,3711
43,43,85,3815
44,44,87,3929
45,45,89,3995
46,46,91,4061
47,47,93,4137
48,48,95,4214
49,49,97,4314
50,50,99,4402
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,191
4,5,5,558
6,12,7,738
13,15,9,1426
16,17,11,1748
18,19,13,1964
20,24,15,2103
25,25,17,2548
26,29,19,2655
30,31,21,2946
32,34,23,3135
35,45,25,3387
46,47,27,4406
48,50,29,4558
SHIELD PSALM 18:30
Many say belief in God is a crutch for weak people who cannot make it on their own. God is indeed a shield to protect us when we are too weak to face certain trials by ourselves. He strengthens, protects, and guides us in order to send us back into an evil world to fight for him. David was not a coward; he was a mighty warrior who, with all his armies and weapons, knew that only God could ultimately protect and save him.
GREATNESS PSALM 18:35
David offers an interesting twist to the concept of greatness, saying that God's gentleness made him great. Our society believes that greatness is attained through a combi- nation of opportunity, talent, and aggressiveness. But true greatness comes from living according to God's laws and standards and recognizing that all we have comes from the gentleness of God's mercy.
I Wonder: Being good vs. being saved ,!page "^W0015" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM019
1 The heavens tell the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made.
2 Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again.
3 They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard.
4 But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth. The sky is like a home for the sun.
5 The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his bedroom. It rejoices like an athlete eager to run a race.
6 The sun rises at one end of the sky and follows its path to the other end. Nothing hides from its heat.
7 The teachings of the LORD are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the LORD can be trusted; they make plain people wise.
8 The orders of the LORD are right; they make people happy. The commands of the LORD are pure; they light up the way.
9 Respect for the LORD is good; it will last forever. The judgments of the LORD are true; they are completely right.
10 They are worth more than gold, even the purest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even the finest honey.
11 By them your servant is warned. Keeping them brings great reward.
12 People cannot see their own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins.
13 Keep me from the sins of pride; don't let them rule me. Then I can be pure and innocent of the greatest of sins.
14 I hope my words and thoughts please you. LORD, you are my Rock, the one who saves me.
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. 2 Day and night they keep on telling about God. 3-4 Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it 5 and moves out across the skies as radiant as a bridegroom oing to his wedding,* or as joyous as an athlete looking forward to a race! 6 The sun crosses the heavens from end to end, and nothing can hide from its heat.
7-8 God's laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light.
9 God's laws are pure, eternal, just.
10 They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. 11 For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them.
12 But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free of guilt and innocent of some great crime.
14 May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,170
4,4,7,238
5,5,9,366
6,6,11,475
7,7,13,585
8,8,15,721
9,9,17,843
10,10,19,964
11,11,21,1076
12,12,23,1149
13,13,25,1225
14,14,27,1345
1,6,1,1
7,8,3,509
9,9,5,598
10,11,7,639
12,13,9,811
14,14,11,1047
PSALM020
1 May the LORD answer you in times of trouble. May the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from his Temple and support you from Mount Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings and accept all your sacrifices. [Selah]
4 May he give you what you want and make all your plans succeed,
5 and we will shout for joy when you succeed, and we will raise a flag in the name of helps his appointed king. He answers him from his holy heaven and saves him with his strong right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, others in horses, but we trust the LORD our God. 8 They are overwhelmed and defeated, but we march forward and win. 9 LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call for help.
1 In your day of trouble, may the Lord be with you! May the God of Jacob keep you from all harm. 2 May he send you aid from his sanctuary in Zion. 3 May he remember with pleasure the gifts you have given him, your sacrifices and burnt offerings. 4 May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans. 5 May there be shouts of joy when we hear the news of your victory, flags flying with praise to God for all that he has done for you. May he answer all your prayers!
6 "God save the king" - I know he does! He hears me from highest heaven and sends great victories. 7 Some nations boast of armies and of weaponry, but our boast is in the Lord our God. 8 Those nations will collapse and perish; we will arise to stand firm and sure!
9 Give victory to our king, O Lord; oh, hear our prayer.
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,483
9,9,5,751
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,243
5,5,9,312
PSALM021
LEADERS
1 LORD, the king rejoices because of your strength; he is so happy when you save him!
2 You gave the king what he wanted and did not refuse what he asked for. [Selah]
3 You put good things before him and placed a gold crown on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him, so his years go on and on.
5 He has great glory because you gave him victories; you gave him honor and praise.
6 You always gave him blessings; you made him glad because you were with him.
7 The king truly trusts the LORD. Because God Most High always loves him, he will not be overwhelmed.
8 Your hand is against all your enemies; those who hate you will feel your power.
9 When you appear, you will burn them as in a furnace. In your anger you will swallow them up, and fire will burn them up.
10 You will destroy their families from the earth; their children will not live.
11 They made evil plans against you, but their traps won't work.
12 You will make them turn their backs when you aim your arrows at them.
13 Be supreme, LORD, in your power. We sing and praise your greatness.
1 How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! How he exults in your salvation. 2 For you have given him his heart's desire, everything he asks you for!
3 You welcomed him to the throne with success and prosperity. You set a royal crown of solid gold upon his head. 4 He asked for a long, good life, and you have granted his request; the days of his life stretch on and on forever. 5 You have given him fame and honor. You have clothed him with splendor and majesty. 6 You have endowed him with eternal happiness. You have given him the unquenchable joy of your presence. 7 And because the king trusts in the Lord, he will never stumble, never fall; for he depends upon the steadfast love of the God who is above all gods.
8 Your hand, O Lord, will find your enemies, all who hate you. 9-10 When you appear, they will be destroyed in the fierce fire of your presence. The Lord will destroy them and their children. 11 For these men plot against you, Lord, but they cannot possibly succeed. 12 They will turn and flee when they see your arrows aimed straight at them.
13 Accept our praise, O Lord, for all your glorious power. We will write songs to celebrate your mighty acts!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,176
4,4,7,250
5,5,9,330
6,6,11,418
7,7,13,500
8,8,15,606
9,9,17,692
10,10,19,819
11,11,21,904
12,12,23,973
13,13,25,1050
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,160
8,12,5,733
13,13,7,1080
LEADERS PSALM 21:7
A good leader trusts God and depends upon his steadfast love. Too often our leaders trust in their own cleverness and strength, or in the god of military power. But God is above all these gods. If you want to be a leader, keep the Lord God at the center of your life and depend on him.
PSALM022
1 My God, my God, why have you rejected me? You seem far from saving me, far from the words of my groaning.
2 My God, I call to you during the day, but you do not answer. I call at night; I am not silent.
3 You sit as the Holy One. The praises of Israel are your throne.
4 Our ancestors trusted you; they trusted, and you saved them.
5 They called to you for help and were rescued. They trusted you and were not disappointed.
6 But I am like a worm instead of a man. People make fun of me and hate me.
7 Those who look at me laugh. They stick out their tongues and shake their heads.
8 They say, "Turn to the LORD for help. Maybe he will save you. If he likes you, maybe he will rescue you."
9 You had my mother give birth to me. You made me trust you while I was just a baby.
10 I have leaned on you since the day I was born; you have been my God since my mother gave me birth.
11 So don't be far away from me. Now trouble is near, and there is no one to help.
12 People have surrounded me like angry bulls. Like the strong bulls of Bashan, they are on every side.
13 Like hungry, roaring lions they open their mouths at me.
14 My strength is gone, like water poured out onto the ground, and my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it has melted inside me.
15 My strength has dried up like a clay pot, and my tongue sticks to the top of my mouth. You laid me in the dust of death.
16 Evil people have surrounded me; like dogs they have trapped me. They have bitten my arms and legs.
17 I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me.
18 They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for my clothing.
19 But, LORD, don't be far away. You are my strength; hurry to help me.
20 Save me from the sword; save my life from the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the lion's mouth; save me from the horns of the bulls.
22 Then I will tell my fellow Israelites about you; I will praise you in the public meeting.
23 Praise the LORD, all you who respect him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him; fear him, all you Israelites.
24 He does not ignore those in trouble. He doesn't hide from them but listens when they call out to him.
25 LORD, I praise you in the great meeting of your people; these worshipers will see me do what I promised.
26 Poor people will eat until they are full; those who look to the LORD will praise him. May your hearts live forever!
27 People everywhere will remember and will turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will worship him
28 because the LORD is King, and he rules the nations.
29 All the powerful people on earth will eat and worship. Everyone will bow down to him, all who will one day die.
30 The people in the future will serve him; they will always be told about the Lord.
31 They will tell that he does what is right. People who are not yet born will hear what God has done.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why do you refuse to help me or even to listen to my groans? 2 Day and night I keep on weeping, crying for your help, but there is no reply - 3-4 for you are holy.
The praises of our fathers surrounded your throne; they trusted you and you delivered them. 5 You heard their cries for help and saved them; they were never disappointed when they sought your aid.
6 But I am a worm, not a man, scorned and despised by my own people and by all mankind. 7 Everyone who sees me mocks and sneers and shrugs. 8 "Is this the one who rolled his burden on the Lord?" they laugh. "Is this the one who claims the Lord delights in him? We'll believe it when we see God rescue him!"
9-11 Lord, how you have helped me before! ou took me safely from my mother's womb and brought me through the years of infancy. I have depended upon you since birth; you have always been my God. Don't leave me now, for trouble is near and no one else can possibly help.
12 I am surrounded by fearsome enemies, strong as the giant bulls from Bashan. 13 They come at me with open jaws, like roaring lions attacking their prey. 14 My strength has drained away like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart melts like wax; 15 my strength has dried up like sun-baked clay; my tongue sticks to my mouth, for you have laid me in the dust of death. 16 The enemy, this gang of evil men, circles me like a pack of dogs; they have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count every bone in my body. See these men of evil gloat and stare; 18 they divide my clothes among themselves by a toss of the dice.
19 O Lord, don't stay away. O God my Strength, hurry to my aid. 20 Rescue me from death; spare my precious life from all these evil men.
21 Save me from these lions' jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen. Yes, God will answer me and rescue me.
22 I will praise you to all my brothers; I will stand up before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things you have done. 23 "Praise the Lord, each one of you who fears him," I will say. "Each of you must fear and reverence his name. Let all Israel sing his praises, 24 for he has not despised my cries of deep despair; he has not turned and walked away. When I cried to him, he heard and came."
25 Yes, I will stand and praise you before all the people. I will publicly fulfill my vows in the presence of all who reverence your name.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; all who seek the Lord shall find him and shall praise his name. Their hearts shall rejoice with everlasting joy. 27 The whole earth shall see it and return to the Lord; the people of every nation shall worship him.
28 For the Lord is King and rules the nations. 29 Both proud and humble together, all who are mortal - born to die - shall worship him. 30 Our children too shall serve him, for they shall hear from us about the wonders of the Lord; 31 generations yet unborn shall hear of all the miracles he did for us.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,113
3,3,5,214
4,4,7,284
5,5,9,351
6,6,11,447
7,7,13,527
8,8,15,613
9,9,17,725
10,10,19,814
11,11,21,920
12,12,23,1007
13,13,25,1115
14,14,27,1179
15,15,29,1324
16,16,31,1452
17,17,33,1558
18,18,35,1620
19,19,37,1700
20,20,39,1776
21,21,41,1835
22,22,43,1912
23,23,45,2009
24,24,47,2129
25,25,49,2238
26,26,51,2350
27,27,53,2473
28,28,55,2588
29,29,57,2647
30,30,59,2766
31,31,61,2855
1,5,1,1
6,8,4,411
9,11,6,721
12,18,8,993
19,20,10,1626
21,21,12,1766
22,24,14,1881
25,25,16,2290
26,27,18,2432
28,31,20,2690
PSALM023
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
2 He lets me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water.
3 He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of his name.
4 Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid, because you are with me. Your rod and your walking stick comfort me.
5 You prepare a meal for me in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head; you fill my cup to overflowing.
6 Surely your goodness and love will be with me all my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
1 Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!
2-3 He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors him the most.
4 Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way.
5 You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow!
6 Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,58
3,3,5,126
4,4,7,220
5,5,9,360
6,6,11,473
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,65
4,4,5,214
5,5,7,352
6,6,9,478
GUIDANCE PSALM 23:2-3
When we allow God our Shepherd to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin, however, we are choosing to go our own way and we cannot blame God for the environment in which we find ourselves. Our Shepherd knows the meadow grass and quiet streams that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following him obediently. Rebelling against the Shepherd's leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests for the future. We must remember this the next time we are tempted to go our way rather than the Shepherd's way.
PSALM024
1 The earth belongs to the LORD, and everything in it- the world and all its people.
2 He built it on the waters and set it on the rivers.
3 Who may go up on the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy Temple?
4 Only those with clean hands and pure hearts, who have not worshiped idols, who have not made promises in the name of a false god.
5 They will receive a blessing from the LORD; the God who saves them will declare them right.
6 They try to follow God; they look to the God of Jacob for help. [Selah]
7 Gates, open all the way. Open wide, aged doors so the glorious King will come in.
8 Who is this glorious King? The LORD, strong and mighty. The LORD, the powerful warrior.
9 Gates, open all the way. Open wide, aged doors so the glorious King will come in.
10 Who is this glorious King? The LORD ALL-POWERFUL- he is the glorious King. [Selah]
1 The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world is his! 2 He is the one who pushed the oceans back to let dry land appear.
3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where he lives? Who may stand before the Lord? 4 Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not practice dishonesty and lying. 5 They will receive God's own goodness as their blessing from him, planted in their lives by God himself, their Savior. 6 These are the ones who are allowed to stand before the Lord and worship the God of Jacob.
7 Open up, O ancient gates, and let the King of Glory in. 8 Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, invincible in battle. 9 Yes, open wide the gates and let the King of Glory in.
10 Who is this King of Glory? The Commander of all of heaven's armies!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,231
5,5,9,367
6,6,11,465
7,7,13,543
8,8,15,631
9,9,17,725
10,10,19,813
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,135
7,9,5,531
10,10,7,729
, an E
PSALM025
1 LORD, I give myself to you;
2 my God, I trust you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies laugh at me.
3 No one who trusts you will be disgraced, but those who sin without excuse will be disgraced.
4 LORD, tell me your ways. Show me how to live.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me, my God, my Savior. I trust you all day long.
6 LORD, remember your mercy and love that you have shown since long ago.
7 Do not remember the sins and wrong things I did when I was young. But remember to love me always because you are good, LORD.
8 The LORD is good and right; he points sinners to the right way.
9 He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways.
10 All the LORD' s ways are loving and true for those who follow the demands of his agreement.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my many sins.
12 Are there those who respect the LORD? He will point them to the best way.
13 They will enjoy a good life, and their children will inherit the land.
14 The LORD tells his secrets to those who respect him; he tells them about his agreement.
15 My eyes are always looking to the LORD for help. He will keep me from any traps.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me, because I am lonely and hurting.
17 My troubles have grown larger; free me from my problems.
18 Look at my suffering and troubles, and take away all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have! See how much they hate me!
20 Protect me and save me. I trust you, so do not let me be disgraced.
21 My hope is in you, so may goodness and honesty guard me.
22 God, save Israel from all their troubles!
1 To you, O Lord, I pray. 2 Don't fail me, Lord, for I am trusting you. Don't let my enemies succeed. Don't give them victory over me. 3 None of those who have faith in God will ever be disgraced for trusting him. But all who harm the innocent shall be defeated.
4 Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk. 5 Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you. 6-7 Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord! Look at me instead through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting love and kindness.
8 The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who go astray; 9 he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him. 10 And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his loving-kindness and his truth.
11 But Lord, my sins! How many they are. Oh, pardon them for the honor of your name.
12 Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best.
13 He shall live within God's circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.
14 Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.
15 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord for help, for he alone can rescue me. 16 Come, Lord, and show me your mercy, for I am helpless, overwhelmed, in deep distress; 17 my problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! 18 See my sorrows; feel my pain; forgive my sins. 19 See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! 20 Save me from them! Deliver my life from their power! Oh, let it never be said that I trusted you in vain!
21 Assign me Godliness and Integrity as my bodyguards, for I expect you to protect me 22 and to ransom Israel from all her troubles.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,35
3,3,5,125
4,4,7,224
5,5,9,276
6,6,11,365
7,7,13,442
8,8,15,573
9,9,17,643
10,10,19,726
11,11,21,825
12,12,23,887
13,13,25,968
14,14,27,1046
15,15,29,1141
16,16,31,1229
17,17,33,1302
18,18,35,1366
19,19,37,1435
20,20,39,1502
21,21,41,1577
22,22,43,1641
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,267
8,10,5,596
11,11,7,860
12,12,9,948
13,13,11,1034
14,14,13,1129
15,20,15,1251
21,22,17,1707
ENEMIES PSALM 25:2
Seventy-two psalms- almost half the book-speak about enemies. Enemies are those who not only oppose us, but also oppose God's way of living. Enemies can also be temptations-money, success, prestige, lust. And our greatest enemy is Satan. David asked God to keep his enemies from overcoming him because they opposed what God stood for. If his enemies succeeded, David feared that many would think that living for God was futile. David did not question his own faith-he knew that God would triumph. But he didn't want his enemies' success to be an obstacle to the faith of others.
U* , ,
PSALM026
1 LORD, defend me because I have lived an innocent life. I have trusted the LORD and never doubted.
2 LORD, try me and test me; look closely into my heart and mind.
3 I see your love, and I live by your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars, nor do I make friends with those who hide their sin.
5 I hate the company of evil people, and I won't sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to show I am innocent, and I come to you altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in praise and tell of all the miracles you have done.
8 LORD, I love the Temple where you live, where your glory is.
9 Do not kill me with those sinners or take my life with those murderers.
10 Evil is in their hands, and they do wrong for money.
11 But I have lived an innocent life, so save me and have mercy on me.
12 I stand in a safe place. LORD, I praise you in the great meeting.
1 Dismiss all the charges against me, Lord, for I have tried to keep your laws and have trusted you without wavering. 2 Cross-examine me, O Lord, and see that this is so; test my motives and affections too. 3 For I have taken your loving-kindness and your truth as my ideals. 4 I do not have fellowship with tricky, two-faced men; they are false and hypocritical. 5 I hate the sinners' hangouts and refuse to enter them. 6 I wash my hands to prove my innocence and come before your altar, 7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling about your miracles.
8 Lord, I love your home, this shrine where the brilliant, dazzling splendor of your presence lives.
9-10 Don't treat me as a common sinner or murderer who plots against the innocent and demands bribes.
11 No, I am not like that, O Lord; I try to walk a straight and narrow path of doing what is right; therefore in mercy save me.
12 I publicly praise the Lord for keeping me from slipping and falling.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,174
4,4,7,223
5,5,9,314
6,6,11,388
7,7,13,464
8,8,15,541
9,9,17,608
10,10,19,686
11,11,21,746
12,12,23,821
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,559
9,10,5,663
11,11,7,768
12,12,9,899
PSALM027
1 The LORD is my light and the one who saves me. I fear no one. The LORD protects my life; I am afraid of no one.
2 Evil people may try to destroy my body. My enemies and those who hate me attack me, but they are overwhelmed and defeated.
3 If an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. If war breaks out, I will trust the LORD.
4 I ask only one thing from the LORD. This is what I want: Let me live in the LORD' s house all my life. Let me see the LORD' s beauty and look with my own eyes at his Temple.
5 During danger he will keep me safe in his shelter. He will hide me in his Holy Tent, or he will keep me safe on a high mountain.
6 My head is higher than my enemies around me. I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent. I will sing and praise the LORD.
7 LORD, hear me when I call; have mercy and answer me.
8 My heart said of you, "Go, worship him." So I come to worship you, LORD.
9 Do not turn away from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger; you have helped me. Do not push me away or leave me alone, God, my Savior.
10 If my father and mother leave me, the LORD will take me in.
11 LORD, teach me your ways, and guide me to do what is right because I have enemies.
12 Do not hand me over to my enemies, because they tell lies about me and say they will hurt me.
13 I truly believe I will live to see the LORD' s goodness.
14 Wait for the LORD' s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the LORD' s help.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; he protects me from danger - whom shall I fear? 2 When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall! 3 Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me.
4 The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory. 5 There I'll be when troubles come. He will hide me. He will set me on a high rock 6 out of reach of all my enemies. Then I will bring him sacrifices and sing his praises with much joy.
7 Listen to my pleading, Lord! Be merciful and send the help I need.
8 My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me, O my people." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."
9 Oh, do not hide yourself when I am trying to find you. Do not angrily reject your servant. You have been my help in all my trials before; don't leave me now. Don't forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 For if my father and mother should abandon me, you would welcome and comfort me.
11 Tell me what to do, O Lord, and make it plain because I am surrounded by waiting enemies. 12 Don't let them get me, Lord! Don't let me fall into their hands! For they accuse me of things I never did, and all the while are plotting cruelty. 13 I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the living.
14 Don't be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,119
3,3,5,248
4,4,7,343
5,5,9,523
6,6,11,658
7,7,13,791
8,8,15,850
9,9,17,929
10,10,19,1076
11,11,21,1143
12,12,23,1233
13,13,25,1334
14,14,27,1398
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,272
7,7,5,669
8,8,7,741
9,10,9,856
11,13,11,1144
14,14,13,1518
RELIANCE PSALM 27:5
We often run to God when we are experiencing difficulties. But David sought God's guiding presence every day. When troubles came his way, he was already in God's presence and prepared to handle any test. Believers can call to God for help at any time. How shortsighted it is to call on God only after trouble has come! Many of our problems could be avoided or handled far more easily by constantly relying on God's help and direction.
PSALM028
1 LORD, my Rock, I call out to you for help. Do not be deaf to me. If you are silent, I will be like those in the grave.
2 Hear the sound of my prayer, when I cry out to you for help. I raise my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
3 Don't drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil. They say "Peace" to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.
4 Pay them back for what they have done, for their evil deeds. Pay them back for what they have done; give them their reward.
5 They don't understand what the LORD has done or what he has made. So he will knock them down and not lift them up.
6 Praise the LORD, because he heard my prayer for help.
7 The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him, and he helps me. I am very happy, and I praise him with my song.
8 The LORD is powerful; he gives victory to his chosen one.
9 Save your people and bless those who are your own. Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
1 I plead with you to help me, Lord, for you are my Rock of safety. If you refuse to answer me, I might as well give up and die. 2 Lord, I lift my hands to heaven and implore your help. Oh, listen to my cry.
3 Don't punish me with all the wicked ones who speak so sweetly to their neighbors while planning to murder them. 4 Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! Measure it out to them in proportion to their wickedness; paythem back for all their evil deeds. 5 They care nothing for God or what he has done or what he has made; therefore God will dismantle them like old buildings, never to be rebuilt again.
6 Oh, praise the Lord, for he has listened to my pleadings! 7 He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in him, and he helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I burst out in songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his people and gives victory to his anointed king.
9 Defend your people, Lord; defend and bless your chosen ones. Lead them like a shepherd and carry them forever in your arms.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
3,3,5,239
4,4,7,371
5,5,9,501
6,6,11,622
7,7,13,682
8,8,15,802
9,9,17,866
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,212
6,8,5,627
9,9,7,914
MASQUERADE PSALM 28:3-5
It's easy to pretend friendship. Wicked people often masquerade in goodness, pretending kindness or friendship to gain their own ends. David, in his royal position, may have met many who pretended friendship for selfish reasons. David knew God would punish them accordingly, but he prayed that their punishment would come swiftly. True believers live honest lives before God and others.
PSALM029
1 Praise the LORD, you angels; praise the LORD' s glory and power.
2 Praise the LORD for the glory of his name; worship the LORD because he is holy.
3 The LORD' s voice is heard over the sea. The glorious God thunders; the LORD thunders over the ocean.
4 The LORD' s voice is powerful; the LORD' s voice is majestic.
5 The LORD' s voice breaks the trees; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes the land of Lebanon dance like a calf and Mount Hermon jump like a baby bull.
7 The LORD' s voice makes the lightning flash.
8 The LORD' s voice shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The LORD' s voice shakes the oaks and strips the leaves off the trees. In his Temple everyone says, "Glory to God!"
10 The LORD controls the flood. The LORD will be King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
1 Praise the Lord, you angels of his; praise his glory and his strength. 2 Praise him for his majestic glory, the glory of his name. Come before him clothed in sacred garments.
3 The voice of the Lord echoes from the clouds. The God of glory thunders through the skies. 4 So powerful is his voice; so full of majesty. 5-6 It breaks down the cedars. It splits the giant trees of Lebanon. It shakes Mount Lebanon and Mount Sirion. They leap and skip before him like young calves! 7 The voice of the Lord thunders through the lightning. 8 It resounds through the deserts and shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord spins and topples the mighty oaks. It strips the forests bare. They whirl and sway beneath the blast. But in his temple all are praising, "Glory, glory to the Lord."
10 At the Flood the Lord showed his control of all creation. Now he continues to unveil his power. 11 He will give his people strength. He will bless them with peace.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,72
3,3,5,158
4,4,7,266
5,5,9,334
6,6,11,415
7,7,13,508
8,8,15,559
9,9,17,640
10,10,19,762
11,11,21,829
1,2,1,1
3,9,3,181
10,11,5,802
PSALM030
1 I will praise you, LORD, because you rescued me. You did not let my enemies laugh at me.
2 LORD, my God, I prayed to you, and you healed me.
3 You lifted me out of the grave; you spared me from going down to the place of the dead.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, you who belong to him; praise his holy name.
5 His anger lasts only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
6 When I felt safe, I said, "I will never fear."
7 LORD, in your kindness you made my mountain safe. But when you turned away, I was frightened.
8 I called to you, LORD, and asked you to have mercy on me.
9 I said, "What good will it do if I die or if I go down to the grave? Dust cannot praise you; it cannot speak about your truth.
10 LORD, hear me and have mercy on me. LORD, help me."
11 You changed my sorrow into dancing. You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness.
12 I will sing to you and not be silent. LORD, my God, I will praise you forever.
1 I will praise you, Lord, for you have saved me from my enemies. You refuse to let them triumph over me. 2 O Lord my God, I pleaded with you, and you gave me my health again. 3 You brought me back from the brink of the grave, from death itself, and here I am alive!
4 Oh, sing to him you saints of his; give thanks to his holy name. 5 His anger lasts a moment; his favor lasts for life! Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy.
6-7 In my prosperity I said, "This is forever; nothing can stop me now! The Lord has shown me his favor. He has made me steady as a mountain." Then, Lord, you turned your face away from me and cut off your river of blessings. Suddenly my courage was gone; I was terrified and panic-stricken. 8 I cried to you, O Lord; oh, how I pled: 9 "What will you gain, O Lord, from killing me? How can I praise you then to all my friends? How can my dust in the grave speak out and tell the world about your faithfulness? 10 Hear me, Lord; oh, have pity and help me." 11 Then he turned my sorrow into joy! He took away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy 12 so that I might sing glad praises to the Lord instead of lying in silence in the grave. O Lord my God, I will keep on thanking you forever!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,152
4,4,7,246
5,5,9,323
6,6,11,458
7,7,13,511
8,8,15,611
9,9,17,675
10,10,19,808
11,11,21,867
12,12,23,976
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,271
6,12,5,457
SECURITY PSALM 30:6-7
Prosperity had made David feel invincible. Although he knew his riches and power had come from God, they had gone to his head, making him proud. Wealth, power, and fame have an intoxicating effect on people, making them feel self-reliant, self-secure, and independent of God. But this is a false security that is shattered easily. Don't be trapped by the false security of prosperity. Depend on God for your security and you won't be shaken when worldly possessions disappear.
PSALM031
8 8 1 LORD, I trust in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me because you do what is right.
2 Listen to me and save me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a strong city to save me.
3 You are my rock and my protection. For the good of your name, lead me and guide me.
4 Set me free from the trap they set for me, because you are my protection.
5 I give you my life. Save me, LORD, God of truth.
6 I hate those who worship false gods. I trust only in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, because you saw my suffering; you knew my troubles.
8 You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.
9 LORD, have mercy, because I am in misery. My eyes are weak from so much crying, and my whole being is tired from grief.
10 My life is ending in sadness, and my years are spent in crying. My troubles are using up my strength, and my bones are getting weaker.
11 Because of all my troubles, my enemies hate me, and even my neighbors look down on me. When my friends see me, they are afraid and run.
12 I am like a piece of a broken pot. I am forgotten as if I were dead.
13 I have heard many insults. Terror is all around me. They make plans against me and want to kill me.
14 LORD, I trust you. I have said, "You are my God."
15 My life is in your hands. Save me from my enemies and from those who are chasing me.
16 Show your kindness to me, your servant. Save me because of your love.
17 LORD, I called to you, so do not let me be disgraced. Let the wicked be disgraced and lie silent in the grave.
18 With pride and hatred they speak against those who do right. So silence their lying lips.
19 How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you have given to those who trust you. You do this for all to see.
20 You protect them by your presence from what people plan against them. You shelter them from evil words.
21 Praise the LORD. His love to me was wonderful when my city was attacked.
22 In my distress, I said, "God cannot see me!" But you heard my prayer when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all you who belong to him. The LORD protects those who truly believe, but he punishes the proud as much as they have sinned.
24 All you who put your hope in the LORD be strong and brave.
1 Lord, I trust in you alone. Don't let my enemies defeat me. Rescue me because you are the God who always does what is right. 2 Answer quickly when I cry to you; bend low and hear my whispered plea. Be for me a great Rock of safety from my foes. 3 Yes, you are my Rock and my fortress; honor your name by leading me out of this peril. 4 Pull me from the trap my enemies have set for me. For you alone are strong enough.
5-6 Into your hand I commit my spirit.
You have rescued me, O God who keeps his promises. I worship only you; how you hate all those who worship idols, those imitation gods. 7 I am radiant with joy because of your mercy, for you have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul. 8 You have not handed me over to my enemy but have given me open ground in which to maneuver.
9-10 O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. My sins have sapped my strength; I stoop with sorrow and with shame.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies and even more by my neighbors and friends. They dread meeting me and look the other way when I go by. 12 I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and discarded pot. 13 I heard the lies about me, the slanders of my enemies. Everywhere I looked I was afraid, for they were plotting against my life.
14-15 But I am trusting you, O Lord. I said, "You alone are my God; my times are in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. 16 Let your favor shine again upon your servant; save me just because you are so kind! 17 Don't disgrace me, Lord, by not replying when I call to you for aid. But let the wicked be shamed by what they trust in; let them lie silently in their graves, 18 their lying lips quieted at last - the lips of these arrogant men who are accusing honest men of evil deeds."
19 Oh, how great is your goodness to those who publicly declare that you will rescue them. For you have stored up great blessings for those who trust and reverence you.
20 Hide your loved ones in the shelter of your presence, safe beneath your hand, safe from all conspiring men. 21 Blessed is the Lord, for he has shown me that his never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort! 22 I spoke too hastily when I said, "The Lord has deserted me," for you listened to my plea and answered me.
23 Oh, love the Lord, all of you who are his people; for the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but harshly punishes all who haughtily reject him. 24 So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,94
3,3,5,186
4,4,7,276
5,5,9,356
6,6,11,411
7,7,13,480
8,8,15,579
9,9,17,660
10,10,19,786
11,11,21,928
12,12,23,1071
13,13,25,1147
14,14,27,1254
15,15,29,1311
16,16,31,1403
17,17,33,1480
18,18,35,1598
19,19,37,1695
20,20,39,1849
21,21,41,1960
22,22,43,2040
23,23,45,2150
24,24,47,2297
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,425
9,10,6,818
11,13,8,1084
14,18,10,1423
19,19,12,1937
20,22,14,2109
23,24,16,2442
PSALM032
1 Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.
2 Happy is the person whom the LORD does not consider guilty and in whom there is nothing false.
3 When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long.
4 Day and night you punished me. My strength was gone as in the summer heat. [Selah]
5 Then I confessed my sins to you and didn't hide my guilt. I said, "I will confess my sins to the LORD," and you forgave my guilt. [Selah]
6 For this reason, all who obey you should pray to you while they still can. When troubles rise like a flood, they will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place. You protect me from my troubles and fill me with songs of salvation.
8 The Lord says, "I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you.
9 So don't be like a horse or donkey, that doesn't understand. They must be led with bits and reins, or they will not come near you."
10 Wicked people have many troubles, but the LORD' s love surrounds those who trust him.
11 Good people, rejoice and be happy in the LORD. Sing all you whose hearts are right.
1 What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.
3 There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. ut my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. 4 All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day 5 until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess them to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
6 Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does.
7 You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory. 8 I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress. 9 Don't be like a senseless horse or mule that has to have a bit in its mouth to keep it in line!
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. 11 So rejoice in him, all those who are his, and shout for joy, all those who try to obey him.*
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,180
4,4,7,267
5,5,9,356
6,6,11,500
7,7,13,640
8,8,15,740
9,9,17,846
10,10,19,984
11,11,21,1077
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,186
6,6,5,597
7,9,7,764
10,11,9,1133
PSALM033
1 Sing to the LORD, you who do what is right; honest people should praise him.
2 Praise the LORD on the harp; make music for him on a ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing a new song to him; play well and joyfully.
4 God's word is true, and everything he does is right.
5 He loves what is right and fair; the LORD' s love fills the earth.
6 The sky was made at the LORD' s command. By the breath from his mouth, he made all the stars.
7 He gathered the water of the sea into a heap. He made the great ocean stay in its place.
8 All the earth should worship the LORD; the whole world should fear him.
9 He spoke, and it happened. He commanded, and it appeared.
10 The LORD upsets the plans of nations; he ruins all their plans.
11 But the LORD' s plans will stand forever; his ideas will last from now on.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his very own.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven and sees every person.
14 From his throne he watches all who live on earth.
15 He made their hearts and understands everything they do.
16 No king is saved by his great army. No warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 Horses can't bring victory; they can't save by their strength.
18 But the LORD looks after those who fear him, those who put their hope in his love.
19 He saves them from death and spares their lives in times of hunger.
20 So our hope is in the LORD. He is our help, our shield to protect us.
21 We rejoice in him, because we trust his holy name.
22 LORD, show your love to us as we put our hope in you.
1 Let all the joys of the godly well up in praise to the Lord, for it is right to praise him. 2 Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on the harp. 3 Compose new songs of praise to him, accompanied skillfully on the harp; sing joyfully.
4 For all God's words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust. 5 He loves whatever is just and good; the earth is filled with his tender love. 6 He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed and all the galaxies of stars. 7 He made the oceans, pouring them into his vast reservoirs.
8 Let everyone in all the world - men, women and children - fear the Lord and stand in awe of him. 9 For when he but spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command! 10 And with a breath he can scatter the plans of all the nations who oppose him, 11 but his own plan stands forever. His intentions are the same for every generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his own. 13-15 The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where he lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they do.
16-17 The best-equipped army cannot save a king - for great strength is not enough to save anyone. A war horse is a poor risk for winning victories - it is strong, but it cannot save.
18-19 But the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who fear him, who rely upon his steady love. He will keep them from death even in times of famine! 20 We depend upon the Lord alone to save us. Only he can help us; he protects us like a shield. 21 No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting him. We trust his holy name. 22 Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in you alone.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,216
5,5,9,275
6,6,11,348
7,7,13,448
8,8,15,543
9,9,17,621
10,10,19,685
11,11,21,756
12,12,23,838
13,13,25,926
14,14,27,988
15,15,29,1045
16,16,31,1109
17,17,33,1194
18,18,35,1264
19,19,37,1354
20,20,39,1429
21,21,41,1506
22,22,43,1564
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,251
8,11,5,553
12,15,7,892
16,17,9,1114
18,22,11,1301
BELIEVING PSALM 33:4
A person's words are measured by the quality of his or her character. If your friends trust what you say, it is because they trust you. If you trust what God says, it is because you trust him to be the God he claims to be. If you doubt his words, you doubt the integrity of God himself. If you believe that God is truly God, then believe what he says!
PSALM034
1 I will praise the LORD at all times; his praise is always on my lips.
2 My whole being praises the LORD. The poor will hear and be glad.
3 Glorify the LORD with me, and let us praise his name together.
4 I asked the LORD for help, and he answered me. He saved me from all that I feared.
5 Those who go to him for help are happy, and they are never disgraced.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him and saved him from all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear God, and he saves them.
8 Examine and see how good the LORD is. Happy is the person who trusts him.
9 You who belong to the LORD, fear him! Those who fear him will have everything they need.
10 Even lions may get weak and hungry, but those who look to the LORD will have every good thing.
11 Children, come and listen to me. I will teach you to worship the LORD.
12 You must do these things to enjoy life and have many happy days.
13 You must not say evil things, and you must not tell lies.
14 Stop doing evil and do good. Look for peace and work for it.
15 The LORD sees the good people and listens to their prayers.
16 But the LORD is against those who do evil; he makes the world forget them.
17 The LORD hears good people when they cry out to him, and he saves them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
19 People who do what is right may have many problems, but the LORD will solve them all.
20 He will protect their very bones; not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will kill the wicked; those who hate good people will be judged guilty.
22 But the LORD saves his servants' lives; no one who trusts him will be judged guilty.
1 I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace.
2 I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. 3 Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.
4 For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears. 5 Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection! 6 This poor man cried to the Lord - and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles. 7 For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him.
8 Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him. 9 If you belong to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone who does this has everything he needs. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing.
11 Sons and daughters, come and listen and let me teach you the importance of trusting and fearing the Lord. 12 Do you want a long, good life? 13 Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from lying. 14 Turn from all known sin and spend your time in doing good. Try to live in peace with everyone; work hard at it.
15 For the eyes of the Lord are intently watching all who live good lives, and he gives attention when they cry to him. 16 But the Lord has made up his mind to wipe out even the memory of evil men from the earth. 17 Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to him for help and saves him out of all his troubles.
18 The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. 19 The good man does not escape all troubles - he has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and every one. 20 Not one of his bones is broken.
21 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked; heavy penalties are meted out to those who hate the good. 22 But as for those who serve the Lord, he will redeem them; everyone who takes refuge in him will be freely pardoned.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,77
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,217
5,5,9,306
6,6,11,382
7,7,13,470
8,8,15,550
9,9,17,630
10,10,19,725
11,11,21,827
12,12,23,905
13,13,25,977
14,14,27,1042
15,15,29,1110
16,16,31,1177
17,17,33,1259
18,18,35,1362
19,19,37,1461
20,20,39,1554
21,21,41,1627
22,22,43,1711
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,103
4,7,5,243
8,10,7,575
11,14,9,917
15,17,11,1232
18,20,13,1553
21,22,15,1812
ENOUGH PSALM 34:9-10
Those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing. This is not a blanket promise that all Christians will be rich. It is David's observation of God's goodness-all those who call upon God will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Remember, our deepest needs are spiritual. Many Christians face unbearable poverty and hardship. David was saying that to have God is to have all that a person needs. God is enough.
If you feel you don't have everything you need, ask yourself: (1) Is this really a need? (2) Is this really good for me? (3) Is this the best time for me to have what I desire? Even if you answer yes to all three questions, God may allow you to go without to help you grow more dependent on him. We may need to learn that we need him more than those things.
Scrapbook: "Anita: Dealing with worry " ,!page "anita1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PSALM035
1 LORD, battle with those who battle with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Pick up the shield and armor. Rise up and help me.
3 Lift up your spears, both large and small, against those who chase me. Tell me, "I will save you."
4 Make those who want to kill me be ashamed and disgraced. Make those who plan to harm me turn back and run away.
5 Make them like chaff blown by the wind as the angel of the LORD forces them away.
6 Let their road be dark and slippery as the angel of the LORD chases them.
7 For no reason they spread out their net to trap me; for no reason they dug a pit for me.
8 So let ruin strike them suddenly. Let them be caught in their own nets; let them fall into the pit and die.
9 Then I will rejoice in the LORD; I will be happy when he saves me.
10 Even my bones will say, "LORD, who is like you? You save the weak from the strong, the weak and poor from robbers."
11 Men without mercy stand up to testify. They ask me things I do not know.
12 They repay me with evil for the good I have done, and they make me very sad.
13 Yet when they were sick, I put on clothes of sadness and showed my sorrow by going without food. But my prayers were not answered.
14 I acted as if they were my friends or brothers. I bowed in sadness as if I were crying for my mother.
15 But when I was in trouble, they gathered and laughed; they gathered to attack before I knew it. They insulted me without stopping.
16 They made fun of me and were cruel to me and ground their teeth at me in anger.
17 Lord, how long will you watch this happen? Save my life from their attacks; save me from these people who are like lions.
18 I will praise you in the great meeting. I will praise you among crowds of people.
19 Do not let my enemies laugh at me; they hate me for no reason. Do not let them make fun of me; they have no cause to hate me.
20 Their words are not friendly but are lies about peace-loving people.
21 They speak against me and say, "Aha! We saw what you did!"
22 LORD, you have been watching. Do not keep quiet. Lord, do not leave me alone.
23 Wake up! Come and defend me! My God and Lord, fight for me!
24 LORD my God, defend me with your justice. Don't let them laugh at me.
25 Don't let them think, "Aha! We got what we wanted!" Don't let them say, "We destroyed him."
26 Let them be ashamed and embarrassed, because they were happy when I hurt. Cover them with shame and disgrace, because they thought they were better than I was.
27 May my friends sing and shout for joy. May they always say, "Praise the greatness of the LORD, who loves to see his servants do well."
28 I will tell of your goodness and will praise you every day.
1 O Lord, fight those fighting me; declare war on them for their attacks on me. 2 Put on your armor, take your shield and protect me by standing in front. 3 Lift your spear in my defense, for my pursuers are getting very close. Let me hear you say that you will save me from them. 4 Dishonor those who are trying to kill me. Turn them back and confuse them. 5 Blow them away like chaff in the wind - wind sent by the Angel of the Lord. 6 Make their path dark and slippery before them, with the Angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7 For though I did them no wrong, yet they laid a trap for me and dug a pitfall in my path. 8 Let them be overtaken by sudden ruin, caught in their own net and de-stroyed.
9 But I will rejoice in the Lord. He shall rescue me! 10 From the bottom of my heart praise rises to him. Where is his equal in all of heaven and earth? Who else protects the weak and helpless from the strong, and the poor and needy from those who would rob them?
11 These evil men swear to a lie. They accuse me of things I have never even heard about. 12 I do them good, but they return me harm. I am sinking down to death. 13 When they were ill, I mourned before the Lord in sackcloth, asking him to make them well; I refused to eat; I prayed for them with utmost earnestness, but God did not listen. 14 I went about sadly as though it were my mother, friend, or brother who was sick and nearing death. 15 But now that I am in trouble they are glad; they come together in meetings filled with slander against me - I didn't even know some of those who were there. 16 For they gather with the worthless fellows of the town and spend their time cursing me.
17 Lord, how long will you stand there, doing nothing? Act now and rescue me, for I have but one life and these young lions are out to get it. 18 Save me, and I will thank you publicly before the entire congregation, before the largest crowd I can find.
19 Don't give victory to those who fight me without any reason! Don't let them rejoice at my fall - let them die. 20 They don't talk of peace and doing good, but of plots against innocent men who are minding their own business. 21 They shout that they have seen me doing wrong! "Aha!" they say. "With our own eyes we saw him do it." 22 Lord, you know all about it. Don't stay silent! Don't desert me now!
23 Rise up, O Lord my God; vindicate me. 24 Declare me "not guilty," for you are just.
Don't let my enemies rejoice over me in my troubles. 25 Don't let them say, "Aha! Our dearest wish against him will soon be fulfilled!" and, "At last we have him!" 26 Shame them; let these who boast against me and who rejoice at my troubles be themselves overcome by misfortune that strips them bare of everything they own. Bare them to dishonor. 27 But give great joy to all who wish me well. Let them shout with delight, "Great is the Lord who enjoys helping his child!"
28 And I will tell everyone how great and good you are; I will praise you all day long.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,93
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,255
5,5,9,373
6,6,11,461
7,7,13,541
8,8,15,636
9,9,17,750
10,10,19,823
11,11,21,946
12,12,23,1026
13,13,25,1110
14,14,27,1248
15,15,29,1357
16,16,31,1495
17,17,33,1582
18,18,35,1711
19,19,37,1800
20,20,39,1933
21,21,41,2009
22,22,43,2075
23,23,45,2160
24,24,47,2227
25,25,49,2304
26,26,51,2403
27,27,53,2570
28,28,55,2712
1,8,1,1
9,10,3,703
11,16,5,970
17,18,7,1666
19,22,9,1923
23,27,11,2333
28,28,14,2897
PSALM036
1 Sin speaks to the wicked in their hearts. They have no fear of God.
2 They think too much of themselves so they don't see their sin and hate it.
3 Their words are wicked lies; they are no longer wise or good.
4 At night they make evil plans; what they do leads to nothing good. They don't refuse things that are evil.
5 LORD, your love reaches to the heavens, your loyalty to the skies.
6 Your goodness is as high as the mountains. Your justice is as deep as the great ocean. LORD, you protect both people and animals.
7 God, your love is so precious! You protect people in the shadow of your wings.
8 They eat the rich food in your house, and you let them drink from your river of pleasure.
9 You are the giver of life. Your light lets us enjoy life.
10 Continue to love those who know you and to do good to those who are good.
11 Don't let proud people attack me and the wicked force me away.
12 Those who do evil have been defeated. They are overwhelmed; they cannot do evil any longer.
1 Sin lurks deep in the hearts of the wicked, forever urging them on to evil deeds. They have no fear of God to hold them back. 2 Instead, in their conceit, they think they can hide their evil deeds and not get caught. 3 Everything they say is crooked and deceitful; they are no longer wise and good. 4 They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots instead of planning how to keep away from wrong.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 6 Your justice is as solid as God's mountains. Your decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are concerned for men and animals alike. 7 How precious is your constant love, O God! All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.
9 For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from your light. 10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who know you! Never stop giving your blessings to those who long to do your will.
11 Don't let these proud men trample me. Don't let their wicked hands push me around. 12 Look! They have fallen. They are thrown down and will not rise again.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,224
5,5,9,337
6,6,11,410
7,7,13,546
8,8,15,631
9,9,17,727
10,10,19,791
11,11,21,872
12,12,23,942
1,4,1,1
5,8,3,406
9,10,5,875
11,12,7,1067
ds s
PSALM037
1 Don't be upset because of evil people. Don't be jealous of those who do wrong,
2 because like the grass, they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die away.
3 Trust the LORD and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth.
4 Enjoy serving the LORD, and he will give you what you want.
5 Depend on the LORD; trust him, and he will take care of you.
6 Then your goodness will shine like the sun, and your fairness like the noonday sun.
7 Wait and trust the LORD. Don't be upset when others get rich or when someone else's plans succeed.
8 Don't get angry. Don't be upset; it only leads to trouble.
9 Evil people will be sent away, but those who trust the LORD will inherit the land.
10 In a little while the wicked will be no more. You may look for them, but they will be gone.
11 People who are not proud will inherit the land and will enjoy complete peace.
12 The wicked make evil plans against good people. They grind their teeth at them in anger.
13 But the Lord laughs at the wicked, because he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and helpless, to kill those who are honest.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will break.
16 It is better to have little and be right than to have much and be wrong.
17 The power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports those who do right.
18 The LORD watches over the lives of the innocent, and their reward will last forever.
19 They will not be ashamed when trouble comes. They will be full in times of hunger.
20 But the wicked will die. The LORD' s enemies will be like the flowers of the fields; they will disappear like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and don't pay back, but those who do right give freely to others.
22 Those whom the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be sent away.
23 When a person's steps follow the LORD, God is pleased with his ways.
24 If he stumbles, he will not fall, because the LORD holds his hand.
25 I was young, and now I am old, but I have never seen good people left helpless or their children begging for food.
26 Good people always lend freely to others, and their children are a blessing.
27 Stop doing evil and do good, so you will live forever.
28 The LORD loves justice and will not leave those who worship him. He will always protect them, but the children of the wicked will die.
29 Good people will inherit the land and will live in it forever.
30 A good person speaks with wisdom, and he says what is fair.
31 The teachings of his God are in his heart, so he does not fail to keep them.
32 The wicked watch for good people so that they may kill them.
33 But the LORD will not take away his protection or let good people be judged guilty.
34 Wait for the LORD' s help and follow him. He will honor you and give you the land, and you will see the wicked sent away.
35 I saw a wicked and cruel man who looked strong like a healthy tree in good soil.
36 But he died and was gone; I looked for him, but he couldn't be found.
37 Think of the innocent person, and watch the honest one. The man who has peace will have children to live after him.
38 But sinners will be destroyed; in the end the wicked will die.
39 The LORD saves good people; he is their strength in times of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and saves them; he saves them from the wicked, because they trust in him for protection.
1 Never envy the wicked! 2 Soon they fade away like grass and disappear. 3 Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety.
4 Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart's desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. 6 Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.
7 Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don't be envious of evil men who prosper.
8 Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don't fret and worry - it only leads to harm. 9 For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing. 10 Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain. 11 But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.
12-13 The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming. 14 Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right. 15 But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.
16 It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man's wealth; 17 for the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.
18 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men, and gives them eternal rewards. 19 He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. 20 But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will wither like grass and disappear like smoke. 21 Evil men borrow and "cannot pay it back"! But the good man returns what he owes with some extra besides. 22 Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by him shall die.
23 The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. 24 If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. 26 Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.
27 So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, low-down ways and live good lives. 28 For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.
29 The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and live there forever. 30-31 The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong.
32 Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to accuse them and then demanding their death. 33 But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.
34 Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing, and you will see the wicked destroyed. 35-36 I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was gone! I searched but could not find him! 37 But the good man - what a different story! For the good man - the blameless, the upright, the man of peace - he has a wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending. 38 But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity shall be cut off.
39 The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and their refuge when trouble comes. 40 Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers them from the plots of evil men.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,183
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,319
6,6,11,386
7,7,13,476
8,8,15,581
9,9,17,646
10,10,19,735
11,11,21,834
12,12,23,919
13,13,25,1015
14,14,27,1099
15,15,29,1216
16,16,31,1295
17,17,33,1375
18,18,35,1466
19,19,37,1558
20,20,39,1648
21,21,41,1772
22,22,43,1863
23,23,45,1960
24,24,47,2036
25,25,49,2110
26,26,51,2232
27,27,53,2316
28,28,55,2378
29,29,57,2520
30,30,59,2590
31,31,61,2657
32,32,63,2741
33,33,65,2809
34,34,67,2900
35,35,69,3029
36,36,71,3117
37,37,73,3194
38,38,75,3317
39,39,77,3387
40,40,79,3464
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,209
7,7,5,510
8,11,7,606
12,15,9,990
16,17,11,1282
18,22,13,1462
23,24,15,1941
25,26,17,2102
27,28,19,2392
29,31,21,2634
32,33,23,2806
34,38,25,3032
39,40,27,3640
TREASURE PSALM 37:1
We should never envy the popularity or wealth of the wicked. No matter how much they have, it will fade and vanish like grass that withers and dies. Those who follow God live in a different manner than the wicked. And in the end, the godly will have far greater treasures in heaven. What the unbeliever gets lasts a lifetime, if he is lucky. What you get from following God lasts an eternity.
PSALM038
1 LORD, don't correct me when you are angry. Don't punish me when you are furious.
2 Your arrows have wounded me, and your hand has come down on me.
3 My body is sick from your punishment. Even my bones are not healthy because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me; like a load it weighs me down.
5 My sores stink and become infected because I was foolish.
6 I am bent over and bowed down; I am sad all day long.
7 I am burning with fever, and my whole body is sore.
8 I am weak and faint. I moan from the pain I feel.
9 Lord, you know everything I want; my cries are not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, and my strength is gone. I am losing my sight.
11 Because of my wounds, my friends and neighbors avoid me, and my relatives stay far away.
12 Some people set traps to kill me. Those who want to hurt me plan trouble; all day long they think up lies.
13 I am like a deaf man; I cannot hear. Like a mute, I cannot speak.
14 I am like a person who does not hear, who has no answer to give.
15 I trust you, LORD. You will answer, my Lord and God.
16 I said, "Don't let them laugh at me or brag when I am defeated."
17 I am about to die, and I cannot forget my pain.
18 I confess my guilt; I am troubled by my sin.
19 My enemies are strong and healthy, and many hate me for no reason.
20 They repay me with evil for the good I did. They lie about me because I try to do good.
21 LORD, don't leave me; my God, don't go away.
22 Quickly come and help me, my Lord and Savior.
1 O Lord, don't punish me while you are angry! 2 Your arrows have struck deep; your blows are crushing me. 3-4 Because of your anger, my body is sick, my health is broken beneath my sins. They are like a flood, higher than my head; they are a burden too heavy to bear. 5-6 My wounds are festering and full of pus. Because of my sins, I am bent and racked with pain. My days are filled with anguish. 7 My loins burn with inflammation, and my whole body is diseased. 8 I am exhausted and crushed; I groan in despair.
9 Lord, you know how I long for my health once more. You hear my every sigh. 10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 11 My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.
12 Meanwhile my enemies are trying to kill me. They plot my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery. 13-14 But I am deaf to all their threats; I am silent before them as a man who cannot speak. I have nothing to say. 15 For I am waiting for you, O Lord my God. Come and protect me. 16 Put an end to their arrogance, these who gloat when I am cast down!
17 How constantly I find myself upon the verge of sin; this source of sorrow always stares me in the face. 18 I confess my sins; I am sorry for what I have done. 19 But my enemies persecute with vigor and continue to hate me - though I have done nothing against them to deserve it. 20 They repay me evil for good and hate me for standing for the right.
21 Don't leave me, Lord; don't go away! 22 Come quickly! Help me, O my Savior.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,88
3,3,5,158
4,4,7,251
5,5,9,317
6,6,11,381
7,7,13,441
8,8,15,499
9,9,17,555
10,10,19,629
11,11,21,700
12,12,23,796
13,13,25,910
14,14,27,983
15,15,29,1055
16,16,31,1115
17,17,33,1187
18,18,35,1242
19,19,37,1294
20,20,39,1368
21,21,41,1463
22,22,43,1515
1,8,1,1
9,11,3,519
12,16,5,767
17,20,7,1140
21,22,9,1496
ON THE EDGE PSALM 38:17
In David's confession of sin, he acknowledged that he was constantly on the verge of sin. No matter how hard we try to follow God, we are sinners by nature and we often sin. It is difficult to escape situations in which we are tempted. We stand on the verge of sin as if we are walking along the edge of a cliff and could fall at any moment. Those who think they are beyond sin are sure to fall. Therefore, the first step toward avoiding sin is to acknowledge our tendency to sin. Only then will we be ready to say no.
PSALM039
1 I said, "I will be careful how I act and will not sin by what I say. I will be careful what I say around wicked people."
2 So I kept very quiet. I didn't even say anything good, but I became even more upset.
3 I became very angry inside, and as I thought about it, my anger burned. So I spoke:
4 "LORD, tell me when the end will come and how long I will live. Let me know how long I have.
5 You have given me only a short life; my lifetime is like nothing to you. Everyone's life is only a breath. [Selah]
6 People are like shadows moving about. All their work is for nothing; they collect things but don't know who will get them.
7 "So, Lord, what hope do I have? You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my sins. Don't let wicked fools make fun of me.
9 I am quiet; I do not open my mouth, because you are the one who has done this.
10 Quit punishing me; your beating is about to kill me.
11 You correct and punish people for their sins; like a moth, you destroy what they love. Everyone's life is only a breath. [Selah]
12 "LORD, hear my prayer, and listen to my cry. Do not ignore my tears. I am like a visitor with you. Like my ancestors, I'm only here a short time.
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy before I leave and am no more."
1 I said to myself, I'm going to quit complaining! I'll keep quiet, especially when the ungodly are around me. 2-3 But as I stood there silently the turmoil within me grew to the bursting point. The more I mused, the hotter the fires inside. Then at last I spoke and pled with God: 4 Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. 5-6 My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend. 7 And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.
8 Save me from being overpowered by my sins, for even fools will mock me then.
9 Lord, I am speechless before you. I will not open my mouth to speak one word of complaint, for my punishment is from you.
10 Lord, don't hit me anymore - I am exhausted beneath your hand. 11 When you punish a man for his sins, he is destroyed, for he is as fragile as a moth-infested cloth; yes, man is frail as breath.
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry! Don't sit back, unmindful of my tears. For I am your guest. I am a traveler passing through the earth, as all my fathers were.
13 Spare me, Lord! Let me recover and be filled with happiness again before my death.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,128
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,309
5,5,9,408
6,6,11,529
7,7,13,658
8,8,15,713
9,9,17,784
10,10,19,869
11,11,21,929
12,12,23,1065
13,13,25,1218
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,650
9,9,5,732
10,11,7,859
12,12,9,1060
13,13,11,1235
LIFE PSALM 39:4
Life is short no matter how long we live. If there is something important we want to do, we must not put it off for a better day. Ask yourself, If I had only six months to live, what would I do? Tell someone that you love him or her? Deal with an undisci-plined area in your life? Tell someone about Jesus? Life is short-don't neglect what is truly important.
PSALM040
1 I waited patiently for the LORD. He turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many people will see this and worship him. Then they will trust the LORD.
4 Happy is the person who trusts the LORD, who doesn't turn to those who are proud or to those who worship false gods.
5 LORD my God, you have done many miracles. Your plans for us are many. If I tried to tell them all, there would be too many to count.
6 You do not want sacrifices and offerings. But you have made a hole in my ear to show that my body and life are yours. You do not ask for burnt offerings and sacrifices to take away sins.
7 Then I said, "Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book.
8 My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart."
9 I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people. LORD, you know my lips are not silent.
10 I do not hide your goodness in my heart; I speak about your loyalty and salvation. I do not hide your love and truth from the people in the great meeting.
11 LORD, do not hold back your mercy from me; let your love and truth always protect me.
12 Troubles have surrounded me; there are too many to count. My sins have caught me so that I cannot see a way to escape. I have more sins than hairs on my head, and I have lost my courage.
13 Please, LORD, save me. Hurry, LORD, to help me.
14 People are trying to kill me. Shame them and disgrace them. People want to hurt me. Let them run away in disgrace.
15 People are making fun of me. Let them be shamed into silence.
16 But let those who follow you be happy and glad. They love you for saving them. May they always say, "Praise the LORD!"
17 Lord, because I am poor and helpless, please remember me. You are my helper and savior. My God, do not wait.
1 I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him. 4 Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord and have no confidence in those who are proud or who trust in idols.
5 O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There isn't time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.
6 It isn't sacrifices and offerings that you really want from your people. Burnt animals bring no special joy to your heart. But you have accepted the offer of my life-long service.
7 Then I said, "See, I have come, just as all the prophets foretold. 8 And I delight to do your will, my God, for your law is written upon my heart!"
9 I have told everyone the good news that you forgive people's sins. I have not been timid about it, as you well know, O Lord. 10 I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart, but have proclaimed your loving-kindness and truth to all the congregation.
11 O Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me! My only hope is in your love and faithfulness. 12 Otherwise I perish, for problems far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile my sins, too many to count, have all caught up with me, and I am ashamed to look up. My heart quails within me.
13 Please, Lord, rescue me! Quick! Come and help me! 14-15 Confuse them! Turn them around and send them sprawling - all these who are trying to destroy me. Disgrace these scoffers with their utter failure!
16 But may the joy of the Lord be given to everyone who loves him and his salvation. May they constantly exclaim, "How great God is!"
17 I am poor and weak, yet the Lord is thinking about me right now! O my God, you are my helper. You are my Savior; come quickly, and save me. Please don't delay!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,194
4,4,7,334
5,5,9,457
6,6,11,596
7,7,13,789
8,8,15,864
9,9,17,939
10,10,19,1053
11,11,21,1215
12,12,23,1308
13,13,25,1502
14,14,27,1557
15,15,29,1679
16,16,31,1748
17,17,33,1874
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,530
6,6,5,772
7,8,7,957
9,10,9,1110
11,12,11,1370
13,15,13,1693
16,16,15,1902
17,17,17,2039
W FH
PSALM041
1 Happy is the person who thinks about the poor. When trouble comes, the LORD will save him.
2 The LORD will protect him and spare his life and will bless him in the land. He will not let his enemies take him.
3 The LORD will give him strength when he is sick, and he will make him well again.
4 I said, "LORD, have mercy on me. Heal me, because I have sinned against you."
5 My enemies are saying evil things about me. They say, "When will he die and be forgotten?"
6 Some people come to see me, but they lie. They just come to get bad news. Then they go and gossip.
7 All my enemies whisper about me and think the worst about me.
8 They say, "He has a terrible disease. He will never get out of bed again."
9 My best and truest friend, who ate at my table, has even turned against me.
10 LORD, have mercy on me. Give me strength so I can pay them back.
11 Because my enemies do not defeat me, I know you are pleased with me.
12 Because I am innocent, you support me and will let me be with you forever.
13 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel. He has always been, and he will always be. Amen and amen.
1 God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps them out of their troubles. 2 He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies. 3 He nurses them when they are sick and soothes their pains and worries.
4 "O Lord," I prayed, "be kind and heal me, for I have confessed my sins." 5 But my enemies say, "May he soon die and be forgotten!" 6 They act so friendly when they come to visit me while I am sick; but all the time they hate me and are glad that I am lying there upon my bed of pain. And when they leave, they laugh and mock. 7 They whisper together about what they will do when I am dead. 8 "It's fatal, whatever it is," they say. "He'll never get out of that bed!"
9 Even my best friend has turned against me - a man I completely trusted; how often we ate together. 10 Lord, don't you desert me! Be gracious, Lord, and make me well again so I can pay them back! 11 I know you are pleased with me because you haven't let my enemies triumph over me. 12 You have preserved me because I was honest; you have admitted me forever to your presence.
13 Bless the Lord, the God of Israel, who exists from everlasting ages past - and on into everlasting eternity ahead. Amen and amen!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,219
4,4,7,307
5,5,9,391
6,6,11,488
7,7,13,593
8,8,15,661
9,9,17,742
10,10,19,824
11,11,21,896
12,12,23,972
13,13,25,1054
1,3,1,1
4,8,3,266
9,12,5,738
13,13,7,1118
PSALM042
1 As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God.
2 I thirst for the living God. When can I go to meet with him?
3 Day and night, my tears have been my food. People are always saying, "Where is your God?"
4 When I remember these things, I speak with a broken heart. I used to walk with the crowd and lead them to God's Temple with songs of praise.
5 Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and
6 my God. I am very sad. So I remember you where the Jordan River begins, near the peaks of Hermon and Mount Mizar.
7 Troubles have come again and again, sounding like waterfalls. Your waves are crashing all around me.
8 The LORD shows his true love every day. At night I have a song, and I pray to my living God.
9 I say to God, my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?"
10 My enemies' insults make me feel as if my bones were broken. They are always saying, "Where is your God?"
11 Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God.
1 As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I find him to come and stand before him? 3 Day and night I weep for his help, and all the while my enemies taunt me. "Where is this God of yours?" they scoff.
4-5 Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord? Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his help.
6 Yet I am standing here depressed and gloomy, but I will meditate upon your kindness to this lovely land where the Jordan River flows and where Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar stand. 7 All your waves and billows have gone over me, and floods of sorrow pour upon me like a thundering cataract.
8 Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast love upon me, and through the night I sing his songs and pray to God who gives me life.
9 "O God my Rock," I cry, "why have you forsaken me? Why must I suffer these attacks from my enemies?" 10 Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound; again and again they scoff, "Where is that God of yours?" 11 But, O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,140
4,4,7,236
5,5,9,383
6,6,11,490
7,7,13,610
8,8,15,717
9,9,17,816
10,10,19,915
11,11,21,1028
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,266
6,7,5,600
8,8,7,894
9,11,9,1040
DEPRESSION PSALM 42:6
Depression is one of the most common emotional ailments. One cure for depression is to meditate on the record of God's goodness to his people. This will take your mind off the present situation and give hope that it will improve. It will focus your thoughts on God's ability to help you rather than on your inability to help yourself. When you feel depressed, take advantage of this psalm's antidepressant. Read the Bible's accounts of God's goodness and meditate on them.
PSALM043
1 God, defend me. Argue my case against those who don't follow you. Save me from liars and those who do evil.
2 God, you are my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?
3 Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God, my God.
5 Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God.
1 O God, defend me from the charges of these merciless, deceitful men. 2 For you are God, my only place of refuge. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I mourn at the oppression of my enemies?
3 Oh, send out your light and your truth - let them lead me. Let them lead me to your Temple on your holy mountain, Zion. 4 There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, and praise him with my harp. O God - my God! 5 O my soul, why be so gloomy and discouraged? Trust in God! I shall again praise him for his wondrous help; he will make me smile again, for he is my God!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,214
4,4,7,321
5,5,9,443
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,199
PSALM044
1 God, we have heard about you. Our ancestors told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.
2 With your power you forced the nations out of the land and placed our ancestors here. You destroyed those other nations, but you made our ancestors grow strong.
3 It wasn't their swords that took the land. It wasn't their power that gave them victory. But it was your great power and strength. You were with them because you loved them.
4 My God, you are my King. Your commands led Jacob's people to victory.
5 With your help we pushed back our enemies. In your name we trampled those who came against us.
6 I don't trust my bow to help me, and my sword can't save me.
7 You saved us from our foes, and you made our enemies ashamed.
8 We will praise God every day; we will praise your name forever. [Selah]
9 But you have rejected us and shamed us. You don't march with our armies anymore.
10 You let our enemies push us back, and those who hate us have taken our wealth.
11 You gave us away like sheep to be eaten and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for nothing and made no profit on the sale.
13 You made us a joke to our neighbors; those around us laugh and make fun of us.
14 You made us a joke to the other nations; people shake their heads.
15 I am always in disgrace, and I am covered with shame.
16 My enemy is getting even with insults and curses.
17 All these things have happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or failed to keep our agreement with you.
18 Our hearts haven't turned away from you, and we haven't stopped following you.
19 But you crushed us in this place where wild dogs live, and you covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten our God or lifted our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
21 God would have known, because he knows what is in our hearts.
22 But for you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.
23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don't reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide from us? Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?
25 We have been pushed down into the dirt; we are flat on the ground.
26 Get up and help us. Because of your love, save us.
1 O God, we have heard of the glorious miracles you did in the days of long ago. Our forefathers have told us how you drove the heathen nations from this land and gave it all to us, spreading Israel from one end of the country to the other. 3 They did not conquer by their own strength and skill, but by your mighty power and because you smiled upon them and favored them.
4 You are my King and my God. Decree victories for your people. 5 For it is only by your power and through your name that we tread down our enemies; 6 I do not trust my weapons. They could never save me. 7 Only you can give us the victory over those who hate us.
8 My constant boast is God. I can never thank you enough! 9 And yet for a time, O Lord, you have tossed us aside in dishonor and have not helped us in our battles. 10 You have actually fought against us and defeated us before our foes. Our enemies have invaded our land and pillaged the countryside. 11 You have treated us like sheep in a slaughter pen and scattered us among the nations. 12 You sold us for a pittance. You valued us at nothing at all. 13 The neighboring nations laugh and mock at us because of all the evil you have sent. 14 You have made the word Jew a byword of contempt and shame among the nations, disliked by all. 15-16 I am constantly despised, mocked, taunted, and cursed by my vengeful enemies.
17 And all this has happened, Lord, despite our loyalty to you. We have not violated your covenant. 18 Our hearts have not deserted you! We have not left your path by a single step. 19 If we had, we could understand your punishing us in the barren wilderness and sending us into darkness and death. 20 If we had turned away from worshiping our God and were worshiping idols, 21 would God not know it? Yes, he knows the secrets of every heart. 22 But that is not our case. For we are facing death threats constantly because of serving you! We are like sheep awaiting slaughter.
23 Waken! Rouse yourself! Don't sleep, O Lord! Are we cast off forever? 24 Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our sorrows and oppression? 25 We lie face downward in the dust. 26 Rise up, O Lord, and come and help us. Save us by your constant love.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,272
4,4,7,452
5,5,9,528
6,6,11,629
7,7,13,696
8,8,15,764
9,9,17,842
10,10,19,929
11,11,21,1015
12,12,23,1103
13,13,25,1175
14,14,27,1261
15,15,29,1335
16,16,31,1396
17,17,33,1453
18,18,35,1570
19,19,37,1656
20,20,39,1757
21,21,41,1839
22,22,43,1908
23,23,45,2026
24,24,47,2103
25,25,49,2177
26,26,51,2251
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,377
8,16,5,643
17,22,7,1369
23,26,9,1949
DELIVERED PSALM 44:22-26
The writer cried to God to save his people by his constant love-they are like sheep awaiting slaughter. Nothing can separate us from God's love, not even death (Romans 8:36-39). When you fear for your life, ask God for deliverance and remember that even physical death cannot separate you from him.
PSALM045
1 Beautiful words fill my mind. I am speaking of royal things. My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer.
2 You are more handsome than anyone, and you are an excellent speaker, so God has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, powerful warrior. Show your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty win the victory for what is true and right. Your power will do amazing things.
5 Your sharp arrows will enter the hearts of the king's enemies. Nations will be defeated before you.
6 God, your throne will last forever and ever. You has chosen you from among your friends; he has set you apart with much joy. 8 Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. From palaces of ivory music comes to make you happy. 9 Kings' daughters are among your honored women. Your bride stands at your right side wearing gold from Ophir. 10 Listen to me, daughter; look and pay attention. Forget your people and your father's family. 11 The king loves your beauty. Because he is your master, you should obey him. 12 People from the city of Tyre have brought a gift. Wealthy people will want to meet you. 13 The princess is very beautiful. Her gown is woven with gold. 14 In her beautiful clothes she is brought to the king. Her bridesmaids follow behind her, and they are also brought to him. 15 They come with happiness and joy; they enter the king's palace. 16 You will have sons to replace your fathers. You will make them rulers through all the land. 1
7 I will make your name famous from now on, so people will praise you forever and ever.
1 My heart is overflowing with a beautiful thought! I will write a lovely poem to the King, for I am as full of words as the speediest writer pouring out his story.
2 You are the fairest of all;
Your words are filled with grace;
God himself is blessing you forever.
3 Arm yourself, O Mighty One,
So glorious, so majestic!
4 And in your majesty
Go on to victory,
Defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to awe-inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
In your enemies' hearts;
They fall before you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever.
Justice is your royal scepter.
7 You love what is good
And hate what is wrong.
Therefore God, your God,
Has given you more gladness
Than anyone else.
8 Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. In your palaces of inlaid ivory, lovely music is being played for your enjoyment. 9 Kings' daughters are among your concubines. Standing beside you is the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir.
10-11 "I advise you, O daughter, not to fret about your parents in your homeland far away. Your royal husband delights in your beauty. Reverence him, for he is your lord. 12 The people of Tyre, the richest people of our day, will shower you with gifts and entreat your favors."
13 The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber, robed in beautiful clothing woven with gold. 14 Lovely she is, led beside her maids of honor to the king! 15 What a joyful, glad procession as they enter in the palace gates! 16 "Your sons will some day be kings like their father. They shall sit on thrones around the world!
17 "I will cause your name to be honored in all generations; the nations of the earth will praise you forever."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,222
4,4,7,294
5,5,9,395
6,6,11,501
7,7,13,1466
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,169
3,3,7,278
4,4,10,340
5,5,15,463
6,6,19,542
7,7,22,618
8,9,28,749
10,12,30,1014
13,16,32,1295
17,17,34,1625
PSALM046
1 God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble.
2 So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes, or the mountains fall into the sea,
3 even if the oceans roar and foam, or the mountains shake at the raging sea. [Selah]
4 There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, the holy place where God Most High lives.
5 God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken. God will help her at dawn.
6 Nations tremble and kingdoms shake. God shouts and the earth crumbles.
7 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender. [Selah]
8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the amazing things he has done on the earth.
9 He stops wars everywhere on the earth. He breaks all bows and spears and burns up the chariots with fire.
10 God says, "Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be supreme over all the nations; I will be supreme in the earth."
11 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender. [Selah]
1 God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. 2 And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble!
4 There is a river of joy flowing through the city of our God - the sacred home of the God above all gods. 5 God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help. 6 The nations rant and rave in anger - but when God speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin.
7 The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us.
8 Come, see the glorious things that our God does, how he brings ruin upon the world 9 and causes wars to end throughout the earth, breaking and burning every weapon. 10 "Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!"
11 The Commander of the heavenly armies is here among us! He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,267
5,5,9,368
6,6,11,452
7,7,13,529
8,8,15,611
9,9,17,699
10,10,19,811
11,11,21,935
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,225
7,7,5,582
8,10,7,688
11,11,9,945
CONFIDENCE PSALM 46:1-3
The fear of mountains or cities suddenly crumbling into the sea by a nuclear blast haunts many people today. But the psalmist says that even if the world ends, We need not fear! Even in the face of utter destruction, he expressed a quiet confidence in God's ability to save him. It seems impossible to face the end of the world without fear, but the Bible is clear: God is our eternal refuge, even in the face of total destruction.
Scrapbook: "Jodi: Keeping faith in bad times" ,!page "jodi1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PSALM047
1 Clap your hands, all you people. Shout to God with joy.
2 The LORD Most High is wonderful. He is the great King over all the earth!
3 He defeated nations for us and put them under our control.
4 He chose the land we would inherit. We are the children of Jacob, whom he loved. [Selah]
5 God has risen with a shout of joy; the LORD has risen as the trumpets sounded.
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is King of all the earth, so sing a song of praise to him.
8 God is King over the nations. God sits on his holy throne.
9 The leaders of the nations meet with the people of the God of Abraham, because the leaders of the earth belong to God. He is supreme.
1 Come, everyone, and clap for joy! Shout triumphant praises to the Lord! 2 For the Lord, the God above all gods, is awesome beyond words; he is the great King of all the earth. 3 He subdues the nations before us 4 and will personally select his choicest blessings for his Jewish people - the very best for those he loves.
5 God has ascended with a mighty shout, with trumpets blaring. 6-7 Sing out your praises to our God, our King. Yes, sing your highest praises to our King, the King of all the earth. Sing thoughtful praises! 8 He reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. 9 The Gentile rulers of the world have joined with us in praising him - praising the God of Abraham - for the battle shields of all the armies of the world are his trophies. He is highly honored everywhere.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,63
3,3,5,143
4,4,7,208
5,5,9,303
6,6,11,388
7,7,13,469
8,8,15,538
9,9,17,603
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,327
15,5
PSALM048
1 The LORD is great; he should be praised in the city of our God, on his holy mountain.
2 It is high and beautiful and brings joy to the whole world. Mount Zion is like the high mountains of the north; it is the city of the Great King.
3 God is within its palaces; he is known as its defender.
4 Kings joined together and came to attack the city.
5 But when they saw it, they were amazed. They ran away in fear.
6 Fear took hold of them; they hurt like a woman having a baby.
7 You destroyed the large trading ships with an east wind.
8 First we heard and now we have seen that God will always keep his city safe. It is the city of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, the city of our God. [Selah]
9 God, we come into your Temple to think about your love.
10 God, your name is known everywhere; all over the earth people praise you. Your right hand is full of goodness.
11 Mount Zion is happy and all the towns of Judah rejoice, because your decisions are fair.
12 Walk around Jerusalem and count its towers.
13 Notice how strong they are. Look at the palaces. Then you can tell your children about them.
14 This God is our God forever and ever. He will guide us from now on.
1 How great is the Lord! How much we should praise him. He lives upon Mount Zion in Jerusalem. 2 What a glorious sight! See Mount Zion rising north of the city high above the plains for all to see - Mount Zion, joy of all the earth, the residence of the great King.
3 God himself is the defender of Jerusalem.
4 The kings of the earth have arrived together to inspect the city. 5 They marvel at the sight and hurry home again, 6 afraid of what they have seen; they are filled with panic like a woman in travail! 7 For God destroys the mightiest warships with a breath of wind. 8 We have heard of the city's glory - the city of our God, the Commander of the armies of heaven. And now we see it for ourselves! God has established Jerusalem forever.
9 Lord, here in your Temple we meditate upon your kindness and your love. 10 Your name is known throughout the earth, O God. You are praised everywhere for the salvation you have scattered throughout the world. 11 O Jerusalem, rejoice! O people of Judah, rejoice! For God will see to it that you are finally treated fairly. 12 Go, inspect the city! Walk around and count her many towers! 13 Note her walls and tour her palaces so that you can tell your children.
14 For this great God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide until we die.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,93
3,3,5,245
4,4,7,307
5,5,9,364
6,6,11,433
7,7,13,501
8,8,15,564
9,9,17,717
10,10,19,779
11,11,21,897
12,12,23,993
13,13,25,1044
14,14,27,1144
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,270
4,8,5,317
9,13,7,757
14,14,9,1223
MAP PSALM 48:14
We often pray for God's guidance as we struggle with decisions. What we need is both guidance and a guide-a map that gives us landmarks and directions and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is just such a map, and God is our constant companion and guide. Lean upon both the map and the Guide.
PSALM049
1 Listen to this, all you nations; listen, all you who live on earth.
2 Listen, both great and small, rich and poor together.
3 What I say is wise, and my heart speaks with understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a wise saying; I will explain my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I be afraid of bad days? Why should I fear when evil men surround me?
6 They trust in their money and brag about their riches.
7 No one can buy back the life of another. No one can pay God for his own life,
8 because the price of a life is high. No payment is ever enough.
9 Do people live forever? Don't they all face death?
10 See, even wise people die. Fools and stupid people also die and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will always be their homes. They will live there from now on, even though they named places after themselves.
12 Even rich people do not live forever; like the animals, people die.
13 This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves and to their followers who believe them. [Selah]
14 Like sheep, they must die, and death will be their shepherd. Honest people will rule over them in the morning, and their bodies will rot in a grave far from home.
15 But God will save my life and will take me from the grave. [Selah]
16 Don't be afraid of rich people because their houses are more beautiful.
17 They don't take anything to the grave; their wealth won't go down with them.
18 Even though they were praised when they were alive- and people may praise you when you succeed-
19 they will go to where their ancestors are. They will never see light again.
20 Rich people with no understanding are just like animals that die.
1 Listen, everyone! High and low, rich and poor, all around the world - listen to my words, 3 for they are wise and filled with insight.
4 I will tell in song accompanied by harps the answer to one of life's most perplexing problems:
5 There is no need to fear when times of trouble come, even though surrounded by enemies! 6 They trust in their wealth and boast about how rich they are, 7 yet not one of them, though rich as kings, can ransom his own brother from the penalty of sin! For God's forgiveness does not come that way.
8-9 For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell.
10 Rich man! Proud man! Wise man! You must die like all the rest! You have no greater lease on life than foolish, stupid men. You must leave your wealth to others. 11 You name your estates after yourselves as though your lands could be forever yours and you could live on them eternally. 12 But man with all his pomp must die like any animal. 13 Such is the folly of these men, though after they die they will be quoted as having great wisdom.
14 Death is the shepherd of all mankind. And "in the morning" those who are evil will be the slaves of those who are good. For the power of their wealth is gone when they die, they cannot take it with them.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my soul from the power of death, for he will receive me. 16 So do not be dismayed when evil men grow rich and build their lovely homes. 17 For when they die, they carry nothing with them! Their honors will not follow them. 18 Though a man calls himself happy all through his life - and the world loudly applauds success - 19 yet in the end he dies like everyone else and enters eternal darkness.
20 For man with all his pomp must die like any animal.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,135
4,4,7,201
5,5,9,284
6,6,11,371
7,7,13,432
8,8,15,516
9,9,17,586
10,10,19,643
11,11,21,744
12,12,23,874
13,13,25,949
14,14,27,1063
15,15,29,1233
16,16,31,1307
17,17,33,1386
18,18,35,1470
19,19,37,1573
20,20,39,1656
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,141
5,7,4,239
8,9,6,541
10,13,8,724
14,14,10,1171
15,19,12,1381
20,20,14,1814
PSALM050
1 The God of gods, the LORD, speaks. He calls the earth from the rising to the setting sun.
2 God shines from Jerusalem, whose beauty is perfect.
3 Our God comes, and he will not be silent. A fire burns in front of him, and a powerful storm surrounds him.
4 He calls to the sky above and to the earth that he might judge his people.
5 He says, "Gather around, you who worship me, who have made an agreement with me, using a sacrifice."
6 God is the judge, and even the skies say he is right. [Selah]
7 God says, "My people, listen to me; Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 I do not scold you for your sacrifices. You always bring me your burnt offerings.
9 But I do not need bulls from your stalls or goats from your pens,
10 because every animal of the forest is already mine. The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.
11 I know every bird on the mountains, and every living thing in the fields is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, because the earth and everything in it are mine.
13 I don't eat the meat of bulls or drink the blood of goats.
14 Give an offering to show thanks to God. Give God Most High what you have promised.
15 Call to me in times of trouble. I will save you, and you will honor me."
16 But God says to the wicked, "Why do you talk about my laws? Why do you mention my agreement?
17 You hate my teachings and turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you join him. You take part in adultery.
19 You don't stop your mouth from speaking evil, and your tongue makes up lies.
20 You speak against your brother and lie about your mother's son.
21 I have kept quiet while you did these things, so you thought I was just like you. But I will scold you and accuse you to your face.
22 "Think about this, you who forget God. Otherwise, I will tear you apart, and no one will save you.
23 Those people honor me who bring me offerings to show thanks. And I, God, will save those who do that."
1 The mighty God, the Lord, has summoned all mankind from east to west!
2 God's glory-light shines from the beautiful Temple on Mount Zion. 3 He comes with the noise of thunder, surrounded by devastating fire; a great storm rages round about him. 4 He has come to judge his people. To heaven and earth he shouts, 5 "Gather together my own people who by their sacrifice upon my altar have promised to obey me."
6 God will judge them with complete fairness, for all heaven declares that he is just.
7 O my people, listen! For I am your God. Listen! Here are my charges against you: 8 I have no complaint about the sacrifices you bring to my altar, for you bring them regularly. 9 But it isn't sacrificial bullocks and goats that I really want from you. 10-11 For all the animals of field and forest are mine! The cattle on a thousand hills! And all the birds upon the mountains! 12 If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you - for all the world is mine and everything in it. 13 No, I don't need your sacrifices of flesh and blood. 14-15 What I want from you is your true thanks; I want your promises fulfilled. I want you to trust me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you and you can give me glory.
16 But God says to evil men: Recite my laws no longer and stop claiming my promises, 17 for you have refused my discipline, disregarding my laws. 18 You see a thief and help him, and spend your time with evil and immoral men. 19 You curse and lie, and vile language streams from your mouths. 20 You slander your own brother. 21 I remained silent - you thought I didn't care - but now your time of punishment has come, and I list all the above charges against you. 22 This is the last chance for all of you who have forgotten God, before I tear you apart - and no one can help you then.
23 But true praise is a worthy sacrifice; this really honors me. Those who walk my paths will receive salvation from the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,155
4,4,7,269
5,5,9,350
6,6,11,457
7,7,13,525
8,8,15,623
9,9,17,711
10,10,19,783
11,11,21,883
12,12,23,972
13,13,25,1068
14,14,27,1134
15,15,29,1224
16,16,31,1304
17,17,33,1404
18,18,35,1467
19,19,37,1537
20,20,39,1621
21,21,41,1692
22,22,43,1831
23,23,45,1937
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,76
6,6,5,417
7,15,7,507
16,22,9,1224
23,23,11,1813
PSALM051
1 God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs.
2 Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again.
3 I know about my wrongs, and I can't forget my sin.
4 You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge.
5 I was brought into this world in sin. In sin my mother gave birth to me.
6 You want me to be completely truthful, so teach me wisdom.
7 Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again.
9 Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt.
10 Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.
11 Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you.
14 God, save me from the guilt of murder, God of my salvation, and I will sing about your goodness.
15 Lord, let me speak so I may praise you.
16 You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.
18 Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem. Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings, and bulls will be offered on your altar.
1 Written after Nathan the prophet had come to inform David of God's judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband. O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. 2 Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. 3 For I admit my shameful deed - it haunts me day and night. 4 It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just. 5 But I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.
7 Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 And after you have punished me, give me back my joy again. 9 Don't keep looking at my sins - erase them from your sight. 10 Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. 11 Don't toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they - guilty like me - will repent and return to you. 14-15 Don't sentence me to death. O my God, you alone can rescue me. Then I will sing of your forgiveness, for my lips will be unsealed - oh, how I will praise you.
16 You don't want penance; if you did, how gladly I would do it! You aren't interested in offerings burned before you on the altar. 17 It is a broken spirit you want - remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore.
18 And Lord, don't punish Israel for my sins - help your people and protect Jerusalem.
19 And when my heart is right, then you will rejoice in the good that I do* and in the bullocks I bring to sacrifice upon your altar.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,373
6,6,11,452
7,7,13,517
8,8,15,603
9,9,17,692
10,10,19,753
11,11,21,824
12,12,23,899
13,13,25,992
14,14,27,1085
15,15,29,1189
16,16,31,1236
17,17,33,1332
18,18,35,1450
19,19,37,1530
1,6,1,1
7,15,3,704
16,17,5,1481
18,18,7,1734
19,19,9,1824
VICTIMS PSALM 51:4
Although David sinned with Bathsheba, he said he had sinned against God. When someone steals, murders, or slanders, it is against someone else-a victim. According to the world's standards, sex between two consenting adults is acceptable because nobody gets hurt. But people do get hurt-in David's case, a man was murdered and a baby died. All sin hurts us and others, and ultimately it offends God because sin in any form is a rebellion against his way of living. When tempted to do wrong, remember that you will be sinning against God. That may help you stay on the right track.
PSALM052
1 Mighty warrior, why do you brag about the evil you do? God's love will continue forever.
2 You think up evil plans. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, making up lies.
3 You love wrong more than right and lies more than truth. [Selah]
4 You love words that bite and tongues that lie.
5 But God will ruin you forever. He will grab you and throw you out of your tent; he will tear you away from the land of the living. [Selah]
6 Those who do right will see this and fear God. They will laugh at you and say,
7 "Look what happened to the man who did not depend on God but depended on his money. He grew strong by his evil plans."
8 But I am like an olive tree growing in God's Temple. I trust God's love forever and ever.
9 God, I will thank you forever for what you have done. With those who worship you, I will trust you because you are good.
1 Written by David to protest against his enemy Doeg, who later slaughtered eighty-five priests and their families. You call yourself a hero, do you? You boast about this evil deed of yours against God's people. 2 You are sharp as a tack in plotting your evil tricks. 3 How you love wickedness - far more than good! And lying more than truth! 4 You love to slander - you love to say anything that will do harm, O man with the lying tongue.
5 But God will strike you down, pull you from your home, and drag you away from the land of the living. 6 The followers of God will see it happen. They will watch in awe. Then they will laugh and say, 7 "See what happens to those who despise God and trust in their wealth, and become ever more bold in their wickedness."
8 But I am like a sheltered olive tree protected by the Lord himself. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 9 O Lord, I will praise you forever and ever for your punishment. And I will wait for your mercies - for everyone knows what a merciful God you are.
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,449
8,8,5,773
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,178
4,4,7,249
5,5,9,302
6,6,11,447
7,7,13,532
8,8,15,657
9,9,17,753
PSALM053
1 Fools say to themselves, "There is no God." Fools are evil and do terrible things; none of them does anything good.
2 God looked down from heaven on all people to see if anyone was wise, if anyone was looking to God for help.
3 But all have turned away. Together, everyone has become evil; none of them does anything good. Not a single person.
4 Don't the wicked understand? They destroy my people as if they were eating bread. They do not ask God for help.
5 The wicked are filled with terror where there had been nothing to fear. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will defeat them, because God has rejected them.
6 I pray that victory will come to Israel from Mount Zion! May God bring them back. Then the people of Jacob will rejoice, and the people of Israel will be glad.
1 Only a fool would say to himself, "There is no God." And why does he say it? Because of his wicked heart, his dark and evil deeds. His life is corroded with sin.
2 God looks down from heaven, searching among all mankind to see if there is a single one who does right and really seeks for God. 3 But all have turned their backs on him; they are filthy with sin - corrupt and rotten through and through. Not one is good, not one! 4 How can this be? Can't they understand anything? For they devour my people like bread and refuse to come to God. 5 But soon unheard-of terror will fall on them. God will scatter the bones of these, your enemies. They are doomed, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that God would come from Zion now and save Israel! Only when the Lord himself restores them can they ever be really happy again.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,237
4,4,7,359
5,5,9,477
6,6,11,652
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,168
6,6,5,695
FOOLS PSALM 53:1
Echoing the message of Psalm 14, David proclaimed that Only a fool would say to himself, `There is no God' (see also Romans 3:10). People may say there is no God to cover their sin, to have an excuse to continue in sin, and/or to ignore the Judge so they can avoid the judgment. A fool is not necessarily lacking intelligence; many atheists and unbelievers are highly learned. Fools are people who reject God, the only one who can save them.
PSALM054
1 God, save me because of who you are. By your strength show that I am innocent.
2 Hear my prayer, God; listen to what I say.
3 Strangers turn against me, and cruel men want to kill me. They do not care about God. [Selah]
4 See, God will help me; the Lord will support me.
5 Let my enemies be punished with their own evil. Destroy them because you are loyal to me.
6 I will offer a sacrifice as a special gift to you. I will thank you, LORD, because you are good.
7 You have saved me from all my troubles, and I have seen my enemies defeated.
1 Written by David at the time the men of Ziph tried to betray him to Saul. Come with great power, O God, and save me! Defend me with your might! 2 Oh, listen to my prayer. 3 For violent men have risen against me - ruthless men who care nothing for God are seeking my life.
4 But God is my helper. He is a friend of mine!
5 He will cause the evil deeds of my enemies to boomerang upon them. Do as you promised and put an end to these wicked men, O God. 6 Gladly I bring my sacrifices to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 God has rescued me from all my trouble, and triumphed over my enemies.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,86
3,3,5,135
4,4,7,235
5,5,9,290
6,6,11,386
7,7,13,489
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,280
5,6,5,331
7,7,7,553
PSALM055
1 God, listen to my prayer and do not ignore my cry for help.
2 Pay attention to me and answer me. I am troubled and upset
3 by what the enemy says and how the wicked look at me. They bring troubles down on me, and in anger they attack me.
4 I am frightened inside; the terror of death has attacked me.
5 I am scared and shaking, and terror grips me.
6 I said, "I wish I had wings like a dove. Then I would fly away and rest.
7 I would wander far away and stay in the desert. [Selah]
8 I would hurry to my place of escape, far away from the wind and storm."
9 Lord, destroy and confuse their words, because I see violence and fighting in the city.
10 Day and night they are all around its walls, and evil and trouble are everywhere inside.
11 Destruction is everywhere in the city; trouble and lying never leave its streets.
12 It was not an enemy insulting me. I could stand that. It was not someone who hated me. I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a person like me, my companion and good friend.
14 We had a good friendship and walked together to God's Temple.
15 Let death take away my enemies. Let them die while they are still young because evil lives with them.
16 But I will call to God for help, and the LORD will save me.
17 Morning, noon, and night I am troubled and upset, but he will listen to me.
18 Many are against me, but he keeps me safe in battle.
19 God who lives forever will hear me and punish them. [Selah] But they will not change; they do not fear God.
20 The one who was my friend attacks his friends and breaks his promises.
21 His words are slippery like butter, but war is in his heart. His words are smoother than oil, but they cut like knives.
22 Give your worries to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let good people down.
23 But, God, you will bring down the wicked to the grave. Murderers and liars will live only half a lifetime. But I will trust in you.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God; don't hide yourself when I cry to you. 2 Hear me, Lord! Listen to me! For I groan and weep beneath my burden of woe.
3 My enemies shout against me and threaten me with death. They surround me with terror and plot to kill me. Their fury and hatred rise to engulf me. 4 My heart is in anguish within me. Stark fear overpowers me. 5 Trembling and horror overwhelm me. 6 Oh, for wings like a dove, to fly away and rest! 7 I would fly to the far-off deserts and stay there. 8 I would flee to some refuge from all this storm.
9 O Lord, make these enemies begin to quarrel among themselves - destroy them with their own violence and strife.
10 Though they patrol their walls night and day against invaders, their real problem is internal - wickedness and dishonesty are entrenched in the heart of the city. 11 There is murder and robbery there, and cheating in the markets and wherever you look.
12 It was not an enemy who taunted me - then I could have borne it; I could have hidden and escaped. 13 But it was you, a man like myself, my companion and my friend. 14 What fellowship we had, what wonderful discussions as we walked together to the Temple of the Lord on holy days.
15 Let death seize them and cut them down in their prime, for there is sin in their homes, and they are polluted to the depths of their souls.
16 But I will call upon the Lord to save me - and he will. 17 I will pray morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud with God; and he will hear and answer. 18 Though the tide of battle runs strongly against me, for so many are fighting me, yet he will rescue me. 19 God himself - God from everlasting ages past - will answer them! For they refuse to fear him or even honor his commands.
20 This friend of mine betrayed me - I who was at peace with him. He broke his promises. 21 His words were oily smooth, but in his heart was war. His words were sweet, but underneath were daggers.
22 Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall. 23 He will send my enemies to the pit of destruction. Murderers and liars will not live out half their days. But I am trusting you to save me.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,67
3,3,5,132
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,320
6,6,11,372
7,7,13,451
8,8,15,513
9,9,17,591
10,10,19,685
11,11,21,781
12,12,23,870
13,13,25,987
14,14,27,1057
15,15,29,1126
16,16,31,1235
17,17,33,1302
18,18,35,1385
19,19,37,1445
20,20,39,1560
21,21,41,1638
22,22,43,1765
23,23,45,1869
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,151
9,9,5,557
10,11,7,674
12,14,9,932
15,15,11,1218
16,19,13,1364
20,21,15,1752
22,23,17,1952
REAL FRIENDS PSALM 55:12-14
Nothing hurts as much as a wound from a friend. Real friends, however, stick by you in times of trouble and bring healing, love, acceptance, and under- standing. There will be times when friends lovingly confront us, but their motives will be to help. What kind of friend are you? Faithful or fickle? Don't betray those you love.
I Wonder: The sin that God cannot forgive ,!page "^W0016" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM056
1 God, be merciful to me because people are chasing me; the battle has pressed me all day long.
2 My enemies have chased me all day; there are many proud people fighting me.
3 When I am afraid, I will trust you.
4 I praise God for his word. I trust God, so I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words; all their evil plans are against me.
6 They wait. They hide. They watch my steps, hoping to kill me.
7 God, do not let them escape; punish the foreign nations in your anger.
8 You have recorded my troubles. You have kept a list of my tears. Aren't they in your records?
9 On the day I call for help, my enemies will be defeated. I know that God is on my side.
10 I praise God for his word to me; I praise the LORD for his word.
11 I trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can people do to me?
12 God, I must keep my promises to you. I will give you my offerings to thank you,
13 because you have saved me from death. You have kept me from being defeated. So I will walk with God in light among the living.
1 Lord, have mercy on me; all day long the enemy troops press in. So many are proud to fight against me; how they long to conquer me.
3-4 But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you. Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him, what can mere man do to me? 5 They are always twisting what I say. All their thoughts are how to harm me. 6 They meet together to perfect their plans; they hide beside the trail, listening for my steps, waiting to kill me. 7 They expect to get away with it. Don't let them, Lord. In anger cast them to the ground.
8 You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.
9 The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns. My enemies flee! This one thing I know: God is for me! 10-11 I am trusting God - oh, praise his promises! I am not afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises. 12 I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and thank you for your help. 13 For you have saved me from death and my feet from slipping, so that I can walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,101
3,3,5,183
4,4,7,225
5,5,9,323
6,6,11,400
7,7,13,468
8,8,15,545
9,9,17,645
10,10,19,739
11,11,21,811
12,12,23,882
13,13,25,969
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,138
8,8,5,582
9,13,7,752
PSALM057
1 Be merciful to me, God; be merciful to me because I come to you for protection. Let me hide under the shadow of your wings until the trouble has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High, to the God who does everything for me.
3 He sends help from heaven and saves me. He punishes those who chase me. [Selah] God sends me his love and truth.
4 Enemies, like lions, are all around me; I must lie down among them. Their teeth are like spears and arrows, their tongues as sharp as swords.
5 God is supreme over the skies; his majesty covers the earth.
6 They set a trap for me. I am very worried. They dug a pit in my path, but they fell into it themselves. [Selah]
7 My heart is steady, God; my heart is steady. I will sing and praise you.
8 Wake up, my soul. Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn.
9 Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing songs of praise about you to all the nations.
10 Your great love reaches to the skies, your truth to the clouds.
11 God, you are supreme above the skies. Let your glory be over all the earth.
1 O God, have pity, for I am trusting you! I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this storm is past. 2 I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me. 3 He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love and his faithfulness. He will rescue me from these liars who are so intent upon destroying me. 4 I am surrounded by fierce lions - hotheads whose teeth are sharp as spears and arrows. Their tongues are like swords. 5 Lord, be exalted above the highest heavens! Show your glory high above the earth. 6 My enemies have set a trap for me. Frantic fear grips me. They have dug a pitfall in my path. But look! They themselves have fallen into it!
7 O God, my heart is quiet and confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! 8 Rouse yourself, my soul! Arise, O harp and lyre! Let us greet the dawn with song! 9 I will thank you publicly throughout the land. I will sing your praises among the nations. 10 Your kindness and love are as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness is higher than the skies.
11 Yes, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. May your glory shine throughout the earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,160
3,3,5,233
4,4,7,352
5,5,9,500
6,6,11,567
7,7,13,685
8,8,15,764
9,9,17,837
10,10,19,944
11,11,21,1015
1,6,1,1
7,10,3,692
11,11,5,1047
Scrapbook: "David: Trusting that God is in control " ,!page "david1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PSALM058
1 Do you rulers really say what is right? Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, in your heart you plan evil; you think up violent crimes in the land.
3 From birth, evil people turn away from God; they wander off and tell lies as soon as they are born.
4 They are like poisonous snakes, like deaf cobras that stop up their ears
5 so they cannot hear the music of the snake charmer no matter how well he plays.
6 God, break the teeth in their mouths! Tear out the fangs of those lions, LORD!
7 Let them disappear like water that flows away. Let them be cut short like a broken arrow.
8 Let them be like snails that melt as they move. Let them be like a child born dead who never saw the sun.
9 His anger will blow them away alive faster than burning thorns can heat a pot.
10 Good people will be glad when they see him get even. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say, "There really are rewards for doing what is right. There really is a God who judges the world."
1 Justice? You high and mighty politicians don't even know the meaning of the word! Fairness? Which of you has any left? Not one! All your dealings are crooked: you give "justice" in exchange for bribes.
3 These men are born sinners, lying from their earliest words! 4-5 They are poisonous as deadly snakes, cobras that close their ears to the most expert of charmers.
6 O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of these young lions, Lord. 7 Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.
8 Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime and as those who die at birth, who never see the sun. 9 God will sweep away both old and young. He will destroy them more quickly than a cooking pot can feel the blazing fire of thorns beneath it.
10 The godly shall rejoice in the triumph of right; they shall walk the blood-stained fields of slaughtered, wicked men. 11 Then at last everyone will know that good is rewarded, and that there is a God who judges justly here on earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,155
4,4,7,261
5,5,9,340
6,6,11,426
7,7,13,511
8,8,15,607
9,9,17,719
10,10,19,804
11,11,21,918
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,208
6,7,5,376
8,9,7,554
10,11,9,803
PSALM059
1 God, save me from my enemies. Protect me from those who come against me.
2 Save me from those who do evil and from murderers.
3 Look, men are waiting to ambush me. Cruel men attack me, but I have not sinned or done wrong, LORD.
4 I have done nothing wrong, but they are ready to attack me. Wake up to help me, and look.
5 You are the LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, the God of Israel. Arise and punish those people. Do not give those traitors any mercy. [Selah]
6 They come back at night. Like dogs they growl and roam around the city.
7 Notice what comes from their mouths. Insults come from their lips, because they say, "Who's listening?"
8 But, LORD, you laugh at them; you make fun of all of them.
9 God, my strength, I am looking to you, because God is my defender.
10 My God loves me, and he goes in front of me. He will help me defeat my enemies.
11 Lord, our protector, do not kill them, or my people will forget. With your power scatter them and defeat them.
12 They sin by what they say; they sin with their words. They curse and tell lies, so let their pride trap them.
13 Destroy them in your anger; destroy them completely! Then they will know that God rules over Israel and to the ends of the earth. [Selah]
14 They come back at night. Like dogs they growl and roam around the city.
15 They wander about looking for food, and they howl if they do not find enough.
16 But I will sing about your strength. In the morning I will sing about your love. You are my defender, my place of safety in times of trouble.
17 God, my strength, I will sing praises to you. God, my defender, you are the God who loves me.
1 Written by David at the time King Saul set guards at his home to capture and kill him. (1 2 Samuel 19:11)
O my God, save me from my enemies. Protect me from these who have come to destroy me. 2 Preserve me from these criminals, these murderers. 3 They lurk in ambush for my life. Strong men are out there waiting. And not, O Lord, because I've done them wrong. 4 Yet they prepare to kill me. Lord, waken! See what is happening! Help me! 5 (And O Jehovah, God of heaven's armies, God of Israel, arise and punish the heathen nations surrounding us.) Do not spare these evil, treacherous men. 6 At evening they come to spy, slinking around like dogs that prowl the city. 7 I hear them shouting insults and cursing God, for "No one will hear us," they think. 8 Lord, laugh at them! (And scoff at these surrounding nations too.)
9 O God my Strength! I will sing your praises, for you are my place of safety. 10 My God is changeless in his love for me, and he will come and help me. He will let me see my wish come true upon my enemies. 11 Don't kill them - for my people soon forget such lessons - but stagger them with your power and bring them to their knees. Bring them to the dust, O Lord our shield. 12-13 They are proud, cursing liars. Angrily destroy them. Wipe them out. (And let the nations find out, too, that God rules in Israel and will reign throughout the world.) 14-15 Let these evil men slink back at evening and prowl the city all night before they are satisfied, howling like dogs and searching for food.
16 But as for me, I will sing each morning about your power and mercy. For you have been my high tower of refuge, a place of safety in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, to you I sing my praises; for you are my high tower of safety, my God of mercy.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,137
4,4,7,243
5,5,9,339
6,6,11,476
7,7,13,554
8,8,15,664
9,9,17,729
10,10,19,802
11,11,21,889
12,12,23,1007
13,13,25,1124
14,14,27,1269
15,15,29,1348
16,16,31,1433
17,17,33,1582
1,8,1,1
9,15,4,832
16,17,6,1529
CHANGELESS PSALM 59:10
David was hunted by those whose love had turned to jealousy, which was driving them to want to murder him. Trusted friends and his own son had turned against him. What changeable love these people had! But David knew that God's love for him was changeless. God's love for everyone who trusts him is changeless. When the love of others fails or disappoints us, we can rest in God's changeless love.
PSALM060
1 God, you have rejected us and scattered us. You have been angry, but please come back to us.
2 You made the earth shake and crack. Heal its breaks because it is shaking.
3 You have given your people trouble. You made us unable to walk straight, like people drunk with wine.
4 You have raised a banner to gather those who fear you. Now they can stand up against the enemy. [Selah]
5 Answer us and save us by your power so the people you love will be rescued.
6 God has said from his Temple, "When I win, I will divide Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead and Manasseh are mine. Ephraim is like my helmet. Judah holds my royal scepter.
8 Moab is like my washbowl. I throw my sandals at Edom. I shout at Philistia."
9 Who will bring me to the strong, walled city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10 God, surely you have rejected us; you do not go out with our armies.
11 Help us fight the enemy. Human help is useless,
12 but we can win with God's help. He will defeat our enemies.
1 Written by David at the time he was at war with Syria, with the outcome still uncertain; this was when Joab, captain of his forces, slaughtered twelve thousand men of Edom in Salt Valley. O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses; you have become angry and deserted us. Lord, restore us again to your favor. 2 You have caused this nation to tremble in fear; you have torn it apart. Lord, heal it now, for it is shaken to its depths. 3 You have been very hard on us and made us reel beneath your blows.
4-5 But you have given us a banner to rally to; all who love truth will rally to it; then you can deliver your beloved people. Use your strong right arm to rescue us. 6-7 God has promised to help us. He has vowed it by his holiness! No wonder I exult! "Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh - still are mine!" he says. "Judah shall continue to produce kings, and Ephraim great warriors. 8 Moab shall become my lowly servant, and Edom my slave. And I will shout in triumph over the Philistines."
9-10 Who will bring me in triumph into Edom's strong cities? God will! He who cast us off! He who abandoned us to our foes! 11 Yes, Lord, help us against our enemies, for man's help is useless.
12 With God's help we shall do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,181
4,4,7,289
5,5,9,399
6,6,11,481
7,7,13,591
8,8,15,684
9,9,17,767
10,10,19,845
11,11,21,921
12,12,23,976
1,3,1,1
4,8,3,519
9,11,5,1014
12,12,7,1211
e le
PSALM061
PRAISE
1 God, hear my cry; listen to my prayer.
2 I call to you from the ends of the earth when I am afraid. Carry me away to a high mountain.
3 You have been my protection, like a strong tower against my enemies.
4 Let me live in your Holy Tent forever. Let me find safety in the shelter of your wings. [Selah]
5 God, you have heard my promises. You have given me what belongs to those who fear you.
6 Give the king a long life; let him live many years.
7 Let him rule in the presence of God forever. Protect him with your love and truth.
8 Then I will praise your name forever, and every day I will keep my promises.
1 O God, listen to me! Hear my prayer! 2 For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help. When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety. 3 For you are my refuge, a high tower where my enemies can never reach me. 4 I shall live forever in your tabernacle; oh, to be safe beneath the shelter of your wings! 5 For you have heard my vows, O God, to praise you every day, and you have given me the blessings you reserve for those who reverence your name.
6 You will give me added years of life, as rich and full as those of many generations, all packed into one. 7 And I shall live before the Lord forever. Oh, send your loving-kindness and truth to guard and watch over me, 8 and I will praise your name continually, fulfilling my vow of praising you each day.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,46
3,3,5,145
4,4,7,220
5,5,9,322
6,6,11,415
7,7,13,473
8,8,15,562
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,535
PRAISE PSALM 61:5
David continually praised God through both the good and difficult times of his life. His commitment to praise God every day showed his reverence for God. Do you find something to praise God for each day? As you do, you will find your heart elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence.
PSALM062
1 I find rest in God; only he can save me.
2 He is my rock and my salvation. He is my defender; I will not be defeated.
3 How long will you attack someone? Will all of you kill that person? Who is like a leaning wall, like a fence ready to fall?
4 They are planning to make that person fall. They enjoy telling lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. [Selah]
5 I find rest in God; only he gives me hope.
6 He is my rock and my salvation. He is my defender; I will not be defeated.
7 My honor and salvation come from God. He is my mighty rock and my protection.
8 People, trust God all the time. Tell him all your problems, because God is our protection. [Selah]
9 The least of people are only a breath, and even the greatest are just a lie. On the scales, they weigh nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in force. Stealing is of no use. Even if you gain more riches, don't put your trust in them.
11 God has said this, and I have heard it over and over: God is strong.
12 The Lord is loving. You reward people for what they have done.
1 I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone. 2 Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?
3-4 But what is this? They pick on me at a time when my throne is tottering; they plot my death and use lies and deceit to try to force me from the throne. They are so friendly to my face while cursing in their hearts!
5 But I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone. 6 Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense, and fortress - why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?
7 My protection and success come from God alone. He is my refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me. 8 O my people, trust him all the time. Pour out your longings before him, for he can help! 9 The greatest of men or the lowest - both alike are nothing in his sight. They weigh less than air on scales.
10 Don't become rich by extortion and robbery; if your riches increase, don't be proud. 11-12 God has said it many times, that power belongs to him (and also, O Lord, steadfast love belongs to you). He rewards each one of us according to what our works deserve.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,48
3,3,5,129
4,4,7,259
5,5,9,404
6,6,11,453
7,7,13,534
8,8,15,618
9,9,17,723
10,10,19,874
11,11,21,987
12,12,23,1063
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,225
5,6,5,447
7,9,7,677
10,12,9,984
nee
PSALM063
1 God, you are my God. I search for you. I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water. I have seen you in the Temple and have seen your strength and glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, I will praise you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in prayer to your name. 5 I will be content as if I had eaten the best foods. My lips will sing, and my mouth will praise you. 6 I remember you while I'm lying in bed; I think about you through the night. 7 You are my help. Because of your protection, I sing. 8 I stay close to you; you support me with your right hand. 9 Some people are trying to kill me, but they will go down to the grave. 10 They will be killed with swords and eaten by wild dogs. 11 But the king will rejoice in his God. All who make promises in his name will praise him, but the mouths of liars will be shut.
1 A Psalm of David when he was hiding in the wilderness of Judea. O God, my God! How I search for you! How I thirst for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. How I long to find you! 2 How I wish I could go into your sanctuary to see your strength and glory, 3 for your love and kindness are better to me than life itself. How I praise you! 4 I will bless you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 5 At last I shall be fully satisfied; I will praise you with great joy.
6 I lie awake at night thinking of you - 7 of how much you have helped me - and how I rejoice through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings. 8 I follow close behind you, protected by your strong right arm. 9 But those plotting to destroy me shall go down to the depths of hell. 10 They are doomed to die by the sword, to become the food of jackals. 11 But I will rejoice in God. All who trust in him exult, while liars shall be silenced.
1,11,2,3
1,5,1,1
6,11,3,515
> > >
PSALM064
1 God, listen to my complaint. I am afraid of my enemies; protect my life from them.
2 Hide me from those who plan wicked things, from that gang who does evil.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords and shoot bitter words like arrows.
4 From their hiding places they shoot at innocent people; they shoot suddenly and are not afraid.
5 They encourage each other to do wrong. They talk about setting traps, thinking no one will see them.
6 They plan wicked things and say, "We have a perfect plan." The mind of human beings is hard to understand.
7 But God will shoot them with arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.
8 Their own words will be used against them. All who see them will shake their heads.
9 Then everyone will fear God. They will tell what God has done, and they will learn from what he has done.
10 Good people will be happy in the LORD and will find protection in him. Let everyone who is honest praise the LORD.
1 Lord, listen to my complaint: Oh, preserve my life from the conspiracy of these wicked men, these gangs of criminals. 3 They cut me down with sharpened tongues; they aim their bitter words like arrows straight at my heart. 4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent. Suddenly the deed is done, yet they are not afraid. 5 They encourage each other to do evil. They meet in secret to set their traps. "He will never notice them here," they say. 6 They keep a sharp lookout for opportunities of crime. They spend long hours with all their endless evil thoughts and plans.
7 But God himself will shoot them down. Suddenly his arrow will pierce them. 8 They will stagger backward, destroyed by those they spoke against. All who see it happening will scoff at them. 9 Then everyone shall stand in awe and confess the greatness of the miracles of God; at last they will realize what amazing things he does. 10 And the godly shall rejoice in the Lord, and trust and praise him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,3,5,169
4,4,7,250
5,5,9,352
6,6,11,459
7,7,13,572
8,8,15,650
9,9,17,740
10,10,19,852
1,6,1,1
7,10,3,573
PSALM065
1 God, you will be praised in Jerusalem. We will keep our promises to you.
2 You hear our prayers. All people will come to you.
3 Our guilt overwhelms us, but you forgive our sins.
4 Happy are the people you choose and invite to stay in your court. We are filled with good things in your house, your holy Temple.
5 You answer us in amazing ways, God our Savior. People everywhere on the earth and beyond the sea trust you.
6 You made the mountains by your strength; you are dressed in power.
7 You stopped the roaring seas, the roaring waves, and the uproar of the nations.
8 Even those people at the ends of the earth fear your miracles. You are praised from where the sun rises to where it sets.
9 You take care of the land and water it; you make it very fertile. The rivers of God are full of water. Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You send rain to the plowed fields; you fill the rows with water. You soften the ground with rain, and then you bless it with crops.
11 You give the year a good harvest, and you load the wagons with many crops.
12 The desert is covered with grass and the hills with happiness.
13 The pastures are full of flocks, and the valleys are covered with grain. Everything shouts and sings for joy.
1 O God in Zion, we wait before you in silent praise, and thus fulfill our vow. And because you answer prayer, all mankind will come to you with their requests. 3 Though sins fill our hearts, you forgive them all. 4 How greatly to be envied are those you have chosen to come and live with you within the holy tabernacle courts! What joys await us among all the good things there. 5 With dread deeds and awesome power you will defend us from our enemies, O God who saves us. You are the only hope of all mankind throughout the world and far away upon the sea.
6 He formed the mountains by his mighty strength. 7 He quiets the raging oceans and all the world's clamor. 8 In the farthest corners of the earth the glorious acts of God shall startle everyone. The dawn and sunset shout for joy! 9 He waters the earth to make it fertile. The rivers of God will not run dry! He prepares the earth for his people and sends them rich harvests of grain. 10 He waters the furrows with abundant rain. Showers soften the earth, melting the clods and causing seeds to sprout across the land. 11-12 Then he crowns it all with green, lush pastures in the wilderness; hillsides blossom with joy. 13 The pastures are filled with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. All the world shouts with joy and sings.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,137
4,4,7,194
5,5,9,330
6,6,11,444
7,7,13,517
8,8,15,603
9,9,17,731
10,10,19,878
11,11,21,1018
12,12,23,1100
13,13,25,1170
1,5,1,1
6,13,3,563
FORGIVEN PSALM 65:3
Although sins fill our hearts, God will forgive them all if we ask sincerely. Do you feel as though God could never forgive you, that your sins are too many, or that some of them are too great? Don't worry! God can and will forgive them all. Nobody is beyond redemption, and nobody is so full of sin that he cannot be made clean.
PSALM066
1 Everything on earth, shout with joy to God!
2 Sing about his glory! Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, "Your works are amazing! Because your power is great, your enemies fall before you.
4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you. They sing praises to your name." [Selah]
5 Come and see what God has done, the amazing things he has done for people.
6 He turned the sea into dry land. The people crossed the river on foot. So let us rejoice because of what he did.
7 He rules forever with his power. He keeps his eye on the nations, so people should not turn against him. [Selah]
8 You people, praise our God; loudly sing his praise.
9 He protects our lives and does not let us be defeated.
10 God, you have tested us; you have purified us like silver.
11 You let us be trapped and put a heavy load on us.
12 You let our enemies walk on our heads. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place with good things.
13 I will come to your Temple with burnt offerings. I will give you what I promised,
14 things I promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will bring you offerings of fat animals, and I will offer sheep, bulls, and goats. [Selah]
16 All of you who fear God, come and listen, and I will tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth and praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had known of any sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened to me.
19 But God has listened; he has heard my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or hold back his love from me.
1 Sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing of his glorious name! Tell the world how wonderful he is.
3 How awe-inspiring are your deeds, O God! How great your power! No wonder your enemies surrender! 4 All the earth shall worship you and sing of your glories. 5 Come, see the glorious things God has done. What marvelous miracles happen to his people! 6 He made a dry road through the sea for them. They went across on foot. What excitement and joy there was that day!
7 Because of his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations. O rebel lands, he will deflate your pride.
8 Let everyone bless God and sing his praises; 9 for he holds our lives in his hands, and he holds our feet to the path. 10 You have purified us with fire, O Lord, like silver in a crucible. 11 You captured us in your net and laid great burdens on our backs. 12 You sent troops to ride across our broken bodies. We went through fire and flood. But in the end, you brought us into wealth and great abundance.
13 Now I have come to your Temple with burnt offerings to pay my vows. 14 For when I was in trouble, I promised you many offerings. 15 That is why I am bringing you these fat male goats, rams, and calves. The smoke of their sacrifice shall rise before you.
16 Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me: 17 For I cried to him for help with praises ready on my tongue. 18 He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins. 19 But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!
20 Blessed be God, who didn't turn away when I was praying and didn't refuse me his kindness and love.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,51
3,3,5,105
4,4,7,207
5,5,9,307
6,6,11,388
7,7,13,507
8,8,15,626
9,9,17,684
10,10,19,745
11,11,21,811
12,12,23,868
13,13,25,994
14,14,27,1083
15,15,29,1131
16,16,31,1231
17,17,33,1325
18,18,35,1397
19,19,37,1483
20,20,39,1536
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,104
7,7,5,475
8,12,7,610
13,15,9,1021
16,19,11,1281
20,20,13,1568
PROMISES PSALM 66:14-15
People sometimes make bargains with God, saying, If you heal me (or get me out of this mess), I'll obey you for the rest of my life. Soon after they recover, however, the vow is often forgotten and the old life-style resumes. This writer had made a promise to God, but he remembered the promise and paid his vow. God always keeps his promises, and wants us to follow his example. Be careful to follow through on whatever you promise to do.
PSALM067
1 God, have mercy on us and bless us and show us your kindness [Selah]
2 so the world will learn your ways, and all nations will learn that you can save.
3 God, the people should praise you; all people should praise you.
4 The nations should be glad and sing because you judge people fairly. You guide all the nations on earth. [Selah]
5 God, the people should praise you; all people should praise you.
6 The land has given its crops. God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us so people all over the earth will fear him. 6
1 O God, in mercy bless us; let your face beam with joy as you look down at us.
2 Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind. 3 How everyone throughout the earth will praise the Lord! 4 How glad the nations will be, singing for joy because you are their King and will give true justice to their people! 5 Praise God, O world! May all the peoples of the earth give thanks to you. 6-7 For the earth has yielded abundant harvests. God, even our own God, will bless us. And peoples from remotest lands will worship him.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,163
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,353
6,6,11,424
7,7,13,486
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
PSALM068
1 Let God rise up and scatter his enemies; let those who hate him run away from him.
2 Blow them away as smoke is driven away by the wind. As wax melts before a fire, let the wicked be destroyed before God.
3 But those who do right should be glad and should rejoice before God; they should be happy and glad.
4 Sing to God; sing praises to his name. Prepare the way for him who rides through the desert, whose name is the LORD. Rejoice before him.
5 God is in his holy Temple. He is a father to orphans, and he defends the widows.
6 God gives the lonely a home. He leads prisoners out with joy, but those who turn against God will live in a dry land.
7 God, you led your people out when you marched through the desert. [Selah]
8 The ground shook and the sky poured down rain before God, the God of Mount Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 God, you sent much rain; you refreshed your tired land.
10 Your people settled there. God, in your goodness you took care of the poor.
11 The Lord gave the command, and a great army told the news:
12 "Kings and their armies run away. In camp they divide the wealth taken in war.
13 Those who stayed by the campfires will share the riches taken in battle."
14 The Almighty scattered kings like snow on Mount Zalmon.
15 The mountains of Bashan are high; the mountains of Bashan have many peaks.
16 Why do you mountains with many peaks look with envy on the mountain that God chose for his home? The LORD will live there forever.
17 God comes with millions of chariots; the Lord comes from Mount Sinai to his holy place.
18 When you went up to the heights, you led a parade of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who turned against you. And the LORD God will live there.
19 Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day. [Selah]
20 Our God is a God who saves us; the LORD God saves us from death.
21 God will crush his enemies' heads, the hairy skulls of those who continue to sin.
22 The Lord said, "I will bring the enemy back from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the sea.
23 Then you can stick your feet in their blood, and your dogs can lick their share."
24 God, people have seen your victory march; God my King marched into the holy place.
25 The singers are in front and the instruments are behind. In the middle are the girls with the tambourines.
26 Praise God in the meeting place; praise the LORD in the gathering of Israel.
27 There is the smallest tribe, Benjamin, leading them. And there are the leaders of Judah with their group. There also are the leaders of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28 God, order up your power; show the mighty power you have used for us before.
29 Kings will bring their wealth to tou, to your Temple in Jerusalem.
30 Punish Egypt, the beast in the tall grass along the river. Punish the leaders of nations, those bulls among the cows. Defeated, they will bring you their silver. Scatter those nations that love war.
31 Messengers will come from Egypt; the people of Cush will pray to God.
32 Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord. [Selah]
33 Sing to the one who rides through the skies, which are from long ago. He speaks with a thundering voice.
34 Announce that God is powerful. He rules over Israel, and his power is in the skies.
35 God, you are wonderful in your Temple. The God of Israel gives his people strength and power. Praise God!
1 Arise, O God, and scatter all your enemies! Chase them away! 2 Drive them off like smoke before the wind; melt them like wax in fire! So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But may the godly man exult. May he rejoice and be merry. 4 Sing praises to the Lord! Raise your voice in song to him who rides upon the clouds! Jehovah is his name - oh, rejoice in his presence. 5 He is a father to the fatherless; he gives justice to the widows, for he is holy.
6 He gives families to the lonely, and releases prisoners from jail, singing with joy! But for rebels there is famine and distress.
7 O God, when you led your people through the wilderness, 8 the earth trembled and the heavens shook. Mount Sinai quailed before you - the God of Israel. 9-10 You sent abundant rain upon your land, O God, to refresh it in its weariness! There your people lived, for you gave them this home when they were destitute.
11-13 The Lord speaks. The enemy flees. The women at home cry out the happy news: "The armies that came to destroy us have fled!" Now all the women of Israel are dividing the booty. See them sparkle with jewels of silver and gold, covered all over as wings cover doves! 14 God scattered their enemies like snowflakes melting in the forests of Zalmon.
15-16 O mighty mountains in Bashan! O splendid many-peaked ranges! Well may you look with envy at Mount Zion, the mount where God has chosen to live forever. 17 Surrounded by unnumbered chariots, the Lord moves on from Mount Sinai and comes to his holy temple high upon Mount Zion. 18 He ascends the heights, leading many captives in his train. He receives gifts for men, even those who once were rebels. God will live among us here.
19 What a glorious Lord! He who daily bears our burdens also gives us our salvation.
20 He frees us! He rescues us from death. 21 But he will crush his enemies, for they refuse to leave their guilty, stubborn ways. 22 The Lord says, "Come," to all his people's enemies;
they are hiding on Mount Hermon's highest slopes and deep within the sea! 23 His people must destroy them. Cover your feet with their blood; dogs will eat them.
24 The procession of God my King moves onward to the sanctuary - 25 singers in front, musicians behind, girls playing the timbrels in between. 26 Let all the people of Israel praise the Lord, who is Israel's fountain. 27 The little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. The princes and elders of Judah, and the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali are right behind.
28 Summon your might; display your strength, O God, for you have done such mighty things for us.
29 The kings of the earth are bringing their gifts to your temple in Jerusalem. 30 Rebuke our enemies, O Lord. Bring them - submissive, tax in hand. Scatter all who delight in war. 31 Egypt will send gifts of precious metals. Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God in adoration. 32 Sing to the Lord, O kingdoms of the earth - sing praises to the Lord, 33 to him who rides upon the ancient heavens, whose mighty voice thunders from the sky.
34 Power belongs to God! His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. 35 What awe we feel, kneeling here before him in the sanctuary. The God of Israel gives strength and mighty power to his people. Blessed be God!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,3,5,216
4,4,7,322
5,5,9,465
6,6,11,552
7,7,13,676
8,8,15,756
9,9,17,875
10,10,19,937
11,11,21,1020
12,12,23,1086
13,13,25,1172
14,14,27,1253
15,15,29,1316
16,16,31,1398
17,17,33,1536
18,18,35,1631
19,19,37,1811
20,20,39,1883
21,21,41,1955
22,22,43,2044
23,23,45,2159
24,24,47,2248
25,25,49,2338
26,26,51,2452
27,27,53,2536
28,28,55,2704
29,29,57,2788
30,30,59,2862
31,31,61,3068
32,32,63,3145
33,33,65,3222
34,34,67,3334
35,35,69,3425
1,2,1,1
3,5,3,189
6,6,5,474
7,10,7,609
11,14,9,928
15,18,11,1282
19,19,13,1719
20,23,15,1807
24,27,18,2157
28,28,20,2516
29,33,22,2616
34,35,24,3063
BREATHLESS PSALM 68:34-35
We should feel an overwhelming sense of awe as we kneel before the Lord in his sanctuary. Surrounding us are countless signs of his wonderful power; shining down upon us are countless signs of his majesty. Unlimited power and unspeakable majesty leave us breathless in his presence. When you catch your breath, praise the Lord!
PSALM069
1 God, save me, because the water has risen to my neck.
2 I'm sinking down into the mud, and there is nothing to stand on. I am in deep water, and the flood covers me.
3 I am tired from calling for help; my throat is sore. My eyes are tired from waiting for God to help me.
4 There are more people who hate me for no reason than hairs on my head; powerful enemies want to destroy me for no reason. They make me pay back what I did not steal.
5 God, you know what I have done wrong; I cannot hide my guilt from you.
6 Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL, do not let those who hope in you be ashamed because of me. God of Israel, do not let your worshipers be disgraced because of me.
7 For you, I carry this shame, and my face is covered with disgrace.
8 I am like a stranger to my closest relatives and a foreigner to my mother's children.
9 My strong love for your Temple completely controls me. When people insult you, it hurts me.
10 When I cry and go without food, they make fun of me.
11 When I wear clothes of sadness, they joke about me.
12 They make fun of me in public places, and the drunkards make up songs about me.
13 But I pray to you, LORD, for favor. God, because of your great love, answer me. You are truly able to save.
14 Pull me from the mud, and do not let me sink. Save me from those who hate me and from the deep water.
15 Do not let the flood drown me or the deep water swallow me or the grave close its mouth over me.
16 LORD, answer me because your love is so good. Because of your great kindness, turn to me.
17 Do not hide from me, your servant. I am in trouble. Hurry to help me!
18 Come near and save me; rescue me from my enemies.
19 You see my shame and disgrace. You know all my enemies and what they have said.
20 Insults have broken my heart and left me weak. I looked for sympathy, but there was none; I found no one to comfort me.
21 They put poison in my food and gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their own feasts cause their ruin; let their feasts trap them and pay them back.
23 Let their eyes be closed so they cannot see and their backs be forever weak from troubles.
24 Pour your anger out on them; let your anger catch up with them.
25 May their place be empty; leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They chase after those you have hurt, and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with crime after crime, and do not let them have anything good.
28 Wipe their names from the book of life, and do not list them with those who do what is right.
29 I am sad and hurting. God, save me and protect me.
30 I will praise God in a song and will honor him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the LORD more than offering him cattle, more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad. Be encouraged, you who worship God.
33 The LORD listens to those in need and does not look down on captives.
34 Heaven and earth should praise him, the seas and everything in them.
35 God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit that land, and those who love him will live there.
1 Save me, O my God. The floods have risen. Deeper and deeper I sink in the mire; the waters rise around me. 3 I have wept until I am exhausted; my throat is dry and hoarse; my eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to act. 4 I cannot even count all those who hate me without cause. They are influential men, these who plot to kill me though I am innocent. They demand that I be punished for what I didn't do.
5 O God, you know so well how stupid I am, and you know all my sins. 6 O Lord God of the armies of heaven, don't let me be a stumbling block to those who trust in you. O God of Israel, don't let me cause them to be confused, 7 though I am mocked and cursed and shamed for your sake. 8 Even my own brothers pretend they don't know me! 9 My zeal for God and his work burns hot within me. And because I advocate your cause, your enemies insult me even as they insult you. 10 How they scoff and mock me when I mourn and fast before the Lord! 11 How they talk about me when I wear sackcloth to show my humiliation and sorrow for my sins! 12 I am the talk of the town and the song ofthe drunkards. 13 But I keep right on praying to you, Lord. For now is the time - you are bending down to hear! You are ready with a plentiful supply of love and kindness. Now answer my prayer and rescue me as you promised.
14 Pull me out of this mire. Don't let me sink in. Rescue me from those who hate me, and from these deep waters I am in.
15 Don't let the floods overwhelm me or the ocean swallow me; save me from the pit that threatens me. 16 O Jehovah, answer my prayers, for your loving-kindness is wonderful; your mercy is so plentiful, so tender and so kind. 17 Don't hide from me, for I am in deep trouble. Quick! Come and save me. 18 Come, Lord, and rescue me. Ransom me from all my enemies. 19 You know how they talk about me, and how they so shamefully dishonor me. You see them all and know what each has said.
20 Their contempt has broken my heart; my spirit is heavy within me. If even one would showsome pity, if even one would comfort me! 21 For food they gave me gall; for my awful thirst they offered vinegar. 22 Let their joys turn to ashes and their peace disappear; 23 let darkness, blindness, and great feebleness be theirs. 24 Pour out your fury upon them; consume them with the fierceness of your anger. 25 Let their homes be desolate and abandoned. 26 For they persecute the one you have smitten and scoff at the pain of the one you have pierced. 27 Pile their sins high and do not overlook them. 28 Let these men be blotted from the list of the living; do not give them the joys of life with the righteous.
29 But rescue me, O God, from my poverty and pain. 30 Then I will praise God with my singing! My thanks will be his praise - 31 that will please him more than sacrificing a bullock or an ox. 32 The humble shall see their God at work for them. No wonder they will be so glad! All who seek for God shall live in joy. 33 For Jehovah hears the cries of his needy ones and does not look the other way.
34 Praise him, all heaven and earth! Praise him, all the seas and everything in them! 35 For God will save Jerusalem; he rebuilds the cities of Judah. His people shall live in them and not be dispossessed. 36 Their children shall inherit the land; all who love his name shall live there safely.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,61
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,287
5,5,9,459
6,6,11,536
7,7,13,694
8,8,15,767
9,9,17,859
10,10,19,957
11,11,21,1017
12,12,23,1076
13,13,25,1163
14,14,27,1278
15,15,29,1387
16,16,31,1491
17,17,33,1588
18,18,35,1665
19,19,37,1722
20,20,39,1809
21,21,41,1936
22,22,43,2000
23,23,45,2092
24,24,47,2190
25,25,49,2261
26,26,51,2331
27,27,53,2432
28,28,55,2515
29,29,57,2616
30,30,59,2674
31,31,61,2746
32,32,63,2861
33,33,65,2943
34,34,67,3020
35,35,69,3096
36,36,71,3206
1,4,1,1
5,13,3,425
14,14,5,1329
15,19,7,1453
20,28,9,1938
29,33,11,2651
34,36,13,3051
PSALM070
1 God, come quickly and save me. LORD, hurry to help me.
2 Let those who are trying to kill me be ashamed and disgraced. Let those who want to hurt me run away in disgrace.
3 Let those who make fun of me stop because of their shame.
4 But let all those who worship you rejoice and be glad. Let those who love your salvation always say, "Praise the greatness of God."
5 I am poor and helpless; God, hurry to me. You help me and save me. LORD, do not wait.
1 Rescue me, O God! Lord, hurry to my aid! 2-3 They are after my life and delight in hurting me. Confuse them! Shame them! Stop them! Don't let them keep on mocking me! 4 But fill the followers of God with joy. Let those who love your salvation exclaim, "What a wonderful God he is!" 5 But I am in deep trouble. Rush to my aid, for only you can help and save me. O Lord, don't delay.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,182
4,4,7,246
5,5,9,384
1,1,1,1
PANIC PSALM 70:4
This short psalm was David's plea for God to rush to his aid. Yet even in this moment of panic, praise was not forgotten. Praise is important because it helps us remember who God is. Often our prayers are filled with requests for ourselves and others; we forget to thank God for what he has done and to worship him for who he is. Don't take God for granted or treat him as a vending machine. Even in the midst of his fear, David praised God.
PSALM071
1 In you, LORD, is my protection. Never let me be ashamed.
2 Because you do what is right, save and rescue me; listen to me and save me.
3 Be my place of safety where I can always come. Give the command to save me, because you are my rock and my strong, walled city.
4 My God, save me from the power of the wicked and from the hold of evil and cruel people.
5 LORD, you are my hope. LORD, I have trusted you since I was young.
6 I have depended on you since I was born; you helped me even on the day of my birth. I will always praise you.
7 I am an example to many people, because you are my strong protection.
8 I am always praising you; all day long I honor you.
9 Do not reject me when I am old; do not leave me when my strength is gone.
10 My enemies make plans against me, and they meet together to kill me.
11 They say, "God has left him. Go after him and take him, because no one will save him."
12 God, don't be far off. My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let those who accuse me be ashamed and destroyed. Let those who are trying to hurt me be covered with shame and disgrace.
14 But I will always have hope and will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell how you do what is right. I will tell about your salvation all day long, even though it is more than I can tell.
16 I will come and tell about your powerful works, Lord GOD. I will remind people that only you do what is right.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young. To this day I tell about the miracles you do.
18 Even though I am old and gray, do not leave me, God. I will tell the children about your power; I will tell those who live after me about your might.
19 God, your justice reaches to the skies. You have done great things; God, there is no one like you.
20 You have given me many troubles and bad times, but you will give me life again. When I am almost dead, you will keep me alive.
21 You will make me greater than ever, and you will comfort me again.
22 I will praise you with the harp. I trust you, my God. I will sing to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy when I sing praises to you. You have saved me.
24 I will tell about your justice all day long. And those who want to hurt me will be ashamed and disgraced.
1 Lord, you are my refuge! Don't let me down! 2 Save me from my enemies, for you are just! Rescue me! Bend down your ear and listen to my plea and save me. 3 Be to me a great protecting Rock, where I am always welcome, safe from all attacks. For you have issued the order to save me. 4 Rescue me, O God, from these unjust and cruel men. 5 O Lord, you alone are my hope; I've trusted you from childhood. 6 Yes, you have been with me from birth and have helped me constantly - no wonder I am always praising you! 7 My success - at which so many stand amazed - is because you are my mighty protector. 8 All day long I'll praise and honor you, O God, for all that you have done for me.
9 And now, in my old age, don't set me aside. Don't forsake me now when my strength is failing. 10 My enemies are whispering, 11 "God has forsaken him! Now we can get him. There is no one to help him now!" 12 O God, don't stay away! Come quickly! Help! 13 Destroy them! Cover them with failure and disgrace - these enemies of mine.
14 I will keep on expecting you to help me. I praise you more and more. 15 I cannot count the times when you have faithfully rescued me from danger. I will tell everyone how good you are, and of your constant, daily care. 16 I walk in the strength of the Lord God. I tell everyone that you alone are just and good. 17 O God, you have helped me from my earliest childhood - and I have constantly testified to others of the wonderful things you do. 18 And now that I am old and gray, don't forsake me. Give me time to tell this new generation (and their children too) about all your mighty miracles. 19 Your power and goodness, Lord, reach to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Where is there another God like you? 20 You have let me sink down deep in desperate problems. But you will bring me back to life again, up from the depths of the earth. 21 You will give me greater honor than before and turn again and comfort me.
22 I will praise you with music, telling of your faithfulness to all your promises, O Holy One of Israel. 23 I will shout and sing your praises for redeeming me. 24 I will talk to others all day long about your justice and your goodness. For all who tried to hurt me have been disgraced and dishonored.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,64
3,3,5,146
4,4,7,280
5,5,9,375
6,6,11,448
7,7,13,564
8,8,15,640
9,9,17,698
10,10,19,778
11,11,21,854
12,12,23,948
13,13,25,1004
14,14,27,1133
15,15,29,1203
16,16,31,1335
17,17,33,1453
18,18,35,1549
19,19,37,1706
20,20,39,1812
21,21,41,1946
22,22,43,2020
23,23,45,2135
24,24,47,2210
1,8,1,1
9,13,3,686
14,21,5,1021
22,24,7,1969
g in 8
PSALM072
1 God, give the king your good judgment and the king's son your goodness.
2 Help him judge your people fairly and decide what is right for the poor.
3 Let there be peace on the mountains and goodness on the hills for the people.
4 Help him be fair to the poor and save the needy and punish those who hurt them.
5 May they respect you as long as the sun shines and as long as the moon glows.
6 Let him be like rain on the grass, like showers that water the earth.
7 Let goodness be plentiful while he lives. Let peace continue as long as there is a moon.
8 Let his kingdom go from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 Let the people of the desert bow down to him, and make his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the faraway lands bring him gifts. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba bring their presents to him.
11 Let all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
12 He will help the poor when they cry out and will save the needy when no one else will help.
13 He will be kind to the weak and poor, and he will save their lives.
14 He will save them from cruel people who try to hurt them, because from Sheba. Let people always pray for him and bless him all day long. 16 Let the fields grow plenty of grain and the hills be covered with crops. Let the land be as fertile as Lebanon, and let the cities grow like the grass in a field. 17 Let the king be famous forever; let him be remembered as long as the sun shines. Let the nations be blessed because of him, and may they all bless him. 18 Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such miracles. 19 Praise his glorious name forever. Let his glory fill the whole world. Amen and amen. 20 This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.
1 O God, help the king to judge as you would, and help his son to walk in godliness. 2 Help him to give justice to your people, even to the poor. 3 May the mountains and hills flourish in prosperity because of his good reign. 4 Help him to defend the poor and needy and to crush their oppressors. 5 May the poor and needy revere you constantly, as long as sun and moon continue in the skies! Yes, forever!
6 May the reign of this son of mine be as gentle and fruitful as the springtime rains upon the grass - like showers that water the earth! 7 May all good men flourish in his reign with abundance of peace to the end of time.
8 Let him reign from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 9 The desert nomads shall bow before him; his enemies shall fall face downward in the dust. 10 Kings along the Mediterranean coast - the kings of Tarshish and the islands - and those from Sheba and from Seba - all will bring their gifts. 11 Yes, kings from everywhere! All will bow before him! All will serve him!
12 He will take care of the helpless and poor when they cry to him; for they have no one else to defend them. 13 He feels pity for the weak and needy and will rescue them. 14 He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him.
15 And he shall live; and to him will be given the gold of Sheba, and there will be constant praise for him. His people* will bless him all day long. 16 Bless us with abundant crops throughout the land, even on the highland plains; may there be fruit like that of Lebanon; may the cities be as full of people as the fields are of grass. 17 His name will be honored forever; it will continue as the sun; and all will be blessed in him; all nations will praise him.
18 Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only does wonderful things! 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!
20 (This ends the psalms of David, son of Jesse.)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,158
4,4,7,242
5,5,9,328
6,6,11,412
7,7,13,488
8,8,15,583
9,9,17,680
10,10,19,768
11,11,21,901
12,12,23,965
13,13,25,1064
14,20,27,1139
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,410
8,11,5,636
12,14,7,1040
15,17,9,1308
18,19,11,1775
20,20,13,1958
HELPLESS PSALM 72:12-14
God cares for the helpless and poor because they are precious to him. If God feels so strongly about the poor and loves them so deeply, how can we ignore their plight? Examine what you are doing to reach out with God's love to the poor, weak, and needy in the world. Are you ignoring them?
Ult. Issues: Down in the Dumps ,!page "^down" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM073
1 God is truly good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts.
2 But I had almost stopped believing; I had almost lost my faith
3 because I was jealous of proud people. I saw wicked people doing well.
4 They are not suffering; they are healthy and strong.
5 They don't have troubles like the rest of us; they don't have problems like other people.
6 They wear pride like a necklace and put on violence as their clothing.
7 They are looking for profits and do not control their selfish desires.
8 They make fun of others and speak evil; proudly they speak of hurting others.
9 They brag to the sky. They say that they own the earth.
10 So their people turn to them and give them whatever they want.
11 They say, "How can God know? What does God Most High know?"
12 These people are wicked, always at ease, and getting richer.
13 So why have I kept my heart pure? Why have I kept my hands from doing wrong?
14 I have suffered all day long; I have been punished every morning.
15 God, if I had decided to talk like this, I would have let your people down.
16 I tried to understand all this, but it was too hard for me to see
17 until I went to the Temple of God. Then I understood what will happen to them.
18 You have put them in danger; you cause them to be destroyed.
19 They are destroyed in a moment; they are swept away by terrors.
20 It will be like waking from a dream. Lord, when you rise up, they will disappear.
21 When my heart was sad and I was angry,
22 I was senseless and stupid. I acted like an animal toward you.
23 But I am always with you; you have held my hand.
24 You guide me with your advice, and later you will receive me in honor.
25 I have no one in heaven but you; I want nothing on earth besides you.
26 My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever.
27 Those who are far from God will die; you destroy those who are unfaithful.
28 But I am close to God, and that is good. The Lord GOD is my protection. I will tell all that you have done.
w w 1 How good God is to Israel - to those whose hearts are pure. 2 But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping and I was almost gone. 3 For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked. 4 Yes, all through life their road is smooth! They grow sleek and fat. 5 They aren't always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else, 6 so their pride sparkles like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty! 7 These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! 8 They scoff at God and threaten his people. How proudly they speak! 9 They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut through the earth.
10 And so God's people are dismayed and confused and drink it all in. 11 "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask. 12 "Look at these men of arrogance; they never have to lift a finger - theirs is a life of ease; and all the time their riches multiply."
13 Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure? 14 All I get out of it is trouble and woe - every day and all day long! 15 If I had really said that, I would have been a traitor to your people. 16 Yet it is so hard to explain it - this prosperity of those who hate the Lord. 17 Then one day I went into God's sanctuary to meditate and thought about the future of these evil men. 18 What a slippery path they are on - suddenly God will send them sliding over the edge of the cliff and down to their destruction: 19 an instant end to all their happiness, an eternity of terror. 20 Their present life is only a dream! They will awaken to the truth as one awakens from a dream of things that never really were!
21 When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart! 22 I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem like an animal to you, O God. 23 But even so, you love me! You are holding my right hand! 24 You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven!
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you! 26 My health fails; my spirits droop, yet God remains! He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!
27 But those refusing to worship God will perish, for he destroys those serving other gods.
28 But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have chosen him, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he rescues me.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,67
3,3,5,136
4,4,7,213
5,5,9,272
6,6,11,368
7,7,13,445
8,8,15,522
9,9,17,606
10,10,19,668
11,11,21,738
12,12,23,805
13,13,25,873
14,14,27,957
15,15,29,1030
16,16,31,1113
17,17,33,1186
18,18,35,1272
19,19,37,1340
20,20,39,1411
21,21,41,1500
22,22,43,1546
23,23,45,1616
24,24,47,1672
25,25,49,1750
26,26,51,1827
27,27,53,1915
28,28,55,1997
1,9,1,1
10,12,3,691
13,20,5,952
21,24,7,1679
25,26,9,2004
27,27,11,2194
28,28,13,2289
Moral Dilemmas: Injustice ,!page "^M0029" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM074
1 God, why have you rejected us for so long? Why are you angry with us, the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the people you bought long ago. You saved us, and we are your very own. After all, you live on Mount Zion.
3 Make your way through these old ruins; the enemy wrecked everything in the Temple.
4 Those who were against you shouted in your meeting place and raised their flags there.
5 They came with axes raised as if to cut down a forest of trees.
6 They smashed the carved panels with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your Temple to the ground; they have made the place where you live unclean.
8 They thought, "We will completely crush them!" They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We do not see any signs. There are no more prophets, and no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy make fun of you? Will they insult you forever?
11 Why do you hold back your power? Bring your power out in the open and destroy them!
12 God, you have been our king for a long time. You bring salvation to the earth.
13 You split open the sea by your power and broke the heads of the sea monster.
14 You smashed the heads of the monster Leviathan and gave him to the desert creatures as food.
15 You opened up the springs and streams and made the flowing rivers run dry.
16 Both the day and the night are yours; you made the sun and the moon.
17 You set all the limits on the earth; you created summer and winter.
18 LORD, remember how the enemy insulted you. Remember how those foolish people made fun of you.
19 Do not give us, your doves, to those wild animals. Never forget your poor people.
20 Remember the agreement you made with us, because violence fills every dark corner of this land.
21 Do not let your suffering people be disgraced. Let the poor and helpless praise you.
22 God, arise and defend yourself. Remember the insults that come from those foolish people all day long.
23 Don't forget what your enemies said; don't forget their roar as they rise against you always.
1 O God, why have you cast us away forever? Why is your anger hot against us - the sheep of your own pasture? 2 Remember that we are your people - the ones you chose in ancient times from slavery and made the choicest of your possessions. You chose Jerusalem as your home on earth!
3 Walk through the awful ruins of the city and see what the enemy has done to your sanctuary. 4 There they shouted their battle cry and erected their idols to flaunt their victory. 5-6 Everything lies in shambles like a forest chopped to the ground. They came with their axes and sledgehammers and smashed and chopped the carved paneling; 7 they set the sanctuary on fire, and razed it to the ground - your sanctuary, Lord. 8 "Let's wipe out every trace of God," they said, and went through the entire country burning down the assembly places where we worshiped you.
9-10 There is nothing left to show that we are your people. The prophets are gone, and who can say when it all will end? How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to dishonor your name? Will you let them get away with this forever? 11 Why do you delay? Why hold back your power? Unleash your fist and give them a final blow.
12 God is my King from ages past; you have been actively helping me everywhere throughout the land. 13-14 You divided the Red Sea with your strength; you crushed the sea-god's heads! You gave him to the desert tribes to eat! 15 At your command the springs burst forth to give your people water; and then you dried a path for them across the ever-flowing Jordan. 16 Day and night alike belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. 17 All nature is within your hands; you make the summer and the winter too. 18 Lord, see how these enemies scoff at you. O Jehovah, an arrogant nation has blasphemed your name.
19 O Lord, save me! Protect your turtledove from the hawks. Save your beloved people from these beasts. 20 Remember your promise! For the land is full of darkness and cruel men. 21 O Lord, don't let your downtrodden people be constantly insulted. Give cause for these poor and needy ones to praise your name! 22 Arise, O God, and state your case against our enemies. Remember the insults these rebels have hurled against you all day long. 23 Don't overlook the cursing of these enemies of yours; it grows louder and louder.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,226
4,4,7,315
5,5,9,408
6,6,11,478
7,7,13,545
8,8,15,639
9,9,17,753
10,10,19,854
11,11,21,944
12,12,23,1035
13,13,25,1121
14,14,27,1205
15,15,29,1305
16,16,31,1387
17,17,33,1463
18,18,35,1538
19,19,37,1639
20,20,39,1728
21,21,41,1831
22,22,43,1923
23,23,45,2033
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,286
9,11,5,856
12,18,7,1186
19,23,9,1802
HATE PSALM 74:8
When enemy armies defeated Israel, they sacked Jerusalem, trying to wipe out every trace of God. This has often been the response of people who hate God. Today many are trying to erase all traces of God from traditions in our society and subjects taught in our schools. Do what you can to help maintain a Christian influence, but don't become discouraged when others appear to make great strides in eliminating all traces of God. They cannot eliminate his presence in the lives of believers.
PSALM075
1 God, we thank you; we thank you because you are near. We tell about the miracles you do.
2 You say, "I set the time for trial, and I will judge fairly.
3 The earth with all its people may shake, but I am the one who holds it steady. [Selah]
4 I say to those who are proud, `Don't brag,' and to the wicked, `Don't show your power.
5 Don't try to use your power against heaven. Don't be stubborn.' "
6 No one from the east or the west or the desert can judge you.
7 God is the judge; he judges one person as guilty and another as innocent.
8 The LORD holds a cup of anger in his hand; it is full of wine mixed with spices. He pours it out even to the last drop, and the wicked drink it all.
9 I will tell about this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 He will take all power away from the wicked, but the power of good people will grow.
1 How we thank you, Lord! Your mighty miracles give proof that you care.
2 "Yes," the Lord replies, "and when I am ready, I will punish the wicked! 3 Though the earth shakes and all its people live in turmoil, yet its pillars are firm, for I have set them in place!"
4 I warned the proud to cease their arrogance! I told the wicked to lower their insolent gaze
5 and to stop being stubborn and proud. 6-7 For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another. 8 In Jehovah's hand there is a cup of pale and sparkling wine. It is his judgment, poured out upon the wicked of the earth. They must drain that cup to the dregs.
9 But as for me, I shall forever declare the praises of the God of Jacob. 10 "I will cut off the strength of evil men," says the Lord, "and increase the power of good men in their place."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,163
4,4,7,256
5,5,9,349
6,6,11,421
7,7,13,489
8,8,15,569
9,9,17,724
10,10,19,802
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,77
4,4,5,274
5,8,6,369
9,10,8,687
TIMING PSALM 75:2
Children have difficulty grasping the concept of time. It's not time yet is not a reason they easily understand. They only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, we can't comprehend God's perspective on time. We want everything now, not recognizing that God's timing is better for us. When God is ready, he will do what needs to be done, not what we would like him to do. We may be impatient as children, but it is clear that God's timing is perfect, so we should accept it.
PSALM076
1 People in Judah know God; his fame is great in Israel.
2 His Tent is in Jerusalem; his home is on Mount Zion.
3 There God broke the flaming arrows, the shields, the swords, and the weapons of war. [Selah]
4 God, how wonderful you are! You are more splendid than the hills full of animals.
5 The brave soldiers were stripped as they lay asleep in death. Not one warrior had the strength to stop it.
6 God of Jacob, when you spoke strongly, horses and riders fell dead.
7 You are feared; no one can stand against you when you are angry.
8 From heaven you gave the decision, and the earth was afraid and silent.
9 God, you stood up to judge and to save the needy people of the earth. [Selah]
10 People praise you for your anger against evil. Those who live through your anger are stopped from doing more evil.
11 Make and keep your promises to the LORD your God. From all around, gifts should come to the God we worship.
12 God breaks the spirits of great leaders; the kings on earth fear him.
1 God's reputation is very great in Judah and in Israel. 2 His home is in Jerusalem. He lives upon Mount Zion. 3 There he breaks the weapons of our enemies.
4 The everlasting mountains cannot compare with you in glory! 5 The mightiest of our enemies are conquered. They lie before us in the sleep of death; not one can lift a hand against us. 6 When you rebuked them, God of Jacob, steeds and riders fell. 7 No wonder you are greatly feared! Who can stand before an angry God? 8 You pronounce sentence on them from heaven; the earth trembles and stands silently before you. 9 You stand up to punish the evildoers and to defend the meek of the earth. 10 Man's futile wrath will bring you glory. You will use it as an ornament!
11 Fulfill all your vows that you have made to Jehovah your God. Let everyone bring him presents. He should be reverenced and feared, 12 for he cuts down princes and does awesome things to the kings of the earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,121
4,4,7,220
5,5,9,308
6,6,11,421
7,7,13,495
8,8,15,566
9,9,17,644
10,10,19,728
11,11,21,850
12,12,23,965
1,3,1,1
4,10,3,161
11,12,5,733
PSALM077
1 I cry out to God; I call to God, and he will hear me.
2 I look for the Lord on the day of trouble. All night long I reach out my hands, but I cannot be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I become upset; when I think, I become afraid. [Selah]
4 You keep my eyes from closing. I am too upset to say anything.
5 I keep thinking about the old days, the years of long ago.
6 At night I remember my songs. I think and I ask myself:
7 "Will the Lord reject us forever? Will he never be kind to us again?
8 Is his love gone forever? Has he stopped speaking for all time?
9 Has God forgotten mercy? Is he too angry to pity us?" [Selah]
10 Then I say "This is what makes me sad: For years the power of God Most High was with us."
11 I remember what the LORD did; I remember the miracles you did long ago.
12 I think about all the things you did and consider your deeds.
13 God, your ways are holy. No god is as great as our God.
14 You are the God who does miracles; you have shown people your power.
15 By your power you have saved your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. [Selah]
16 God, the waters saw you; they saw you and became afraid; thundered. Your lightning flashed back and forth like arrows. 18 Your thunder sounded in the whirlwind. Lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. 19 You made a way through the sea and paths through the deep waters, but your footprints were not seen. 20 You led your people like a flock by using Moses and Aaron.
1 I cry to the Lord; I call and call to him. Oh, that he would listen. 2 I am in deep trouble and I need his help so much. All night long I pray, lifting my hands to heaven, pleading. There can be no joy for me until he acts. 3 I think of God and moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help. 4 I cannot sleep until you act. I am too distressed even to pray!
5 I keep thinking of the good old days of the past, long since ended. 6 Then my nights were filled with joyous songs. I search my soul and meditate upon the difference now. 7 Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be favorable? 8 Is his loving-kindness gone forever? Has his promise failed? 9 Has he forgotten to be kind to one so undeserving? Has he slammed the door in anger on his love? 10 And I said: This is my fate, that the blessings of God have changed to hate.
11 I recall the many miracles he did for me so long ago. 12 Those wonderful deeds are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about them.
13 O God, your ways are holy. Where is there any other as mighty as you? 14 You are the God of miracles and wonders! You still demonstrate your awesome power.
15 You have redeemed us who are the sons of Jacob and of Joseph by your might. 16 When the Red Sea saw you, how it feared! It trembled to its depths! 17 The clouds poured down their rain, the thunder rolled and crackled in the sky. Your lightning flashed. 18 There was thunder in the whirlwind; the lightning lighted up the world! The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led by a pathway through the sea - a pathway no one knew was there! 20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,61
3,3,5,174
4,4,7,256
5,5,9,325
6,6,11,390
7,7,13,452
8,8,15,527
9,9,17,597
10,10,19,665
11,11,21,762
12,12,23,841
13,13,25,910
14,14,27,973
15,15,29,1049
16,20,31,1143
1,4,1,1
5,10,3,362
11,12,5,850
13,14,7,1001
15,18,9,1163
19,20,11,1527
PSALM078
1 My people, listen to my teaching; listen to what I say.
2 I will speak using stories; I will tell secret things from long ago.
3 We have heard them and known them by what our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not keep them from our children; we will tell those who come later about the praises of the LORD. We will tell about his power and the miracles he has done.
5 The LORD made an agreement with Jacob and gave the teachings to Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children.
6 Then their children would know them, even their children not yet born. And they would tell their children.
7 So they would all trust God and would not forget what he had done but would obey his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors who were stubborn and disobedient. Their hearts were not loyal to God, and they were not true to him.
9 The men of Ephraim had bows for weapons, but they ran away on the day of battle.
10 They didn't keep their agreement with God and refused to live by his teachings.
11 They forgot what he had done and the miracles he had shown them.
12 He did miracles while their ancestors watched, in the fields of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the Red Sea and led them through. He made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He led them with a cloud by day and by the light of a fire by night.
15 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them more than enough water, as if from the deep ocean.
16 He brought streams out of the rock and caused water to flow down like rivers.
17 But the people continued to sin against him; in the desert they turned against God Most High.
18 They decided to test God by asking for the food they wanted.
19 Then they spoke against God, saying, "Can God prepare food in the desert?
20 When he hit the rock, water poured out and rivers flowed down. But can he give us bread also? Will he provide his people with meat?"
21 When the LORD heard them, he was very angry. His anger was like fire to the people of Jacob; his anger grew against the people of Israel.
22 They had not believed God and had not trusted him to save them.
23 But he gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained manna down on them to eat; he gave them grain from heaven.
25 So they ate the bread of angels. He sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He sent the east wind from heaven and led the south wind by his power.
27 He rained meat on them like dust. The birds were as many as the sand of the sea.
28 He made the birds fall inside the camp, all around the tents.
29 So the people ate and became very full. God had given them what they wanted.
30 While they were still eating, and while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them. He killed some of the healthiest of them; he struck down the best young men of Israel.
32 But they kept on sinning; they did not believe even with the miracles.
33 So he ended their days without meaning and their years in terror.
34 Anytime he killed them, they would look to him for help; they would come back to God and follow him.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock, that God Most High had saved them.
36 But their words were false, and their tongues lied to him.
37 Their hearts were not really loyal to God; they did not keep his agreement.
38 Still God was merciful. He forgave their sins and did not destroy them. Many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his anger.
39 He remembered that they were only human, like a wind that blows and does not come back.
40 They turned against God so often in the desert and grieved him there.
41 Again and again they tested God and brought pain to the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power or the time he saved them from the enemy.
43 They forgot the signs he did in Egypt and his wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood so no one could drink the water.
45 He sent flies that bit the people. He sent frogs that destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers and what they worked for to locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with sleet.
48 He killed their animals with hail and their cattle with lightning.
49 He showed them his hot anger. He sent his strong anger against them, his destroying angels.
50 He found a way to show his anger. He did not keep them from dying but let them die by a terrible disease.
51 God killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, the oldest son of each family of Ham.
52 But God led his people out like sheep and he guided them like a flock through the desert.
53 He led them to safety so they had nothing to fear, but their enemies drowned in the sea.
54 So God brought them to his holy land, to the mountain country he took with his own power.
55 He forced out the other nations, and he had his people inherit the land. He let the tribes of Israel settle there in tents.
56 But they tested God and turned against God Most High; they did not keep his rules.
57 They turned away and were disloyal just like their ancestors. They were like a crooked bow that does not shoot straight.
58 They made God angry by building places to worship gods; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he became very angry and rejected the people of Israel completely.
60 He left his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let the Ark, his power, be captured; he let the Ark, his glory, be taken by enemies.
62 He let his people be killed; he was very angry with his children.
63 The young men died by fire, and the young women had no one to marry.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows were not allowed to cry.
65 Then the Lord got up as if he had been asleep; he awoke like a man who had been drunk with wine.
66 He struck down his enemies and disgraced them forever.
67 But God rejected the family of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And he built his Temple high like the mountains. Like the earth, he built it to last forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant and took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the sheep so he could lead the flock, the people of Jacob, his own people, the people of Israel.
72 And David led them with an innocent heart and guided them with skillful hands.
1 O my people, listen to my teaching. Open your ears to what I am saying. 2-3 For I will show you lessons from our history, stories handed down to us from former generations. 4 I will reveal these truths to you so that you can describe these glorious deeds of Jehovah to your children and tell them about the mighty miracles he did. 5 For he gave his laws to Israel and commanded our fathers to teach them to their children, 6 so that they in turn could teach their children too. Thus his laws pass down from generation to generation. 7 In this way each generation has been able to obey his laws and to set its hope anew on God and not forget his glorious miracles. 8 Thus they did not need to be as their fathers were - stubborn, rebellious, unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
9 The people of Ephraim, though fully armed, turned their backs and fled when the day of battle came 10 because they didn't obey his laws. They refused to follow his ways. 11-12 And they forgot about the wonderful miracles God had done for them and for their fathers in Egypt. 13 For he divided the sea before them and led them through! The water stood banked up along both sides of them! 14 In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and at night by a pillar of fire. 15 He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them plenty of water, as though gushing from a spring. 16 Streams poured from the rock, flowing like a river!
17 Yet they kept on with their rebellion, sinning against the God who is above all gods. 18 They murmured and complained, demanding other food than God was giving them. 19-20 They even spoke against God himself. "Why can't he give us decent food as well as water?" they grumbled. 21 Jehovah heard them and was angry; the fire of his wrath burned against Israel 22 because they didn't believe in God or trust in him to care for them, 23 even though he commanded the skies to open - he opened the windows of heaven - 24 and rained down manna for their food. He gave them bread from heaven! 25 They ate angels' food! He gave them all they could hold.
26 And he led forth the east wind and guided the south wind by his mighty power. 27 He rained down birds as thick as dust, clouds of them like sands along the shore! 28 He caused the birds to fall to the ground among the tents. 29 The people ate their fill. He gave them what they asked for. 30 But they had hardly finished eating, and the meat was yet in their mouths, 31 when the anger of the Lord rose against them and killed the finest of Israel's young men. 32 Yet even so the people kept on sinning and refused to believe in miracles. 33 So he cut their lives short and gave them years of terror and disaster.
34 Then at last, when he had ruined them, they walked awhile behind him; how earnestly they turned around and followed him! 35 Then they remembered that God was their Rock - that their Savior was the God above all gods. 36 But it was only with their words they followed him, not with their hearts; 37 their hearts were far away. They did not keep their promises. 38 Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and didn't destroy them all. Many and many a time he held back his anger. 39 For he remembered that they were merely mortal men, gone in a moment like a breath of wind.
40 Oh, how often they rebelled against him in those desert years and grieved his heart. 41 Again and again they turned away and tempted God to kill them, and limited the Holy One of Israel from giving them his blessings. 42 They forgot his power and love and how he had rescued them from their enemies; 43 they forgot the plagues he sent upon the Egyptians in Tanis - 44 how he turned their rivers into blood so that no one could drink, 45 how he sent vast swarms of flies to fill the land, and how the frogs had covered all of Egypt!
46 He gave their crops to caterpillars. Their harvest was consumed by locusts. 47 He destroyed their grapevines and their sycamores with hail. 48 Their cattle died in the fields, mortally wounded by huge hailstones from heaven. Their sheep were killed by lightning. 49 He loosed on them the fierceness of his anger, sending sorrow and trouble. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels. 50 He gave free course to his anger and did not spare the Egyptians' lives, but handed them over to plagues and sickness. 51 Then he killed the eldest son in each Egyptian family - he who was the beginning of its strength and joy.
52 But he led forth his own people like a flock, guiding them safely through the wilderness. 53 He kept them safe, so they were not afraid. But the sea closed in upon their enemies and overwhelmed them. 54 He brought them to the border of his land of blessing, to this land of hills he made for them. 55 He drove out the nations occupying the land and gave each tribe of Israel its apportioned place as its home.
56 Yet though he did all this for them, they still rebelled against the God above all gods and refused to follow his commands. 57 They turned back from entering the Promised Land and disobeyed as their fathers had. Like a crooked arrow, they missed the target of God's will. 58 They made him angry by erecting idols and altars to other gods.
59 When God saw their deeds, his wrath was strong and he despised his people. 60 Then he abandoned his Tabernacle at Shiloh, where he had lived among mankind, 61 and allowed his Ark to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands. 62 He caused his people to be butchered because his anger was intense. 63 Their young men were killed by fire, and their girls died before they were old enough to sing their wedding songs. 64 The priests were slaughtered, and their widows died before they could even begin their lament. 65 Then the Lord rose up as though awakening from sleep, and like a mighty man aroused by wine, 66 he routed his enemies; he drove them back and sent them to eternal shame. 67 But he rejected Joseph's family, the tribe of Ephraim, 68 and chose the tribe of Judah - and Mount Zion, which he loved. 69 There he built his towering temple, solid and enduring as the heavens and the earth. 70 He chose his servant David, taking him from feeding sheep 71-72 and from following the ewes with lambs; God presented David to his people as their shepherd, and he cared for them with a true heart and skillful hands.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,63
3,3,5,138
4,4,7,214
5,5,9,385
6,6,11,524
7,7,13,637
8,8,15,738
9,9,17,885
10,10,19,972
11,11,21,1059
12,12,23,1131
13,13,25,1217
14,14,27,1309
15,15,29,1385
16,16,31,1490
17,17,33,1575
18,18,35,1676
19,19,37,1744
20,20,39,1825
21,21,41,1965
22,22,43,2110
23,23,45,2181
24,24,47,2262
25,25,49,2338
26,26,51,2420
27,27,53,2498
28,28,55,2586
29,29,57,2655
30,30,59,2739
31,31,61,2822
32,32,63,2944
33,33,65,3022
34,34,67,3095
35,35,69,3203
36,36,71,3290
37,37,73,3356
38,38,75,3439
39,39,77,3587
40,40,79,3682
41,41,81,3759
42,42,83,3842
43,43,85,3923
44,44,87,4007
45,45,89,4079
46,46,91,4156
47,47,93,4236
48,48,95,4315
49,49,97,4389
50,50,99,4488
51,51,101,4601
52,52,103,4690
53,53,105,4787
54,54,107,4883
55,55,109,4980
56,56,111,5111
57,57,113,5201
58,58,115,5329
59,59,117,5432
60,60,119,5527
61,61,121,5608
62,62,123,5703
63,63,125,5776
64,64,127,5852
65,65,129,5934
66,66,131,6038
67,67,133,6100
68,68,135,6186
69,69,137,6262
70,70,139,6363
71,71,141,6437
72,72,143,6569
1,8,1,1
9,16,3,797
17,25,5,1428
26,33,7,2079
34,39,9,2698
40,45,11,3279
46,51,13,3817
52,55,15,4451
56,58,17,4867
59,72,19,5212
TALK PSALM 78:36-37
Over and over the children of Israel said they would follow God, but then they turned away from him. The problem was that they followed God with words and not with their hearts, thus their repentance was empty. Talk is cheap. God wants our lives to back up our spiritual claims and promises-he wants us to be true believers.
READY PSALM 78:71-72
Although David had been on the throne when this psalm was written, he is called a shepherd and not a king. Shepherding, a common profession in biblical times, was a highly responsible job. The flocks were completely dependent upon shepherds for guidance, provision, and protection. David had spent his early years as a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:10-11). This was a training ground for the future responsibilities God had in store for him. When he was ready, God took him from caring for sheep to caring for Israel, God's people. Don't treat your present situation lightly or irresponsibly; it may be God's training ground for your future.
PSALM079
1 God, nations have come against your chosen people. They have ruined your holy Temple. They have turned Jerusalem into ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the wild birds. They have given the bodies of those who worship you to the wild animals.
3 They have spilled blood like water all around Jerusalem. No one was left to bury the dead.
4 We are a joke to the other nations; they laugh and make fun of us.
5 LORD, how long will this last? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like a fire?
6 Be angry with the nations that do not know you and with the kingdoms that do not honor you.
7 They have gobbled up the people of Jacob and destroyed their land.
8 Don't punish us for our past sins. Show your mercy to us soon, because we are helpless!
9 God our Savior, help us so people will praise you. Save us and forgive our sins so people will honor you.
10 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Tell the other nations in our presence that you punish those who kill your servants.
11 Hear the moans of the prisoners. Use your great power to save those sentenced to die.
12 Repay those around us seven times over for their insults to you, Lord.
13 We are your people, the sheep of your flock. We will thank you always; forever and ever we will praise you.
1 O God, your land has been conquered by the heathen nations. Your Temple is defiled, and Jerusalem is a heap of ruins. 2 The bodies of your people lie exposed - food for birds and animals. 3 The enemy has butchered the entire population of Jerusalem; blood has flowed like water. No one is left even to bury them. 4 The nations all around us scoff. They heap contempt on us.
5 O Jehovah, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? Will your jealousy burn till every hope is gone? 6 Pour out your wrath upon the godless nations - not on us - on kingdoms that refuse to pray, that will not call upon your name! 7 For they have destroyed your people Israel, invading every home. 8 Oh, do not hold us guilty for our former sins! Let your tenderhearted mercies meet our needs, for we are brought low to the dust. 9 Help us, God of our salvation! Help us for the honor of your name. Oh, save us and forgive our sins. 10 Why should the heathen nations be allowed to scoff, "Where is their God?" Publicly avenge this slaughter of your people! 11 Listen to the sighing of the prisoners and those condemned to die. Demonstrate the greatness of your power by saving them. 12 O Lord, take sevenfold vengeance on these nations scorning you.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and forever, praising your greatness from generation to generation.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,132
3,3,5,282
4,4,7,379
5,5,9,452
6,6,11,562
7,7,13,660
8,8,15,733
9,9,17,827
10,10,19,939
11,11,21,1081
12,12,23,1174
13,13,25,1252
1,4,1,1
5,12,3,380
13,13,5,1238
BE PREPARED PSALM 79:10
Can we expect God to care for us so others won't scoff at our beliefs? In the end, God will bring himself glory (Psalm 76:10), but in the meantime, we must endure suffering with patience and allow God to purify us through it. For reasons that we do not know, the heathen are allowed to scoff at believers. We should be prepared for criticism, jokes, and unkind remarks because God does not place us beyond the attacks of scoffers.
PSALM080
1 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us. You lead the people of Joseph like a flock. You sit on your throne between the gold creatures with wings. Show your greatness
2 to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Use your strength, and come to save us.
3 God, take us back. Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
4 LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, how long will you be angry at the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed your people with tears; you have made them drink many tears.
6 You made those around us fight over us, and our enemies make fun of us.
7 God ALL-POWERFUL, take us back. Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
8 You brought us out of Egypt as if we were a vine. You forced out other nations and planted us in the land.
9 You cleared the ground for us. Like a vine, we took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade. We had limbs like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, and our shoots went to the Euphrates River.
12 So why did you pull down our walls? Now everyone who passes by steals from us.
13 Like wild pigs they walk over us; like wild animals they feed on us.
14 God ALL-POWERFUL, come back. Look down from heaven and see. Take care of us, your vine.
15 You planted this shoot with your own hands and strengthened this child.
16 Now it is cut down and burned with fire; you destroyed us by your angry looks.
17 With your hand, strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from you. Give us life again, and we will call to you for help.
19 LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, take us back. Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
1 O Shepherd of Israel who leads Israel like a flock; O God enthroned above the Guardian Angels, bend down your ear and listen as I plead. Display your power and radiant glory. 2 Let Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh see you rouse yourself and use your mighty power to rescue us.
3 Turn us again to yourself, O God. Look down on us in joy and love; only then shall we be saved.
4 O Jehovah, God of heaven's armies, how long will you be angry and reject our prayers? 5 You have fed us with sorrow and tears 6 and have made us the scorn of the neighboring nations. They laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again to yourself, O God of Hosts. Look down on us in joy and love; only then shall we be saved. 8 You brought us from Egypt as though we were a tender vine and drove away the heathen from your land and planted us. 9 You cleared the ground and tilled the soil, and we took root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered with our shadow; we were like the mighty cedar trees,
11 covering the entire land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. 12 But now you have broken down our walls, leaving us without protection. 13 The boar from the forest roots around us, and the wild animals feed on us.
14 Come back, we beg of you, O God of the armies of heaven, and bless us. Look down from heaven and see our plight and care for this your vine! 15 Protect what you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. 16 For we are chopped and burned by our enemies. May they perish at your frown. 17 Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice,* 18 and we will never forsake you again. Revive us to trust in you.
19 Turn us again to yourself, O God of the armies of heaven. Look down on us, your face aglow with joy and love - only then shall we be saved.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,167
3,3,5,263
4,4,7,330
5,5,9,417
6,6,11,497
7,7,13,575
8,8,15,655
9,9,17,768
10,10,19,852
11,11,21,941
12,12,23,1036
13,13,25,1122
14,14,27,1198
15,15,29,1293
16,16,31,1372
17,17,33,1458
18,18,35,1530
19,19,37,1628
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,282
4,6,5,383
7,10,7,600
11,13,8,994
14,18,10,1228
19,19,12,1661
PSALM081
1 Sing for joy to God, our strength; shout out loud to the God of Jacob.
2 Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play pleasant music on the harps and lyres.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, when the moon is full, when our feast begins.
4 This is the law for Israel; it is the command of the God of Jacob.
5 He gave this rule to the people of Joseph when they went out of the land of Egypt. I heard a language I did not know, saying:
6 "I took the load off their shoulders; I let them put down their baskets.
7 When you were in trouble, you called, and I saved you. I answered you with thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. [Selah]
8 My people, listen. I am warning you. Israel, please listen to me!
9 You must not have foreign gods; you must not worship any false god.
10 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Open your mouth and I will feed you.
11 "But my people did not listen to me; Israel did not want me.
12 So I let them go their stubborn way and follow their own advice.
13 I wish my people would listen to me; I wish Israel would live my way.
14 Then I would quickly defeat their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would bow before him. Their punishment would continue forever.
16 But I would give you the finest wheat and fill you with honey from the rocks."
1 The Lord makes us strong! Sing praises! Sing to Israel's God!
2 Sing, accompanied by drums; pluck the sweet lyre and harp. 3 Sound the trumpet! Come to the joyous celebrations at full moon, new moon, and all the other holidays. 4 For God has given us these times of joy; they are scheduled in the laws of Israel. 5 He gave them as reminders of his war against Egypt where we were slaves on foreign soil.
I heard an unknown voice that said, 6 "Now I will relieve your shoulder of its burden; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks." 7 He said, "You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered from Mount Sinai where the thunder hides. I tested your faith at Meribah, when you complained there was no water. 8 Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you will only listen! 9 You must never worship any other god nor ever have an idol in your home.
10 For it was I, Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Only test me! Open your mouth wide and see if I won't fill it. You will receive every blessing you can use!
11 "But no, my people won't listen. Israel doesn't want me around. 12 So I am letting them go their blind and stubborn way, living according to their own desires.
13 "But oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! 14 How quickly then I would subdue her enemies! How soon my hands would be upon her foes! 15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; their desolation would last forever. 16 But he would feed you with the choicest foods. He would satisfy you with honey for the taking."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,167
4,4,7,265
5,5,9,338
6,6,11,470
7,7,13,549
8,8,15,686
9,9,17,758
10,10,19,832
11,11,21,932
12,12,23,1000
13,13,25,1072
14,14,27,1149
15,15,29,1235
16,16,31,1329
1,1,1,1
2,9,3,68
10,10,6,905
11,12,8,1093
13,16,10,1259
HOLIDAYS PSALM 81:4-5
Israel's holidays reminded the nation of God's great miracles. It was a time of rejoicing and a time to renew one's strength for life's daily struggles. At Christmas, do most of your thoughts revolve around presents? Is Easter only a warm antici- pation of spring, and Thanksgiving only a good meal? Remember the spiritual origins of these special days, and use them as opportunities to worship God for his goodness to you, your family, and your nation.
PSALM082
1 God is in charge of the great meeting; he judges among the "gods."
2 He says, "How long will you defend evil people? How long will you show greater kindness to the wicked? [Selah]
3 Defend the weak and the orphans; defend the rights of the poor and suffering.
4 Save the weak and helpless; free them from the power of the wicked.
5 "You know nothing. You don't understand. You walk in the dark, while the world is falling apart.
6 I said, `You are "gods." You are all sons of God Most High.'
7 But you will die like any other person; you will fall like all the leaders."
8 God, come and judge the earth, because you own all the nations.
1 God stands up to open heaven's court. He pronounces judgment on the judges.
2 How long will you judges refuse to listen to the evidence? How long will you shower special favors on the wicked? 3 Give fair judgment to the poor man, the afflicted, the fatherless, the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men. 5 But you are so foolish and so ignorant! Because you are in darkness, all the foundations of society are shaken to the core. 6 I have called you all "gods" and "sons of the Most High." 7 But in death you are mere men. You will fall as any prince - for all must die.
8 Stand up, O God, and judge the earth. For all of it belongs to you. All nations are in your hands.
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,82
8,8,5,611
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,191
4,4,7,275
5,5,9,349
6,6,11,452
7,7,13,519
8,8,15,602
PSALM083
1 God, do not keep quiet; God, do not be silent or still.
2 Your enemies are making noises; those who hate you are getting ready to attack.
3 They are making secret plans against your people; they plot against those you love.
4 They say, "Come, let's destroy them as a nation. Then no one will ever remember the name `Israel.' "
5 They are united in their plan. These have made an agreement against you:
6 the families of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, and Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them to help Ammon and Moab, the descendants of Lot. [Selah]
9 God, do to them what you did to Midian, what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They died at Endor, and their bodies rotted on the ground.
11 Do to their important leaders what you did to Oreb and Zeeb. Do to their princes what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna.
12 They said, "Let's take for ourselves the pasturelands that belong to God."
13 My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff blown away by the wind.
14 Be like a fire that burns a forest or like flames that blaze through the hills.
15 Chase them with your storm, and frighten them with your wind.
16 Cover them with shame. Then people will look for you, LORD.
17 Make them afraid and ashamed forever. Disgrace them and destroy them.
18 Then they will know that you are the LORD, that only you are God Most High over all the earth.
1 O God, don't sit idly by, silent and inactive when we pray. Answer us! Deliver us!
2 Don't you hear the tumult and commotion of your enemies? Don't you see what they are doing, these proud men who hate the Lord? 3 They are full of craftiness and plot against your people, laying plans to slay your precious ones. 4 "Come," they say, "and let us wipe out Israel as a nation - we will destroy the very memory of her existence." 5 This was their unanimous decision at their summit conference - they signed a treaty to ally themselves against Almighty God - 6 these Ishmaelites and Edomites and Moabites and Hagrites; 7 people from the lands of Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Tyre; 8 Assyria has joined them too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot.
9 Do to them as once you did to Midian, or as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 10 and as you did to your enemies at Endor, whose decaying corpses fertilized the soil. 11 Make their mighty nobles die as Oreb did, and Zeeb; let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,* 12 who said, "Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!"
13 O my God, blow them away like dust; like chaff before the wind - 14 as a forest fire that roars across a mountain. 15 Chase them with your fiery storms, tempests, and tornados. 16 Utterly disgrace them until they recognize your power and name, O Lord. 17 Make them failures in everything they do; let them be ashamed and terrified 18 until they learn that you alone, Jehovah, are the God above all gods in supreme charge of all the earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,63
3,3,5,149
4,4,7,239
5,5,9,346
6,6,11,425
7,7,13,496
8,8,15,560
9,9,17,651
10,10,19,751
11,11,21,817
12,12,23,941
13,13,25,1023
14,14,27,1100
15,15,29,1187
16,16,31,1256
17,17,33,1323
18,18,35,1400
1,1,1,1
2,8,3,89
9,12,5,766
13,18,7,1130
THE RULER PSALM 83:13-18
The rulers of the nations exercise great power, changing the course of history and its peoples. Surrounding Judah were heathen nations that sought its downfall. Asaph prayed that God would blow his hot breath of judgment upon them until, in their defeat, they recognized that the Lord is above all rulers of the earth. Sometimes we must be dragged in the dust before we will look up and see the Lord; we must be defeated before we can have the ultimate victory. Wouldn't it be better to seek the Lord in times of prosperity than to wait until his judgment is upon us?
PSALM084
1 LORD ALL-POWERFUL, how lovely is your Temple!
2 I want more than anything to be in the courtyards of the LORD' s Temple. My whole being wants to be with the living God.
3 The sparrows have found a home, and the swallows have nests. They raise their young near your altars, LORD ALL-POWERFUL, my King and my God.
4 Happy are the people who live at your Temple; they are always praising you. [Selah]
5 Happy are those whose strength comes from you, who want to travel to Jerusalem.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it like a spring. The autumn rains fill it with pools of water.
7 The people get stronger as they go, and everyone meets with God in Jerusalem.
8 LORD God ALL-POWERFUL, hear my prayer; God of Jacob, listen to me. [Selah]
9 God, look at our shield; be kind to your appointed king.
10 One day in the courtyards of your Temple is better than a thousand days anywhere else. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the Temple of my God than live in the homes of the wicked.
11 The LORD God is like a sun and shield; the LORD gives us kindness and honor. He does not hold back anything good from those whose lives are innocent.
12 LORD ALL-POWERFUL, happy are the people who trust you!
1 How lovely is your Temple, O Lord of the armies of heaven.
2 I long, yes, faint with longing to be able to enter your courtyard and come near to the Living God. 3 Even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to come and nest among your altars and there have their young, O Lord of heaven's armies, my King and my God! 4 How happy are those who can live in your Temple, singing your praises.
5 Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who want above all else to follow your steps. 6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of springs where pools of blessing and refreshment collect after rains! 7 They will grow constantly in strength, and each of them is invited to meet with the Lord in Zion.
8 O Jehovah, God of the heavenly armies, hear my prayer! Listen, God of Israel. 9 O God, our Defender and our Shield, have mercy on the one you have anointed as your king.
10 A single day spent in your Temple is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a doorman of the Temple of my God than live in palaces of wickedness. 11 For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk along his paths.
12 O Lord of the armies of heaven, blessed are those who trust in you.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,53
3,3,5,180
4,4,7,327
5,5,9,417
6,6,11,503
7,7,13,624
8,8,15,708
9,9,17,789
10,10,19,852
11,11,21,1039
12,12,23,1196
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,65
5,7,5,398
8,9,7,736
10,11,9,911
12,12,11,1228
PSALM085
1 LORD, you have been kind to your land; you brought back the people of Jacob.
2 You forgave the guilt of the people and covered all their sins. [Selah]
3 You stopped all your anger; you turned back from your strong anger.
4 God our Savior, bring us back again. Stop being angry with us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you stay angry from now on?
6 Won't you give us life again? Your people would rejoice in you.
7 LORD, show us your love, and save us.
8 I will listen to God the LORD. He has ordered peace for those who worship him. Don't let them go back to foolishness.
9 God will soon save those who respect him, and his glory will be seen in our land.
10 Love and truth belong to God's people; goodness and peace will be theirs.
11 On earth people will be loyal to God, and God's goodness will shine down from heaven.
12 The LORD will give his goodness, and the land will give its crops.
13 Goodness will go before God and prepare the way for him.
1 Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on this land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel, 2 and forgiven the sins of your people - yes, covered over each one, 3 so that all your wrath, your blazing anger, is now ended.
4 Now bring us back to loving you, O Lord, so that your anger will never need rise against us again. 5 (Or will you be always angry - on and on to distant generations?) 6 Oh, revive us! Then your people can rejoice in you again. 7 Pour out your love and kindness on us, Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 I am listening carefully to all the Lord is saying - for he speaks peace to his people, his saints, if they will only stop their sinning. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who reverence him; our land will be filled with his glory.
10 Mercy and truth have met together. Grim justice and peace have kissed! 11 Truth rises from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings on the land, and it yields its bountiful crops. 13 Justice goes before him to make a pathway for his steps.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,236
5,5,9,305
6,6,11,379
7,7,13,449
8,8,15,493
9,9,17,617
10,10,19,705
11,11,21,786
12,12,23,879
13,13,25,953
1,3,1,1
4,7,3,235
8,9,5,543
10,11,7,785
12,13,9,936
1,1,
PSALM086
1 LORD, listen to me and answer me. I am poor and helpless.
2 Protect me, because I worship you. My God, save me, your servant who trusts in you.
3 Lord, have mercy on me, because I have called to you all day.
4 Give happiness to me, your servant, because I give my life to you, Lord.
5 Lord, you are kind and forgiving and have great love for those who call to you.
6 LORD, hear my prayer, and listen when I ask for mercy.
7 I call to you in times of trouble, because you will answer me.
8 Lord, there is no god like you and no works like yours.
9 Lord, all the nations you have made will come and worship you. They will honor you.
10 You are great and you do miracles. Only you are God.
11 LORD, teach me what you want me to do, and I will live by your truth. Teach me to respect you completely.
12 Lord, my God, I will praise you with all my heart, and I will honor your name forever.
13 You have great love for me. You have saved me from death.
14 God, proud men are attacking me; a gang of cruel men is trying to kill me. They do not respect you.
15 But Lord, you are a God who shows mercy and is kind. You don't become angry quickly. You have great love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy. Give me, your servant, strength. Save me, the son of your female servant.
17 Show me a sign of your goodness. When my enemies look, they will be ashamed. You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
1 Bend down and hear my prayer, O Lord, and answer me, for I am deep in trouble.
2 Protect me from death, for I try to follow all your laws. Save me, for I am serving you and trusting you. 3 Be merciful, O Lord, for I am looking up to you in constant hope. 4 Give me happiness, O Lord, for I worship only you. 5 O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive, so full of mercy for all who ask your aid.
6 Listen closely to my prayer, O God. Hear my urgent cry. 7 I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will help me.
8 Where among the heathen gods is there a god like you? Where are their miracles? 9 All the nations - and you made each one - will come and bow before you, Lord, and praise your great and holy name. 10 For you are great and do great miracles. You alone are God.
11 Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there. May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to your name. 12 With all my heart I will praise you. I will give glory to your name forever, 13 for you love me so much! You are constantly so kind! You have rescued me from deepest hell.
14 O God, proud and insolent men defy me; violent, godless men are trying to kill me. 15 But you are merciful and gentle, Lord, slow in getting angry, full of constant loving-kindness and of truth; 16 so look down in pity and grant strength to your servant and save me. 17 Send me a sign of your favor. When those who hate me see it, they will lose face because you help and comfort me.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,65
3,3,5,155
4,4,7,223
5,5,9,302
6,6,11,388
7,7,13,449
8,8,15,518
9,9,17,580
10,10,19,670
11,11,21,730
12,12,23,843
13,13,25,937
14,14,27,1002
15,15,29,1109
16,16,31,1239
17,17,33,1347
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,85
6,7,5,417
8,10,7,547
11,13,9,812
14,17,11,1107
WHOLEHEARTED PSALM 86:11-12
Wholehearted reverence means appreciating God and honoring him in all areas of life. We need to show our loyalty to him in every part of our lives, not just in going to church. If we reverence God with our whole heart, then our work, relationships, use of money, and desires will be in keeping with his will.
PSALM087
1 The LORD built Jerusalem on the holy mountain.
2 He loves its gates more than any other place in Israel.
3 City of God, wonderful things are said about you. [Selah]
4 God says, "I will put Egypt and Babylonia on the list of nations that know me. People from Philistia, Tyre, and Cush will be born there."
5 They will say about Jerusalem, "This one and that one were born there. God Most High will strengthen her."
6 The LORD will keep a list of the nations. He will note, "This person was born there." [Selah]
7 They will dance and sing, "All good things come from Jerusalem." 8
1 High on his holy mountain stands Jerusalem, the city of God, the city he loves more than any other!
3 O city of God, what wondrous tales are told of you! 4 Nowadays when I mention among my friends the names of Egypt and Babylonia, Philistia and Tyre, or even distant Ethiopia, someone boasts that he was born in one or another of those countries. 5 But someday the highest honor will be to be a native of Jerusalem! For the God above all gods will personally bless this city. 6 When he registers her citizens, he will place a checkmark beside the names of those who were born here. 7 And in the festivals they'll sing, "All my heart is in Jerusalem."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,54
3,3,5,116
4,4,7,180
5,5,9,324
6,6,11,437
7,7,13,537
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,106
PSALM088
1 LORD, you are the God who saves me. I cry out to you day and night.
2 Receive my prayer, and listen to my cry.
3 My life is full of troubles, and I am nearly dead.
4 They think I am on the way to my grave. I am like a man with no strength.
5 I have been left as dead, like a body lying in a grave whom you don't remember anymore, cut off from your care.
6 You have brought me close to death; I am almost in the dark place of the dead.
7 You have been very angry with me; all your waves crush me. [Selah]
8 You have taken my friends away from me and have made them hate me. I am trapped and cannot escape.
9 My eyes are weak from crying. LORD, I have prayed to you every day; I have lifted my hands in prayer to you.
10 Do you show your miracles for the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you? [Selah]
11 Will your love be told in the grave? Will your loyalty be told in the place of death?
12 Will your miracles be known in the dark grave? Will your goodness be known in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But, LORD, I have called out to you for help; every morning I pray to you.
14 LORD, why do you reject me? Why do you hide from me?
15 I have been weak and dying since I was young. I suffer from your terrors, and I am helpless.
16 You have been angry with me, and your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They surround me daily like a flood; they are all around me.
18 You have taken away my loved ones and friends. Darkness is my only friend.
1 O Jehovah, God of my salvation, I have wept before you day and night. 2 Now hear my prayers; oh, listen to my cry, 3 for my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. 4 They say my life is ebbing out - a hopeless case. 5 They have left me here to die, like those slain on battlefields from whom your mercies are removed.
6 You have thrust me down to the darkest depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavy on me; wave after wave engulfs me. 8 You have made my friends to loathe me, and they have gone away. I am in a trap with no way out. 9 My eyes grow dim with weeping. Each day I beg your help; O Lord, I reach my pleading hands to you for mercy.
10 Soon it will be too late! Of what use are your miracles when I am in the grave? How can I praise you then? 11 Can those in the grave declare your loving-kindness? Can they proclaim your faithfulness? 12 Can the darkness speak of your miracles? Can anyone in the Land of Forgetfulness talk about your help?
13 O Lord, I plead for my life and will keep on pleading day by day. 14 O Jehovah, why have you thrown my life away? Why are you turning your face from me and looking the other way?
15 From my youth I have been sickly and ready to die. I stand helpless before your terrors. 16 Your fierce wrath has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have cut me off. 17 They flow around me all day long. 18 Lover, friend, acquaintance - all are gone. There is only darkness everywhere.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,122
4,4,7,179
5,5,9,259
6,6,11,377
7,7,13,462
8,8,15,535
9,9,17,640
10,10,19,755
11,11,21,851
12,12,23,944
13,13,25,1056
14,14,27,1138
15,15,29,1198
16,16,31,1298
17,17,33,1370
18,18,35,1438
1,5,1,1
6,9,3,332
10,12,5,652
13,14,7,964
15,18,9,1149
PSALM089
1 I will always sing about the LORD' s love; I will tell of his loyalty from now on.
2 I will say, "Your love continues forever; your loyalty goes on and on like the sky."
3 You said, "I made an agreement with the man of my choice; I made a promise to my servant David.
4 I told him, `I will make your family continue forever. Your kingdom will go on and on.' " [Selah]
5 LORD, the heavens praise you for your miracles and for your loyalty in the meeting of your holy ones.
6 Who in heaven is equal to the LORD? None of the angels is like the LORD.
7 When the holy ones meet, it is God they fear. He is more frightening than all who surround him.
8 Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL, who is like you? LORD, you are powerful and completely trustworthy.
9 You rule the mighty sea and calm the stormy waves.
10 You crushed the sea monster Rahab; by your power you scattered your enemies.
11 The skies and the earth belong to you. You made the world and everything in it.
12 You created the north and the south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm has great power. Your hand is strong; your right hand is lifted up.
14 Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Love and truth are in all you do.
15 Happy are the people who know how to praise you. LORD, let them live in the light of your presence.
16 In your name they rejoice and continually praise your goodness.
17 You are their glorious strength, and in your kindness you honor our king.
18 Our king, our shield, belongs to the LORD, to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once, in a vision, you spoke to those who worship you. You said, "I have given strength to a warrior; I have raised up a young man from my people.
20 I have found my servant David; I appointed him by pouring holy oil on him.
21 I will steady him with my hand and strengthen him with my arm.
22 No enemy will make him give forced payments, and wicked people will not defeat him.
23 I will crush his enemies in front of him; I will defeat those who hate him.
24 My loyalty and love will be with him. Through me he will be strong.
25 I will give him power over the sea and control over the rivers.
26 He will say to me, `You are my father, my God, the Rock, my Savior.'
27 I will make him my firstborn son, the greatest king on earth.
28 My love will watch over him forever, and my agreement with him will never end.
29 I will make his family continue, and his kingdom will last as long as the skies.
30 "If his descendants reject my teachings and do not follow my laws,
31 if they ignore my demands and disobey my commands,
32 then I will punish their sins with a rod and their wrongs with a whip.
33 But I will not hold back my love from David, nor will I stop being loyal.
34 I will not break my agreement nor change what I have said.
35 I have promised by my holiness, I will not lie to David.
36 His family will go on forever. His kingdom will last before me like the sun.
37 It will continue forever, like the moon, like a dependable witness in the sky."
38 But now you have refused and rejected your appointed king. You have been angry with him.
39 You have abandoned the agreement with your servant and thrown his crown to the ground.
40 You have torn down all his city walls; you have turned his strong cities into ruins.
41 Everyone who passes by steals from him. His neighbors insult him.
42 You have given strength to his enemies and have made them all happy.
43 You have made his sword useless; you did not help him stand in battle.
44 You have kept him from winning and have thrown his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut his life short and covered him with shame. [Selah]
46 LORD, how long will this go on? Will you ignore us forever? How long will your anger burn like a fire?
47 Remember how short my life is. Why did you create us? For nothing?
48 What person alive will not die? Who can escape the grave? [Selah]
49 Lord, where is your love from times past, which in your loyalty you promised to David?
50 Lord, remember how they insulted your servant; remember how I have suffered the insults of the nations.
51 LORD, remember how your enemies insulted you and how they insulted your appointed king wherever he went.
52 Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen.
1 Forever and ever I will sing about the tender kindness of the Lord! Young and old shall hear about your blessings. 2 Your love and kindness are forever; your truth is as enduring as the heavens.
3-4 The Lord God says, "I have made a solemn agreement with my chosen servant David. I have taken an oath to establish his descendants as kings forever on his throne, from now until eternity!"
5 All heaven shall praise your miracles, O Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. 6 For who in all of heaven can be compared with God? What mightiest angel is anything like him? 7 The highest of angelic powers stand in dread and awe of him. Who is as revered as he by those surrounding him? 8 O Jehovah, Commander of the heavenly armies, where is there any other Mighty One like you? Faithfulness is your very character.
9 You rule the oceans when their waves arise in fearful storms; you speak, and they lie still. 10 You have cut haughty Egypt to pieces. Your enemies are scattered by your awesome power. 11 The heavens are yours, the world, everything - for you created them all. 12 You created north and south! Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon rejoice to be signed by your name as their maker! 13 Strong is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.
14-15 Your throne is founded on two strong pillars - the one is Justice and the other Righteousness. Mercy and Truth walk before you as your attendants. Blessed are those who hear the joyful blast of the trumpet, for they shall walk in the light of your presence. 16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation and in your perfect righteousness. 17 You are their strength. What glory! Our power is based on your favor! 18 Yes, our protection is from the Lord himself and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.
19 In a vision you spoke to your prophet and said, "I have chosen a splendid young man from the common people to be the king - 20 he is my servant David! I have anointed him with my holy oil. 21 I will steady him and make him strong. 22 His enemies shall not outwit him, nor shall the wicked overpower him. 23 I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him. 24 I will protect and bless him constantly and surround him with my love; he will be great because of me. 25 He will hold sway from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 26 And he will cry to me, `You are my Father, my God, and my Rock of Salvation.'
27 "I will treat him as my firstborn son and make him the mightiest king in all the earth. 28 I will love him forever and be kind to him always; my covenant with him will never end. 29 He will always have an heir; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven. 30-32 If his children forsake my laws and don't obey them, then I will punish them, 33 but I will never completely take away my loving-kindness from them, nor let my promise fail. 34 No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said. 35-36 For I have sworn to David (and a holy God can never lie) that his dynasty will go on forever, and his throne will continue to the end of time.
37 It shall be eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!"
38 Then why cast me off, rejected? Why be so angry with the one you chose as king? 39 Have you renounced your covenant with him? For you have thrown his crown in the dust. 40 You have broken down the walls protecting him and laid in ruins every fort defending him. 41 Everyone who comes along has robbed him while his neighbors mock. 42 You have strengthened his enemies against him and made them rejoice. 43 You have struck down his sword and refused to help him in battle. 44 You have ended his splendor and overturned his throne. 45 You have made him old before his time and publicly disgraced him.
46 O Jehovah, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself from me forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? 47 Oh, remember how short you have made man's lifespan. Is it an empty, futile life you give the sons of men? 48 No man can live forever. All will die. Who can rescue his life from the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is the love you used to have for me? Where is your kindness that you promised to David with a faithful pledge? 50 Lord, see how all the people are despising me. 51 Your enemies joke about me, the one you anointed as their king.
52 And yet - blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and amen!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,90
3,3,5,181
4,4,7,283
5,5,9,387
6,6,11,495
7,7,13,574
8,8,15,676
9,9,17,773
10,10,19,830
11,11,21,914
12,12,23,1001
13,13,25,1101
14,14,27,1185
15,15,29,1275
16,16,31,1382
17,17,33,1453
18,18,35,1534
19,19,37,1611
20,20,39,1765
21,21,41,1847
22,22,43,1917
23,23,45,2008
24,24,47,2091
25,25,49,2166
26,26,51,2237
27,27,53,2313
28,28,55,2382
29,29,57,2468
30,30,59,2556
31,31,61,2630
32,32,63,2688
33,33,65,2766
34,34,67,2847
35,35,69,2913
36,36,71,2977
37,37,73,3061
38,38,75,3148
39,39,77,3244
40,40,79,3338
41,41,81,3430
42,42,83,3503
43,43,85,3579
44,44,87,3657
45,45,89,3737
46,46,91,3808
47,47,93,3918
48,48,95,3992
49,49,97,4065
50,50,99,4159
51,51,101,4270
52,52,103,4382
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,201
5,8,5,397
9,13,7,845
14,18,9,1318
19,26,11,1854
27,36,12,2500
37,37,14,3182
38,45,16,3254
46,48,18,3859
49,51,20,4188
52,52,22,4434
AMBASSADOR PSALM 89:14-15
God's throne is pictured with pillars of Justice and Righteousness, and he is attended by Mercy and Truth. These describe fundamental aspects of the way God deals with people. As God's ambassadors, we should deal with people similarly. Make sure your actions flow out of justice, righteousness, mercy, and truth because any unfair, unloving, or dishonest action cannot come from God.
I Wonder: Does God get tired of hearing my problems? ,!page "^W0017" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM090
1 Lord, you have been our home since the beginning.
2 Before the mountains were born and before you created the earth and the world, you are God. You have always been, and you will always be.
3 You turn people back into dust. You say, "Go back into dust, human beings."
4 To you, a thousand years is like the passing of a day, or like a few hours in the night.
5 While people sleep, you take their lives. They are like grass that grows up in the morning.
6 In the morning they are fresh and new, but by evening they dry up and die.
7 We are destroyed by your anger; we are terrified by your hot anger.
8 You have put the evil we have done right in front of you; you clearly see our secret sins.
9 All our days pass while you are angry. Our years end with a moan.
10 Our lifetime is seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. But the years are full of hard work and pain. They pass quickly, and then we are gone.
11 Who knows the full power of your anger? Your anger is as great as our fear of you should be.
12 Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.
13 LORD, how long before you return and show kindness to your servants?
14 Fill us with your love every morning. Then we will sing and rejoice all our lives.
15 We have seen years of trouble. Now give us as much joy as you gave us sorrow.
16 Show your servants the wonderful things you do; show your greatness to their children.
17 Lord our God, treat us well. Give us success in what we do; yes, give us success in what we do.
1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! 2 Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed, you are God without beginning or end.
3 You speak, and man turns back to dust. 4 A thousand years are but as yesterday to you! They are like a single hour!
5-6 We glide along the tides of time as swiftly as a racing river and vanish as quickly as a dream. We are like grass that is green in the morning but mowed down and withered before the evening shadows fall. 7 We die beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your wrath. 8 You spread out our sins before you - our secret sins - and see them all. 9 No wonder the years are long and heavy here beneath your wrath. All our days are filled with sighing.
10 Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often emptiness and pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone. 11 Who can realize the terrors of your anger? Which of us can fear you as he should?
12 Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.
13 O Jehovah, come and bless us! How long will you delay? Turn away your anger from us. 14 Satisfy us in our earliest youth with your loving-kindness, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives. 15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. 16 Let us see your miracles again; let our children see glorious things, the kind you used to do, 17 and let the Lord our God favor us and give us success. May he give permanence to all we do.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,57
3,3,5,201
4,4,7,283
5,5,9,378
6,6,11,476
7,7,13,557
8,8,15,631
9,9,17,728
10,10,19,800
11,11,21,960
12,12,23,1060
13,13,25,1131
14,14,27,1207
15,15,29,1297
16,16,31,1382
17,17,33,1476
1,2,1,1
3,9,3,204
10,11,7,779
12,12,9,1033
13,17,11,1135
PSALM091
1 Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, "You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you."
3 God will save you from hidden traps and from deadly diseases.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection.
5 You will not fear any danger by night or an arrow during the day.
6 You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark or sickness that strikes at noon.
7 At your side one thousand people may die, or even ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt.
8 You will only watch and see the wicked punished.
9 The LORD is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety.
10 Nothing bad will happen to you; no disaster will come to your home.
11 He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.
12 They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.
13 You will walk on lions and cobras; you will step on strong lions and snakes.
14 The LORD says, "Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me.
15 They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them.
16 I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save."
1 We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.
2 This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. 3 For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague. 4 He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. 5 Now you don't need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day; 6 nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning.
7 Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me. 8 I will see how the wicked are punished, but I will not share it. 9 For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all gods to shelter me. 10 How then can evil overtake me or any plague come near? 11 For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail. 13 You can safely meet a lion or step on poisonous snakes, yes, even trample them beneath your feet!
14 For the Lord says, "Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name. 15 When he calls on me, I will answer; I will be with him in trouble and rescue him and honor him. 16 I will satisfy him with a full life and give him my salvation."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,190
4,4,7,258
5,5,9,381
6,6,11,453
7,7,13,550
8,8,15,663
9,9,17,718
10,10,19,803
11,11,21,878
12,12,23,959
13,13,25,1047
14,14,27,1131
15,15,29,1219
16,16,31,1339
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,93
7,13,5,529
14,16,7,1099
THE PROTECTOR PSALM 91:5-6
God is a refuge, a shelter when we are afraid. The writer's faith in God as Protector would carry him through all the dangers and fears of life. This should be a picture of our trust-trading all our fears for faith in him, no matter what kind of fear it may be.
PSALM092
ELDERLY
1 It is good to praise you, LORD, to sing praises to God Most High.
2 It is good to tell of your love in the morning and of your loyalty at night.
3 It is good to praise you with the ten-stringed lyre and with the soft-sounding harp.
4 LORD, you have made me happy by what you have done; I will sing for joy about what your hands have done.
5 LORD, you have done such great things! How deep are your thoughts!
6 Stupid people don't know these things, and fools don't understand.
7 Wicked people grow like the grass. Evil people seem to do well, but they will be destroyed forever.
8 But, LORD, you will be honored forever.
9 LORD, surely your enemies, surely your enemies will be destroyed, and all who do evil will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as an ox. You have poured fine oils on me.
11 When I looked, I saw my enemies; I heard the cries of those who are against me.
12 But good people will grow like palm trees; they will be tall like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 Like trees planted in the Temple of the LORD, they will grow strong in the courtyards of our God.
14 When they are old, they will still produce fruit; they will be healthy and fresh.
15 They will say that the LORD is good. He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him.
1 A song to sing on the Lord's Day. It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods.
2 Every morning tell him, "Thank you for your kindness," and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness. 3 Sing his praises, accompanied by music from the harp and lute and lyre. 4 You have done so much for me, O Lord. No wonder I am glad! I sing for joy.
5 O Lord, what miracles you do! And how deep are your thoughts! 6 Unthinking people do not understand them! No fool can comprehend this: 7 that although the wicked flourish like weeds, there is only eternal destruction ahead of them. 8 But the Lord continues forever, exalted in the heavens, 9 while his enemies - all evildoers - shall be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How refreshed I am by your blessings!
11 I have heard the doom of my enemies announced and seen them destroyed. 12 But the godly shall flourish like palm trees and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. 13 For they are transplanted into the Lord's own garden and are under his personal care. 14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green. 15 This honors the Lord and exhibits his faithful care. He is my shelter. There is nothing but goodness in him!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,247
5,5,9,358
6,6,11,431
7,7,13,504
8,8,15,610
9,9,17,656
10,10,19,767
11,11,21,848
12,12,23,935
13,13,25,1031
14,14,27,1136
15,15,29,1225
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,132
5,9,5,394
10,10,7,747
11,15,9,838
ELDERLY PSALM 92:14
Honoring God is not limited to young people who are still blessed with physical strength and vitality. Even in old age, devoted believers can produce spiritual fruit. There are many faithful older people who have much to share and teach from a lifetime of living with God. Seek out an elderly friend or relative to tell you about life experiences with the Lord and challenge you to new heights of spiritual living.
PSALM093
1 The LORD is king. He is clothed in majesty. The LORD is clothed in majesty and armed with strength. The world is set, and it cannot be moved.
2 LORD, your kingdom was set up long ago; you are everlasting.
3 LORD, the seas raise, the seas raise their voice. The seas raise up their pounding waves.
4 The sound of the water is loud; the ocean waves are powerful, but the LORD above is much greater.
5 LORD, your laws will stand forever. Your Temple will be holy forevermore.
1 Jehovah is King! He is robed in majesty and strength. The world is his throne.
2 O Lord, you have reigned from prehistoric times, from the everlasting past. 3 The mighty oceans thunder your praise. 4 You are mightier than all the breakers pounding on the seashores of the world! 5 Your royal decrees cannot be changed. Holiness is forever the keynote of your reign.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,149
3,3,5,216
4,4,7,312
5,5,9,416
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
PSALM094
1 The LORD is a God who punishes. God, show your greatness and punish!
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth, and give the proud what they deserve.
3 How long will the wicked be happy? How long, LORD?
4 They are full of proud words; those who do evil brag about what they have done.
5 LORD, they crush your people and make your children suffer.
6 They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.
7 They say, "The LORD doesn't see; the God of Jacob doesn't notice."
8 You stupid ones among the people, pay attention. You fools, when will you understand?
9 Can't the creator of ears hear? Can't the maker of eyes see?
10 Won't the one who corrects nations punish you? Doesn't the teacher of people know everything?
11 The LORD knows what people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.
12 LORD, those you correct are happy; you teach them from your law.
13 You give them rest from times of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 The LORD won't leave his people nor give up his children.
15 Judgment will again be fair, and all who are honest will follow it.
16 Who will help me fight against the wicked? Who will stand with me against those who do evil?
17 If the LORD had not helped me, I would have died in a minute.
18 I said, "I am about to fall," but, LORD, your love kept me safe.
19 I was very worried, but you comforted me and made me happy.
20 Crooked leaders cannot be your friends. They use the law to cause suffering.
21 They join forces against people who do right and sentence to death the innocent.
22 But the LORD is my defender; my God is the rock of my protection.
23 God will pay them back for their sins and will destroy them for their evil. The LORD our God will destroy them.
1 Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs, let your glory shine out. Arise and judge the earth; sentence the proud to the penalties they deserve. 3 Lord, how long shall the wicked be allowed to triumph and exult? 4 Hear their insolence! See their arrogance! How these men of evil boast! 5 See them oppressing your people, O Lord, afflicting those you love. 6-7 They murder widows, immigrants, and orphans, for "The Lord isn't looking," they say, "and besides, he doesn't care."
8 Fools! 9 Is God deaf and blind - he who makes ears and eyes? 10 He punishes the nations - won't he also punish you? He knows everything - doesn't he also know what you are doing?
11 The Lord is fully aware of how limited and futile the thoughts of mankind are, 12-13 so he helps us by punishing us. This makes us follow his paths and gives us respite from our enemies while God traps them and destroys them. 14 The Lord will not forsake his people, for they are his prize. 15 Judgment will again be just, and all the upright will rejoice.
16 Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will be my shield? 17 I would have died unless the Lord had helped me. 18 I screamed, "I'm slipping, Lord!" and he was kind and saved me.
19 Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer. 20 Will you permit a corrupt government to rule under your protection - a government permitting wrong to defeat right? 21-22 Do you approve of those who condemn the innocent to death? No! The Lord my God is my fortress - the mighty Rock where I can hide. 23 God has made the sins of evil men to boomerang upon them! He will destroy them by their own plans. Jehovah our God will cut them off.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,149
4,4,7,206
5,5,9,292
6,6,11,358
7,7,13,416
8,8,15,489
9,9,17,581
10,10,19,648
11,11,21,749
12,12,23,839
13,13,25,911
14,14,27,994
15,15,29,1059
16,16,31,1134
17,17,33,1234
18,18,35,1303
19,19,37,1375
20,20,39,1442
21,21,41,1526
22,22,43,1614
23,23,45,1687
1,7,1,1
8,10,3,478
11,15,5,662
16,18,7,1025
19,23,9,1210
PSALM095
1 Come, let's sing for joy to the LORD. Let's shout praises to the Rock who saves us.
2 Let's come to him with thanksgiving. Let's sing songs to him,
3 because the LORD is the great God, the great King over all gods.
4 The deepest places on earth are his, and the highest mountains belong to him.
5 The sea is his because he made it, and he created the land with his own hands.
6 Come, let's worship him and bow down. Let's kneel before the LORD who made us,
7 because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of and the sheep that he tends. Today listen to what he says:
8 "Do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah, as they were that day at Massah in the desert.
9 There your ancestors tested me and tried me even though they saw what I did.
10 I was angry with those people for forty years. I said, `They are not loyal to me and have not understood my ways.'
11 I was angry and made a promise, `They will never enter my rest.' "
1 Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord! Give a joyous shout in honor of the Rock of our salvation!
2 Come before him with thankful hearts. Let us sing him psalms of praise. 3 For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all gods. 4 He controls the formation of the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains; all are his. 5 He made the sea and formed the land; they too are his. 6 Come, kneel before the Lord our Maker, 7 for he is our God. We are his sheep, and he is our Shepherd. Oh, that you would hear him calling you today and come to him!
8 Don't harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness at Meribah and Massah. 9 For there your fathers doubted me, though they had seen so many of my miracles before. My patience was severely tried by their complaints. 10 "For forty years I watched them in disgust," the Lord God says. "They were a nation whose thoughts and heart were far away from me. They refused to accept my laws. 11 Therefore, in mighty wrath I swore that they would never enter the Promised Land, the place of rest I planned for them."
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,100
8,11,5,557
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,159
4,4,7,230
5,5,9,314
6,6,11,399
7,7,13,484
8,8,15,610
9,9,17,719
10,10,19,802
11,11,21,924
PSALM096
1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD and praise his name; every day tell how he saves us.
3 Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does,
4 because the LORD is great; he should be praised at all times. He should be honored more than all the gods,
5 because all the gods of the nations are only idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 The LORD has glory and majesty; he has power and beauty in his Temple.
7 Praise the LORD, all nations on earth; praise the LORD' s glory and power.
8 Praise the glory of the LORD' s name. Bring an offering and come into his Temple courtyards.
9 Worship the LORD because he is holy. Tremble before him, everyone on earth.
10 Tell the nations, "The LORD is king." The earth is set, and it cannot be moved. He will judge the people fairly.
11 Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad; let the sea and everything in it shout.
12 Let the fields and everything in them rejoice. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 before the LORD, because he is coming. He is coming to judge the world; he will judge the world with fairness and the peoples with truth.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing it everywhere around the world! 2 Sing out his praises! Bless his name. Each day tell someone that he saves.
3 Publish his glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 4 For the Lord is great beyond description and greatly to be praised. Worship only him among the gods! 5 For the gods of other nations are merely idols, but our God made the heavens! 6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his Temple.
7 O nations of the world, confess that God alone is glorious and strong. 8 Give him the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him.
9 Worship the Lord with the beauty of holy lives. Let the earth tremble before him. 10 Tell the nations that Jehovah reigns! He rules the world. His power can never be overthrown. He will judge all nations fairly.
11 Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the vastness of the roaring seas demonstrate his glory. 12 Praise him for the growing fields, for they display his greatness. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise. 13 For the Lord is coming to judge the earth; he will judge the nations fairly and with truth!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,69
3,3,5,145
4,4,7,221
5,5,9,334
6,6,11,423
7,7,13,500
8,8,15,581
9,9,17,680
10,10,19,762
11,11,21,882
12,12,23,974
13,13,25,1079
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,149
7,8,5,506
9,10,7,661
11,13,9,878
PSALM097
1 The LORD is king. Let the earth rejoice; faraway lands should be glad.
2 Thick, dark clouds surround him. His kingdom is built on what is right and fair.
3 A fire goes before him and burns up his enemies all around.
4 His lightning lights up the world; when the people see it, they tremble.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens tell about his goodness, and all the people see his glory.
7 Those who worship idols should be ashamed; they brag about their gods. All the gods should worship the LORD.
8 When Jerusalem hears this, she is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice. They are happy because of your judgments, LORD.
9 You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; you are supreme over all gods.
10 People who love the LORD hate evil. The LORD watches over those who follow him right; joy belongs to those who are honest. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who do right. Praise his holy name.
1 Jehovah is King! Let all the earth rejoice! Tell the farthest islands to be glad.
2 Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes forth before him and burns up all his foes. 4 His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens declare his perfect righteousness; every nation sees his glory.
7 Let those who worship idols be disgraced - all who brag about their worthless gods - for every god must bow to him! 8-9 Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah have heard of your justice, Lord, and are glad that you reign in majesty over the entire earth and are far greater than these other gods.
10 The Lord loves those who hate evil; he protects the lives of his people and rescues them from the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the godly and joy for the good. 12 May all who are godly be happy in the Lord and crown him, our holy God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,165
4,4,7,231
5,5,9,310
6,6,11,395
7,7,13,472
8,8,15,587
9,9,17,713
10,12,19,797
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,88
7,9,5,460
10,12,7,761
HATE EVIL PSALM 97:10
A sincere desire to please God will result in an alignment of your desires with God's desires. You will love what God loves and hate what God hates. Here we read that God loves those who hate evil. If you do not despise the actions of people who take advantage of others, if you admire people who look out only for themselves, or if you envy those who get ahead using any means to accomplish their ends, then your primary desire in life is not to please God. Learn to love God's ways and hate evil in every form- not only the obvious sins, but the socially acceptable ones as well.
PSALM098
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, because he has done miracles. By his right hand and holy arm he has won the victory.
2 The LORD has made known his power to save; he has shown the other nations his victory for his people.
3 He has remembered his love and his loyalty to the people of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen God's power to save.
4 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; burst into songs and make music.
5 Make music to the LORD with harps, with harps and the sound of singing.
6 Blow the trumpets and the sheep's horns; shout for joy to the LORD the King.
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout; let the world and everyone in it sing.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy.
9 Let them sing before the LORD, because he is coming to judge the world. He will judge the world fairly; he will judge the peoples with fairness.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord telling about his mighty deeds! For he has won a mighty victory by his power and holiness. 2-3 He has announced this victory and revealed it to every nation by fulfilling his promise to be kind to Israel. The whole earth has seen God's salvation of his people. 4 That is why the earth breaks out in praise to God and sings for utter joy!
5 Sing your praise accompanied by music from the harp. 6 Let the cornets and trumpets shout! Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King! 7 Let the sea in all its vastness roar with praise! Let the earth and all those living on it shout, "Glory to the Lord."
8-9 Let the waves clap their hands in glee and the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the world with perfect justice.
1,4,1,1
5,7,3,372
8,8,5,639
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,229
4,4,7,360
5,5,9,442
6,6,11,520
7,7,13,603
8,8,15,688
9,9,17,768
PSALM099
1 The LORD is king. Let the peoples shake with fear. He sits between the gold creatures with wings. Let the earth shake.
2 The LORD in Jerusalem is great; he is supreme over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your name; it is great, holy and to be feared.
4 The King is powerful and loves justice. LORD, you made things fair; you have done what is fair and right for the people of Jacob.
5 Praise the LORD our God, and worship at the Temple, his footstool. He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel was among his worshipers. They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud. They kept the rules and laws he gave them.
8 LORD our God, you answered them. You showed them that you are a forgiving God, but you punished them for their wrongs.
9 Praise the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain, because the LORD our God is holy.
1 Jehovah is King! Let the nations tremble! He is enthroned between the Guardian Angels. Let the whole earth shake.
2 Jehovah sits in majesty in Zion, supreme above all rulers of the earth. 3 Let them reverence your great and holy name.
4 This mighty King is determined to give justice. Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice throughout Israel. 5 Exalt the Lord our holy God! Bow low before his feet.
6 When Moses and Aaron and Samuel, his prophet, cried to him for help, he answered them. 7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud, and they followed his instructions. 8 O Jehovah our God! You answered them and forgave their sins, yet punished them when they went wrong.
9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for he is holy.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
3,3,5,200
4,4,7,269
5,5,9,405
6,6,11,490
7,7,13,620
8,8,15,712
9,9,17,837
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,120
4,5,5,244
6,8,7,439
9,9,9,715
HIS NAME PSALM 99:3
Everyone, even kings and rulers, should reverence God's great and holy name because his name symbolizes his nature, his personage, and his reputation. But the name of God is used so often in vulgar conversation that we have lost sight of its holiness. How easy it is to treat God lightly in everyday life! If you claim him as your father, live in a way that is worthy of the family name. Reverence God's name by both your words and your life.
PSALM100
1 Shout to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with joy; come before him with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends.
4 Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving and into his courtyards with songs of praise. Thank him and praise his name.
5 The LORD is good. His love is forever, and his loyalty goes on and on.
1 Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth! 2 Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.
3 Try to realize what this means - the Lord is God! He made us - we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,101
4,4,5,214
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,41
3,3,5,102
4,4,7,208
5,5,9,337
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PSALM101
1 I will sing of your love and fairness; LORD, I will sing praises to you.
2 I will be careful to live an innocent life. When will you come to me? I will live an innocent life in my house.
3 I will not look at anything wicked. I hate those who turn against you; they will not be found near me.
4 Let those who want to do wrong stay away from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
5 If anyone secretly says things against his neighbor, I will stop him. I will not allow people to be proud and look down on others.
6 I will look for trustworthy people so I can live with them in the land. Only those who live innocent lives will be my servants.
7 No one who is dishonest will live in my house; no liars will stay around me.
8 Every morning I will destroy the wicked in the land. I will rid the LORD' s city of people who do evil.
1 I will sing about your loving-kindness and your justice, Lord. I will sing your praises!
2 I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should.
3 Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me to abhor all crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them. 4 I will reject all selfishness and stay away from every evil. 5 I will not tolerate anyone who secretly slanders his neighbors; I will not permit conceit and pride. 6 I will make the godly of the land my heroes and invite them to my home. Only those who are truly good shall be my servants. 7 But I will not allow those who deceive and lie to stay in my house. 8 My daily task will be to ferret out criminals and free the city of God from their grip.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,198
4,4,7,307
5,5,9,400
6,6,11,537
7,7,13,671
8,8,15,754
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,223
HEROES PSALM 101:6
David set different standards for heroes than most. He said that he would make the godly of the land his heroes. Our heroes, those we set up in our minds as models to copy, have a great influence on our lives. Choose your heroes with care.
n save
PSALM102
1 LORD, listen to my prayer; let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide from me in my time of trouble. Pay attention to me. When I cry for help, answer me quickly.
3 My life is passing away like smoke, and my bones are burned up with fire.
4 My heart is like grass that has been cut and dried. I forget to eat.
5 Because of my grief, my skin hangs on my bones.
6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl living among the ruins.
7 I lie awake. I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 All day long enemies insult me; those who make fun of me use my name as a curse.
9 I eat ashes for food, and my tears fall into my drinks.
10 Because of your great anger, you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a passing shadow; I am like dried grass.
12 But, LORD, you rule forever, and your fame goes on and on.
13 You will come and have mercy on Jerusalem, because the time has now come to be kind to her; the right time has come.
14 Your servants love even her stones; they even care about her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings on earth will honor you.
16 The LORD will rebuild Jerusalem; there his glory will be seen.
17 He will answer the prayers of the needy; he will not reject their prayers.
18 Write these things for the future so that people who are not yet born will praise the LORD.
19 The LORD looked down from his holy place above; from heaven he looked down at the earth.
20 He heard the moans of the prisoners, and he freed those sentenced to die.
21 The name of the LORD will be heard in Jerusalem; his praise will be heard there.
22 People will come together, and kingdoms will serve the LORD.
23 God has made me tired of living; he has cut short my life.
24 So I said, "My God, do not take me in the middle of my life. Your years go on and on.
25 In the beginning you made the earth, and your hands made the skies.
26 They will be destroyed, but you will remain. They will all wear out like clothes. And, like clothes, you will change them and throw them away.
27 But you never change, and your life will never end.
28 Our children will live in your presence, and their children will remain with you."
1 A prayer when overwhelmed with trouble. Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!
2 Don't turn away from me in this time of my distress. Bend down your ear and give me speedy answers, 3-4 for my days disappear like smoke. My health is broken, and my heart is sick; it is trampled like grass and is withered. My food is tasteless, and I have lost my appetite. 5 I am reduced to skin and bones because of all my groaning and despair. 6 I am like a vulture in a far-off wilderness or like an owl alone in the desert. 7 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary sparrow on the roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day and curse at me. 9-10 I eat ashes instead of bread. My tears run down into my drink because of your anger against me, because of your wrath. For you have rejected me and thrown me out. 11 My life is passing swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering like grass, 12 while you, Lord, are a famous King forever. Your fame will endure to every generation.
13 I know that you will come and have mercy on Jerusalem - and now is the time to pity her - the time you promised help. 14 For your people love every stone in her walls and feel sympathy for every grain of dust in her streets. 15 Now let the nations and their rulers tremble before the Lord, before his glory. 16 For Jehovah will rebuild Jerusalem! He will appear in his glory!
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute, for he is never too busy to heed their requests. 18 I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all that he has done. And a people that shall be created shall praise the Lord. 19 Tell them that God looked down from his temple in heaven 20 and heard the groans of his people in slavery - they were children of death - and released them, 21-22 so that multitudes would stream to the Temple in Jerusalem to praise him, and his praises were sung throughout the city; and many rulers throughout the earth came to worship him.
23 He has cut me down in middle life, shortening my days. 24 But I cried to him, "O God, you live forever and forever! Don't let me die half through my years! 25 In ages past you laid the foundations of the earth and made the heavens with your hands! 26 They shall perish, but you go on forever. They will grow old like worn-out clothing, and you will change them like a man putting on a new shirt and throwing away the old one! 27 But you yourself never grow old. You are forever, and your years never end.
28 "But our families will continue; generation after generation will be preserved by your protection."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,67
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,257
5,5,9,332
6,6,11,386
7,7,13,452
8,8,15,510
9,9,17,597
10,10,19,659
11,11,21,737
12,12,23,802
13,13,25,868
14,14,27,992
15,15,29,1066
16,16,31,1156
17,17,33,1226
18,18,35,1308
19,19,37,1407
20,20,39,1503
21,21,41,1584
22,22,43,1672
23,23,45,1740
24,24,47,1806
25,25,49,1899
26,26,51,1974
27,27,53,2124
28,28,55,2183
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,88
8,12,5,580
13,16,7,975
17,22,9,1357
23,27,11,1965
28,28,13,2476
PSALM103
PLENTY
1 My whole being, praise the LORD; all my being, praise his holy name.
2 My whole being, praise the LORD and do not forget all his kindnesses.
3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
4 He saves my life from the grave and loads me with love and mercy.
5 He satisfies me with good things and makes me young again, like the eagle.
6 The LORD does what is right and fair for all who are wronged by others.
7 He showed his ways to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD shows mercy and is kind. He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love.
9 He will not always accuse us, and he will not be angry forever.
10 He has not punished us as our sins should be punished; he has not repaid us for the evil we have done.
11 As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him.
12 He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from west.
13 The LORD has mercy on those who respect him, as a father has mercy on his children.
14 He knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
15 Human life is like grass; we grow like a flower in the field.
16 After the wind blows, the flower is gone, and there is no sign of where it was.
17 But the LORD' s love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren
18 and to those who keep his agreement and who remember to obey his orders.
19 The LORD has set his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over everything.
20 You who are his angels, praise the LORD. You are the mighty warriors who do what he says and who obey his voice.
21 You, his armies, praise the LORD; you are his servants who do what he wants.
22 Everything the LORD has made should praise him in all the places he rules. My whole being, praise the LORD.
1 I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. 2 Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins. He heals me. 4 He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagle's! 6 He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his will and nature to Moses and the people of Israel.
8 He is merciful and tender toward those who don't deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. 9 He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever. 10 He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, 11 for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. 14 For he knows we are but dust 15 and that our days are few and brief, like grass, like flowers, 16 blown by the wind and gone forever.
17-18 But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence him; his salvation is to children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant and remember to obey him!
19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything there is. 20 Bless the Lord, you mighty angels of his who carry out his orders, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, bless the Lord, you armies of his angels who serve him constantly.
22 Let everything everywhere bless the Lord. And how I bless him too!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,152
4,4,7,209
5,5,9,281
6,6,11,362
7,7,13,440
8,8,15,513
9,9,17,610
10,10,19,680
11,11,21,790
12,12,23,884
13,13,25,959
14,14,27,1050
15,15,29,1115
16,16,31,1184
17,17,33,1271
18,18,35,1403
19,19,37,1483
20,20,39,1568
21,21,41,1688
22,22,43,1772
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,134
8,16,5,457
17,18,7,1096
19,21,9,1312
22,22,11,1587
PLENTY PSALM 103:1
David's praise focused on God's glorious acts. It is easy to complain about life, but David's list gives us plenty for which to praise God-his love, forgiveness, salvation, kindness, mercy, justice, patience, tenderness-we receive all of these without deserving any of them. No matter how difficult your life's journey, you can always count your blessings-past, present, and future. When you feel as though you have nothing for which to praise God, read David's list.
PSALM104
1 My whole being, praise the LORD. LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with glory and majesty;
2 you wear light like a robe. You stretch out the skies like a tent.
3 You build your room above the clouds. You make the clouds your chariot, and you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers, and flames of fire are your servants.
5 You built the earth on its foundations so it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with oceans; the water was above the mountains.
7 But at your command, the water rose; the valleys sank. The water went to the places you made for it. 9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross, so water will never cover the earth again. 10 You make springs pour into the ravines; they flow between the mountains. 11 They water all the wild animals; the wild donkeys come there to drink. 12 Wild birds make nests by the water; they sing among the tree branches. 13 You water the mountains from above. The earth is full of the things you made. 14 You make the grass for cattle and vegetables for the people. You make food grow from the earth. 15 You give us wine that makes happy hearts and olive oil that makes our faces shine. You give us bread that gives us strength. 16 The LORD' s trees have plenty of water; they are the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted. 17 The birds make their nests there; the stork's home is in the fir trees. 1
8 The high mountains belong to the wild goats. The rocks are hiding places for the badgers. 1
9 You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun always knows when to set. 20 You make it dark, and it becomes night. Then all the wild animals creep around. 21 The lions roar as they attack. They look to God for food. 22 When the sun rises, they leave and go back to their dens to lie down. 23 Then people go to work and work until evening. 24 LORD, you have made many things; with your wisdom you made them all. The earth is full of your riches. 25 Look at the sea, so big and wide, with creatures large and small that cannot be counted. 26 Ships travel over the ocean, and there is the sea monster Leviathan, which you made to play there. 27 All these things depend on you to give them their food at the right time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good food. 29 When you turn away from them, they become frightened. When you take away their breath, they die and turn to dust. 30 When you breathe on them, they are created, and you make the land new again. 31 May the glory of the LORD be forever. May the LORD enjoy what he has made. 32 He just looks at the earth, and it shakes. He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. 34 May my thoughts please him; I am happy in the LORD. 35 Let sinners be destroyed from the earth, and let the wicked live no longer. My whole being, praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
1 I bless the Lord: O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and with majesty and light! You stretched out the starry curtain of the heavens, 3 and hollowed out the surface of the earth to form the seas. The clouds are his chariots. He rides upon the wings of the wind. 4 The angels are his messengers - his servants of fire!
5 You bound the world together so that it would never fall apart. 6 You clothed the earth with floods of waters covering up the mountains. 7-8 You spoke, and at the sound of your shout the water collected into its vast ocean beds, and mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. 9 And then you set a boundary for the seas so that they would never again cover the earth.
10 He placed springs in the valleys and streams that gush from the mountains. 11 They give water for all the animals to drink. There the wild donkeys quench their thirst, 12 and the birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. 13 He sends rain upon the mountains and fills the earth with fruit. 14 The tender grass grows up at his command to feed the cattle, and there are fruit trees, vegetables, and grain for man to cultivate, 15 and wine to make him glad, and olive oil as lotion for his skin, and bread to give him strength. 16 The Lord planted the cedars of Lebanon. They are tall and flourishing. 17 There the birds make their nests, the storks in the firs. 18 High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats, and rock-badgers burrow in among the rocks and find protection there.
19 He assigned the moon to mark the months and the sun to mark the days. 20 He sends the night and darkness, when all the forest folk come out. 21 Then the young lions roar for their food, but they are dependent on the Lord. 22 At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest, 23 and men go off to work until the evening shadows fall again. 24 O Lord, what a variety you have made! And in wisdom you have made them all! The earth is full of your riches.
25 There before me lies the mighty ocean, teeming with life of every kind, both great and small. 26 And look! See the ships! And over there, the whale you made to play in the sea. 27 Every one of these depends on you to give them daily food. 28 You supply it, and they gather it. You open wide your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied with all your bountiful provision.
29 But if you turn away from them, then all is lost. And when you gather up their breath, they die and turn again to dust.
30 Then you send your Spirit, and new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth. 31 Praise God forever! How he must rejoice in all his work! 32 The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains burst into flame at his touch.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise God to my last breath! 34 May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, for he is the source of all my joy. 35 Let all sinners perish - all who refuse to praise him. But I will praise him. Hallelujah!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,113
3,3,5,186
4,4,7,303
5,5,9,383
6,6,11,454
7,7,13,530
8,8,15,1436
9,35,17,633
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,348
10,18,5,736
19,24,7,1559
25,28,9,2016
29,29,11,2395
30,32,13,2521
33,35,15,2759
CREATION PSALM 104:24
Creation is filled with stunning variety, revealing the rich creativity, goodness, and wisdom of our loving God. As you observe your natural surroundings, thank God for his creativity. Take a fresh look at people, seeing each one as his unique creation, each with his or her own special talents, abilities, and gifts.
PSALM105
1 Give thanks to the LORD and pray to him. Tell the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him; sing praises to him. Tell about all his miracles.
3 Be glad that you are his; let those who seek the LORD be happy.
4 Depend on the LORD and his strength; always go to him for help.
5 Remember the miracles he has done; remember his wonders and his decisions.
6 You are descendants of his servant Abraham, the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
7 He is the LORD our God. His laws are for all the world.
8 He will keep his agreement forever; he will keep his promises always.
9 He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham and the promise he made to Isaac.
10 He made it a law for the people of Jacob; he made it an agreement with Israel to last forever.
11 The LORD said, "I will give you the land of Canaan, and it will belong to you."
12 Then God's people were few in number. They were strangers in the land.
13 They went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another.
14 But the LORD did not let anyone hurt them; he warned kings not to harm them.
15 He said, "Don't touch my chosen people, and don't harm my prophets."
16 God ordered a time of hunger in the land, and he destroyed all the food.
17 Then he sent a man ahead of them- Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 They put chains around his feet and an iron ring around his neck.
19 Then the time he had spoken of came, and the LORD' s words proved that Joseph was right.
20 The king of Egypt sent for Joseph and freed him; the ruler of the people set him free.
21 He made him the master of his house; Joseph was in charge of his riches.
22 He could order the princes as he wished. He taught the older men to be wise.
23 Then his father Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived in Egypt.
24 The LORD made his people grow in number, and he made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He caused the Egyptians to hate his people and to make plans against his servants.
26 Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They did many signs among the Egyptians and worked wonders in Egypt.
28 The LORD sent darkness and made the land dark, but the Egyptians turned against what he said.
29 So he changed their water into blood and made their fish die.
30 Then their country was filled with frogs, even in the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 The LORD spoke and flies came, and gnats were everywhere in the country.
32 He made hail fall like rain and sent lightning through their land.
33 He struck down their grapevines and fig trees, and he destroyed every tree in the country.
34 He spoke and grasshoppers came; the locusts were too many to count.
35 They ate all the plants in the land and everything the earth produced.
36 The LORD also killed all the firstborn sons in the land, the oldest son of each family.
37 Then he brought his people out, and they carried with them silver and gold. Not one of his people stumbled.
38 The Egyptians were glad when they left, because the Egyptians were afraid of them.
39 The LORD covered them with a cloud and lit up the night with fire.
40 When they asked, he brought them quail and filled them with bread from heaven.
41 God split the rock, and water flowed out; it ran like a river through the desert.
42 He remembered his holy promise to his servant Abraham.
43 So God brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them lands of other nations, so they received what others had worked for.
45 This was so they would keep his orders and obey his teachings. Praise the LORD!
1 Thank the Lord for all the glorious things he does; proclaim them to the nations. 2 Sing his praises and tell everyone about his miracles. 3 Glory in the Lord; O worshipers of God, rejoice.
4 Search for him and for his strength, and keep on searching!
5-6 Think of the mighty deeds he did for us, his chosen ones - descendants of God's servant Abraham, and of Jacob. Remember how he destroyed our enemies. 7 He is the Lord our God. His goodness is seen everywhere throughout the land. 8-9 Though a thousand generations pass he never forgets his promise, his covenant with Abraham and Isaac 10-11 and confirmed with Jacob. This is his never-ending treaty with the people of Israel: "I will give you the land of Canaan as your inheritance." 12 He said this when they were but few in number, very few, and were only visitors in Canaan. 13 Later they were dispersed among the nations and were driven from one kingdom to another; 14 but through it all he would not let one thing be done to them apart from his decision. He destroyed many a king who tried! 15 "Touch not these chosen ones of mine," he warned, "and do not hurt my prophets."
16 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply. 17 Then he sent Joseph as a slave to Egypt to save his people from starvation. 18 There in prison they hurt his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar 19 until God's time finally came - how God tested his patience! 20 Then the king sent for him and set him free. 21 He was put in charge of all the king's possessions. 22 At his pleasure he could imprison the king's aides and teach the king's advisors.
23 Then Jacob (Israel) arrived in Egypt and lived there with his sons. 24 In the years that followed, the people of Israel multiplied explosively until they were a greater nation than their rulers. 25 At that point God turned the Egyptians against the Israelis; they hated and enslaved them.
26 But God sent Moses as his representative, and Aaron with him, 27 to call down miracles of terror upon the land of Egypt. 28 They followed his instructions. He sent thick darkness through the land 29 and turned the nation's water into blood, poisoning the fish. 30 Then frogs invaded in enormous numbers; they were found even in the king's private rooms. 31 When Moses spoke, the flies and other insects swarmed in vast clouds from one end of Egypt to the other. 32 Instead of rain he sent down murderous hail, and lightning flashes overwhelmed the nation. 33 Their grapevines and fig trees were ruined; all the trees lay broken on the ground. 34 He spoke, and hordes of locusts came 35 and ate up everything green, destroying all the crops. 36 Then he killed the oldest child in each Egyptian home, their pride and joy - 37 and brought his people safely out from Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; there were no sick and feeble folk among them then. 38 Egypt was glad when they were gone, for the dread of them was great.
39 He spread out a cloud above them to shield them from the burning sun and gave them a pillar of flame at night to give them light. 40 They asked for meat, and he sent them quail and gave them manna - bread from heaven. 41 He opened up a rock, and water gushed out to form a river through the dry and barren land; 42 for he remembered his sacred promises to Abraham his servant.
43 So he brought his chosen ones singing into the Promised Land. 44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, complete with their growing crops; they ate what others planted. 45 This was done to make them faithful and obedient to his laws. Hallelujah!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,152
4,4,7,222
5,5,9,292
6,6,11,373
7,7,13,465
8,8,15,527
9,9,17,603
10,10,19,691
11,11,21,793
12,12,23,880
13,13,25,958
14,14,27,1032
15,15,29,1116
16,16,31,1192
17,17,33,1272
18,18,35,1346
19,19,37,1419
20,20,39,1515
21,21,41,1609
22,22,43,1689
23,23,45,1773
24,24,47,1840
25,25,49,1934
26,26,51,2024
27,27,53,2094
28,28,55,2170
29,29,57,2271
30,30,59,2340
31,31,61,2427
32,32,63,2507
33,33,65,2581
34,34,67,2679
35,35,69,2754
36,36,71,2832
37,37,73,2927
38,38,75,3042
39,39,77,3132
40,40,79,3206
41,41,81,3292
42,42,83,3381
43,43,85,3443
44,44,87,3520
45,45,89,3609
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,196
5,15,5,261
16,22,7,1149
23,25,9,1650
26,38,11,1945
39,42,13,2974
43,45,15,3357
SEEK PSALM 105:4
If God seems far away, keep searching for him. God rewards those who sincerely look for him (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus promised seek, and you will find (Matthew 7:7). David suggested a valuable way to search out God- become familiar with the way he has helped his people in the past. The Bible records the history of God's people. In searching its pages we will discover a loving God who is waiting for us to find him.
PSALM106
1 Praise the LORD! Thank the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
2 No one can tell all the mighty things the LORD has done; no one can speak all his praise.
3 Happy are those who do right, who do what is fair at all times.
4 LORD, remember me when you are kind to your people; help me when you save them.
5 Let me see the good things you do for your chosen people. Let me be happy along with your happy nation; let me join your own people in praising you.
6 We have sinned just as our ancestors did. We have done wrong; we have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt did not learn from your miracles. They did not remember all your kindnesses, so they turned against you at the Red Sea.
8 But the LORD saved them for his own sake, to show his great power.
9 He commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up. He led them through the deep sea as if it were a desert.
10 He saved them from those who hated them. He saved them from their enemies,
11 and the water covered their foes. Not one of them escaped.
12 Then the people believed what the LORD said, and they sang praises to him.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done; they did not wait for his advice.
14 They became greedy for food in the desert, and they tested God there.
15 So he gave them what they wanted, but he also sent a terrible disease among them.
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and of Aaron, the holy priest of the LORD.
17 Then the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan and closed over Abiram's group.
18 A fire burned among their followers, and flames burned up the wicked.
19 The people made a gold calf at Mount Sinai and worshiped a metal statue.
20 They exchanged their glorious God for a statue of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
22 who had done miracles in Egypt and amazing things by the Red Sea.
23 So God said he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stood before him and stopped God's anger from destroying them.
24 Then they refused to go into the beautiful land of Canaan; they did not believe what God promised.
25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.
26 So he swore to them that they would die in the desert.
27 He said their children would be killed by other nations and that they would be scattered among other countries.
28 They joined in worshiping Baal at Peor and ate meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues.
29 They made the LORD angry by what they did, so many people became sick with a terrible disease.
30 But Phinehas prayed to the LORD, and the disease stopped.
31 Phinehas did what was right, and it will be remembered from now on.
32 The people also made the LORD angry at Meribah, and Moses was in trouble because of them.
33 The people turned against the Spirit of God, so Moses spoke without stopping to think.
34 The people did not destroy the other nations as the LORD had told them to do.
35 Instead, they mixed with the other nations and learned their customs.
36 They worshiped other nations' idols and were trapped by them.
37 They even killed their sons and daughters as sacrifices to demons.
38 They killed innocent people, their own sons and daughters, as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan. So the land was made unholy by their blood.
39 The people became unholy by their sins; they were unfaithful to God in what they did.
40 So the LORD became angry with his people and hated his own children.
41 He handed them over to other nations and let their enemies rule over them.
42 Their enemies were cruel to them and kept them under their power.
43 The LORD saved his people many times, but they continued to turn against him. So they became even more wicked.
44 But God saw their misery when he heard their cry.
45 He remembered his agreement with them, and he felt sorry for them because of his great love.
46 He caused them to be pitied by those who held them captive.
47 LORD our God, save us and bring us back from other nations. Then we will thank you and will gladly praise you.
48 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel. He always was and always will be. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the Lord!
1 Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord! How good you are! Your love for us continues on forever. 2 Who can ever list the glorious miracles of God? Who can ever praise him half enough?
3 Happiness comes to those who are fair to others and are always just and good.
4 Remember me too, O Lord, while you are blessing and saving your people. 5 Let me share in your chosen ones' prosperity and rejoice in all their joys, and receive the glory you give to them.
6 Both we and our fathers have sinned so much. 7 They weren't impressed by the wonder of your miracles in Egypt and soon forgot your many acts of kindness to them. Instead they rebelled against you at the Red Sea. 8 Even so you saved them - to defend the honor of your name and demonstrate your power to all the world. 9 You commanded the Red Sea to divide, forming a dry road across its bottom. Yes, as dry as any desert! 10 Thus you rescued them from their enemies. 11 Then the water returned and covered the road and drowned their foes; not one survived.
12 Then at last his people believed him. Then they finally sang his praise.
13 Yet how quickly they forgot again! They wouldn't wait for him to act 14 but demanded better food, testing God's patience to the breaking point. 15 So he gave them their demands but sent them leanness in their souls.
16 They were envious of Moses, yes, and Aaron too, the man anointed by God as his priest. 17 Because of this, the earth opened and swallowed Dathan, Abiram, and his friends; 18 and fire fell from heaven to consume these wicked men. 19-20 For they preferred a statue of an ox that eats grass to the glorious presence of God himself. 21-22 Thus they despised their Savior who had done such mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Sea. 23 So the Lord declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped into the breach between the people and their God and begged him to turn from his wrath and not destroy them.
24 They refused to enter the Promised Land, for they wouldn't believe his solemn oath to care for them. 25 Instead, they pouted in their tents and mourned and despised his command. 26 Therefore he swore that he would kill them in the wilderness 27 and send their children away to distant lands as exiles. 28 Then our fathers joined the worshipers of Baal at Peor and even offered sacrifices to the dead!
29 With all these things they angered him - and so a plague broke out upon them 30 and continued until Phineas executed those whose sins had caused the plague to start. 31 (For this good deed Phineas will be remembered forever.)
32 At Meribah, too, Israel angered God, causing Moses serious trouble, 33 for he became angry and spoke foolishly.
34 Nor did Israel destroy the nations in the land as God had told them to, 35 but mingled in among the heathen and learned their evil ways, 36 sacrificing to their idols, and were led away from God. 37-38 They even sacrificed their little children to the demons - the idols of Canaan - shedding innocent blood and polluting the land with murder. 39 Their evil deeds defiled them, for their love of idols was adultery in the sight of God. 40 That is why Jehovah's anger burned against his people, and he abhorred them. 41-42 That is why he let the heathen nations crush them. They were ruled by those who hated them and oppressed by their enemies.
43 Again and again he delivered them from their slavery, but they continued to rebel against him and were finally destroyed by their sin. 44 Yet, even so, he listened to their cries and heeded their distress; 45 he remembered his promises to them and relented because of his great love, 46 and caused even their enemies who captured them to pity them.
47 O Lord God, save us! Regather us from the nations so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Hallelujah!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,87
3,3,5,183
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,339
6,6,11,494
7,7,13,581
8,8,15,730
9,9,17,803
10,10,19,909
11,11,21,991
12,12,23,1057
13,13,25,1139
14,14,27,1222
15,15,29,1299
16,16,31,1388
17,17,33,1483
18,18,35,1569
19,19,37,1646
20,20,39,1726
21,21,41,1807
22,22,43,1886
23,23,45,1959
24,24,47,2091
25,25,49,2197
26,26,51,2260
27,27,53,2322
28,28,55,2441
29,29,57,2546
30,30,59,2648
31,31,61,2713
32,32,63,2788
33,33,65,2885
34,34,67,2979
35,35,69,3064
36,36,71,3141
37,37,73,3210
38,38,75,3284
39,39,77,3432
40,40,79,3525
41,41,81,3601
42,42,83,3683
43,43,85,3756
44,44,87,3874
45,45,89,3931
46,46,91,4031
47,47,93,4098
48,48,95,4216
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,179
4,5,5,262
6,11,7,457
12,12,9,1018
13,15,11,1097
16,23,13,1319
24,28,15,1942
29,31,17,2349
32,33,19,2581
34,42,21,2699
43,46,23,3349
47,47,25,3704
48,48,27,3819
TROUBLES PSALM 106:40-42
God allowed trouble to come to the Israelites to help them. Our troubles can be helpful because they (1) humble us, (2) pull us from the allurements of the world and drive us back to God, (3) quicken our prayers, (4) allow us to experience more of God's faithfulness, (5) make us more dependent upon God, (6) encourage us to submit to God's purpose for our lives, and (7) make us more compassionate to others in trouble.
PSALM107
1 Thank the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
2 That is what those whom the LORD has saved should say. He has saved them from the enemy
3 and has gathered them from other lands, from east and west, north and south.
4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands. They found no city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty, and they were discouraged.
6 In their misery they cried out to the LORD, and he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a straight road to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his love and for the miracles he does for people.
9 He satisfies the thirsty and fills up the hungry.
10 Some sat in gloom and darkness; they were prisoners suffering in chains.
11 They had turned against the words of God and had refused the advice of God Most High.
12 So he broke their pride by hard work. They stumbled, and no one helped.
13 In their misery they cried out to the LORD, and he saved them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his love and for the miracles he does for people.
16 He breaks down bronze gates and cuts apart iron bars.
17 Some fools turned against God and suffered for the evil they did.
18 They refused to eat anything, so they almost died.
19 In their misery they cried out to the LORD, and he saved them from their troubles.
20 God gave the command and healed them, so they were saved from dying.
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his love and for the miracles he does for people.
22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him. With joy they should tell what he has done.
23 Others went out to sea in ships and did business on the great oceans.
24 They saw what the LORD could do, the miracles he did in the deep oceans.
25 He spoke, and a storm came up, which blew up high waves.
26 The ships were tossed as high as the sky and fell low to the depths. The storm was so bad that they lost their courage.
27 They stumbled and fell like people who were drunk. They did not know what to do.
28 In their misery they cried out to the LORD, and he saved them from their troubles.
29 He stilled the storm and calmed the waves.
30 They were happy that it was quiet, and God guided them to the port they wanted.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his love and for the miracles he does for people.
32 Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people; let them praise him in the meeting of the older leaders.
33 He changed rivers into a desert and springs of water into dry ground.
34 He made fertile land salty, because the people there did evil.
35 He changed the desert into pools of water and dry ground into springs of water.
36 He had the hungry settle there so they could build a city in which to live.
37 They planted seeds in the fields and vineyards, and they had a good harvest.
38 God blessed them, and they grew in number. Their cattle did not become fewer.
39 Because of disaster, troubles, and sadness, their families grew smaller and weaker.
40 He showed he was displeased with their leaders and made them wander in a pathless desert.
41 But he lifted the poor out of their suffering and made their families grow like flocks of sheep.
42 Good people see this and are happy, but the wicked say nothing.
43 Whoever is wise will remember these things and will think about the love of the LORD.
1 Say thank you to the Lord for being so good, for always being so loving and kind. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.
3 He brought the exiles back from the farthest corners of the earth. 4 They were wandering homeless in the desert, 5 hungry and thirsty and faint. 6 "Lord, help!" they cried, and he did! 7 He led them straight to safety and a place to live. 8 Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness, and for all of his wonderful deeds! 9 For he satisfies the thirsty soul and fills the hungry soul with good.
10 Who are these who sit in darkness, in the shadow of death, crushed by misery and slavery? 11 They rebelled against the Lord, scorning him who is the God above all gods. 12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell and none could help them rise again. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he rescued them! 14 He led them from the darkness and shadow of death and snapped their chains. 15 Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds! 16 For he broke down their prison gates of brass and cut apart their iron bars.
17 Others, the fools, were ill because of their sinful ways. 18 Their appetites were gone, and death was near. 19 Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he helped them and delivered them. 20 He spoke, and they were healed - snatched from the door of death. 21 Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds! 22 Let them tell him thank you as their sacrifice and sing about his glorious deeds.
23 And then there are the sailors sailing the seven seas, plying the trade routes of the world. 24 They, too, observe the power of God in action. 25 He calls to the storm winds; the waves rise high. 26 Their ships are tossed to the heavens and sink again to the depths; the sailors cringe in terror. 27 They reel and stagger like drunkards and are at their wit's end. 28 Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he saves them. 29 He calms the storm and stills the waves. 30 What a blessing is that stillness as he brings them safely into harbor! 31 Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds! 32 Let them praise him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He dries up rivers 34 and turns the good land of the wicked into deserts of salt. 35 Again, he turns deserts into fertile, watered valleys. 36 He brings the hungry to settle there and build their cities, 37 to sow their fields and plant their vineyards, and reap their bumper crops! 38 How he blesses them! They raise big families there and many cattle.
39 But others become poor through oppression, trouble, and sorrow. 40 For God pours contempt upon the haughty and causes princes to wander among ruins; 41 but he rescues the poor who are godly and gives them many children and much prosperity. 42 Good men everywhere will see it and be glad, while evil men are stricken silent.
43 Listen, if you are wise, to what I am saying. Think about the loving-kindness of the Lord!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,247
5,5,9,336
6,6,11,399
7,7,13,488
8,8,15,558
9,9,17,651
10,10,19,707
11,11,21,787
12,12,23,880
13,13,25,959
14,14,27,1049
15,15,29,1128
16,16,31,1222
17,17,33,1283
18,18,35,1356
19,19,37,1414
20,20,39,1504
21,21,41,1580
22,22,43,1674
23,23,45,1765
24,24,47,1842
25,25,49,1922
26,26,51,1986
27,27,53,2113
28,28,55,2201
29,29,57,2291
30,30,59,2341
31,31,61,2428
32,32,63,2522
33,33,65,2646
34,34,67,2723
35,35,69,2793
36,36,71,2880
37,37,73,2963
38,38,75,3047
39,39,77,3132
40,40,79,3223
41,41,81,3320
42,42,83,3424
43,43,85,3495
1,2,1,1
3,9,3,181
10,16,5,602
17,22,7,1204
23,32,9,1665
33,38,11,2419
39,42,13,2779
43,43,15,3109
STRENGTH PSALM 107:28-32
Sometimes we feel as though all is hopeless. But trouble can lead us to depend on God as we cry to him for help. When he saves us, we will praise him for the good he has done. Then we understand that God can bring good out of troubles because our afflictions strengthen our faith.
PSALM108
P j
1 God, my heart is steady. I will sing and praise you with all my being.
2 Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn.
3 LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing songs of praise about you to all the nations.
4 Your great love reaches to the skies, your truth to the heavens.
5 God, you are supreme above the skies. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Answer us and save us by your power so the people you love will be rescued.
7 God has said from his Temple, "When I win, I will divide Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead and Manasseh are mine. Ephraim is like my helmet. Judah holds my royal scepter.
9 Moab is like my washbowl. I throw my sandals at Edom. I shout at Philistia."
10 Who will bring me to the strong, walled city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11 God, surely you have rejected us; you do not go out with our armies.
12 Help us fight the enemy. Human help is useless,
13 but we can win with God's help. He will defeat our enemies.
1 O God, my heart is ready to praise you! I will sing and rejoice before you.
2 Wake up, O harp and lyre! We will meet the dawn with song. 3 I will praise you everywhere around the world, in every nation. 4 For your loving-kindness is great beyond measure, high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches the skies. 5 His glory is far more vast than the heavens. It towers above the earth. 6 Hear the cry of your beloved child - come with mighty power and rescue me.
7 God has given sacred promises; no wonder I exult! He has promised to give us all the land of Shechem and also Succoth Valley. 8 "Gilead is mine to give to you," he says, "and Manasseh as well; the land of Ephraim is the helmet on my head. Judah is my scepter. 9 But Moab and Edom are despised; and I will shout in triumph over the Philistines."
10 Who but God can give me strength to conquer these fortified cities? Who else can lead me into Edom?
11 Lord, have you thrown us away? Have you deserted our army? 12 Oh, help us fight against our enemies, for men are useless allies. 13 But with the help of God we shall do mighty acts of valor. For he treads down our foes.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,133
4,4,7,240
5,5,9,311
6,6,11,393
7,7,13,475
8,8,15,585
9,9,17,678
10,10,19,761
11,11,21,840
12,12,23,916
13,13,25,971
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,82
7,9,5,473
10,10,7,823
11,13,9,929
P j
STAKE A CLAIM PSALM 108:13
Do our prayers end with requests just to make it through stressful situations? David prayed not just for rescue, but for victory. With God's help we can claim more than just survival, we can claim victory! Look for ways God can use your distress as an opportunity to show his mighty power.
PSALM109
1 God, I praise you. Do not be silent.
2 Wicked people and liars have spoken against me; they have told lies about me.
3 They have said hateful things about me and attack me for no reason.
4 They attacked me, even though I loved them and prayed for them.
5 I was good to them, but they repay me with evil. I loved them, but they hate me in return.
6 They say about me, "Have an evil person work against him, and let an accuser stand against him.
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let even his prayers show his guilt.
8 Let his life be cut short, and let another man replace him as leader.
9 Let his children become orphans and his wife a widow.
10 Make his children wander around, begging for food. Let them be forced out of the ruins in which they live.
11 Let the people to whom he owes money take everything he owns, and let strangers steal everything he has worked for.
12 Let no one show him love or have mercy on his orphaned children.
13 Let all his descendants die and be forgotten by those who live after him.
14 LORD, remember how wicked his ancestors were, and don't let the sins of his mother be wiped out.
15 LORD, always remember their sins. Then make people forget about them completely.
16 "He did not remember to be loving. He hurt the poor, the needy, and those who were sad until they were nearly dead.
17 He loved to put curses on others, so let those same curses fall on him. He did not like to bless others, so do not let good things happen to him.
18 He cursed others as often as he wore clothes. Cursing others filled his body and his life, like drinking water and using olive oil.
19 So let curses cover him like clothes and wrap around him like a belt."
20 May the LORD do these things to those who accuse me, to those who speak evil against me.
21 But you, Lord GOD, be kind to me so others will know you are good. Because your love is good, save me.
22 I am poor and helpless and very sad.
23 I am dying like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from hunger, and I have grown thin.
25 My enemies insult me; they look at me and shake their heads.
26 LORD my God, help me; because you are loving, save me.
27 Then they will know that your power has done this; they will know that you have done it, LORD.
28 They may curse me, but you bless me. They may attack me, but they will be disgraced. Then I, your servant, will be glad.
29 Let those who accuse me be disgraced and covered with shame like a coat.
30 I will thank the LORD very much; I will praise him in front of many people.
31 He defends the helpless and saves them from those who accuse them.
1 O God of my praise, don't stand silent and aloof 2 while the wicked slander me and tell their lies. 3 They have no reason to hate and fight me, yet they do! 4 I love them, but even while I am praying for them, they are trying to destroy me. 5 They return evil for good, and hatred for love.
6 Show him how it feels! Let lies be told about him, and bring him to court before an unfair judge. 7 When his case is called for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins. 8 Let his years be few and brief; let others step forward to replace him. 9-10 May his children become fatherless and his wife a widow; may they be evicted from the ruins of their home. 11 May creditors seize his entire estate and strangers take all he has earned. 12-13 Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children. May they die. May his family name be blotted out in a single generation. 14 Punish the sins of his father and mother. Don't overlook them. 15 Think constantly about the evil things he has done, and cut off his name from the memory of man.
16 For he refused all kindness to others, and persecuted those in need, and hounded brokenhearted ones to death. 17 He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don't you bless him. 18 Cursing is as much a part of him as his clothing, or as the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.
19 Now may those curses return and cling to him like his clothing or his belt. 20 This is the Lord's punishment upon my enemies who tell lies about me and threaten me with death.
21 But as for me, O Lord, deal with me as your child, as one who bears your name! Because you are so kind, O Lord, deliver me.
22-23 I am slipping down the hill to death; I am shaken off from life as easily as a man brushes a grasshopper from his arm. 24 My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones. 25 I am a symbol of failure to all mankind; when they see me they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because you are loving and kind. 27 Do it publicly, so all will see that you yourself have done it. 28 Then let them curse me if they like - I won't mind that if you are blessing me! For then all their efforts to destroy me will fail, and I shall go right on rejoicing!
29 Make them fail in everything they do. Clothe them with disgrace. 30 But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. 31 For he stands beside the poor and hungry to save them from their enemies.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,44
3,3,5,128
4,4,7,202
5,5,9,272
6,6,11,369
7,7,13,471
8,8,15,562
9,9,17,638
10,10,19,698
11,11,21,812
12,12,23,935
13,13,25,1007
14,14,27,1088
15,15,29,1192
16,16,31,1280
17,17,33,1403
18,18,35,1556
19,19,37,1695
20,20,39,1773
21,21,41,1869
22,22,43,1979
23,23,45,2023
24,24,47,2096
25,25,49,2157
26,26,51,2225
27,27,53,2287
28,28,55,2389
29,29,57,2517
30,30,59,2597
31,31,61,2680
1,5,1,1
6,15,3,297
16,18,5,1075
19,20,7,1395
21,21,9,1577
22,25,11,1707
26,28,13,1980
29,31,15,2288
eir
PSALM110
1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit by me at my right side until I put your enemies under your control."
2 The LORD will enlarge your kingdom beyond Jerusalem, and you will rule over your enemies.
3 Your people will join you on your day of battle. You have been dressed in holiness from birth; you have the freshness of a child.
4 The LORD has made a promise and will not change his mind. He said, "You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek."
5 The Lord is beside you to help you. When he becomes angry, he will crush kings.
6 He will judge those nations, filling them with dead bodies; he will defeat rulers all over the world.
7 The king will drink from the brook on the way. Then he will be strengthened.
1 Jehovah said to my Lord the Messiah, "Rule as my regent - I will subdue your enemies and make them bow low before you."
2 Jehovah has established your throne in Jerusalem* to rule over your enemies. 3 In that day of your power your people shall come to you willingly, dressed in holy altar robes. And your strength shall be renewed day by day like morning dew. 4 Jehovah has taken oath and will not rescind his vow that you are a priest forever like Melchizedek. 5 God stands beside you to protect you. He will strike down many kings in the day of his anger. 6 He will punish the nations and fill them with their dead. He will crush many heads. 7 But he himself shall be refreshed from springs along the way.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,107
3,3,5,203
4,4,7,339
5,5,9,467
6,6,11,553
7,7,13,661
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
MESSIAH PSALM 110:1-7
Many people have a vague belief in God, but refuse to accept Jesus as anything more than a great human teacher. But the Bible does not allow that option. Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim the deity of the One who came to save and to reign. This psalm shows God's promise of sending the Messiah. The New Testament clearly shows that Jesus is God's Son, the Messiah. You can't straddle the fence, calling Jesus just a good teacher, because the Bible clearly calls him the Messiah.
PSALM111
1 Praise the LORD! I will thank the LORD with all my heart in the meeting of his good people.
2 The LORD does great things; those who enjoy them seek them.
3 What he does is glorious and splendid, and his goodness continues forever.
4 His miracles are unforgettable. The LORD is kind and merciful.
5 He gives food to those who fear him. He remembers his agreement forever.
6 He has shown his people his power when he gave them the lands of other nations.
7 Everything he does is good and fair; all his orders can be trusted.
8 They will continue forever. They were made true and right.
9 He sets his people free. He made his agreement everlasting. He is holy and wonderful.
10 Wisdom begins with respect for the LORD; those who obey his orders have good understanding. He should be praised forever.
1 Hallelujah! I want to express publicly before his people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles. All who are thankful should ponder them with me. 3 For his miracles demonstrate his honor, majesty, and eternal goodness.
4 Who can forget the wonders he performs - deeds of mercy and of grace? 5 He gives food to those who trust him; he never forgets his promises. 6 He has shown his great power to his people by giving them the land of Israel, though it was the home of many nations living there. 7 All he does is just and good, and all his laws are right, 8 for they are formed from truth and goodness and stand firm forever. 9 He has paid a full ransom for his people; now they are always free to come to Jehovah (what a holy, awe-inspiring name that is).
10 How can men be wise? The only way to begin is by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,165
4,4,7,246
5,5,9,315
6,6,11,394
7,7,13,480
8,8,15,554
9,9,17,619
10,10,19,711
1,3,1,1
4,9,3,237
10,10,5,777
7,33
PSALM112
1 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who respect the LORD, who want what he commands.
2 Their descendants will be powerful in the land; the children of honest people will be blessed.
3 Their houses will be full of wealth and riches, and their goodness will continue forever.
4 A light shines in the dark for honest people, for those who are merciful and kind and good.
5 It is good to be merciful and generous. Those who are fair in their business
6 will never be defeated. Good people will always be remembered.
7 They won't be afraid of bad news; their hearts are steady because they trust the LORD.
8 They are confident and will not be afraid; they will look down on their enemies.
9 They give freely to the poor. The things they do are right and will continue forever. They will be given great honor.
10 The wicked will see this and become angry; they will grind their teeth in anger and then disappear. The wishes of the wicked will come to nothing.
1 Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in him are blessed beyond expression. Yes, happy is the man who delights in doing his commands.
2 His children shall be honored everywhere, for good men's sons have a special heritage. 3 He himself shall be wealthy, and his good deeds will never be forgotten. 4 When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting in. He is kind and merciful - 5 and all goes well for the generous man who conducts his business fairly.
6 Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God's constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. 7 He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. 8 That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes. 9 He gives generously to those in need. His deeds will never be forgotten. He shall have influence and honor.
10 Evil-minded men will be infuriated when they see all this; they will gnash their teeth in anger and slink away, their hopes thwarted.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
3,3,5,190
4,4,7,286
5,5,9,384
6,6,11,467
7,7,13,536
8,8,15,629
9,9,17,716
10,10,19,840
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,150
6,9,5,478
10,10,7,918
FEARLESS PSALM 112:7-8
We all want to live without fear; our heroes are fearless people who face dangers and overcome them. The psalmist teaches us that fear of God can lead to a fearless life. To fear God means to respect and reverence him as the almighty Lord. When we trust God completely to take care of us, we will find that our other fears-even of death itself-will subside.
PSALM113
1 Praise the LORD! Praise him, you servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
2 The LORD' s name should be praised now and forever.
3 The LORD' s name should be praised from where the sun rises to where it sets.
4 The LORD is supreme over all the nations; his glory reaches to the skies.
5 No one is like the LORD our God, who rules from heaven,
6 who bends down to look at the skies and the earth.
7 The LORD lifts the poor from the dirt and takes the helpless from the ashes.
8 He seats them with princes, the princes of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman who has none and makes her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!
1 Hallelujah! O servants of Jehovah, praise his name. 2 Blessed is his name forever and forever. 3 Praise him from sunrise to sunset! 4 For he is high above the nations; his glory is far greater than the heavens.
5 Who can be compared with God enthroned on high? 6 Far below him are the heavens and the earth; he stoops to look, 7 and lifts the poor from the dirt and the hungry from the garbage dump, 8 and sets them among princes! 9 He gives children to the childless wife, so that she becomes a happy mother.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,149
4,4,7,233
5,5,9,313
6,6,11,375
7,7,13,432
8,8,15,515
9,9,17,576
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,217
PSALM114
1 When the Israelites went out of Egypt, the people of Jacob left that foreign country.
2 Then Judah became God's holy place; Israel became the land he ruled.
3 The Red Sea looked and ran away; the Jordan River turned back.
4 The mountains danced like sheep and the hills like little lambs.
5 Sea, why did you run away? Jordan, why did you turn back?
6 Mountains, why did you dance like sheep? Hills, why did you dance like little lambs?
7 Earth, shake with fear before the Lord, before the God of Jacob.
8 He turned a rock into a pool of water, a hard rock into a spring of water.
1 Long ago when the Israelis escaped from Egypt, from that land of foreign tongue, 2 then the lands of Judah and of Israel became God's new home and kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and quickly broke apart before them. The Jordan River opened up a path for them to cross. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs! 5 What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you cut yourself in two? What happened, Jordan River, to your waters? Why were they held back? 6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob. 8 For he caused gushing streams to burst from flinty rock.
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,162
7,7,5,552
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,93
3,3,5,168
4,4,7,237
5,5,9,308
6,6,11,372
7,7,13,463
8,8,15,534
PSALM115
1 It does not belong to us, LORD. The glory belongs to you because of your love and loyalty.
2 Why do the nations ask, "Where is their God?"
3 Our God is in heaven. He does what he pleases.
4 Their idols are made of silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see.
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but they cannot feel. They have feet, but they cannot walk. No sounds come from their throats.
8 People who make idols will be like them, and so will those who trust them.
9 Family of Israel, trust the LORD; he is your helper and your protection.
10 Family of Aaron, trust the LORD; he is your helper and your protection.
11 You who respect the LORD should trust him; he is your helper and your protection.
12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the family of Israel; he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 The LORD will bless those who respect him, from the smallest to the greatest.
14 May the LORD give you success, and may he give you and your children success.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
16 Heaven belongs to the LORD, but he gave the earth to people.
17 Dead people do not praise the LORD; those in the grave are silent.
18 But we will praise the LORD now and forever. Praise the LORD!
1 Glorify your name, not ours, O Lord! Cause everyone to praise your loving-kindness and your truth. 2 Why let the nations say, "Their God is dead!" 3 For he is in the heavens and does as he wishes. 4 Their gods are merely manmade things of silver and of gold. 5 They can't talk or see, despite their eyes and mouths! 6 Nor can they hear, nor smell, 7 nor use their hands or feet, nor speak! 8 And those who make and worship them are just as foolish as their idols are.
9 O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper. He is your shield. 10 O priests of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper; he is your shield. 11 All of you, his people, trust in him. He is your helper; he is your shield.
12 Jehovah is constantly thinking about us, and he will surely bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and the priests of Aaron, 13 and all, both great and small, who reverence him.
14 May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. 15 Yes, Jehovah who made heaven and earth will personally bless you! 16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all mankind.
17 The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on earth, 18 but we can! We praise him forever! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,203
5,5,9,275
6,6,11,359
7,7,13,443
8,8,15,561
9,9,17,642
10,10,19,721
11,11,21,800
12,12,23,889
13,13,25,1008
14,14,27,1093
15,15,29,1178
16,16,31,1244
17,17,33,1312
18,18,35,1386
1,8,1,1
9,11,3,474
12,13,5,699
14,16,7,889
17,18,9,1096
THOUGHTS PSALM 115:12
Jehovah is constantly thinking about us says the psalm writer. What a fantastic truth! There are many times when we feel isolated, alone, and abandoned, even by God. In reality, he sees, understands, and is thinking about us. When depressed or struggling, be encouraged that God keeps you in his thoughts. If he thinks about you, surely his help is near.
PSALM116
1 I love the LORD, because he listens to my prayers for help.
2 He paid attention to me, so I will call to him for help as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death bound me, and the fear of the grave took hold of me. I was troubled and sad.
4 Then I called out the name of the LORD. I said, "Please, LORD, save me!"
5 The LORD is kind and does what is right; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD watches over the foolish; when I was helpless, he saved me.
7 I said to myself, "Relax, because the LORD takes care of you."
8 LORD, you saved me from death. You stopped my eyes from crying; you kept me from being defeated.
9 So I will walk with the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I believed, so I said, "I am completely ruined."
11 In my distress I said, "All people are liars."
12 What can I give the LORD for all the good things he has given to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will pray to the LORD.
14 I will give the LORD what I promised in front of all his people.
15 The death of one that belongs to the LORD is precious in his sight.
16 LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant and the son of your female servant. You have freed me from my chains.
17 I will give you an offering to show thanks to you, and I will pray to the LORD.
18 I will give the LORD what I promised in front of all his people,
19 in the Temple courtyards in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
1 I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. 2 Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe!
3 Death stared me in the face - I was frightened and sad. 4 Then I cried, "Lord, save me!" 5 How kind he is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 6 The Lord protects the simple and the childlike; I was facing death, and then he saved me. 7 Now I can relax. For the Lord has done this wonderful miracle for me. 8 He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I shall live! Yes, in his presence - here on earth!
10-11 In my discouragement I thought, "They are lying when they say I will recover." 12 But now what can I offer Jehovah for all he has done for me? 13 I will bring him an offering of wine and praise his name for saving me. 14 I will publicly bring him the sacrifice I vowed I would. 15 His loved ones are very precious to him, and he does not lightly let them die.
16 O Lord, you have freed me from my bonds, and I will serve you forever. 17 I will worship you and offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 18-19 Here in the courts of the Temple in Jerusalem, before all the people, I will pay everything I vowed to the Lord. Praise the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,67
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,250
5,5,9,329
6,6,11,397
7,7,13,472
8,8,15,541
9,9,17,644
10,10,19,706
11,11,21,762
12,12,23,816
13,13,25,892
14,14,27,965
15,15,29,1037
16,16,31,1112
17,17,33,1232
18,18,35,1319
19,19,37,1391
1,2,1,1
3,9,3,139
10,15,5,590
16,19,7,959
PSALM117
1 All you nations, praise the LORD. All you people, praise him
2 because the LORD loves us very much, and his truth is everlasting. Praise the LORD!
1 Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere. Praise him, all the peoples of the earth. 2 For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures. Praise the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,68
1,1,1,1
PSALM118
1 Thank the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
2 Let the people of Israel say, "His love continues forever."
3 Let the family of Aaron say, "His love continues forever."
4 Let those who respect the LORD say, "His love continues forever."
5 I was in trouble, so I called to the LORD. The LORD answered me and set me free.
6 I will not be afraid, because the LORD is with me. People can't do anything to me.
7 The LORD is with me to help me, so I will see my enemies defeated.
8 It is better to trust the LORD than to trust people.
9 It is better to trust the LORD than to trust princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me, but I defeated them in the name of the LORD.
11 They surrounded me on every side, but with the LORD' s power I defeated them.
12 They surrounded me like a swarm of bees, but they died as quickly as thorns burn. By the LORD' s power, I defeated them.
13 They chased me until I was almost defeated, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD gives me strength and a song. He has saved me.
15 Shouts of joy and victory come from the tents of those who do right: "The LORD has done powerful things."
16 The power of the LORD has won the victory; with his power the LORD has done mighty things.
17 I will not die, but live, and I will tell what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD has taught me a hard lesson, but he did not let me die.
19 Open for me the Temple gates. Then I will come in and thank the LORD.
20 This is the LORD' s gate; only those who are good may enter through it.
21 LORD, I thank you for answering me. You have saved me.
22 The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone.
23 The LORD did this, and it is wonderful to us.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made Let us rejoice and be glad today!
25 Please, LORD, save us; please, LORD, give us success.
26 God bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless all of you from the Temple of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and he has shown kindness to us. With branches in your hands, join the feast. Come to the corners of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will thank you; you are my God, and I will praise your greatness.
29 Thank the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
1 Oh, thank the Lord, for he's so good! His loving-kindness is forever.
2 Let the congregation of Israel praise him with these same words: "His loving-kindness is forever." 3 And let the priests of Aaron chant, "His loving-kindness is forever." 4 Let the Gentile converts chant, "His loving-kindness is forever."
5 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me. 6 He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side; he will help me. Let those who hate me beware.
8 It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men. 9 It is better to take refuge in him than in the mightiest king!
10 Though all the nations of the world attack me, I will march out behind his banner and destroy them. 11 Yes, they surround and attack me; but with his flag flying above me I will cut them off. 12 They swarm around me like bees; they blaze against me like a roaring flame. Yet beneath his flag I shall destroy them. 13 You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me. 14 He is my strength and song in the heat of battle, and now he has given me the victory. 15-16 Songs of joy at the news of our rescue are sung in the homes of the godly. The strong arm of the Lord has done glorious things! 17 I shall not die but live to tell of all his deeds. 18 The Lord has punished me but not handed me over to death.
19 Open the gates of the Temple - I will go in and give him my thanks. 20 Those gates are the way into the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. 21 O Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer and saving me.
22 The stone rejected by the builders has now become the capstone of the arch!
23 This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see! 24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O Lord, please help us. Save us. Give us success. 26 Blessed is the one who is coming, the one sent by the Lord. We bless you from the Temple.
27-28 Jehovah God is our light. I present to him my sacrifice upon the altar, for you are my God, and I shall give you this thanks and this praise. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is so good! For his loving-kindness is forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,136
4,4,7,201
5,5,9,273
6,6,11,360
7,7,13,449
8,8,15,522
9,9,17,581
10,10,19,641
11,11,21,724
12,12,23,809
13,13,25,937
14,14,27,1012
15,15,29,1075
16,16,31,1188
17,17,33,1286
18,18,35,1359
19,19,37,1431
20,20,39,1508
21,21,41,1587
22,22,43,1649
23,23,45,1717
24,24,47,1770
25,25,49,1850
26,26,51,1911
27,27,53,2020
28,28,55,2156
29,29,57,2251
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,76
5,7,5,320
8,9,7,535
10,18,9,667
19,21,11,1395
22,22,13,1622
23,26,15,1704
27,29,17,1983
1, +^z
PSALM119
11 Happy are those who live pure lives, who follow the LORD' s teachings.
2 Happy are those who keep his rules, who try to obey him with their whole heart.
3 They don't do what is wrong; they follow his ways.
4 LORD, you gave your orders to be obeyed completely.
5 I wish I were more loyal in obeying your demands.
6 Then I would not be ashamed when I study your commands.
7 When I learned that your laws are fair, I praised you with an honest heart.
8 I will obey your demands, so please don't ever leave me.
9 How can a young person live a pure life? By obeying your word.
10 With all my heart I try to obey you. Don't let me break your commands.
11 I have taken your words to heart so I would not sin against you.
12 LORD, you should be praised. Teach me your demands.
13 My lips will tell about all the laws you have spoken.
14 I enjoy living by your rules as people enjoy great riches.
15 I think about your orders and study your ways.
16 I enjoy obeying your demands, and I will not forget your word.
17 Do good to me, your servant, so I can live, so I can obey your word.
18 Open my eyes to see the miracles in your teachings.
19 I am a stranger on earth. Do not hide your commands from me.
20 I wear myself out with desire for your laws all the time.
21 You scold proud people; those who ignore your commands are cursed.
22 Don't let me be insulted and hated because I keep your rules.
23 Even if princes speak against me, I, your servant, will think about your demands.
24 Your rules give me pleasure; they give me good advice.
25 I am about to die. Give me life, as you have promised.
26 I told you about my life, and you answered me. Teach me your demands.
27 Help me understand your orders. Then I will think about your miracles.
28 I am sad and tired. Make me strong again as you have promised.
29 Don't let me be dishonest; have mercy on me by helping me obey your teachings.
30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have obeyed your laws.
31 I hold on to your rules. LORD, do not let me be disgraced.
32 I will quickly obey your commands, because you have made me happy.
33 LORD, teach me your demands, and I will keep them until the end.
34 Help me understand, so I can keep your teachings, obeying them with all my heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commands, because that makes me happy.
36 Make me want to keep your rules instead of wishing for riches.
37 Keep me from looking at worthless things. Let me live by your word.
38 Keep your promise to me, your servant, so you will be respected.
39 Take away the shame I fear, because your laws are good.
40 How I want to follow your orders. Give me life because of your goodness.
41 LORD, show me your love, and save me as you have promised.
42 I have an answer for people who insult me, because I trust what you say.
43 Never keep me from speaking your truth, because I depend on your fair laws.
44 I will obey your teachings forever and ever.
45 So I will live in freedom, because I want to follow your orders.
46 I will discuss your rules with kings and will not be ashamed.
47 I enjoy obeying your commands, which I love.
48 I praise your commands, which I love, and I think about your demands.
49 Remember your promise to me, your servant; it gives me hope.
50 When I suffer, this comforts me: Your promise gives me life.
51 Proud people always make fun of me, but I do not reject your teachings.
52 I remember your laws from long ago, and they comfort me, LORD.
53 I become angry with wicked people who do not keep your teachings.
54 I sing about your demands wherever I live.
55 LORD, I remember you at night, and I will obey your teachings.
56 This is what I do: I follow your orders.
57 LORD, you are my share in life; I have promised to obey your words.
58 I prayed to you with all my heart. Have mercy on me as you have promised.
59 I thought about my life, and I decided to follow your rules.
60 I hurried and did not wait to obey your commands.
61 Wicked people have tied me up, but I have not forgotten your teachings.
62 In the middle of the night, I get up to thank you because your laws are right.
63 I am a friend to everyone who fears you, to anyone who obeys your orders.
64 LORD, your love fills the earth. Teach me your demands.
65 You have done good things for your servant, as you have promised, LORD.
66 Teach me wisdom and knowledge because I trust your commands.
67 Before I suffered, I did wrong, but now I obey your word.
68 You are good, and you do what is good. Teach me your demands.
69 Proud people have made up lies about me, but I will follow your orders with all my heart.
70 Those people have no feelings, but I love your teachings.
71 It was good for me to suffer so I would learn your demands.
72 Your teachings are worth more to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
73 You made me and formed me with your hands. Give me understanding so I can learn your commands.
74 Let those who respect you rejoice when they see me, because I put my hope in your word.
75 LORD, I know that your laws are right and that it was right for you to punish me.
76 Comfort me with your love, as you promised me, your servant.
77 Have mercy on me so that I may live. I love your teachings.
78 Make proud people ashamed because they lied about me. But I will think about your orders.
79 Let those who respect you return to me, those who know your rules.
80 Let me obey your demands perfectly so I will not be ashamed.
81 I am weak from waiting for you to save me, but I hope in your word.
82 My eyes are tired from looking for your promise. When will you comfort me?
83 Even though I am like a wine bag going up in smoke, I do not forget your demands.
84 How long will I live? When will you judge those who are hurting me?
85 Proud people have dug pits to trap me. They have nothing to do with your teachings.
86 All of your commands can be trusted. Liars are hurting me. Help me!
87 They have almost put me in the grave, but I have not rejected your orders.
88 Give me life by your love so I can obey your rules.
89 LORD, your word is everlasting; it continues forever in heaven.
90 Your loyalty will go on and on; you made the earth, and it still stands.
91 All things continue to this day because of your laws, because all things serve you.
92 If I had not loved your teachings, I would have died from my sufferings.
93 I will never forget your orders, because you have given me life by them.
94 I am yours. Save me. I want to obey your orders.
95 Wicked people are waiting to destroy me, but I will think about your rules.
96 Everything I see has its limits, but your commands have none.
97 How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, because they are mine forever.
99 I am wiser than all my teachers, because I think about your rules.
100 I have more understanding than the older leaders, because I follow your orders.
101 I have avoided every evil way so I could obey your word.
102 I haven't walked away from your laws, because you yourself are my teacher.
103 Your promises are sweet to me, sweeter than honey in my mouth!
104 Your orders give me understanding, so I hate lying ways.
105 Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
106 I will do what I have promised and obey your fair laws.
107 I have suffered for a long time. LORD, give me life by your word.
108 LORD, accept my willing praise and teach me your laws.
109 My life is always in danger, but I haven't forgotten your teachings.
110 Wicked people have set a trap for me, but I haven't strayed from your orders.
111 I will follow your rules forever, because they make me happy.
112 I will try to do what you demand forever, until the end.
113 I hate disloyal people, but I love your teachings.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
115 Get away from me, you who do evil, so I can keep my God's commands.
116 Support me as you promised so I can live. Don't let me be embarrassed because of my hopes.
117 Help me, and I will be saved. I will always respect your demands.
118 You reject those who ignore your demands, because their lies mislead them.
119 You throw away the wicked of the world like trash. So I will love your rules.
120 I shake in fear of you; I respect your laws.
121 I have done what is fair and right. Don't leave me to those who wrong me.
122 Promise that you will help me, your servant. Don't let proud people wrong me.
123 My eyes are tired from looking for your salvation and for your good promise.
124 Show your love to me, your servant, and teach me your demands.
125 I am your servant. Give me wisdom so I can understand your rules.
126 LORD, it is time for you to do something, because people have disobeyed your teachings.
127 I love your commands more than the purest gold.
128 I respect all your orders, so I hate lying ways.
129 Your rules are wonderful. That is why I keep them.
130 Learning your words gives wisdom and understanding for the foolish.
131 I am nearly out of breath. I really want to learn your commands.
132 Look at me and have mercy on me as you do for those who love you.
133 Guide my steps as you promised; don't let any sin control me.
134 Save me from harmful people so I can obey your orders.
135 Show your kindness to me, your servant. Teach me your demands.
136 Tears stream from my eyes, because people do not obey your teachings.
137 Lord, you do waht is right, and your laws are fair.
138 The rules you commanded are right and completely trustworthy.
139 I am so upset I am worn out, because my enemies have forgotten your words.
140 Your promises are proven, so I, your servant, love them.
141 I am unimportant and hated, but I have not forgotten your orders.
142 Your goodness continues forever, and your teachings are true.
143 I have had troubles and misery, but I love your commands.
144 Your rules are always good. Help me understand so I can live.
145 LORD, I call to you with all my heart. Answer me, and I will keep your demands.
146 I call to you. Save me so I can obey your rules.
147 I wake up early in the morning and cry out. I hope in your word.
148 I stay awake all night so I can think about your promises.
149 Listen to me because of your love; LORD, give me life by your laws.
150 Those who love evil are near, but they are far from your teachings.
151 But, LORD, you are also near, and all your commands are true.
152 Long ago I learned from your rules that you made them to continue forever.
153 See my suffering and rescue me, because I have not forgotten your teachings.
154 Argue my case and save me. Let me live by your promises.
155 Wicked people are far from being saved, because they do not want your demands.
156 LORD, you are very kind; give me life by your laws.
157 Many enemies are after me, but I have not rejected your rules.
158 I see those traitors, and I hate them, because they do not obey what you say.
159 See how I love your orders. LORD, give me life by your love.
160 Your words are true from the start, and all your laws will be fair forever.
161 Leaders attack me for no reason, but I fear your law in my heart.
162 I am as happy over your promises as if I had found a great treasure.
163 I hate and despise lies, but I love your teachings.
164 Seven times a day I praise you for your fair laws.
165 Those who love your teachings will find true peace, and nothing will defeat them.
166 I am waiting for you to save me, LORD. I will obey your commands.
167 I obey your rules, and I love them very much.
168 I obey your orders and rules, because you know everything I do.
169 Hear my cry to you, LORD. Let your word help me understand.
170 Listen to my prayer; save me as you promised.
171 Let me speak your praise, because you have taught me your demands.
172 Let me sing about your promises, because all your commands are fair.
173 Give me your helping hand, because I have chosen your commands.
174 I want you to save me, LORD. I love your teachings.
175 Let me live so I can praise you, and let your laws help me.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep. Look for your servant, because I have not forgotten your commands.
21 Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. 2 Happy are all who search for God and always do his will, 3 rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 4 You have given us your laws to obey - 5 oh, how I want to follow them consistently. 6 Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean record.
7 After you have corrected me, I will thank you by living as I should! 8 I will obey! Oh, don't forsake me and let me slip back into sin again.
9 How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. 10 I have tried my best to find you - don't let me wander off from your instructions. 11 I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.
12 Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. 13 I have recited your laws 14 and rejoiced in them more than in riches. 15 I will meditate upon them and give them my full respect. 16 I will delight in them and not forget them.
17 Bless me with life so that I can continue to obey you. 18 Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. 19 I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map - and your commands are my chart and guide. 20 I long for your instructions more than I can tell.
21 You rebuke those cursed proud ones who refuse your commands - 22 don't let them scorn me for obeying you. 23 For even princes sit and talk against me, but I will continue in your plans. 24 Your laws are both my light and my counselors.
25 I am completely discouraged - I lie in the dust. Revive me by your Word. 26 I told you my plans and you replied. Now give me your instructions. 27 Make me understand what you want; for then I shall see your miracles.
28 I weep with grief; my heart is heavy with sorrow; encourage and cheer me with your words. 29-30 Keep me far from every wrong; help me, undeserving as I am, to obey your laws, for I have chosen to do right. 31 I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don't let me make a mess of things. 32 If you will only help me to want your will, then I will follow your laws even more closely.
33-34 Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I'll wholeheartedly obey. 35 Make me walk along the right paths, for I know how delightful they really are.
36 Help me to prefer obedience to making money! 37 Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. Revive my heart toward you. 38 Reassure me that your promises are for me, for I trust and revere you.
39 How I dread being mocked for obeying, for your laws are right and good. 40-42 I long to obey them! Therefore in fairness renew my life, for this was your promise - yes, Lord, to save me! Now spare me by your kindness and your love. Then I will have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust your promises.
43 May I never forget your words, for they are my only hope. 44-46 Therefore I will keep on obeying you forever and forever, free within the limits of your laws. I will speak to kings about their value, and they will listen with interest and respect.
47 How I love your laws! How I enjoy your commands! 48 "Come, come to me," I call to them, for I love them and will let them fill my life.
49-50 Never forget your promises to me your servant, for they are my only hope. They give me strength in all my troubles; how they refresh and revive me! 51 Proud men hold me in contempt for obedience to God, but I stand unmoved. 52 From my earliest youth I have tried to obey you; your Word has been my comfort.
53 I am very angry with those who spurn your commands. 54 For these laws of yours have been my source of joy and singing through all these years of my earthly pilgrimage. 55 I obey them even at night and keep my thoughts, O Lord, on you. 56 What a blessing this has been to me - to constantly obey.
57 Jehovah is mine! And I promise to obey! 58 With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful just as you promised. 59-60 I thought about the wrong direction in which I was headed, and turned around and came running back to you. 61 Evil men have tried to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your laws.
62 At midnight I will rise to give my thanks to you for your good laws. 63 Anyone is my brother who fears and trusts the Lord and obeys him. 64 O Lord, the earth is full of your loving-kindness! Teach me your good paths.
65 Lord, I am overflowing with your blessings, just as you promised. 66 Now teach me good judgment as well as knowledge. For your laws are my guide. 67 I used to wander off until you punished me; now I closely follow all you say. 68 You are good and do only good; make me follow your lead.
69 Proud men have made up lies about me, but the truth is that I obey your laws with all my heart. 70 Their minds are dull and stupid, but I have sense enough to follow you.
71-72 The punishment you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold!
73 You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws. 74 All those who fear and trust in you will welcome me because I too am trusting in your Word.
75-77 I know, O Lord, that your decisions are right and that your punishment was right and did me good. Now let your loving-kindness comfort me, just as you promised. Surround me with your tender mercies that I may live. For your law is my delight.
78 Let the proud be disgraced, for they have cut me down with all their lies. But I will concentrate my thoughts upon your laws.
79 Let all others join me who trust and fear you, and we will discuss your laws. 80 Help me to love your every wish; then I will never have to be ashamed of myself.
81 I faint for your salvation; but I expect your help, for you have promised it. 82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me with your help? 83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, exhausted with waiting. But still I cling to your laws and obey them. 84 How long must I wait before you punish those who persecute me? 85-86 These proud men who hate your truth and laws have dug deep pits for me to fall in. Their lies have brought me into deep trouble. Help me, for you love only truth. 87 They had almost finished me off, yet I refused to yield and disobey your laws. 88 In your kindness, spare my life; then I can continue to obey you.
89 Forever, O Lord, your Word stands firm in heaven. 90-91 Your faithfulness extends to every generation, like the earth you created; it endures by your decree, for everything serves your plans.
92 I would have despaired and perished unless your laws had been my deepest delight. 93 I will never lay aside your laws, for you have used them to restore my joy and health. 94 I am yours! Save me! For I have tried to live according to your desires. 95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind upon your promises.
96 Nothing is perfect except your words. 97 Oh, how I love them. I think about them all day long. 98 They make me wiser than my enemies because they are my constant guide. 99 Yes, wiser than my teachers, for I am ever thinking of your rules. 100 They make me even wiser than the aged.
101 I have refused to walk the paths of evil, for I will remain obedient to your Word. 102-103 No, I haven't turned away from what you taught me; your words are sweeter than honey. 104 And since only your rules can give me wisdom and understanding, no wonder I hate every false teaching.
105 Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling. 106 I've said it once and I'll say it again and again: I will obey these wonderful laws of yours.
107 I am close to death at the hands of my enemies; oh, give me back my life again, just as you promised me. 108 Accept my grateful thanks and teach me your desires. 109 My life hangs in the balance, but I will not give up obedience to your laws. 110 The wicked have set their traps for me along your path, but I will not turn aside. 111 Your laws are my joyous treasure forever. 112 I am determined to obey you until I die.
113 I hate those who are undecided whether or not to obey you; but my choice is clear - I love your law. 114 You are my refuge and my shield, and your promises are my only source of hope. 115 Begone, you evil-minded men! Don't try to stop me from obeying God's commands. 116 Lord, you promised to let me live! Never let it be said that God failed me. 117 Hold me safe above the heads of all my enemies; then I can continue to obey your laws.
118 But you have rejected all who reject your laws. They are only fooling themselves. 119 The wicked are the scum you skim off and throw away; no wonder I love to obey your laws! 120 I tremble in fear of you; I fear your punishments.
121 Don't leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is right; I've been perfectly fair. 122 Commit yourself to bless me! Don't let the proud oppress me! 123 My eyes grow dim with longing for you to fulfill your wonderful promise to rescue me. 124 Lord, deal with me in loving-kindness, and teach me, your servant, to obey; 125 for I am your servant; therefore give me common sense to apply your rules to everything I do.
126 Lord, it is time for you to act. For these evil men have violated your laws, 127 while I love your commandments more than the finest gold. 128 Every law of God is right, whatever it concerns. I hate every other way.
129 Your laws are wonderful; no wonder I obey them. 130 As your plan unfolds, even the simple can understand it. 131 No wonder I wait expectantly for each of your commands.
132 Come and have mercy on me as is your way with those who love you. 133 Guide me with your laws so that I will not be overcome by evil. 134 Rescue me from the oppression of evil men; then I can obey you. 135 Look down in love upon me and teach me all your laws. 136 I weep because your laws are disobeyed.
137 O Lord, you are just and your punishments are fair. 138 Your demands are just and right. 139 I am indignant and angry because of the way my enemies have disregarded your laws. 140 I have thoroughly tested your promises, and that is why I love them so much. 141 I am worthless and despised, but I don't despise your laws.
142 Your justice is eternal for your laws are perfectly fair. 143 In my distress and anguish your commandments comfort me. 144 Your laws are always fair; help me to understand them, and I shall live.
145 I am praying with great earnestness; answer me, O Lord, and I will obey your laws. 146 "Save me," I cry, "for I am obeying." 147 Early in the morning before the sun is up, I am praying and pointing out how much I trust in you. 148 I stay awake through the night to think about your promises. 149 Because you are so loving and kind, listen to me and make me well again.
150 Here come these lawless men to attack me, 151 but you are near, O Lord; all your commandments are based on truth. 152 I have known from earliest days that your will never changes.
153 Look down upon my sorrows and rescue me, for I am obeying your commands. 154 Yes, rescue me and give me back my life again just as you have promised. 155 The wicked are far from salvation, for they do not care for your laws. 156 Lord, how great is your mercy; oh, give me back my life again.
157 My enemies are so many. They try to make me disobey, but I have not swerved from your will. 158 I loathed these traitors because they care nothing for your laws. 159 Lord, see how much I really love your demands. Now give me back my life and health because you are so kind. 160 There is utter truth in all your laws; your decrees are eternal.
161 Great men have persecuted me, though they have no reason to, but I stand in awe of only your words. 162 I rejoice in your laws like one who finds a great treasure. 163 How I hate all falsehood, but how I love your laws. 164 I will praise you seven times a day because of your wonderful laws.
165 Those who love your laws have great peace of heart and mind and do not stumble. 166 I long for your salvation, Lord, and so I have obeyed your laws. 167 I have looked for your commandments, and I love them very much; 168 yes, I have searched for them. You know this because everything I do is known to you.
169 O Lord, listen to my prayers; give me the common sense you promised. 170 Hear my prayers; rescue me as you said you would. 171 I praise you for letting me learn your laws. 172 I will sing about their wonder, for each of them is just. 173 Stand ready to help me because I have chosen to follow your will. 174 O Lord, I have longed for your salvation, and your law is my delight. 175 If you will let me live, I will praise you; let your laws assist me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not turned away from your commandments.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,221
5,5,9,279
6,6,11,335
7,7,13,397
8,8,15,479
9,9,17,542
10,10,19,611
11,11,21,689
12,12,23,761
13,13,25,820
14,14,27,881
15,15,29,947
16,16,31,1001
17,17,33,1071
18,18,35,1147
19,19,37,1206
20,20,39,1274
21,21,41,1339
22,22,43,1413
23,23,45,1482
24,24,47,1571
25,25,49,1633
26,26,51,1695
27,27,53,1772
28,28,55,1850
29,29,57,1920
30,30,59,2006
31,31,61,2070
32,32,63,2136
33,33,65,2210
34,34,67,2282
35,35,69,2371
36,36,71,2445
37,37,73,2515
38,38,75,2590
39,39,77,2662
40,40,79,2725
41,41,81,2805
42,42,83,2871
43,43,85,2951
44,44,87,3034
45,45,89,3086
46,46,91,3158
47,47,93,3227
48,48,95,3279
49,49,97,3356
50,50,99,3424
51,51,101,3492
52,52,103,3571
53,53,105,3641
54,54,107,3714
55,55,109,3764
56,56,111,3834
57,57,113,3882
58,58,115,3957
59,59,117,4038
60,60,119,4106
61,61,121,4163
62,62,123,4242
63,63,125,4328
64,64,127,4409
65,65,129,4472
66,66,131,4551
67,67,133,4619
68,68,135,4684
69,69,137,4753
70,70,139,4850
71,71,141,4915
72,72,143,4982
73,73,145,5070
74,74,147,5172
75,75,149,5267
76,76,151,5356
77,77,153,5424
78,78,155,5491
79,79,157,5588
80,80,159,5662
81,81,161,5730
82,82,163,5805
83,83,165,5887
84,84,167,5976
85,85,169,6051
86,86,171,6142
87,87,173,6217
88,88,175,6299
89,89,177,6358
90,90,179,6429
91,91,181,6509
92,92,183,6600
93,93,185,6680
94,94,187,6760
95,95,189,6816
96,96,191,6899
97,97,193,6968
98,98,195,7035
99,99,197,7118
100,100,199,7192
101,101,201,7280
102,102,203,7345
103,103,205,7428
104,104,207,7499
105,105,209,7564
106,106,211,7634
107,107,213,7698
108,108,215,7772
109,109,217,7835
110,110,219,7912
111,111,221,7998
112,112,223,8068
113,113,225,8133
114,114,227,8192
115,115,229,8260
116,116,231,8336
117,117,233,8435
118,118,235,8509
119,119,237,8592
120,120,239,8678
121,121,241,8731
122,122,243,8813
123,123,245,8899
124,124,247,8984
125,125,249,9055
126,126,251,9129
127,127,253,9225
128,128,255,9281
129,129,257,9338
130,130,259,9397
131,131,261,9473
132,132,263,9546
133,133,265,9620
134,134,267,9690
135,135,269,9753
136,136,271,9824
137,137,273,9902
138,138,275,9962
139,139,277,10032
140,140,279,10115
141,141,281,10180
142,142,283,10254
143,143,285,10324
144,144,287,10390
145,145,289,10460
146,146,291,10548
147,147,293,10605
148,148,295,10678
149,149,297,10745
150,150,299,10821
151,151,301,10897
152,152,303,10967
153,153,305,11050
154,154,307,11135
155,155,309,11200
156,156,311,11287
157,157,313,11347
158,158,315,11418
159,159,317,11504
160,160,319,11573
161,161,321,11657
162,162,323,11731
163,163,325,11808
164,164,327,11868
165,165,329,11927
166,166,331,12017
167,167,333,12091
168,168,335,12145
169,169,337,12217
170,170,339,12285
171,171,341,12339
172,172,343,12414
173,173,345,12491
174,174,347,12563
175,175,349,12623
176,176,351,12691
1,6,1,1
7,8,3,331
9,11,5,480
12,16,7,758
17,20,9,979
21,24,11,1246
25,27,13,1488
28,32,15,1711
33,35,17,2125
36,38,19,2308
39,42,21,2517
43,46,23,2833
47,48,25,3087
49,52,27,3229
53,56,29,3545
57,61,31,3847
62,64,33,4167
65,68,35,4391
69,70,37,4684
71,72,39,4861
73,74,41,5059
75,77,43,5221
78,78,45,5473
79,80,47,5605
81,88,49,5773
89,91,51,6459
92,95,53,6657
96,100,55,7011
101,104,57,7299
105,106,59,7590
107,112,61,7781
113,117,63,8209
118,120,65,8654
121,125,67,8891
126,128,69,9331
129,131,71,9554
132,136,73,9730
137,141,75,10041
142,144,77,10369
145,149,79,10572
150,152,81,10948
153,156,83,11135
157,160,85,11434
161,164,87,11784
165,168,89,12083
169,175,91,12397
176,176,93,12855
DETERRENT PSALM 119:11
Storing God's word in our hearts and minds is a deterrent to sin. This alone should inspire us to want to memorize Scripture. But memorization alone will not keep us from sin; we must also put God's word to work in our lives, making it a vital guide to everything we do.
RULES PSALM 119:12-18
Most of us don't like rules because we think they keep us from doing what we want. So it may seem strange to hear the psalmist talk of rejoicing in God's laws more than in riches (119:14). But God's laws were given to free us to be all he wants us to be. They restrict us from doing those things that will cripple us and keep us from being our best. God's laws are guidelines to help us follow in his path and not wander onto paths that would lead to destruction.
WISER PSALM 119:96-104
God's word makes us wise-wiser than our enemies, wiser than any teachers who ignore it. True wisdom is not amassing knowledge, but applying knowledge in a life-changing way. Intelligent or experi- enced people are not necessarily wise. Wisdom comes from allowing what God teaches to make a difference in our lives.
MEDICINE PSALM 119:125
Faith comes alive at the points where we apply Scripture to our lives. Like the psalmist, we need the common sense and the desire to apply Scripture where we need help. The Bible is similar to medicine-it goes to work only when you put it on the infected areas. As you read the Bible, be on the alert for lessons, commands, or examples that you can apply to situations in your life.
PSALM120
1 When I was in trouble, I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
2 LORD, save me from liars and from those who plan evil.
3 You who plan evil, what will God do to you? How will he punish you?
4 He will punish you with the sharp arrows of a warrior and with burning coals of wood.
5 How terrible it is for me to live in the land of Meshech, to live among the people of Kedar.
6 I have lived too long with people who hate peace.
7 When I talk peace, they want war.
1 In my troubles I pled with God to help me and he did!
2 Deliver me, O Lord, from liars. 3 O lying tongue, what shall be your fate? 4 You shall be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals.
5-6 My troubles pile high among these haters of the Lord, these men of Meshech and Kedar. I am tired of being here among these men who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but they are for war, and my voice goes unheeded in their councils.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,72
3,3,5,133
4,4,7,207
5,5,9,299
6,6,11,398
7,7,13,454
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,60
5,5,5,212
PEACEMAKER PSALM 120:7
Peacemaking is not very popular because it is more human to fight for what is right. The glory of battle is the hope of winning, but someone must be a loser. The glory of peacemaking is that it may actually produce two winners. Peacemaking is God's way, so we should carefully and prayerfully attempt to be peacemakers.
PSALM121
1 I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps.
4 He who guards Israel never rests or sleeps.
5 The LORD guards you. The LORD is the shade that protects you from the sun.
6 The sun cannot hurt you during the day, and the moon cannot hurt you at night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all dangers; he will guard your life.
8 The LORD will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever.
1 Shall I look to the mountain gods for help? 2 No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too! 3-4 He will never let me stumble, slip, or fall. For he is always watching, never sleeping.
5 Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender.
6 He protects you day and night. 7 He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. 8 He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go and always guards you.
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,217
6,6,5,278
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,65
3,3,5,127
4,4,7,198
5,5,9,248
6,6,11,329
7,7,13,414
8,8,15,489
PSALM122
1 I was happy when they said to me, "Let's go to the Temple of the LORD."
2 Jerusalem, we are standing at your gates.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city with the buildings close together.
4 The tribes go up there, the tribes who belong to the LORD. It is the rule in Israel to praise the LORD at Jerusalem.
5 There the descendants of David set their thrones to judge the people.
6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem: "May those who love her be safe.
7 May there be peace within her walls and safety within her strong towers."
8 To help my relatives and friends, I say, "Let Jerusalem have peace."
9 For the sake of the Temple of the LORD our God, I wish good for her.
1 I was glad for the suggestion of going to Jerusalem, to the Temple of the Lord. 2-3 Now we are standing here inside the crowded city. 4 All Israel - Jehovah's people - have come to worship as the law requires, to thank and praise the Lord. 5 Look! There are the judges holding court beside the city gates, deciding all the people's arguments.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. 7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. 8 This I ask for the sake of all my brothers and my friends who live here; 9 and may there be peace as a protection to the Temple of the Lord.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,127
4,4,7,197
5,5,9,320
6,6,11,396
7,7,13,464
8,8,15,544
9,9,17,619
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,349
FOR OTHERS PSALM 122:6-9
The psalmist was not praying for his own peace and prosperity, but for his fellow citizens of Jerusalem. This is intercessory prayer, prayer on the behalf of others. Such prayer is unselfish. Too often we pray for our own needs and desires when we should be inter- ceding for others. Will you pray for someone in need today?
PSALM123
1 LORD, I look upward to you, you who live in heaven.
2 Slaves depend on their masters, and a female servant depends on her mistress. In the same way, we depend on the LORD our God; we wait for him to show us mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, LORD. Have mercy on us, because we have been insulted.
4 We have suffered many insults from lazy people and much cruelty from the proud.
1 O God enthroned in heaven, I lift my eyes to you.
2 We look to Jehovah our God for his mercy and kindness just as a servant keeps his eyes upon his master or a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
3-4 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. For we have had our fill of contempt and of the scoffing of the rich and proud.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,56
3,3,5,227
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,59
3,3,5,225
4,4,7,304
PSALM124
1 What if the LORD had not been on our side? (Let Israel repeat this.)
2 What if the LORD had not been on our side when we were attacked?
3 When they were angry with us, they would have swallowed us alive.
4 They would have been like a flood drowning us; they would have poured over us like a river.
5 They would have swept us away like a mighty stream.
6 Praise the LORD, who did not let them chew us up.
7 We escaped like a bird from the hunter's trap. The trap broke, and we escaped.
8 Our help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side (let all Israel admit it), if the Lord had not been on our side, 2-3 we would have been swallowed alive by our enemies, destroyed by their anger. 4-5 We would have drowned beneath the flood of these men's fury and pride.
6 Blessed be Jehovah who has not let them devour us. 7 We have escaped with our lives as a bird from a hunter's snare. The snare is broken and we are free!
8 Our help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,264
8,8,5,423
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,147
4,4,7,219
5,5,9,317
6,6,11,375
7,7,13,431
8,8,15,516
PSALM125
1 Those who trust the LORD are like Mount Zion, which sits unmoved forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, the LORD surrounds his people now and forever.
3 The wicked will not rule over those who do right. If they did, the people who do right might use their power to do evil.
4 LORD, be good to those who are good, whose hearts are honest.
5 But, LORD, when you remove those who do evil, also remove those who stop following you. Let there be peace in Israel. 12
1 Those who trust in the Lord are steady as Mount Zion, unmoved by any circumstance.
2 Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people. 3 For the wicked shall not rule the godly, lest the godly be forced to do wrong. 4 O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are right with the Lord; 5 but lead evil men to execution. And let Israel have quietness and peace.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,81
3,3,5,171
4,4,7,298
5,12,9,366
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
4 Y
PSALM126
1 When the LORD brought the prisoners back to Jerusalem, it seemed as if we were dreaming.
2 Then we were filled with laughter, and we sang happy songs. Then the other nations said, "The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are very glad.
4 LORD, return our prisoners again, as you bring streams to the desert.
5 Those who cry as they plant crops will sing at harvest time.
6 Those who cry as they carry out the seeds will return singing and carrying bundles of grain. 12
1 When Jehovah brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! 2 How we laughed and sang for joy. And the other nations said, "What amazing things the Lord has done for them."
3 Yes, glorious things! What wonder! What joy! 4 May we be refreshed as by streams in the desert.
5 Those who sow tears shall reap joy. 6 Yes, they go out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, and return singing, carrying their sheaves.
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,191
5,5,5,292
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,234
4,4,7,301
5,5,9,377
6,12,11,444
PSALM127
1 If the LORD doesn't build the house, the builders are working for nothing. If the LORD doesn't guard the city, the guards are watching for nothing.
2 It is no use for you to get up early and stay up late, working for a living. The LORD gives sleep to those he loves.
3 Children are a gift from the LORD; babies are a reward.
4 Children who are born to a young man are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
5 Happy is the man who has his bag full of arrows. They will not be defeated when they fight their enemies at the city gate.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders' work is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, sentries do no good. 2 It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.
3 Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. 4 Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,155
3,3,5,278
4,4,7,340
5,5,9,425
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,294
5,5,5,418
PRIORITY PSALM 127:1
Families establish homes, and sentries guard cities, but both of these activities are futile unless God is with them. A family without God can never experience the spiritual bond God brings to relationships. A city without God will crumble from evil and corruption on the inside. Don't make the mistake of leaving God out of your life-if you do, it will be lived in vain. Make God your highest priority and let him do the building.
PSALM128
1 Happy are those who respect the LORD and obey him.
2 You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things.
3 Your wife will give you many children, like a vine that produces much fruit. Your children will bring you much good, like olive branches that produce many olives.
4 This is how the man who respects the LORD will be blessed.
5 May the LORD bless you from Mount Zion; may you enjoy the good things of Jerusalem all your life.
6 May you see your grandchildren. Let there be peace in Israel.
1 Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord - on all who obey him!
2 Their reward shall be prosperity and happiness. 3 Your wife shall be contented in your home. And look at all those children! There they sit around the dinner table as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees. 4 That is God's reward to those who reverence and trust him.
5 May the Lord continually bless you with heaven's blessings as well as with human joys.* 6 May you live to enjoy your grandchildren! And may God bless Israel!
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,79
5,5,5,355
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,58
3,3,5,140
4,4,7,309
5,5,9,374
6,6,11,478
PSALM129
1 They have treated me badly all my life. (Let Israel repeat this.)
2 They have treated me badly all my life, but they have not defeated me.
3 Like farmers plowing, they plowed over my back, making long wounds.
4 But the LORD does what is right; he has set me free from those wicked people.
5 Let those who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shame.
6 Let them be like the grass on the roof that dries up before it has grown.
7 There is not enough of it to fill a hand or to make into a bundle to fill one's arms.
8 Let those who pass by them not say, "May the LORD bless you. We bless you by the power of the LORD."
1 Persecuted from my earliest youth (Israel is speaking), 2 and faced with never-ending discrimination - but not destroyed! My enemies have never been able to finish me off 20!
3-4 Though my back is cut to ribbons with their whips, the Lord is good. For he has snapped the chains that evil men had bound me with.
5 May all who hate the Jews be brought to ignominious defeat. 6-7 May they be as grass in shallow soil, turning sere and yellow when half grown, ignored by the reaper, despised by the binder. 8 And may those passing by refuse to bless them by saying, "Jehovah's blessings be upon you; we bless you in Jehovah's name."
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,181
5,5,5,320
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,224
5,5,9,308
6,6,11,368
7,7,13,448
8,8,15,540
PSALM130
1 LORD, I am in great trouble, so I call out to you.
2 Lord, hear my voice; listen to my prayer for help.
3 LORD, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left, Lord.
4 But you forgive us, so you are respected.
5 I wait for the LORD to help me, and I trust his word.
6 I wait for the Lord to help me more than night watchmen wait for the dawn, more than night watchmen wait for the dawn.
7 People of Israel, put your hope in the LORD because he is loving and able to save.
8 He will save Israel from all their sins.
1 O Lord, from the depths of despair I cry for your help: 2 "Hear me! Answer! Help me!"
3-4 Lord, if you keep in mind our sins, then who can ever get an answer to his prayers? But you forgive! What an awesome thing this is! 5 That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised. 6 I long for him more than sentinels long for the dawn.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for he is loving and kind and comes to us with armloads of salvation. 8 He himself shall ransom Israel from her slavery to sin.
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,92
7,7,5,364
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,58
3,3,5,115
4,4,7,198
5,5,9,246
6,6,11,306
7,7,13,431
8,8,15,520
PSALM131
1 LORD, my heart is not proud; I don't look down on others. I don't do great things, and I can't do miracles.
2 But I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the LORD now and forever.
1 Lord, I am not proud and haughty. I don't think myself better than others. I don't pretend to "know it all." 2 I am quiet now before the Lord, just as a child who is weaned from the breast. Yes, my begging has been stilled.
3 O Israel, you too should quietly trust in the Lord - now, and always.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,115
3,3,5,219
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,230
PSALM132
1 LORD, remember David and all his suffering.
2 He made an oath to the LORD, a promise to the Mighty God of Jacob.
3 He said, "I will not go home to my house, or lie down on my bed,
4 or close my eyes, or let myself sleep
5 until I find a place for the LORD. I want to provide a home for the Mighty God of Jacob."
6 We heard about the Ark in Bethlehem. We found it at Kiriath Jearim.
7 Let's go to the LORD' s house. Let's worship at his footstool.
8 Rise, LORD, and come to your resting place; come with the Ark that shows your strength.
9 May your priests do what is right. May your people sing for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your appointed king.
11 The LORD made a promise to David, a sure promise that he will not take back. He promised, "I will make one of your descendants rule as king after you.
12 If your sons keep my agreement and the rules that I teach them, then their sons after them will rule on your throne forever and ever."
13 The LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he wants it for his home.
14 He says, "This is my resting place forever. Here is where I want to stay.
15 I will bless her with plenty; I will fill her poor with food.
16 I will cover her priests with salvation, and those who worship me will really sing for joy.
17 "I will make a king come from the family of David. I will provide my appointed one descendants to rule after him.
18 I will cover his enemies with shame, but his crown will shine."
1 Lord, do you remember that time when my heart was so filled with turmoil? 2-5 I couldn't rest, I couldn't sleep, thinking how I ought to build a permanent home for the Ark of the Lord, a Temple for the mighty one of Israel. Then I vowed that I would do it; I made a solemn promise to the Lord.
6 First the Ark was in Ephrathah, then in the distant countryside of Jaar. 7 But now it will be settled in the Temple, in God's permanent home here on earth. That is where we will go to worship him.
8 Arise, O Lord, and enter your Temple with the Ark, the symbol of your power.
9 We will clothe the priests in white, the symbol of all purity. May our nation shout for joy.
10 Do not reject your servant David - the king you chose for your people. 11 For you promised me that my son would sit on my throne and succeed me. And surely you will never go back on a promise! 12 You also promised that if my descendants will obey the terms of your contract with me, then the dynasty of David shall never end.
13 O Lord, you have chosen Jerusalem as your home: 14 "This is my permanent home where I shall live," you said, "for I have always wanted it this way. 15 I will make this city prosperous and satisfy her poor with food. 16 I will clothe her priests with salvation; her saints shall shout for joy. 17 David's power shall grow, for I have decreed for him a mighty Son.
18 I'll clothe his enemies with shame, but he shall be a glorious King."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,51
3,3,5,124
4,4,7,195
5,5,9,239
6,6,11,335
7,7,13,409
8,8,15,478
9,9,17,572
10,10,19,643
11,11,21,721
12,12,23,879
13,13,25,1021
14,14,27,1085
15,15,29,1166
16,16,31,1235
17,17,33,1334
18,18,35,1455
1,5,1,1
6,7,3,300
8,8,5,502
9,9,7,584
10,12,9,682
13,17,11,1014
18,18,13,1383
PSALM133
1 It is good and pleasant when God's people live together in peace!
2 It is like perfumed oil poured on the priest's head and running down his beard. It ran down Aaron's beard and on to the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Mount Hermon falling on the hills of Jerusalem. There the LORD gives his blessing of life forever. 13
1 How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live in harmony! 2 For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head and ran down onto his beard and onto the border of his robe. 3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew on Mount Hermon, on the mountains of Israel. And God has pronounced this eternal blessing on Jerusalem, even life forevermore.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,220
1,1,1,1
PSALM134
1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve at night in the Temple of the LORD.
2 Raise your hands in the Temple and praise the LORD.
3 May the LORD bless you from Mount Zion, he who made heaven and earth.
1 Oh, bless the Lord, you who serve him as watchmen in the Temple every night. 2 Lift your hands in holiness and bless the Lord.
3 The Lord bless you from Zion - the Lord who made heaven and earth.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,162
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,133
PSALM135
WORSHIP
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; praise him, you servants of the LORD,
2 you who stand in the LORD' s Temple and in the Temple courtyards.
3 Praise the LORD, because he is good; sing praises to him, because it is pleasant.
4 The LORD has chosen the people of Jacob for himself; he has chosen the people of Israel for his very own.
5 I know that the LORD is great. Our Lord is greater than all the gods.
6 The LORD does what he pleases, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and the deep oceans.
7 He brings the clouds from the ends of the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain. He brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He destroyed the firstborn sons in Egypt the firstborn of both people and animals.
9 He did many signs and miracles in Egypt against the king and his servants.
10 He defeated many nations and killed powerful kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
12 Then he gave their land as a gift, a gift to his people, the Israelites.
13 LORD, your name is everlasting; LORD, you will be remembered forever.
14 The LORD defends his people and has mercy on his servants.
15 The idols of other nations are made of silver and gold, the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have no breath in their mouths.
18 People who make idols will be like them, and so will those who trust them.
19 Family of Israel, praise the LORD. Family of Aaron, praise the LORD.
20 Family of Levi, praise the LORD. You who respect the LORD should praise him.
21 You people of Jerusalem, praise the LORD on Mount Zion. Praise the LORD!
1 Hallelujah! 2 Yes, let his people praise him as they stand in his Temple courts. 3 Praise the Lord because he is so good; sing to his wonderful name. 4 For the Lord has chosen Israel as his personal possession.
5 I know the greatness of the Lord - that he is greater far than any other god. 6 He does whatever pleases him throughout all of heaven and earth and in the deepest seas. 7 He makes mists rise throughout the earth; he sends the lightning to bring down the rain and sends the winds from his treasuries. 8 He destroyed the eldest child in each Egyptian home, along with the firstborn of the flocks. 9 He did great miracles in Egypt before Pharaoh and all his people. 10 He smote great nations, slaying mighty kings - 11 Sihon, king of Amorites; and Og, the king of Bashan; and the kings of Canaan - 12 and gave their land as an eternal gift to his people Israel.
13 O Jehovah, your name endures forever; your fame is known to every generation. 14 For Jehovah will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
15 The heathen worship idols of gold and silver made by men - 16 idols with speechless mouths, sightless eyes, 17 and ears that cannot hear; they cannot even breathe. 18 Those who make them become like them! And so do all who trust in them!
19 O Israel, bless Jehovah! High priests of Aaron, bless his name. 20 O Levite priests, bless the Lord Jehovah! Oh, bless his name, all of you who trust and reverence him. 21 All people of Jerusalem, praise the Lord, for he lives here in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,91
3,3,5,163
4,4,7,251
5,5,9,363
6,6,11,439
7,7,13,533
8,8,15,671
9,9,17,760
10,10,19,841
11,11,21,900
12,12,23,983
13,13,25,1063
14,14,27,1140
15,15,29,1206
16,16,31,1294
17,17,33,1379
18,18,35,1461
19,19,37,1543
20,20,39,1619
21,21,41,1703
1,4,1,1
5,12,3,217
13,14,5,881
15,18,7,1043
19,21,9,1287
WORSHIP PSALM 135:18
In subtle, imperceptible ways we become like the gods we worship. So if the true God is your God, you will become more like him as you worship him. What are your gods? What takes priority in your life? Choose carefully, because you will take on the characteristics of whatever you worship.
PSALM136
1 Give thanks to the LORD because he is good. His love continues forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love continues forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love continues forever.
4 Only he can do great miracles. His love continues forever.
5 With his wisdom he made the skies. His love continues forever.
6 He spread out the earth on the seas. His love continues forever.
7 He made the sun and the moon. His love continues forever.
8 He made the sun to rule the day. His love continues forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule the night. His love continues forever.
10 He killed the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. His love continues forever.
11 He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. His love continues forever.
12 He did it with his great power and strength. His love continues forever.
13 He parted the water of the Red Sea. His love continues forever.
14 He brought the Israelites through the middle of it. His love continues forever.
15 But the king of Egypt and his army drowned in the Red Sea. His love continues forever.
16 He led his kings. His love continues forever. 18 He killed powerful kings. His love continues forever. 19 He defeated Sihon king of the Amorites. His love continues forever. 20 He defeated Og king of Bashan. His love continues forever. 21 He gave their land as a gift. His love continues forever. 22 It was a gift to his servants, the Israelites. His love continues forever. 23 He remembered us when we were in trouble. His love continues forever. 24 He freed us from our enemies. His love continues forever. 25 He gives food to every living creature. His love continues forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love continues forever.
1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his loving-kindness continues forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 4 Praise him who alone does mighty miracles, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 5 Praise him who made the heavens, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 6 Praise him who planted the water within the earth, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 7 Praise him who made the heavenly lights, for his loving-kindness continues forever: 8 the sun to rule the day, for his loving-kindness continues forever; 9 and the moon and stars at night, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 10 Praise the God who smote the firstborn of Egypt, for his loving-kindness to Israel continues forever.
11-12 He brought them out with mighty power and upraised fist to strike their enemies, for his loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever. 13 Praise the Lord who opened the Red Sea to make a path before them, for his loving-kindness continues forever, 14 and led them safely through, for his loving-kindness continues forever - 15 but drowned Pharaoh's army in the sea, for his loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever.
16 Praise him who led his people through the wilderness, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 17 Praise him who saved his people from the power of mighty kings, for his loving-kindness continues forever, 18 and killed famous kings who were their enemies, for his loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever: 19 Sihon, king of Amorites - for God's loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever - 20 and Og, king of Bashan - for his loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever. 21 God gave the land of these kings to Israel as a gift forever, for his loving-kindness to Israel* continues forever; 22 yes, a permanent gift to his servant Israel, for his loving-kindness continues forever.
23 He remembered our utter weakness, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 24 And saved us from our foes, for his loving-kindness continues forever.
25 He gives food to every living thing, for his loving-kindness continues forever. 26 Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loving-kindness continues forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,145
4,4,7,213
5,5,9,278
6,6,11,347
7,7,13,418
8,8,15,482
9,9,17,549
10,10,19,629
11,11,21,711
12,12,23,792
13,13,25,872
14,14,27,943
15,15,29,1030
16,26,31,1124
1,1,1,1
2,10,3,90
11,15,5,850
16,22,7,1279
23,24,9,1975
25,26,11,2132
,515 L
PSALM137
1 By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried when we remembered Jerusalem.
2 On the poplar trees nearby we hung our harps.
3 Those who captured us asked us to sing; our enemies wanted happy songs. They said, "Sing us a song about Jerusalem!"
4 But we cannot sing songs about the LORD while we are in this foreign country!
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand lose its skill.
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not think about Jerusalem as my greatest joy.
7 LORD, remember what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, "Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundations!"
8 People of Babylon, you will be destroyed. The people who pay you back for what you did to us will be happy.
9 They will grab your babies and throw them against the rocks.
1 Weeping, we sat beside the rivers of Babylon thinking of Jerusalem. 2 We have put away our lyres, hanging them upon the branches of the willow trees, 3-4 for how can we sing? Yet our captors, our tormentors, demand that we sing for them the happy songs of Zion! 5-6 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill upon the harp. If I fail to love her more than my highest joy, let me never sing again.
7 O Jehovah, do not forget what these Edomites did on that day when the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. "Raze her to the ground!" they yelled. 8 O Babylon, evil beast, you shall be destroyed. Blessed is the man who destroys you as you have destroyed us. 9 Blessed is the man who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,131
4,4,7,254
5,5,9,338
6,6,11,406
7,7,13,536
8,8,15,666
9,9,17,780
1,6,1,1
7,7,3,425
PSALM138
PLANS
1 LORD, I will thank you with all my heart; I will sing to you before the gods.
2 I will bow down facing your holy Temple, and I will thank you for your love and loyalty. You have made your name and your word greater than anything.
3 On the day I called to you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave.
4 LORD, let all the kings of the earth praise you when they hear the words you speak.
5 They will sing about what the LORD has done, because the LORD' s glory is great.
6 Though the LORD is supreme, he takes care of those who are humble, but he stays away from the proud.
7 LORD, even when I have trouble all around me, you will keep me alive. When my enemies are angry, you will reach down and save me by your power.
8 LORD, you do everything for me. LORD, your love continues forever. Do not leave us, whom you made. 13
1 Lord, with all my heart I thank you. I will sing your praises before the armies of angels.
2 I face your Temple as I worship, giving thanks to you for all your loving-kindness and your faithfulness, for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
3 When I pray, you answer me and encourage me by giving me the strength I need.
4 Every king in all the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for all of them shall hear your voice. 5 Yes, they shall sing about Jehovah's glorious ways, for his glory is very great. 6 Yet though he is so great, he respects the humble, but proud men must keep their distance. 7 Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will bring me safely through them. You will clench your fist against my angry enemies! Your power will save me. 8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. Don't abandon me - for you made me.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,241
4,4,7,322
5,5,9,412
6,6,11,499
7,7,13,606
8,13,15,756
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,97
3,3,5,268
4,4,7,351
PLANS PSALM 138:8
Each of us makes plans for our future. We work hard to see those dreams come true. But to truly make the most of life, we must include God's plans in our plans. He alone knows what is best for us. As you make plans and dream dreams, talk with God about them.
PSALM139
1 LORD, you have examined me and know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them.
3 You know where I go and where I lie down. You know thoroughly everything I do.
4 LORD, even before I say a word, you already know it.
5 You are all around me- in front and in back- and have put your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand.
7 Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run from you?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the grave, you are there.
9 If I rise with the sun in the east and settle in the west beyond the sea,
10 even there you would guide me. With your right hand you would hold me.
11 I could say, "The darkness will hide me. Let the light around me turn into night."
12 But even the darkness is not dark to you. The night is as light as the day; darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother's body.
14 I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.
15 You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there,
16 you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.
17 God, your thoughts are precious to me. They are so many!
18 If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.
19 God, I wish you would kill the wicked! Get away from me, you murderers!
20 They say evil things about you. Your enemies use your name thoughtlessly.
21 LORD, I hate those who hate you; I hate those who rise up against you.
22 I feel only hate for them; they are my enemies.
23 God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my nervous thoughts.
24 See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road to everlasting life.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3 You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. 4 You know what I am going to say before I even say it. 5 You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous - and how well I know it. 15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
17-18 How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
19 Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, bloodthirsty men! Begone! 20 They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance against you - how silly can they be? 21 O Lord, shouldn't I hate those who hate you? Shouldn't I be grieved with them? 22 Yes, I hate them, for your enemies are my enemies too.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. 24 Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,57
3,3,5,149
4,4,7,234
5,5,9,293
6,6,11,374
7,7,13,447
8,8,15,524
9,9,17,615
10,10,19,695
11,11,21,773
12,12,23,863
13,13,25,986
14,14,27,1053
15,15,29,1182
16,16,31,1287
17,17,33,1408
18,18,35,1472
19,19,37,1587
20,20,39,1666
21,21,41,1747
22,22,43,1825
23,23,45,1880
24,24,47,1960
1,5,1,1
6,12,3,380
13,16,5,925
17,18,7,1355
19,22,9,1577
23,24,11,1882
RESPECT PSALM 139:13-15
God's character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God's Spirit is ready and willing to work within you to make your character all God meant it to be. God thinks of you constantly (139:17-18). We should have as much respect for ourselves as our Maker has for us.
Moral Dilemmas: Abortion ,!page "^M001" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PSALM140
1 LORD, rescue me from evil people; protect me from cruel people
2 who make evil plans, who always start fights.
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake's; their words are like snake poison. [Selah]
4 LORD, guard me from the power of wicked people; protect me from cruel people who plan to trip me up.
5 The proud hid a trap for me. They spread out a net beside the road; they set traps for me. [Selah]
6 I said to the LORD, "You are my God." LORD, listen to my prayer for help.
7 LORD God, my mighty savior, you protect me in battle.
8 LORD, do not give the wicked what they want. Don't let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. [Selah]
9 Those around me have planned trouble. Now let it come to them.
10 Let burning coals fall on them. Throw them into the fire or into pits from which they cannot escape.
11 Don't let liars settle in the land. Let evil quickly hunt down cruel people.
12 I know the LORD will get justice for the poor and will defend the needy in court.
13 Good people will praise his name; honest people will live in his presence.
1 O Lord, deliver me from evil men. Preserve me from the violent, 2 who plot and stir up trouble all day long. 3 Their words sting like poisonous snakes. 4 Keep me out of their power. Preserve me from their violence, for they are plotting against me. 5 These proud men have set a trap to catch me, a noose to yank me up and leave me dangling in the air; they wait in ambush with a net to throw over and hold me helpless in its meshes.
6-8 O Jehovah, my Lord and Savior, my God and my shield - hear me as I pray! Don't let these wicked men succeed; don't let them prosper and be proud. 9 Let their plots boomerang! Let them be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me. 10 Let burning coals fall down upon their heads, or throw them into the fire or into deep pits from which they can't escape.
11 Don't let liars prosper here in our land; quickly punish them. 12 But the Lord will surely help those they persecute; he will maintain the rights of the poor. 13 Surely the godly are thanking you, for they shall live in your presence.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,122
4,4,7,215
5,5,9,322
6,6,11,427
7,7,13,507
8,8,15,567
9,9,17,684
10,10,19,753
11,11,21,861
12,12,23,945
13,13,25,1034
1,5,1,1
6,10,3,439
11,13,5,811
ars m
Scrapbook: "Melinda: God can protect from fear " ,!page "melinda1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PSALM141
1 LORD, I call to you. Come quickly. Listen to me when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be like incense placed before you, and my praise like the evening sacrifice.
3 LORD, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say.
4 Take away my desire to do evil or to join others in doing wrong. Don't let me eat tasty food with those who do evil.
5 If a good person punished me, that would be kind. If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head. I shouldn't refuse it. But I pray against those who do evil.
6 Let their leaders be thrown down the cliffs. Then people will know that I have spoken correctly:
7 "The ground is plowed and broken up. In the same way, our bones have been scattered at the grave."
8 GOD, I look to you for help. I trust in you, LORD. Don't let me die.
9 Protect me from the traps they set for me and from the net that evil people have spread.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, but let me pass by safely.
1 Quick, Lord, answer me - for I have prayed. Listen when I cry to you for help! 2 Regard my prayer as my evening sacrifice and as incense wafting up to you.
3 Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed. 4 Take away my lust for evil things; don't let me want to be with sinners, doing what they do, sharing their delicacies. 5 Let the godly smite me! It will be a kindness! If they reprove me, it is medicine! Don't let me refuse it. But I am in constant prayer against the wicked and their deeds. 6-7 When their leaders are condemned, and their bones are strewn across the ground, then these men will finally listen to me and know that I am trying to help them.
8 I look to you for help, O Lord God. You are my refuge. Don't let them slay me. 9 Keep me out of their traps. 10 Let them fall into their own snares, while I escape.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,172
4,4,7,248
5,5,9,371
6,6,11,552
7,7,13,655
8,8,15,760
9,9,17,835
10,10,19,930
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,162
8,10,5,683
TONGUE PSALM 141:3
James wrote that the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do (James 3:5). On the average, a person opens his mouth approximately 700 times a day to speak. David wisely asked God to help him keep his mouth shut-some- times even as he underwent persecution. Jesus himself was silent before his accusers (Matthew 26:63). Knowing the power of the tongue, we would do well to ask God to guard what we say so that our words will bring honor to his name.
PSALM142
1 I cry out to the LORD; I pray to the LORD for mercy.
2 I pour out my problems to him; I tell him my troubles.
3 When I am afraid, you, LORD, know the way out. In the path where I walk, a trap is hidden for me.
4 Look around me and see. No one cares about me. I have no place of safety; no one cares if I live.
5 LORD, I cry out to you. I say, "You are my protection. You are all I want in this life."
6 Listen to my cry, because I am helpless. Save me from those who are chasing me, because they are too strong for me.
7 Free me from my prison, and then I will praise your name. Then good people will surround me, because you have taken care of me.
1 How I plead with God, how I implore his mercy, pouring out my troubles before him. 3 For I am overwhelmed and desperate, and you alone know which way I ought to turn to miss the traps my enemies have set for me. 4 (There's one - just over there to the right!) No one gives me a passing thought. No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. 5 Then I prayed to Jehovah. "Lord," I pled, "you are my only place of refuge. Only you can keep me safe.
6 "Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison so that I can thank you. The godly will rejoice with me for all your help."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,60
3,3,5,121
4,4,7,225
5,5,9,329
6,6,11,424
7,7,13,546
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,466
,360
PSALM143
1 LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for mercy. Answer me because you are loyal and good.
2 Don't judge me, your servant, because no one alive is right before you.
3 My enemies are chasing me; they crushed me to the ground. They made me live in darkness like those long dead.
4 I am afraid; my courage is gone.
5 I remember what happened long ago; I consider everything you have done. I think about all you have made.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. As a dry land needs rain, I thirst for you. [Selah]
7 LORD, answer me quickly, because I am getting weak. Don't turn away from me, or I will be like those who are dead.
8 Tell me in the morning about your love, because I trust you. Show me what I should do, becasue my prayers go up to you.
9 Lord, save me from my enemies; I hide in you.
10 Teach me to do what you want, because you are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 LORD, let me live so people will praise you. In your goodness save me from my troubles.
12 In your love defeat my enemies. Destroy all those who trouble me, because I am your servant.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; answer my plea because you are faithful to your promises.
2 Don't bring me to trial! For as compared with you, no one is perfect.
3 My enemies chased and caught me. They have knocked me to the ground. They force me to live in the darkness like those in the grave. 4 I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.
5 I remember the glorious miracles you did in days of long ago. 6 I reach out for you. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. 7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens; don't turn away from me or I shall die. 8 Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere. 9 Save me from my enemies. O Lord, I run to you to hide me. 10 Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good.
11 Lord, saving me will bring glory to your name. Bring me out of all this trouble because you are true to your promises. 12 And because you are loving and kind to me, cut off all my enemies and destroy those who are trying to harm me; for I am your servant.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,293
5,5,9,332
6,6,11,443
7,7,13,535
8,8,15,656
9,9,17,782
10,10,19,835
11,11,21,942
12,12,23,1037
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,88
3,4,5,163
5,10,7,350
11,12,9,872
PSALM144
1 Praise the LORD, my Rock, who trains me for war, who trains me for battle.
2 He protects me like a strong, walled city, and he loves me. He is my defender and my Savior, my shield and my protection. He helps me keep my people under control.
3 LORD, why are people important to you? Why do you even think about human beings?
4 People are like a breath; their lives are like passing shadows.
5 LORD, tear open the sky and come down. Touch the mountains so they will smoke.
6 Send the lightning and scatter my enemies. Shoot your arrows and force them away.
7 Reach down from above. Save me and rescue me out of this sea of enemies, from these foreigners.
8 They are liars; they are dishonest.
9 God, I will sing a new song to you; I will play to you on the ten-stringed harp.
10 You give victory to kings. You save your servant David from cruel swords.
11 Save me, rescue me from these foreigners. They are liars; they are dishonest.
12 Let our sons in their youth grow like plants. Let our daughters be like the decorated stones in the Temple.
13 Let our barns be filled with crops of all kinds. Let our sheep in the fields have thousands and tens of thousands of lambs.
14 Let our cattle be strong. Let no one break in. Let there be no war, no screams in our streets.
15 Happy are those who are like this; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
1 Bless the Lord who is my immovable Rock. He gives me strength and skill in battle. 2 He is always kind and loving to me; he is my fortress, my tower of strength and safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield. He subdues my people under me.
3 O Lord, what is man that you even notice him? Why bother at all with the human race?
4 For man is but a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bend down the heavens, Lord, and come. The mountains smoke beneath your touch.
6 Let loose your lightning bolts, your arrows, Lord, upon your enemies, and scatter them.
7 Reach down from heaven and rescue me; deliver me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies. 8 Their mouths are filled with lies; they swear to the truth of what is false.
9 I will sing you a new song, O God, with a ten-stringed harp. 10 For you grant victory to kings! You are the one who will rescue your servant David from the fatal sword. 11 Save me! Deliver me from these enemies, these liars, these treacherous men.
12-15 Here is my description of a truly happy land where Jehovah is God:
Sons vigorous and tall as growing plants.
Daughters of graceful beauty like the pillars of a palace wall.
Barns full to the brim with crops of every kind.
Sheep by the thousands out in our fields.
Oxen loaded down with produce.
No enemy attacking the walls, but peace everywhere.
No crime in our streets.
Yes, happy are those whose God is Jehovah.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,82
3,3,5,252
4,4,7,339
5,5,9,409
6,6,11,494
7,7,13,582
8,8,15,684
9,9,17,726
10,10,19,813
11,11,21,894
12,12,23,979
13,13,25,1094
14,14,27,1225
15,15,29,1327
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,257
4,4,5,347
5,5,7,413
6,6,9,497
7,8,11,590
9,11,13,771
12,15,15,1024
PSALM145
1 I praise your greatness, my God the King; I will praise you forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day; I will praise you forever and ever.
3 The LORD is great and worthy of our praise; no one can understand how great he is.
4 Parents will tell their children what you have done. They will retell your mighty acts,
5 wonderful majesty, and glory. And I will think about your miracles.
6 They will tell about the amazing things you do, and I will tell how great you are.
7 They will remember your great goodness and will sing about your fairness.
8 The LORD is kind and shows mercy. He does not become angry quickly but is full of love.
9 The LORD is good to everyone; he is merciful to all he has made.
10 LORD, everything you have made will praise you; those who belong to you will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom and will speak about your power.
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do and the glory and majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will go on and on, and you will rule forever. The LORD will keep all his promises; he is loyal to all he has made.
14 The LORD helps those who have been defeated and takes care of those who are in trouble.
15 All living things look to you for food, and you give it to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand, and you satisfy all living things.
17 Everything the LORD does is right. He is loyal to all he has made.
18 The LORD is close to everyone who prays to him, to all who truly pray to him.
19 He gives those who respect him what they want. He listens when they cry, and he saves them.
20 The LORD protects everyone who loves him, but he will destroy the wicked.
21 I will praise the LORD. Let everyone praise his holy name forever.
1 I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name each day and forever.
3 Great is Jehovah! Greatly praise him! His greatness is beyond discovery! 4 Let each generation tell its children what glorious things he does. 5 I will meditate about your glory, splendor, majesty, and miracles. 6 Your awe-inspiring deeds shall be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. 7 Everyone will tell about how good you are and sing about your righteousness.
8 Jehovah is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of love. 9 He is good to everyone, and his compassion is intertwined with everything he does. 10 All living things shall thank you, Lord, and your people will bless you. 11 They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom and mention examples of your power. 12 They will tell about your miracles and about the majesty and glory of your reign. 13 For your kingdom never ends. You rule generation after generation.
14 The Lord lifts the fallen and those bent beneath their loads. 15 The eyes of all mankind look up to you for help; you give them their food as they need it. 16 You constantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
17 The Lord is fair in everything he does and full of kindness. 18 He is close to all who call on him sincerely. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and trust him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. 20 He protects all those who love him, but destroys the wicked.
21 I will praise the Lord and call on all men everywhere to bless his holy name forever and forever.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,156
4,4,7,245
5,5,9,339
6,6,11,413
7,7,13,502
8,8,15,582
9,9,17,676
10,10,19,747
11,11,21,842
12,12,23,929
13,13,25,1028
14,14,27,1163
15,15,29,1258
16,16,31,1348
17,17,33,1410
18,18,35,1484
19,19,37,1569
20,20,39,1668
21,21,41,1749
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,84
8,13,5,465
14,16,7,944
17,20,9,1177
21,21,11,1470
" $ $
PSALM146
1 Praise the LORD! My whole being, praise the LORD.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes or other people, who cannot save you.
4 When people die, they are buried. Then all of their plans come to an end.
5 Happy are those who are helped by the God of Jacob. Their hope is in the LORD their God.
6 He made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in it. He remains loyal forever.
7 He does what is fair for those who have been wronged. He gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.
8 The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up people who are in trouble. The LORD loves those who do right.
9 The LORD protects the foreigners. He defends the orphans and widows, but he blocks the way of the wicked.
10 The LORD will be King forever. Jerusalem, your God is everlasting. Praise the LORD!
1 Praise the Lord! Yes, really praise him! 2 I will praise him as long as I live, yes, even with my dying breath.
3 Don't look to men for help; their greatest leaders fail; 4 for every man must die. His breathing stops, life ends, and in a moment all he planned for himself is ended. 5 But happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God - 6 the God who made both earth and heaven, the seas and everything in them. He is the God who keeps every promise, 7 who gives justice to the poor and oppressed and food to the hungry. He frees the prisoners 8 and opens the eyes of the blind; he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads. For the Lord loves good men. 9 He protects the immigrants and cares for the orphans and widows. But he turns topsy-turvy the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem, your God is King in every generation! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,57
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,225
5,5,9,305
6,6,11,400
7,7,13,488
8,8,15,611
9,9,17,732
10,10,19,844
1,2,1,1
3,9,3,118
10,10,5,841
PSALM147
1 Praise the LORD! It is good to sing praises to our God; it is good and pleasant to praise him.
2 The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; he brings back the captured Israelites.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars and names each one.
5 Our Lord is great and very powerful. There is no limit to what he knows.
6 The LORD defends the humble, but he throws the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing praises to the LORD; praise our God with harps.
8 He fills the sky with clouds and sends rain to the earth and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives food to cattle and to the little birds that call.
10 He does not enjoy the strength of a horse or the strength of a man.
11 The LORD is pleased with those who respect him, with those who trust his love.
12 Jerusalem, praise the LORD; Jerusalem, praise your God.
13 He makes your city gates strong and blesses your children inside.
14 He brings peace to your country and fills you with the finest grain.
15 He gives a command to the earth, and it quickly obeys him.
16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He throws down hail like rocks. No one can stand the cold he sends.
18 Then he gives a command, and it melts. He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.
19 He gave his word to Jacob, his laws and demands to Israel.
20 He didn't do this for any other nation. They don't know his laws. Praise the LORD!
1 Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! How good it is to sing his praises! How delightful, and how right!
2 He is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing back the exiles. 3 He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. 4 He counts the stars and calls them all by name. 5 How great he is! His power is absolute! His understanding is unlimited. 6 The Lord supports the humble, but brings the wicked into the dust.
7 Sing out your thanks to him; sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, sends down the showers, and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures. 9 He feeds the wild animals, and the young ravens cry to him for food. 10 The speed of a horse is nothing to him. How puny in his sight is the strength of a man. 11 But his joy is in those who reverence him, those who expect him to be loving and kind.
12 Praise him, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he has fortified your gates against all enemies and blessed your children. 14 He sends peace across your nation and fills your barns with plenty of the finest wheat. 15 He sends his orders to the world. How swiftly his word flies. 16 He sends the snow in all its lovely whiteness, scatters the frost upon the ground, 17 and hurls the hail upon the earth. Who can stand before his freezing cold? 18 But then he calls for warmer weather, and the spring winds blow and all the river ice is broken. 19 He has made known his laws and ceremonies of worship to Israel - 20 something he has not done with any other nation; they have not known his commands.
Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,102
3,3,5,177
4,4,7,237
5,5,9,283
6,6,11,362
7,7,13,437
8,8,15,496
9,9,17,594
10,10,19,659
11,11,21,734
12,12,23,820
13,13,25,883
14,14,27,956
15,15,29,1032
16,16,31,1098
17,17,33,1170
18,18,35,1245
19,19,37,1334
20,20,39,1400
1,1,1,1
2,6,3,107
7,11,5,417
12,20,7,864
UNLIMITED PSALM 147:5
Sometimes we feel as though we don't understand ourselves-what we want, how we feel, what's wrong with us, or what we should do about it. But God's under- standing is unlimited and therefore he understands us fully. If you feel troubled and don't understand yourself, remember that God understands you perfectly. Take your mind off yourself and focus it on God. Strive to become more and more like him. The more you learn about God and his ways, the better you will understand yourself.
PSALM148
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the skies. Praise him high above the earth.
2 Praise him, all you angels. Praise him, all you armies of heaven.
3 Praise him, sun and moon. Praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, highest heavens and you waters above the sky.
5 Let them praise the LORD, because they were created by his command.
6 He put them in place forever and ever; he made a law that will never change.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you large sea animals and all the oceans,
8 lightning and hail, snow and mist, and stormy winds that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, crawling animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all rulers of the earth,
12 young men and women, old people and children.
13 Praise the LORD, because he alone is great. He is more wonderful than heaven and earth.
14 God has given his people a king. He should be praised by all who belong to him; he should be praised by the Israelites, the people closest to his heart. Praise the LORD!
1 Praise the Lord, O heavens! Praise him from the skies! 2 Praise him, all his angels, all the armies of heaven. 3 Praise him, sun and moon and all you twinkling stars. 4 Praise him, skies above. Praise him, vapors high above the clouds.
5 Let everything he has made give praise to him. For he issued his command, and they came into being; 6 he established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked.
7 And praise him down here on earth, you creatures of the ocean depths. 8 Let fire and hail, snow, rain, wind, and weather, all obey. 9 Let the mountains and hills, the fruit trees and cedars, 10 the wild animals and cattle, the snakes and birds, 11 the kings and all the people with their rulers and their judges, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children - 13 all praise the Lord together. For he alone is worthy. His glory is far greater than all of earth and heaven. 14 He has made his people strong, honoring his godly ones - the people of Israel, the people closest to him.
Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!
1,4,1,1
5,6,3,242
7,14,5,424
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
3,3,5,161
4,4,7,228
5,5,9,292
6,6,11,366
7,7,13,449
8,8,15,529
9,9,17,602
10,10,19,661
11,11,21,725
12,12,23,805
13,13,25,858
14,14,27,953
PSALM149
1 Praise the LORD! Sing a new song to the LORD; sing his praise in the meeting of his people.
2 Let the Israelites be happy because of God, their Maker. Let the people of Jerusalem rejoice because of their King.
3 They should praise him with dancing. They should sing praises to him with tambourines and harps.
4 The LORD is pleased with his people; he saves the humble.
5 Let those who worship him rejoice in his glory. Let them sing for joy even in bed!
6 Let them shout his praise with their two-edged swords in their hands.
7 They will punish the nations and defeat the people.
8 They will put those kings in chains and those important men in iron bands.
9 They will punish them as God has written. God is honored by all who worship him. Praise the LORD!
1 Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Sing him a new song. Sing his praises, all his people.
2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King. 3 Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by drums and lyre.
4-5 For Jehovah enjoys his people; he will save the humble. Let his people rejoice in this honor. Let them sing for joy as they lie upon their beds.
6-7 Adore him, O his people! And take a double-edged sword to execute his punishment upon the nations. 8 Bind their kings and leaders with iron chains, 9 and execute their sentences.
He is the glory of his people. Hallelujah! Praise him!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,221
4,4,7,324
5,5,9,388
6,6,11,477
7,7,13,553
8,8,15,611
9,9,17,692
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,95
4,5,5,239
6,6,7,391
ENJOY GOD PSALM 149:3-5
Although the Bible invites us to praise God, we often aren't sure how to go about it. Here, several ways are suggested-with your voice, in music, in your actions. God enjoys his people. We should enjoy praising him as well.
PSALM150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his Temple; praise him in his mighty heaven.
2 Praise him for his strength; praise him for his greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet blasts; praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing; praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals; praise him with crashing cymbals.
1 Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!
Praise him in his Temple and in the heavens he made with mighty power.
2 Praise him for his mighty works. Praise his unequaled greatness. 3 Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp. 4 Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed instruments and horns. 5 Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise him!
Hallelujah!
1,1,1,1
2,5,4,112
6,6,6,384
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,83
3,3,5,148
4,4,7,219
5,5,9,315
VPROVE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To teach people how to be understanding; just, and fair in everything they do; to make the simple-minded wise; to warn young men about some problems they will face; and to help the wise become good leaders (see 1:2-6). In short, to help people apply divine wisdom to daily life and to provide them with moral instruction.
AUTHOR:
Solomon wrote most of this book; Agur and Lemuel contributed some of the later sections
DATE WRITTEN:
Solomon wrote and compiled most of these proverbs early in his reign
SETTING:
This is a book of wise sayings, a textbook for teaching people how to live a godly life through the repetition of wise thought
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The book uses varied literary forms: poems, brief parables, pointed questions, and couplets. Other literary devices include antithesis, comparison, and personification.
Thomas has a problem. He worked all summer to earn the money he now holds in his hands. It isn't a lot, a few hundred dollars, but it represents two months of long hours doing odd jobs. Thomas wonders what he should do with the money. Mom and Dad want him to put it into the bank. But his friends urge him to spend it. ("After all, they say, "it's his money.") Thomas isn't sure what to do. He wishes he were wiser about such things. There are lots of areas where most of us would like to have more wisdom, the ability to make good (wise) decisions. Lots of people are smart (book knowledge), but only a few are wise. Proverbs was written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. In this book he shares his wisdom on such varied topics as money, marriage, family life, discipline, friends, laziness, speech, relationships, temptation and leadership. Solomon's purpose was "to teach his people how to live-how to act in every circumstance." Proverbs is a book of answers-answers to our questions about everyday life. As you read, ask God to make the wisdom of Solomon your wisdom too. And ask God to help you begin your steps toward wisdom by trusting him.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
PROVE001
1 These are the wise words of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.
2 They teach wisdom and self-control; they will help you understand wise words.
3 They will teach you how to be wise and self-controlled and will teach you to do what is honest and fair and right.
4 They make the uneducated smarter and give knowledge and sense to the young.
5 Wise people can also listen and learn; even smart people can find good advice in these words.
6 Then anyone can understand wise words and stories, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Knowledge begins with respect for the LORD, but fools hate wisdom and self-control.
8 My child, listen to your father's teaching and do not forget your mother's advice.
9 Their teaching will be like flowers in your hair or a necklace around your neck.
10 My child, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not follow them.
11 They will say, "Come with us. Let's ambush and kill someone; let's attack some innocent people just for fun.
12 Let's swallow them alive, as death does; let's swallow them whole, as the grave does.
13 We will take all kinds of valuable things and fill our houses with stolen goods.
14 Come join us, and we will share with you stolen goods."
15 My child, do not go along with them; do not do what they do.
16 They are eager to do evil and are quick to kill.
17 It is useless to spread out a net right where the birds can see it.
18 But sinners will fall into their own traps; they will only catch themselves!
19 All greedy people end up this way; greed kills selfish people.
20 Wisdom is like a woman shouting in the street; she raises her voice in the city squares.
21 She cries out in the noisy street and shouts at the city gates:
22 "You fools, how long will you be foolish? How long will you make fun of wisdom and hate knowledge?
23 If only you had listened when I corrected you, I would have told you what's in my heart; I would have told you what I am thinking.
24 I called, but you refused to listen; I held out my hand, but you paid no attention.
25 You did not follow my advice and did not listen when I corrected you.
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble. I will make fun when disaster strikes you,
27 when disaster comes over you like a storm, when trouble strikes you like a whirlwind, when pain and trouble overwhelm you.
28 "Then you will call to me, but I will not answer. You will look for me, but you will not find me.
29 It is because you rejected knowledge and did not choose to respect the LORD.
30 You did not accept my advice, and you rejected my correction.
31 So you will get what you deserve; you will get what you planned for others.
32 Fools will die because they refuse to listen; they will be destroyed because they do not care.
33 But those who listen to me will live in safety and be at peace, without fear of injury."
1 These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, David's son:
2 He wrote them to teach his people how to live - how to act in every circumstance, 3 for he wanted them to be understanding, just and fair in everything they did. 4 "I want to make the simpleminded wise!" he said. "I want to warn young men about some problems they will face. 5-6 I want those already wise to become the wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth."
7-9 How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord!
Only fools refuse to be taught. Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from them will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many honors.
10 If young toughs tell you, "Come and join us" - turn your back on them! 11 "We'll hide and rob and kill," they say. 12 "Good or bad, we'll treat them all alike. 13 And the loot we'll get! All kinds of stuff! 14 Come on, throw in your lot with us; we'll split with you in equal shares."
15 Don't do it, son! Stay far from men like that, 16 for crime is their way of life, and murder is their specialty. 17 When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away, 18 but not these men; they trap themselves! They lay a booby trap for their own lives. 19 Such is the fate of all who live by violence and murder.They will die a violent death.
20 Wisdom shouts in the streets for a hearing. 21 She calls out to the crowds along Main Street, and to the judges in their courts, and to everyone in all the land: 22 "You simpletons!" she cries. "How long will you go on being fools? How long will you scoff at wisdom and fight the facts? 23 Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise. 24 I have called you so often, but still you won't come. I have pleaded, but all in vain. 25 For you have spurned my counsel and reproof. 26 Some day you'll be in trouble, and I'll laugh! Mock me, will you? - I'll mock you! 27 When a storm of terror surrounds you, and when you are engulfed by anguish and distress, 28 then I will not answer your cry for help. It will be too late though you search for me ever so anxiously.
29 "For you closed your eyes to the facts and did not choose to reverence and trust the Lord, 30 and you turned your back on me, spurning my advice. 31 That is why you must eat the bitter fruit of having your own way and experience the full terrors of the pathway you have chosen. 32 For you turned away from me - to death; your own complacency will kill you. Fools! 33 But all who listen to me shall live in peace and safety, unafraid."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,157
4,4,7,278
5,5,9,360
6,6,11,460
7,7,13,558
8,8,15,648
9,9,17,737
10,10,19,824
11,11,21,898
12,12,23,1014
13,13,25,1107
14,14,27,1195
15,15,29,1258
16,16,31,1326
17,17,33,1382
18,18,35,1457
19,19,37,1541
20,20,39,1611
21,21,41,1707
22,22,43,1778
23,23,45,1884
24,24,47,2022
25,25,49,2113
26,26,51,2190
27,27,53,2281
28,28,55,2411
29,29,57,2516
30,30,59,2600
31,31,61,2669
32,32,63,2752
33,33,65,2854
1,1,1,1
2,6,2,67
7,9,4,479
10,14,7,717
15,19,9,1008
20,28,11,1357
29,33,13,2169
SIN PROVE 1:10-19
Sin is attractive because it offers a quick route to prosperity and makes us feel like one of the crowd. When we go along with others and refuse to listen to the truth, our own appetites become our masters. We'll do anything to satisfy them. But sin is deadly. We must learn to make choices not on the basis of flashy appeal or short-range pleasure, but in view of the long-range effects. Sometimes this means steering clear of people who want to draw us into activities we know are wrong. We can't be friendly with sin and expect our lives to remain unaffected. Turn and run-this is not cowardly; it is both brave and smart.
PROVE002
1 My child, listen to what I say and remember what I command you.
2 Listen carefully to wisdom; set your mind on understanding.
3 Cry out for wisdom, and beg for understanding.
4 Search for it like silver, and hunt for it like hidden treasure.
5 Then you will understand respect for the LORD, and you will find that you know God.
6 Only the LORD gives wisdom; he gives knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up wisdom for those who are honest. Like a shield he protects the innocent.
8 He makes sure that justice is done, and he protects those who are loyal to him.
9 Then you will understand what is honest and fair and what is the good and right thing to do.
10 Wisdom will come into your mind, and knowledge will be pleasing to you.
11 Good sense will protect you; understanding will guard you.
12 It will keep you from the wicked, from those whose words are bad,
13 who don't do what is right but what is evil.
14 They enjoy doing wrong and are happy to do what is crooked and evil.
15 What they do is wrong, and their ways are dishonest.
16 It will save you from the unfaithful wife who tries to lead you into adultery with pleasing words.
17 She leaves the husband she married when she was young. She ignores the promise she made before God.
18 Her house is on the way to death; those who took that path are now all dead.
19 No one who goes to her comes back or walks the path of life again.
20 But wisdom will help you be good and do what is right.
21 Those who are honest will live in the land, and those who are innocent will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the unfaithful will be thrown out of it.
1 Every young man who listens to me and obeys my instructions will be given wisdom and good sense. 3-5 Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him.
6 For the Lord grants wisdom! His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding. 7-8 He grants good sense to the godly - his saints. He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway. 9 He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time. 10 For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of your being, filling your life with joy. 11-13 You will be given the sense to stay away from evil men who want you to be their partners in crime - men who turn from God's ways to walk down dark and evil paths 14 and exult in doing wrong, for they thoroughly enjoy their sins. 15 Everything they do is crooked and wrong.
16-17 Only wisdom from the Lord can save a man from the flattery of prostitutes; these girls have abandoned their husbands and flouted the laws of God. 18 Their houses lie along the road to death and hell. 19 The men who enter them are doomed. None of these men will ever be the same again.
20 Follow the steps of the godly instead, and stay on the right path, 21 for only good men enjoy life to the full;
22 evil men lose the good things they might have had, and they themselves shall be destroyed.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,71
3,3,5,137
4,4,7,190
5,5,9,261
6,6,11,351
7,7,13,423
8,8,15,515
9,9,17,601
10,10,19,700
11,11,21,779
12,12,23,845
13,13,25,918
14,14,27,970
15,15,29,1046
16,16,31,1106
17,17,33,1212
18,18,35,1319
19,19,37,1403
20,20,39,1477
21,21,41,1539
22,22,43,1636
1,5,1,1
6,15,3,373
16,19,5,1047
20,21,7,1341
22,22,8,1457
CHOICES PROVE 2:9-10
Wisdom comes through a constant process of growth. First, we must trust and honor God. Second, we must realize that the Bible reveals God's wisdom to us. Third, we must learn to make right choices. Fourth, when we make sinful or mistaken choices, we must learn from our errors. People don't develop all aspects of wisdom at once. For example, some people have more insight than discretion; others have more knowledge than common sense. But we can pray for all the aspects of wisdom and seek to develop them in our lives.
PROVE003
1 My child, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in mind.
2 Then you will live a long time, and your life will be successful.
3 Don't ever forget kindness and truth. Wear them like a necklace. Write them on your heart as if on a tablet.
4 Then you will be respected and will please both God and people.
5 Trust the LORD with all your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding.
6 Remember the LORD in all you do, and he will give you success.
7 Don't depend on your own wisdom. Respect the LORD and refuse to do wrong.
8 Then your body will be healthy, and your bones will be strong.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and the firstfruits from all your crops.
10 Then your barns will be full, and your wine barrels will overflow with new wine.
11 My child, do not reject the LORD' s discipline, and don't get angry when he corrects you.
12 The LORD corrects those he loves, just as parents correct the child they delight in.
13 Happy is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gets understanding.
14 Wisdom is worth more than silver; it brings more profit than gold.
15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you could want is equal to it.
16 With her right hand wisdom offers you a long life, and with her left hand she gives you riches and honor.
17 Wisdom will make your life pleasant and will bring you peace.
18 As a tree produces fruit, wisdom gives life to those who use it, and everyone who uses it will be happy.
19 The LORD made the earth, using his wisdom. He set the sky in place, using his understanding.
20 With his knowledge, he made springs flow into rivers and the clouds drop rain on the earth.
21 My child, hold on to wisdom and good sense. Don't let them out of your sight.
22 They will give you life and beauty like a necklace around your neck.
23 Then you will go your way in safety, and you will not get hurt.
24 When you lie down, you won't be afraid; when you lie down, you will sleep in peace.
25 You won't be afraid of sudden trouble; you won't fear the ruin that comes to the wicked,
26 because the LORD will keep you safe. He will keep you from being trapped.
27 Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.
28 If you have what your neighbor asks for, don't say, "Come back later. I will give it to you tomorrow."
29 Don't make plans to hurt your neighbor who lives nearby and trusts you.
30 Don't accuse a person for no good reason; don't accuse someone who has not harmed you.
31 Don't be jealous of those who use violence, and don't choose to be like them.
32 The LORD hates those who do wrong, but he is a friend to those who are honest.
33 The LORD will curse the evil person's house, but he will bless the home of those who do right.
34 The LORD laughs at those who laugh at him, but he gives grace to those who are not proud.
35 Wise people will receive honor, but fools will be disgraced.
1 My son, never forget the things I've taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. 3 Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. 4-5 If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. 6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.
7-8 Don't be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.
9-10 Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.
11-12 Young man, do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love. Just as a father punishes a son he delights in to make him better, so the Lord corrects you.
13-15 The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16-17 Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it.
19 The Lord's wisdom founded the earth; his understanding established all the universe and space. 20 The deep fountains of the earth were broken open by his knowledge, and the skies poured down rain.
21 Have two goals: wisdom - that is, knowing and doing right - and common sense. Don't let them slip away, 22 for they fill you with living energy and bring you 20honor and respect.
23 They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. 24-26 With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you.
27-28 Don't withhold repayment of your debts. Don't say "some other time," if 20you can pay now. 29 Don't plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. 30 Don't 20get into needless fights. 31 Don't envy violent men. Don't copy their ways. 32 For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship tO the 20godly.
33 The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright. 34 The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. 35 The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,146
4,4,7,261
5,5,9,331
6,6,11,417
7,7,13,486
8,8,15,566
9,9,17,635
10,10,19,714
11,11,21,802
12,12,23,899
13,13,25,991
14,14,27,1068
15,15,29,1142
16,16,31,1225
17,17,33,1338
18,18,35,1407
19,19,37,1519
20,20,39,1619
21,21,41,1718
22,22,43,1803
23,23,45,1879
24,24,47,1950
25,25,49,2041
26,26,51,2137
27,27,53,2218
28,28,55,2281
29,29,57,2391
30,30,59,2470
31,31,61,2564
32,32,63,2649
33,33,65,2735
34,34,67,2837
35,35,69,2934
1,6,1,1
7,8,3,484
9,10,5,673
11,12,7,846
13,18,9,1053
19,20,11,1441
21,22,13,1644
23,26,15,1829
27,32,17,2072
33,35,19,2408
PROVE004
% % 1 My children, listen to your father's teaching; pay attention so you will understand.
2 What I am telling you is good, so do not forget what I teach you.
3 When I was a young boy in my father's house and like an only child to my mother,
4 my father taught me and said, "Hold on to my words with all your heart. Keep my commands and you will live.
5 Get wisdom and understanding. Don't forget or ignore my words.
6 Hold on to wisdom, and it will take care of you. Love it, and it will keep you safe.
7 Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding.
8 Treasure wisdom, and it will make you great; hold on to it, and it will bring you honor.
9 It will be like flowers in your hair and like a beautiful crown on your head."
10 My child, listen and accept what I say. Then you will have a long life.
11 I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path.
12 Nothing will hold you back; you will not be overwhelmed.
13 Always remember what you have been taught, and don't let go of it. Keep all that you have learned; it is the most important thing in life.
14 Don't follow the ways of the wicked; don't do what evil people do.
15 Avoid their ways, and don't follow them. Stay away from them and keep on going,
16 because they cannot sleep until they do evil. They cannot rest until they harm someone.
17 They feast on wickedness and cruelty as if they were eating bread and drinking wine.
18 The way of the good person is like the light of dawn, growing brighter and brighter until full daylight.
19 But the wicked walk around in the dark; they can't even see what makes them stumble.
20 My child, pay attention to my words; listen closely to what I say.
21 Don't ever forget my words; keep them always in mind.
22 They are the key to life for those who find them; they bring health to the whole body.
23 Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
24 Don't use your mouth to tell lies; don't ever say things that are not true.
25 Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good.
26 Be careful what you do, and always do what is right.
27 Don't turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths.
1 Young men, listen to me as you would to your father. Listen, and grow wise, for I speak the truth - don't turn away. 3 For I, too, was once a son, tenderly loved by my mother as an only child, and the companion of my father. 4 He told me never to forget his words. "If you follow them," he said, "you will have a long and happy life. 5 Learn to be wise," he said, "and develop good judgment and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point."
6 Cling to wisdom - she will protect you. Love her - she will guard you.
7 Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment. 8-9 If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful crown upon your head. 10 My son, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
11 I would have you learn this great fact: that a life of doing right is the wisest life there is. 12 If you live that kind of life, you'll not limp or stumble as you run. 13 Carry out my instructions; don't forget them, for they will lead you to real living.
14 Don't do as the wicked do. 15 Avoid their haunts - turn away, go somewhere else, 16 for evil men can't sleep until they've done their evil deed for the day. They can't rest unless they cause someone to stumble and fall. 17 They eat and drink wickedness and violence!
18 But the good man walks along in the ever-brightening light of God's favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor, 19 while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.
20 Listen, son of mine, to what I say. Listen carefully. 21 Keep these thoughts ever in mind; let them penetrate deep within your heart, 22 for they will mean real life for you and radiant health.
23 Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life. 24 Spurn the careless kiss of a prostitute. Stay far from her. 25 Look straight ahead; don't even turn your head to look. 26 Watch your step. Stick to the path and be safe. 27 Don't sidetrack; pull back your foot from danger.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,92
3,3,5,164
4,4,7,251
5,5,9,365
6,6,11,434
7,7,13,525
8,8,15,634
9,9,17,729
10,10,19,814
11,11,21,893
12,12,23,979
13,13,25,1043
14,14,27,1189
15,15,29,1263
16,16,31,1350
17,17,33,1445
18,18,35,1537
19,19,37,1649
20,20,39,1741
21,21,41,1815
22,22,43,1876
23,23,45,1970
24,24,47,2041
25,25,49,2124
26,26,51,2213
27,27,53,2273
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,454
7,10,5,530
11,13,7,877
14,17,9,1140
18,19,11,1413
20,22,13,1589
23,27,15,1789
AFFECTIONS PROVE 4:23-27
Our affections-our feelings of love and desire- dictate to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our affections, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections are pushing you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires; don't go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keeping your eyes fixed on your goal. Don't get sidetracked; watch out for detours that lead to temptation.
I Wonder: Peer pressure ,!page "^W0018" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PROVE005
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen to my words of understanding.
2 Be careful to use good sense, and watch what you say.
3 The words of another man's wife may seem sweet as honey; they may be as smooth as olive oil.
4 But in the end she will bring you sorrow, causing you pain like a two-edged sword.
5 She is on the way to death; her steps are headed straight to the grave.
6 She gives little thought to life. She doesn't even know that her ways are wrong.
7 Now, my sons, listen to me, and don't ignore what I say.
8 Stay away from such a woman. Don't even go near the door of her house,
9 or you will give your riches to others, and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.
10 Strangers will enjoy your wealth, and what you worked so hard for will go to someone else.
11 You will groan at the end of your life when your health is gone.
12 Then you will say, "I hated being told what to do! I would not listen to correction!
13 I would not listen to my teachers or pay attention to my instructors.
14 I came close to being completely ruined in front of a whole group of people."
15 Be faithful to your own wife, just as you drink water from your own well.
16 Don't pour your water in the streets; don't give your love to just any woman.
17 These things are yours alone and shouldn't be shared with strangers.
18 Be happy with the wife you married when you were young. She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water.
19 She is as lovely and graceful as a deer. Let her love always make you happy; let her love always hold you captive.
20 My son, don't be held captive by a woman who takes part in adultery. Don't hug another man's wife.
21 The LORD sees everything you do, and he watches where you go.
22 An evil man will be caught in his wicked ways; the ropes of his sins will tie him up.
23 He will die foolishness.
1 Listen to me, my son! I know what I am saying; listen! 2 Watch yourself, lest you be indiscreet and betray some vital information. 3 For the lips of a prostitute
are as sweet as honey, and smooth flattery is her stock in trade. 4 But afterwards only a bitter conscience is left to you, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 She leads you down to death and hell. 6 For she does not know the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn't even realize where it leads.
7 Young men, listen to me, and never forget what I'm about to say: 8 Run from her! Don't go near her house, 9 lest you fall to her temptation and lose your honor, and give the remainder of your life to the cruel and merciless;
10 lest strangers obtain your wealth, and you become a slave of foreigners. 11 Lest afterwards you groan in anguish and in shame when syphilis consumes your body, 12 and you say, "Oh, if only I had listened! If only I had not demanded my own way! 13 Oh, why wouldn't I take advice? Why was I so stupid? 14 For now I must face public disgrace."
15 Drink from your own well, my son - be faithful and true to your wife. 16 Why should you beget children with women of the street? 17 Why share your children with those outside your home? 18 Be happy, yes, rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 Let her breasts and tender embrace satisfy you. Let her love alone fill you with delight. 20 Why delight yourself with prostitutes, embracing what isn't yours? 21 For God is closely watching you, and he weighs carefully everything you do.
22 The wicked man is doomed by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 23 He shall die because he will not listen to the truth; he has let himself be led away into incredible folly.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,80
3,3,5,140
4,4,7,239
5,5,9,328
6,6,11,406
7,7,13,493
8,8,15,556
9,9,17,633
10,10,19,743
11,11,21,841
12,12,23,913
13,13,25,1005
14,14,27,1082
15,15,29,1167
16,16,31,1248
17,17,33,1333
18,18,35,1409
19,19,37,1525
20,20,39,1647
21,21,41,1753
22,22,43,1822
23,23,45,1915
1,6,1,1
7,9,4,483
10,14,5,713
15,21,7,1060
22,23,9,1549
PROVE006
1 My child, be careful about giving a guarantee for somebody else's loan, about promising to pay what someone else owes.
2 You might get trapped by what you say; you might be caught by your own words.
3 My child, if you have done this and are under your neighbor's control, here is how to get free. Don't be proud. Go to your neighbor and beg to be free from your promise.
4 Don't go to sleep or even rest your eyes,
5 but free yourself like a deer running from a hunter, like a bird flying away from a trapper.
6 Go watch the ants, you lazy person. Watch what they do and be wise.
7 Ants have no commander, no leader or ruler,
8 but they store up food in the summer and gather their supplies at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you lazy person? When will you get up from sleeping?
10 You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest.
11 So you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.
12 Some people are wicked and no good. They go around telling lies,
13 winking with their eyes, tapping with their feet, and making signs with their fingers.
14 They make evil plans in their hearts and are always starting arguments.
15 So trouble will strike them in an instant; suddenly they will be so hurt no one can help them.
16 There are six things the LORD hates. There are seven things he cannot stand:
17 a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that kill innocent people,
18 a mind that thinks up evil plans, feet that are quick to do evil,
19 a witness who lies, and someone who starts arguments among families.
20 My son, keep your father's commands, and don't forget your mother's teaching.
21 Keep their words in mind forever as though you had them tied around your neck.
22 They will guide you when you walk. They will guard you when you sleep. They will speak to you when you are awake.
23 These commands are like a lamp; this teaching is like a light. And the correction that comes from them will help you have life.
24 They will keep you from sinful women and from the pleasing words of another man's unfaithful wife.
25 Don't desire her because she is beautiful. Don't let her capture you by the way she looks at you.
26 A prostitute will treat you like a loaf of bread, and a woman who takes part in adultery may cost you your life.
27 You cannot carry hot coals against your chest without burning your clothes,
28 and you cannot walk on hot coals without burning your feet.
29 The same is true if you have sexual relations with another man's wife. Anyone who does so will be punished.
30 People don't hate a thief when he steals because he is hungry.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, and it may cost him everything he owns.
32 A man who takes part in adultery has no sense; he will destroy himself.
33 He will be beaten up and disgraced, and his shame will never go away.
34 Jealousy makes a husband very angry, and he will have no pity when he gets revenge.
35 He will accept no payment for the wrong; he will take no amount of money.
1 Son, if you endorse a note for someone you hardly know, guaranteeing his debt, 20you are in serious trouble. 2 You may have trapped yourself by your agreement. 3 Quick! Get out of it if you possibly can! Swallow your pride; don't let embarrassment stand in the way. Go and beg to have your name erased. 4 Don't put it off. Do it now. Don't rest until you do. 5 If you can get out of this trap you have saved yourself like a deer that escapes from a hunter or a bird from the net.
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise! 7 For though they have no king to make them work, 8 yet they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you - all you do is sleep. When will you wake up? 10 "Let me sleep a little longer!" Sure, just a little more! 11 And as you sleep, poverty creeps upon you like a robber and destroys you; want attacks you in full armor.
12-13 Let me describe for you a worthless and a wicked man; first, he is a constant liar; he signals his true intentions to his friends with eyes and feet and fingers. 14 He is always thinking up new schemes to swindle people. He stirs up trouble everywhere. 15 But he will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond hope of healing.
16-19 For there are six things the Lord hates - no, seven: haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers.
20 Young man, obey your father and your mother. 21 Take to heart all of their advice; keep in mind everything they tell you. 22 Every day and all night long their counsel will lead you and save you from harm; when you wake up in the morning, let their instructions guide you into the new day. 23 For their advice is a beam of light directed into the dark corners of your mind to warn you of danger and to give you a good life. 24 Their counsel will keep you far away from prostitutes, with all their flatteries, and unfaithful wives of other men.
25 Don't lust for their beauty. Don't let their coyness seduce you. 26 For a prostitute will bring a man to poverty, and an adulteress may cost him his very life. 27 Can a man hold fire against his chest and not be burned? 28 Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? 29 So it is with the man who commits adultery with another's wife. He shall not go unpunished for this sin. 30 Excuses might even be found for a thief if he steals when he is starving! 31 But even so, he is fined seven times as much as he stole, though it may mean selling everything in his house to pay it back.
32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul. 33 Wounds and constant disgrace are his lot, 34 for the woman's husband will be furious in his jealousy, and he will have no mercy on you in his day of vengeance. 35 You won't be able to buy him off no matter what you offer.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
3,3,5,210
4,4,7,386
5,5,9,434
6,6,11,533
7,7,13,607
8,8,15,657
9,9,17,738
10,10,19,826
11,11,21,911
12,12,23,1020
13,13,25,1092
14,14,27,1186
15,15,29,1265
16,16,31,1367
17,17,33,1451
18,18,35,1521
19,19,37,1594
20,20,39,1670
21,21,41,1755
22,22,43,1841
23,23,45,1962
24,24,47,2097
25,25,49,2203
26,26,51,2308
27,27,53,2428
28,28,55,2511
29,29,57,2578
30,30,59,2693
31,31,61,2763
32,32,63,2875
33,33,65,2954
34,34,67,3031
35,35,69,3122
1,5,1,1
6,11,3,486
12,15,5,913
16,19,7,1244
20,24,9,1423
25,31,11,1973
32,35,13,2566
EXPERIENCE PROVE 6:20-24
It is natural and good for children as they grow toward adulthood to strive to become independent of their parents. Young adults, however, should take care not to turn a deaf ear to their parents-to reject their advice just when they may need it most. If you are struggling with a decision or looking for insight, check with your parents or other older adults who know you well. Their extra years of experience may have given them the wisdom you seek.
Scrapbook: "John: Procrastination and laziness " ,!page "JOHN1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PROVE007
1 My son, remember what I say, and treasure my commands.
2 Obey my commands, and you will live. Guard my teachings as you would your own eyes.
3 Remind yourself of them; write them on your heart as if on a tablet.
4 Treat wisdom as a sister, and make understanding your closest friend.
5 Wisdom and understanding will keep you away from adultery, away from the unfaithful wife and her pleasing words.
6 Once while I was at the window of my house I looked out through the shutters
7 and saw some foolish, young men. I noticed one of them had no wisdom.
8 He was walking down the street near the corner on the road leading to her house.
9 It was the twilight of the evening; the darkness of the night was just beginning.
10 Then the woman approached him, dressed like a prostitute and planning to trick him.
11 She was loud and stubborn and never stayed at home.
12 She was always out in the streets or in the city squares, waiting around on the corners of the streets.
13 She grabbed him and kissed him. Without shame she said to him,
14 "I made my fellowship offering and took some of the meat home. Today I have kept my special promises.
15 So I have come out to meet you; I have been looking for you and have found you.
16 I have covered my bed with colored sheets from Egypt.
17 I have made my bed smell sweet with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's make love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's love.
19 My husband is not home; he has gone on a long trip.
20 He took a lot of money with him and won't be home for weeks."
21 By her clever words she made him give in; by her pleasing words she led him into doing wrong.
22 All at once he followed her, like an ox led to the butcher, like a deer caught in a trap
23 and shot through the liver with an arrow. Like a bird caught in a trap, he didn't know what he did would kill him.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Don't let yourself be tricked by such a woman; don't go where she leads you.
26 She has ruined many good men, and many have died because of her.
27 Her house is on the road to death, the road that leads down to the grave.
1 Follow my advice, my son; always keep it in mind and stick to it. 2 Obey me and live! Guard my words as your most precious possession. 3 Write them down, and also keep them deep within your heart. 4 Love wisdom like a sweetheart; make her a beloved member of your family. 5 Let her hold you back from affairs with other women - from listening to their flattery.
6 I was looking out the window of my house one day 7 and saw a simple-minded lad, a young man lacking common sense, 8-9 walking at twilight down the street to the house of this wayward girl, a prostitute. 10 She approached him, saucy and pert, and dressed seductively. 11-12 She was the brash, coarse type, seen often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner for men to be her lovers.
13 She put her arms around him and kissed him, and with a saucy look she said, "I was just coming to look for you and here you are! 14-17 Come home with me, and I'll fix you a wonderful dinner, and after that - well, my bed is spread with lovely, colored sheets of finest linen imported from Egypt, perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come on, let's take our fill of love until morning, 19 for my husband is away on a long trip. 20 He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won't return for several days."
21 So she seduced him with her pretty speech, her coaxing and her wheedling, until he yielded to her. He couldn't resist her flattery. 22 He followed her as an ox going to the butcher or as a stag that is trapped, 23 waiting to be killed with an arrow through its heart. He was as a bird flying into a snare, not knowing the fate awaiting it there.
24 Listen to me, young men, and not only listen but obey; 25 don't let your desires get out of hand; don't let yourself think about her. Don't go near her; stay away from where she walks, lest she tempt you and seduce you. 26 For she has been the ruin of multitudes - a vast host of men have been her victims. 27 If you want to find the road to hell, look for her house.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,152
4,4,7,227
5,5,9,303
6,6,11,422
7,7,13,505
8,8,15,581
9,9,17,668
10,10,19,756
11,11,21,847
12,12,23,906
13,13,25,1017
14,14,27,1087
15,15,29,1196
16,16,31,1283
17,17,33,1344
18,18,35,1415
19,19,37,1490
20,20,39,1549
21,21,41,1618
22,22,43,1719
23,23,45,1815
24,24,47,1937
25,25,49,2001
26,26,51,2085
27,27,53,2157
1,5,1,1
6,12,3,368
13,20,5,770
21,23,7,1295
24,27,9,1647
PROVE008
1 Wisdom calls to you like someone shouting; understanding raises her voice.
2 On the hilltops along the road and at the crossroads, she stands calling.
3 Beside the city gates, at the entrances into the city, she calls out:
4 "Listen, everyone, I'm calling out to you; I am shouting to all people.
5 You who are uneducated, be smarter. You who are foolish, get understanding.
6 Listen, because I have important things to say, and what I tell you is right.
7 What I say is true, I refuse to speak evil.
8 Everything I say is honest; nothing I say is crooked or false.
9 People with good sense know what I say is true; and those with knowledge know my words are right.
10 Choose my teachings instead of silver, and knowledge rather than the finest gold.
11 Wisdom is more precious than rubies. Nothing you could want is equal to it.
12 "I am wisdom, and I am smart. I also have knowledge and good sense.
13 If you respect the LORD, you will also hate evil. I hate pride and bragging, evil ways and lies.
14 I have good sense and advice, and I have understanding and power.
15 I help kings to govern and rulers to make fair laws.
16 Princes use me to lead, and so do all important people who judge fairly.
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
18 Riches and honor are mine to give. So are wealth and lasting success.
19 What I give is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver.
20 I do what is right and follow the path of justice.
21 I give wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures.
22 "I, wisdom, was with the LORD when he began his work, long before he made anything else.
23 I was created in the very beginning, even before the world began.
24 I was born before there were oceans, or springs overflowing with water,
25 before the hills were there, before the mountains were put in place.
26 God had not made the earth or fields, not even the first dust of the earth.
27 I was there when God put the skies in place, when he stretched the horizon over the oceans,
28 when he made the clouds above and put the deep underground springs in place.
29 I was there when he ordered the sea not to go beyond the borders he had set. I was there when he laid the earth's foundation.
30 I was like a child by his side. I was delighted every day, enjoying his presence all the time,
31 enjoying the whole world, and delighted with all its people.
32 "Now, my children, listen to me, because those who follow my ways are happy. those who listen to me, watching at my door every day, waiting at my open doorway. 35 Those who find me find life, and the LORD will be pleased with them. 36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves. Those who hate me love death."
1 Can't you hear the voice of wisdom? She is standing at the city gates and at every fork in the road, and at the door of every house. Listen to what she says: 4-5 "Listen, men!" she calls. "How foolish and naive you are! Let me give you understanding. O foolish ones, let me show you common sense! 6-7 Listen to me! For I have important information for you. Everything I say is right and true, for I hate lies and every kind of deception. 8 My advice is wholesome and good. There is nothing of evil in it. 9 My words are plain and clear to anyone with half a mind - if it is only open! 10 My instruction is far more valuable than silver or gold."
11 For the value of wisdom is far above rubies; nothing can be compared with it. 12 Wisdom and good judgment live together, for wisdom knows where to discover knowledge and understanding. 13 If anyone respects and fears God, he will hate evil. For wisdom hates pride, arrogance, corruption, and deceit of every kind.
14-16 "I, Wisdom, give good advice and common sense. Because of my strength, kings reign in power, and rulers make just laws. 17 I love all who love me. Those who search for me shall surely find me. 18 Unending riches, honor, justice, and righteousness are mine to distribute. 19 My gifts are better than the purest gold or sterling silver! 20 My paths are those of justice and right. 21 Those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy. I fill their treasuries. 22 The Lord formed me in the beginning, before he created anything else.
23 From ages past, I am. I existed before the earth began. 24 I lived before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters onto the earth, 25 before the mountains and the hills were made. 26 Yes, I was born before God made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.
27-29 "I was there when he established the heavens and formed the great springs in the depths of the oceans. I was there when he set the limits of the seas and gave them his instructions not to spread beyond their boundaries. I was there when he made the blueprint for the earth and oceans. 30 I was the craftsman at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence. 31 And how happy I was with what he created - his wide world and all his family of mankind! 32 And so, young men, listen to me, for how happy are all who follow my instructions.
33 "Listen to my counsel - oh, don't refuse it - and be wise. 34 Happy is the man who is so anxious to be with me that he watches for me daily at my gates, or waits for me outside my home! 35 For whoever finds me finds life and wins approval from the Lord. 36 But the one who misses me has injured himself irreparably. Those who refuse me show that they love death."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,82
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,238
5,5,9,316
6,6,11,398
7,7,13,482
8,8,15,532
9,9,17,601
10,10,19,705
11,11,21,794
12,12,23,877
13,13,25,952
14,14,27,1056
15,15,29,1129
16,16,31,1189
17,17,33,1269
18,18,35,1333
19,19,37,1410
20,20,39,1492
21,21,41,1550
22,22,43,1630
23,23,45,1726
24,24,47,1799
25,25,49,1878
26,26,51,1954
27,27,53,2037
28,28,55,2136
29,29,57,2220
30,30,59,2353
31,31,61,2455
32,36,63,2523
1,10,1,1
11,13,3,652
14,22,5,972
23,26,7,1510
27,32,9,1814
33,36,11,2384
,13,
PROVE009
DANGER
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has made its seven columns.
2 She has prepared her food and wine; she has set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant girls, and she calls out from the highest place in the city.
4 She says to those who are uneducated, "Come in here, you foolish people!
5 Come and eat my food and drink the wine I have prepared.
6 Stop your foolish ways, and you will live; take the road of understanding.
7 "If you correct someone who makes fun of wisdom, you will be insulted. If you correct an evil person, you will get hurt.
8 Do not correct those who make fun of wisdom, or they will hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.
9 Teach the wise, and they will become even wiser; teach good people, and they will learn even more.
10 "Wisdom begins with respect for the LORD, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.
11 If you live wisely, you will live a long time; wisdom will add years to your life.
12 The wise person is rewarded by wisdom, but whoever makes fun of wisdom will suffer for it."
13 Foolishness is like a loud woman; she does not have wisdom or knowledge.
14 She sits at the door of her house at the highest place in the city.
15 She calls out to those who are passing by, who are going along, minding their own business.
16 She says to those who are uneducated, "Come in here, you foolish people!
17 Stolen water is sweeter, and food eaten in secret tastes better."
18 But these people don't know that everyone who goes there dies, that her guests end up deep in the grave.
1 Wisdom has built a palace supported on seven pillars, 2 and has prepared a great banquet, and mixed the wines, 3 and sent out her maidens inviting all to come. She calls from the busiest intersections in the city, 4 "Come, you simple ones without good judgment; 5 come to wisdom's banquet and drink the wines that I have mixed. 6 Leave behind your foolishness and begin to live; learn how 20to be wise."
7-8 If you rebuke a mocker, you will only get a smart retort; yes, he will snarl at you. So don't bother with him; he will only hate you for trying to help him. But a wise man, when rebuked, will love you all the more. 9 Teach a wise man, and he will be the wiser; teach a good man, and he will learn more. 10 For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. 11 "I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful." 12 Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself.
13 A prostitute is loud and brash and never has enough of lust and shame. 14 She sits at the door of her house or stands at the street corners of the city, 15 whispering to men going by and to those minding their own business. 16 "Come home with me," she urges simpletons. 17 "Stolen melons are the sweetest; stolen apples* taste the best!" 18 But they don't realize that her former guests are now citizens of hell.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,67
3,3,5,132
4,4,7,228
5,5,9,307
6,6,11,370
7,7,13,451
8,8,15,578
9,9,17,698
10,10,19,803
11,11,21,904
12,12,23,994
13,13,25,1093
14,14,27,1173
15,15,29,1248
16,16,31,1347
17,17,33,1427
18,18,35,1500
1,6,1,1
7,12,3,410
13,18,5,1023
rip.A
DANGER PROVE 9:17
There is something hypnotic and intoxicating about wickedness. One sin leads us to want more; sinful behavior seems more exciting than the boring Christian life. That is why many people put aside all thought of Wisdom's sumptuous banquet (9:1-6) in order to eat the stolen food of Foolishness, the harlot. Don't be deceived- sin is dangerous. Before reaching for forbidden fruit, take a long look at what happens to those who eat it.
PROVE010
1 These are the wise words of Solomon: A wise son makes his father happy, but a foolish son makes his mother sad.
2 Riches gotten by doing wrong have no value, but right living will save you from death.
3 The LORD does not let good people go hungry, but he keeps evil people from getting what they want.
4 A lazy person will end up poor, but a hard worker will become rich.
5 Those who gather crops on time are wise, but those who sleep through the harvest are a disgrace.
6 Good people will have rich blessings, but the wicked will be overwhelmed by violence.
7 Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but evil people will soon be forgotten.
8 The wise do what they are told, but a talkative fool will be ruined.
9 The honest person will live in safety, but the dishonest will be caught.
10 A wink may get you into trouble, and foolish talk will lead to your ruin.
11 The words of a good person give life, like a fountain of water, but the words of the wicked contain nothing but violence.
12 Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs.
13 Smart people speak wisely, but people without wisdom should be punished.
14 The wise don't tell everything they know, but the foolish talk too much and are ruined.
15 Having lots of money protects the rich, but having no money destroys the poor.
16 Good people are rewarded with life, but evil people are paid with punishment.
17 Whoever accepts correction is on the way to life, but whoever ignores correction will lead others away from life.
18 Whoever hides hate is a liar. Whoever tells lies is a fool.
19 If you talk a lot, you are sure to sin; if you are wise, you will keep quiet.
20 The words of a good person are like pure silver, but an evil person's thoughts are worth very little.
21 Good people's words will help many others, but fools will die because they don't have wisdom.
22 The LORD' s blessing brings wealth, and no sorrow comes with it.
23 A foolish person enjoys doing wrong, but a person with understanding enjoys doing what is wise.
24 Evil people will get what they fear most, but good people will get what they want most.
25 A storm will blow the evil person away, but a good person will always be safe.
26 A lazy person affects the one he works for like vinegar on the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
27 Whoever respects the LORD will have a long life, but the life of an evil person will be cut short.
28 A good person can look forward to happiness, but an evil person can expect nothing.
29 The LORD will protect good people but will ruin those who do evil.
30 Good people will always be safe, but evil people will not remain in the land.
31 A good person says wise things, but a liar's tongue will be stopped.
32 Good people know the right thing to say, but evil people only tell lies.
1 Happy is the man with a level-headed son; sad the mother of a rebel.
2 Ill-gotten gain brings no lasting happiness; right living does.
3 The Lord will not let a good man starve to death, nor will he let the wicked man's riches continue forever.
4 Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
5 A wise youth makes hay while the sun shines, but what a shame to see a lad who sleeps away his hour of opportunity.
6 The good man is covered with blessings from head to foot, but an evil man inwardly curses his luck.
7 We all have happy memories of good men gone to their reward, but the names of wicked men stink after them.
8 The wise man is glad to be instructed, but a self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face.
9 A good man has firm footing, but a crook will slip and fall.
10 Winking at sin leads to sorrow; bold reproof leads to peace.
11 There is living truth in what a good man says, but the mouth of the evil man is filled with curses.
12 Hatred stirs old quarrels, but love overlooks insults.
13 Men with common sense are admired as counselors; those without it are beaten as servants.
14 A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble.
15 The rich man's wealth is his only strength. The poor man's poverty is his only curse.
16 The good man's earnings advance the cause of righteousness. The evil man squanders his on sin.
17 Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.
18 To hide hatred is to be a liar; to slander is to be a fool.
19 Don't talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!
20 When a good man speaks, he is worth listening to, but the words of fools are a dime a dozen.
21 A godly man gives good advice, but a rebel is destroyed by lack of common sense.
22 The Lord's blessing is our greatest wealth. All our work adds nothing to it!
23 A fool's fun is being bad; a wise man's fun is being wise!
24 The wicked man's fears will all come true and so will the good man's hopes.
25 Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are whirled away. But the good man has a strong anchor.
26 A lazy fellow is a pain to his employers - like smoke in their eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.
27 Reverence for God adds hours to each day; so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?
28 The hope of good men is eternal happiness; the hopes of evil men are all in vain.
29 God protects the upright but destroys the wicked.
30 The good shall never lose God's blessings, but the wicked shall lose everything.
31 The good man gives wise advice, but the liar's counsel is shunned.
32 The upright speak what is helpful; the wicked speak rebellion.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,119
3,3,5,212
4,4,7,317
5,5,9,391
6,6,11,494
7,7,13,586
8,8,15,678
9,9,17,753
10,10,19,832
11,11,21,913
12,12,23,1042
13,13,25,1104
14,14,27,1184
15,15,29,1279
16,16,31,1365
17,17,33,1450
18,18,35,1571
19,19,37,1638
20,20,39,1723
21,21,41,1832
22,22,43,1933
23,23,45,2005
24,24,47,2108
25,25,49,2203
26,26,51,2289
27,27,53,2387
28,28,55,2493
29,29,57,2584
30,30,59,2658
31,31,61,2743
32,32,63,2819
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,75
3,3,5,144
4,4,7,257
5,5,9,309
6,6,11,430
7,7,13,535
8,8,15,647
9,9,17,742
10,10,19,808
11,11,21,875
12,12,23,981
13,13,25,1042
14,14,27,1138
15,15,29,1256
16,16,31,1348
17,17,33,1449
18,18,35,1550
19,19,37,1616
20,20,39,1719
21,21,41,1818
22,22,43,1905
23,23,45,1988
24,24,47,2053
25,25,49,2135
26,26,51,2244
27,27,53,2358
28,28,55,2454
29,29,57,2542
30,30,59,2598
31,31,61,2685
32,32,63,2758
TIME PROVE 10:4-5
Every day has 24 hours filled with opportunities to grow, serve, and be productive. It is so easy to waste time, letting life slip from our grasp. Instead, refuse to be a lazy person, sleeping or squandering the hours meant for productive work. See time as God's gift, and seize the opportunities to live for him.
PROVE011
1 The LORD hates dishonest scales, but he is pleased with honest weights.
2 Pride leads only to shame; it is wise to be humble.
3 Good people will be guided by honesty; dishonesty will destroy those who are not trustworthy.
4 Riches will not help when it's time to die, but right living will save you from death.
5 The goodness of the innocent makes life easier, but the wicked will be destroyed by their wickedness.
6 Doing right brings freedom to honest people, but those who are not trustworthy will be caught by their own desires.
7 When the wicked die, hope dies with them; their hope in riches will come to nothing.
8 The good person is saved from trouble; it comes to the wicked instead.
9 With words an evil person can destroy a neighbor, but a good person will escape by being smart.
10 When good people succeed, the city is happy. When evil people die, there are shouts of joy.
11 Good people bless and build up their city, but the wicked can destroy it with their words.
12 People without good sense find fault with their neighbors, but those with understanding keep quiet.
13 Gossips can't keep secrets, but a trustworthy person can.
14 Without leadership a nation falls, but lots of good advice will save it.
15 Whoever guarantees to pay somebody else's loan will suffer. It is safer to avoid such promises.
16 A kind woman gets respect, but cruel men get only wealth.
17 Kind people do themselves a favor, but cruel people bring trouble on themselves.
18 An evil person really earns nothing, but a good person will surely be rewarded.
19 Those who are truly good will live, but those who chase after evil will die.
20 The LORD hates those with evil hearts but is pleased with those who are innocent.
21 Evil people will certainly be punished, but those who do right will be set free.
22 A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.
23 Those who do right only wish for good, but the wicked can expect to be defeated by God's anger.
24 Some people give much but get back even more. Others don't give what they should and end up poor.
25 Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped.
26 People curse those who keep all the grain, but they bless the one who is willing to sell it.
27 Whoever looks for good will find kindness, but whoever looks for evil will find trouble.
28 Those who trust in riches will be ruined, but a good person will be healthy like a green leaf.
29 Whoever brings trouble to his family will be left with nothing but the wind. A fool will be a servant to the wise.
30 A good person gives life to others; the wise person teaches others how to live.
31 Good people will be rewarded on earth, and the wicked and the sinners will be punished.
1 The Lord hates cheating and delights in honesty.
2 Proud men end in shame, but the meek become wise.
3 A good man is guided by his honesty; the evil man is destroyed by his dishonesty.
4 Your riches won't help you on Judgment Day; only righteousness counts then.
5 Good people are directed by their honesty; the wicked shall fall beneath their load of sins.
6 The good man's goodness delivers him; the evil man's treachery is his undoing.
7 When an evil man dies, his hopes all perish, for they are based upon this earthly life.
8 God rescues good men from danger while letting the wicked fall into it.
9 Evil words destroy; godly skill rebuilds.
10 The whole city celebrates a good man's success - and also the godless man's death.
11 The good influence of godly citizens causes a city to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill.
12 To quarrel with a neighbor is foolish; a man with good sense holds his tongue.
13 A gossip goes around spreading rumors, while a trustworthy man tries to quiet them.
14 Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but with good counselors there is safety.
15 Be sure you know a person well before you vouch for his credit! Better refuse than suffer later.
16 Honor goes to kind and gracious women, mere money to cruel men.
17 Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.
18 The evil man gets rich for the moment, but the good man's reward lasts forever.
19 The good man finds life; the evil man, death.
20 The Lord hates the stubborn but delights in those who are good.
21 You can be very sure the evil man will not go unpunished forever. And you can also be very sure God will rescue the children of the godly.
22 A beautiful woman lacking discretion and modesty is like a fine gold ring in a pig's snout.
23 The good man can look forward to happiness, while the wicked can expect only wrath.
24-25 It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.
26 People curse the man who holds his grain for higher prices, but they bless the man who sells it to them in their time of need.
27 If you search for good, you will find God's favor; if you search for evil, you will find his curse.
28 Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God and flourish as a tree!
29 The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left. He shall be the servant of a wiser man.
30 Godly men are growing a tree that bears life-giving fruit, and all who win souls are wise.
31 Even the godly shall be rewarded here on earth; how much more the wicked!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,79
3,3,5,137
4,4,7,237
5,5,9,330
6,6,11,438
7,7,13,560
8,8,15,651
9,9,17,728
10,10,19,830
11,11,21,929
12,12,23,1027
13,13,25,1134
14,14,27,1199
15,15,29,1279
16,16,31,1382
17,17,33,1447
18,18,35,1535
19,19,37,1622
20,20,39,1706
21,21,41,1795
22,22,43,1883
23,23,45,1965
24,24,47,2068
25,25,49,2173
26,26,51,2270
27,27,53,2370
28,28,55,2466
29,29,57,2568
30,30,59,2690
31,31,61,2777
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,55
3,3,5,110
4,4,7,197
5,5,9,278
6,6,11,376
7,7,13,460
8,8,15,553
9,9,17,630
10,10,19,677
11,11,21,766
12,12,23,889
13,13,25,974
14,14,27,1064
15,15,29,1161
16,16,31,1264
17,17,33,1334
18,18,35,1422
19,19,37,1508
20,20,39,1560
21,21,41,1630
22,22,43,1775
23,23,45,1873
24,25,47,1963
26,26,49,2158
27,27,51,2291
28,28,53,2397
29,29,55,2477
30,30,57,2623
31,31,59,2720
CAUGHT PROVE 11:31
Contrary to popular opinion, no one sins and gets away with it. Ultimately, the faithful are rewarded for their faith and the wicked are punished for their sins. Don't think for a moment that it won't matter or nobody will know or we won't get caught. (See also 1 Peter 4:18.)
Moral Dilemmas: Cheating ,!page "^M008" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PROVE012
1 Anyone who loves learning accepts correction, but a person who hates being corrected is stupid.
2 The LORD is pleased with a good person, but he will punish anyone who plans evil.
3 Doing evil brings no safety at all, but a good person has safety and security.
4 A good wife is like a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful wife is like a disease in his bones.
5 The plans that good people make are fair, but the advice of the wicked will trick you.
6 The wicked talk about killing people, but the words of good people will save them.
7 Wicked people die and they are no more, but a good person's family continues.
8 The wisdom of the wise wins praise, but there is no respect for the stupid.
9 A person who is not important but has a servant is better off than someone who acts important but has no food.
10 Good people take care of their animals, but even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have plenty of food, but the one who chases empty dreams is not wise.
12 The wicked want what other evil people have stolen, but good people want to give what they have to others.
13 Evil people are trapped by their evil talk, but good people stay out of trouble.
14 People will be rewarded for what they say, and they will also be rewarded for what they do.
15 Fools think they are doing right, but the wise listen to advice.
16 Fools quickly show that they are upset, but the wise ignore insults.
17 An honest witness tells the truth, but a dishonest witness tells lies.
18 Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing.
19 Truth will continue forever, but lies are only for a moment.
20 Those who plan evil are full of lies, but those who plan peace are happy.
21 No harm comes to a good person, but an evil person's life is full of trouble.
22 The LORD hates those who tell lies but is pleased with those who keep their promises.
23 Wise people keep what they know to themselves, but fools can't keep from showing how foolish they are.
24 Hard workers will become leaders, but those who are lazy will be slaves.
25 Worry is a heavy load, but a kind word cheers you up.
26 Good people take advice from their friends, but an evil person is easily led to do wrong.
27 The lazy catch no food to cook, but a hard worker will have great wealth.
28 Doing what is right is the way to life, but there is another way that leads to death.
1 To learn, you must want to be taught. To refuse reproof is stupid.
2 The Lord blesses good men and condemns the wicked.
3 Wickedness never brings real success; only the godly have that.
4 A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; the other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does.
5 A good man's mind is filled with honest thoughts; an evil man's mind is crammed with lies.
6 The wicked accuse; the godly defend.
7 The wicked shall perish; the godly shall stand.
8 Everyone admires a man with good sense, but a man with a warped mind is despised.
9 It is better to get your hands dirty - and eat, than to be too proud to work - and starve.
10 A good man is concerned for the welfare of his animals, but even the kindness of godless men is cruel.
11 Hard work means prosperity; only a fool idles away his time.
12 Crooks are jealous of each other's loot, while good men long to help each other.
13 Lies will get any man into trouble, but honesty is its own defense.
14 Telling the truth gives a man great satisfaction, and hard work returns many blessings to him.
15 A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others.
16 A fool is quick-tempered; a wise man stays cool when insulted.
17 A good man is known by his truthfulness; a false man by deceit and lies.
18 Some people like to make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise soothe and heal.
19 Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed.
20 Deceit fills hearts that are plotting for evil; joy fills hearts that are planning for good!
21 No real harm befalls the good, but there is constant trouble for the wicked.
22 God delights in those who keep their promises and abhors those who don't.
23 A wise man doesn't display his knowledge, but a fool displays his foolishness.
24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed.
25 Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of encouragement does wonders!
26 The good man asks advice from friends; the wicked plunge ahead - and fall.
27 A lazy man won't even dress the game he gets while hunting, but the diligent man makes good use of everything he finds.
28 The path of the godly leads to life. So why fear death?
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,191
4,4,7,276
5,5,9,382
6,6,11,475
7,7,13,564
8,8,15,648
9,9,17,730
10,10,19,847
11,11,21,945
12,12,23,1053
13,13,25,1167
14,14,27,1255
15,15,29,1354
16,16,31,1426
17,17,33,1502
18,18,35,1580
19,19,37,1651
20,20,39,1719
21,21,41,1800
22,22,43,1885
23,23,45,1978
24,24,47,2088
25,25,49,2168
26,26,51,2229
27,27,53,2326
28,28,55,2407
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,73
3,3,5,129
4,4,7,198
5,5,9,321
6,6,11,417
7,7,13,459
8,8,15,512
9,9,17,599
10,10,19,695
11,11,21,804
12,12,23,871
13,13,25,958
14,14,27,1032
15,15,29,1133
16,16,31,1207
17,17,33,1276
18,18,35,1355
19,19,37,1446
20,20,39,1506
21,21,41,1605
22,22,43,1688
23,23,45,1768
24,24,47,1853
25,25,49,1917
26,26,51,1996
27,27,53,2077
28,28,55,2203
COOL PROVE 12:16
When someone insults you, it is natural to insult in return. But this solves nothing and only encourages trouble. Instead, keep your cool and answer slowly and quietly. Your positive response will achieve positive results.
PROVE013
1 Wise children take their parents' advice, but whoever makes fun of wisdom won't listen to correction.
2 People will be rewarded for what they say, but those who can't be trusted want only violence.
3 Those who are careful about what they say protect their lives, but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined.
4 The lazy will not get what they want, but those who work hard will.
5 Good people hate what is false, but the wicked do shameful and disgraceful things.
6 Doing what is right protects the honest person, but doing evil ruins the sinner.
7 Some people pretend to be rich but really have nothing. Others pretend to be poor but really are wealthy.
8 The rich may have to pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor will face no such danger.
9 Good people can look forward to a bright future, but the future of the wicked is like a flame going out.
10 Pride only leads to arguments, but those who take advice are wise.
11 Money that comes easily disappears quickly, but money that is gathered little by little will grow.
12 It is sad not to get what you hoped for. But wishes that come true are like eating fruit from the tree of life.
13 Those who reject what they are taught will pay for it, but those who obey what they are told will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of a wise person gives life. It is like a fountain that can save people from death.
15 People with good understanding will be well liked, but the lives of those who are not trustworthy are hard.
16 Every wise person acts with good sense, but fools show how foolish they are.
17 A wicked messenger brings nothing but trouble, but a trustworthy one makes everything right.
18 A person who refuses correction will end up poor and disgraced, but the one who accepts correction will be honored.
19 It is so good when wishes come true, but fools hate to stop doing evil.
20 Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.
21 Trouble always comes to sinners, but good people enjoy success.
22 Good people leave their wealth to their grandchildren, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for good people.
23 A poor person's field might produce plenty of food, but others often steal it away.
24 If you do not punish your children, you don't love them, but if you love your children, you will correct them.
25 Good people have enough to eat, but the wicked will go hungry.
1 A wise youth accepts his father's rebuke; a young mocker doesn't.
2 The good man wins his case by careful argument; the evil-minded only wants to fight.
3 Self-control means controlling the tongue! A quick retort can ruin everything.
4 Lazy people want much but get little, while the diligent are prospering.
5 A good man hates lies; wicked men lie constantly and come to shame.
6 A man's goodness helps him all through life, while evil men are being destroyed by their wickedness.
7 Some rich people are poor, and some poor people have great wealth!
8 Being kidnapped and held for ransom never worries the poor man!
9 The good man's life is full of light. The sinner's road is dark and gloomy.
10 Pride leads to arguments; be humble, take advice, and become wise.
11 Wealth from gambling quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.
13 Despise God's Word and find yourself in trouble. Obey it and succeed.
14 The advice of a wise man refreshes like water from a mountain spring. Those accepting it become aware of the pitfalls on ahead.
15 A man with good sense is appreciated. A treacherous man must walk a rocky road.
16 A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn't and even brags about it!
17 An unreliable messenger can cause a lot of trouble. Reliable communication permits progress.
18 If you refuse criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept criticism, you are on the road to fame.
19 It is pleasant to see plans develop. That is why fools refuse to give them up even when they are wrong.
20 Be with wise men and become wise. Be with evil men and become evil.
21 Curses chase sinners, while blessings chase the righteous!
22 When a good man dies, he leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren; but when a sinner dies, his wealth is stored up for the godly.
23 A poor man's farm may have good soil, but injustice robs him of its riches.
24 If you refuse to discipline your son, it proves you don't love him; for if you love him, you will be prompt to punish him.
25 The good man eats to live, while the evil man lives to eat.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,109
3,3,5,209
4,4,7,330
5,5,9,404
6,6,11,493
7,7,13,580
8,8,15,692
9,9,17,788
10,10,19,899
11,11,21,973
12,12,23,1079
13,13,25,1198
14,14,27,1316
15,15,29,1420
16,16,31,1535
17,17,33,1619
18,18,35,1719
19,19,37,1842
20,20,39,1921
21,21,41,2017
22,22,43,2088
23,23,45,2202
24,24,47,2293
25,25,49,2411
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,72
3,3,5,162
4,4,7,246
5,5,9,324
6,6,11,397
7,7,13,503
8,8,15,575
9,9,17,644
10,10,19,725
11,11,21,798
12,12,23,874
13,13,25,974
14,14,27,1050
15,15,29,1184
16,16,31,1270
17,17,33,1341
18,18,35,1440
19,19,37,1563
20,20,39,1673
21,21,41,1747
22,22,43,1812
23,23,45,1950
24,24,47,2032
25,25,49,2161
ies
PROVE014
1 A wise woman strengthens her family, but a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does.
2 People who live good lives respect the LORD, but those who live evil lives don't.
3 Fools will be punished for their proud words, but the words of the wise will protect them.
4 When there are no oxen, no food is in the barn. But with a strong ox, much grain can be grown.
5 A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness tells nothing but lies.
6 Those who make fun of wisdom look for it and do not find it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.
7 Stay away from fools, because they can't teach you anything.
8 A wise person will understand what to do, but a foolish person is dishonest.
9 Fools don't care if they sin, but honest people work at being right.
10 No one else can know your sadness, and strangers cannot share your joy.
11 The wicked person's house will be destroyed, but a good person's tent will still be standing.
12 Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death.
13 Someone who is laughing may be sad inside, and joy may end in sadness.
14 Evil people will be paid back for their evil ways, and good people will be rewarded for their good ones.
15 Fools will believe anything, but the wise think about what they do.
16 Wise people are careful and stay out of trouble, but fools are careless and quick to act.
17 Someone with a quick temper does foolish things, but someone with understanding remains calm.
18 Fools are rewarded with nothing but more foolishness, but the wise are rewarded with knowledge.
19 Evil people will bow down to those who are good; the wicked will bow down at the door of those who do right.
20 The poor are rejected, even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
21 It is a sin to hate your neighbor, but being kind to the needy brings happiness.
22 Those who make evil plans will be ruined, but those who plan to do good will be loved and trusted.
23 Those who work hard make a profit, but those who only talk will be poor.
24 Wise people are rewarded with wealth, but fools only get more foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor.
26 Those who respect the LORD will have security, and their children will be protected.
27 Respect for the LORD gives life. It is like a fountain that can save people from death.
28 A king is honored when he has many people to rule, but a prince is ruined if he has none.
29 Patient people have great understanding, but people with quick tempers show their foolishness.
30 Peace of mind means a healthy body, but jealousy will rot your bones.
31 Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
32 The wicked are ruined by their own evil, but those who do right are protected even in death.
33 Wisdom lives in those with understanding, and even fools recognize it.
34 Doing what is right makes a nation great, but sin will bring disgrace to any people.
35 A king is pleased with a wise servant, but he will become angry with one who causes him shame.
1 A wise woman builds her house, while a foolish woman tears hers down by her own efforts.
2 To do right honors God; to sin is to despise him.
3 A rebel's foolish talk should prick his own pride! But the wise man's speech is respected.
4 An empty stable stays clean - but there is no income from an empty stable.
5 A truthful witness never lies; a false witness always lies.
6 A mocker never finds the wisdom he claims he is looking for, yet it comes easily to the man with common sense.
7 If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools.
8 The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won't face facts.
9 The common bond of rebels is their guilt. The common bond of godly people is good will.
10 Only the person involved can know his own bitterness or joy - no one else can really share it.
11 The work of the wicked will perish; the work of the godly will flourish.
12 Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death.
13 Laughter cannot mask a heavy heart. When the laughter ends, the grief remains.
14 The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly man's life is exciting.
15 Only a simpleton believes everything he's told! A prudent man understands the need for proof.
16 A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence.
17 A short-tempered man is a fool. He hates the man who is patient.
18 The simpleton is crowned with folly; the wise man is crowned with knowledge.
19 Evil men shall bow before the godly.
20-21 Even his own neighbors despise the poor man, while the rich have many "friends." But to despise the poor is to sin. Blessed are those who help them.
22 Those who plot evil shall wander away and be lost, but those who plan good shall be granted mercy and quietness.
23 Work brings profit; talk brings poverty!
24 Wise men are praised for their wisdom; fools are despised for their folly.
25 A witness who tells the truth saves good men from being sentenced to death, but a false witness is a traitor.
26 Reverence for God gives a man deep strength; his children have a place of refuge and security.
27 Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life; its waters keep a man from death.
28 A growing population is a king's glory; a dwindling nation is his doom.
29 A wise man controls his temper. He knows that anger causes mistakes.
30 A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life; jealousy rots it away.
31 Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.
32 The godly have a refuge when they die, but the wicked are crushed by their sins.
33 Wisdom is enshrined in the hearts of men of common sense, but it must shout loudly before fools will hear it.
34 Godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
35 A king rejoices in servants who know what they are doing; he is angry with those who cause trouble.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,184
4,4,7,281
5,5,9,382
6,6,11,465
7,7,13,588
8,8,15,655
9,9,17,738
10,10,19,813
11,11,21,892
12,12,23,993
13,13,25,1074
14,14,27,1152
15,15,29,1264
16,16,31,1339
17,17,33,1436
18,18,35,1537
19,19,37,1640
20,20,39,1756
21,21,41,1843
22,22,43,1931
23,23,45,2037
24,24,47,2117
25,25,49,2199
26,26,51,2272
27,27,53,2364
28,28,55,2459
29,29,57,2556
30,30,59,2658
31,31,61,2735
32,32,63,2835
33,33,65,2935
34,34,67,3013
35,35,69,3105
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,150
4,4,7,246
5,5,9,326
6,6,11,391
7,7,13,507
8,8,15,565
9,9,17,652
10,10,19,745
11,11,21,846
12,12,23,925
13,13,25,1020
14,14,27,1105
15,15,29,1185
16,16,31,1285
17,17,33,1377
18,18,35,1448
19,19,37,1531
20,21,39,1574
22,22,41,1732
23,23,43,1851
24,24,45,1898
25,25,47,1979
26,26,49,2095
27,27,51,2196
28,28,53,2282
29,29,55,2360
30,30,57,2435
31,31,59,2507
32,32,61,2609
33,33,63,2696
34,34,65,2812
35,35,67,2882
GOODWILL PROVE 14:9
How rarely we find goodwill around us today! Angry drivers scowl at each other. People fight to be first in line. Disgruntled employers and employees demand their rights. But the common bond of God's people should be goodwill. Those with goodwill think the best of others and assume that others have good motives and intend to do what is right. When someone crosses you and your blood pressure starts to rise, ask yourself, How can I show goodwill to this person?
PROVE015
1 A gentle answer will calm a person's anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.
2 Wise people use knowledge when they speak, but fools pour out foolishness.
3 The LORD' s eyes see everything; he watches both evil and good people.
4 As a tree gives fruit, healing words give life, but dishonest words crush the spirit.
5 Fools reject their parents' correction, but anyone who accepts correction is wise.
6 Much wealth is in the houses of good people, but evil people get nothing but trouble.
7 Wise people use their words to spread knowledge, but there is no knowledge in the thoughts of fools.
8 The LORD hates the sacrifice that the wicked offer, but he likes the prayers of honest people.
9 The LORD hates what evil people do, but he loves those who do what is right.
10 The person who quits doing what is right will be punished, and the one who hates to be corrected will die.
11 The LORD knows what is happening in the world of the dead, so he surely knows the thoughts of the living.
12 Those who make fun of wisdom don't like to be corrected; they will not ask the wise for advice.
13 Happiness makes a person smile, but sadness can break a person's spirit.
14 People with understanding want more knowledge, but fools just want more foolishness.
15 Every day is hard for those who suffer, but a happy heart is like a continual feast.
16 It is better to be poor and respect the LORD than to be wealthy and have much trouble.
17 It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you than to eat meat with those who hate you.
18 People with quick tempers cause trouble, but those who control their tempers stop a quarrel.
19 A lazy person's life is like a patch of thorns, but an honest person's life is like a smooth highway.
20 A wise son makes his father happy, but a foolish son disrespects his mother.
21 A person without wisdom enjoys being foolish, but someone with understanding does what is right.
22 Plans fail without good advice, but they succeed with the advice of many others.
23 People enjoy giving good advice. Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing.
24 Wise people's lives get better and better. They avoid whatever would cause their death.
25 The LORD will tear down the proud person's house, but he will protect the widow's property.
26 The LORD hates evil thoughts but is pleased with kind words.
27 Greedy people bring trouble to their families, but the person who can't be paid to do wrong will live.
28 Good people think before they answer, but the wicked simply pour out evil.
29 The LORD does not listen to the wicked, but he hears the prayers of those who do right.
30 Good news makes you feel better. Your happiness will show in your eyes.
31 If you listen to correction to improve your life, you will live among the wise.
32 Those who refuse correction hate themselves, but those who accept correction gain understanding.
33 Respect for the LORD will teach you wisdom. If you want to be honored, you must be humble.
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words cause quarrels.
2 A wise teacher makes learning a joy; a rebellious teacher spouts foolishness.
3 The Lord is watching everywhere and keeps his eye on both the evil and the good.
4 Gentle words cause life and health; griping brings discouragement.
5 Only a fool despises his father's advice; a wise son considers each suggestion.
6 There is treasure in being good, but trouble dogs the wicked.
7 Only the good can give good advice. Rebels can't.
8 The Lord hates the gifts of the wicked but delights in the prayers of his people.
9-10 The Lord despises the deeds of the wicked but loves those who try to be good. If they stop trying, the Lord will punish them; if they rebel against that punishment, they will die.
11 The depths of hell are open to God's knowledge. How much more the hearts of all mankind!
12 A mocker stays away from wise men because he hates to be scolded.
13 A happy face means a glad heart; a sad face means a breaking heart.
14 A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash.
15 When a man is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong; when he is cheerful, everything seems right!
16 Better a little with reverence for God than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 It is better to eat soup with someone you love than steak with someone you hate.
18 A quick-tempered man starts fights; a cool-tempered man tries to stop them.
19 A lazy fellow has trouble all through life; the good man's path is easy!
20 A sensible son gladdens his father. A rebellious son saddens his mother.
21 If a man enjoys folly, something is wrong! The sensible stay on the pathways 20of right.
22 Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success.
23 Everyone enjoys giving good advice, and how wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time!
24 The road of the godly leads upward, leaving hell behind.
25 The Lord destroys the possessions of the proud but cares for widows.
26 The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked but delights in kind words.
27 Dishonest money brings grief to all the family, but hating bribes brings happiness.
28 A good man thinks before he speaks; the evil man pours out his evil words without a thought.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
30 Pleasant sights and good reports give happiness and health.
31-32 If you profit from constructive criticism, you will be elected to the wise men's hall of fame. But to reject criticism is to harm yourself and your own best interests.
33 Humility and reverence for the Lord will make you both wise and honored.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,176
4,4,7,253
5,5,9,345
6,6,11,434
7,7,13,526
8,8,15,633
9,9,17,734
10,10,19,817
11,11,21,931
12,12,23,1044
13,13,25,1147
14,14,27,1227
15,15,29,1319
16,16,31,1411
17,17,33,1505
18,18,35,1609
19,19,37,1709
20,20,39,1818
21,21,41,1902
22,22,43,2006
23,23,45,2094
24,24,47,2190
25,25,49,2285
26,26,51,2384
27,27,53,2452
28,28,55,2562
29,29,57,2644
30,30,59,2739
31,31,61,2818
32,32,63,2905
33,33,65,3009
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,72
3,3,5,155
4,4,7,241
5,5,9,313
6,6,11,398
7,7,13,465
8,8,15,520
9,10,17,607
11,11,19,795
12,12,21,890
13,13,23,962
14,14,25,1036
15,15,27,1107
16,16,29,1210
17,17,31,1296
18,18,33,1383
19,19,35,1465
20,20,37,1544
21,21,39,1623
22,22,41,1718
23,23,43,1795
24,24,45,1914
25,25,47,1977
26,26,49,2052
27,27,51,2128
28,28,53,2218
29,29,55,2317
30,30,57,2399
31,32,59,2465
33,33,61,2642
QUIET PROVE 15:1
Have you ever tried to argue in a whisper? It is hard to argue with someone who insists on answering softly. On the other hand, a rising voice almost always triggers an angry response. If the most important goal is to win the argument, then you had better warm up your vocal cords. But if your goal is to seek peace, then a consistently quiet response is your best choice.
NEW IDEAS PROVE 15:22
Those with tunnel vision, people who are locked into one way of thinking, are likely to miss the right road because they have closed their minds to any new options. We need the help of those who can enlarge our vision and broaden our perspective. Seek out the advice of those who know you and have a wealth of experience. Build a network of counselors. Then be willing to weigh their suggestions carefully. Your plans will be strengthened, your chances for success increased.
PROVE016
1 People may make plans in their minds, but only the LORD can make them come true.
2 You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD will judge your reasons.
3 Depend on the LORD in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
4 The LORD makes everything go as he pleases. He has even prepared a day of disaster for evil people.
5 The LORD hates those who are proud. They will surely be punished.
6 Love and truth bring forgiveness of sin. By respecting the LORD you will avoid evil.
7 When people live so that they please the LORD, even their enemies will make peace with them.
8 It is better to be poor and right than to be wealthy and dishonest.
9 People may make plans in their minds, but the LORD decides what they will do.
10 The words of a king are like a message from God, so his decisions should be fair.
11 The LORD wants honest balances and scales; all the weights are his work.
12 Kings hate those who do wrong, because governments only continue if they are fair.
13 Kings like honest people; they value someone who speaks the truth.
14 An angry king can put someone to death, so a wise person will try to make him happy.
15 A smiling king can give people life; his kindness is like a spring shower.
16 It is better to get wisdom than gold, and to choose understanding rather than silver!
17 Good people stay away from evil. By watching what they do, they protect their lives.
18 Pride will destroy a person; a proud attitude leads to ruin.
19 It is better to be humble and be with those who suffer than to share stolen property with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to what is taught will succeed, and whoever trusts the LORD will be happy.
21 The wise are known for their understanding. Their pleasant words make them better teachers.
22 Understanding is like a fountain which gives life to those who use it, but foolishness brings punishment to fools.
23 Wise people's minds tell them what to say, and that helps them be better teachers.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, making people happy and healthy.
25 Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death.
26 The workers' hunger helps them, because their desire to eat makes them work.
27 Useless people make evil plans, and their words are like a burning fire.
28 A useless person causes trouble, and a gossip ruins friendships.
29 Cruel people trick their neighbors and lead them to do wrong.
30 Someone who winks is planning evil, and the one who grins is planning something wrong.
31 Gray hair is like a crown of honor; it is earned by living a good life.
32 Patience is better than strength. Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city.
33 People throw lots to make a decision, but the answer comes from the LORD.
1 We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands.
2 We can always "prove" that we are right, but is the Lord convinced?
3 Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed.
4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes - even the wicked, for punishment.
5 Pride disgusts the Lord. Take my word for it - proud men shall be punished.
6 Iniquity is atoned for by mercy and truth; evil is avoided by reverence for God.
7 When a man is trying to please God, God makes even his worst enemies to be at peace with him.
8 A little gained honestly is better than great wealth gotten by dishonest means.
9 We should make plans - counting on God to direct us.
10 God will help the king to judge the people fairly; there need be no mistakes.
11 The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established this principle.
12 It is a horrible thing for a king to do evil. His right to rule depends upon his fairness.
13 The king rejoices when his people are truthful and fair.
14 The anger of the king is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.
15 Many favors are showered on those who please the king.
16 How much better is wisdom than gold, and understanding than silver!
17 The path of the godly leads away from evil; he who follows that path is safe.
18 Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.
19 Better poor and humble than proud and rich.
20 God blesses those who obey him; happy the man who puts his trust in the Lord.
21 The wise man is known by his common sense, and a pleasant teacher is the best.
22 Wisdom is a fountain of life to those possessing it, but a fool's burden is his folly.
23 From a wise mind comes careful and persuasive speech.
24 Kind words are like honey - enjoyable and healthful.
25 Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road he thinks is right, but it ends in death.
26 Hunger is good - if it makes you work to satisfy it!
27 Idle hands are the devil's workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.
28 An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
29 Wickedness loves company - and leads others into sin.
30 The wicked man stares into space with pursed lips, deep in thought, planning his evil deeds.
31 White hair is a crown of glory and is seen most among the godly.
32 It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is better to have self-control than to control an army.
33 We toss the coin, but it is the Lord who controls its decision.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,88
3,3,5,169
4,4,7,243
5,5,9,349
6,6,11,421
7,7,13,512
8,8,15,611
9,9,17,685
10,10,19,769
11,11,21,858
12,12,23,938
13,13,25,1028
14,14,27,1102
15,15,29,1194
16,16,31,1276
17,17,33,1369
18,18,35,1461
19,19,37,1529
20,20,39,1637
21,21,41,1735
22,22,43,1834
23,23,45,1956
24,24,47,2046
25,25,49,2123
26,26,51,2204
27,27,53,2288
28,28,55,2368
29,29,57,2440
30,30,59,2509
31,31,61,2603
32,32,63,2682
33,33,65,2780
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,143
4,4,7,200
5,5,9,290
6,6,11,372
7,7,13,458
8,8,15,557
9,9,17,642
10,10,19,700
11,11,21,784
12,12,23,871
13,13,25,968
14,14,27,1031
15,15,29,1116
16,16,31,1177
17,17,33,1251
18,18,35,1335
19,19,37,1402
20,20,39,1452
21,21,41,1536
22,22,43,1621
23,23,45,1714
24,24,47,1774
25,25,49,1833
26,26,51,1934
27,27,53,1993
28,28,55,2066
29,29,57,2135
30,30,59,2195
31,31,61,2294
32,32,63,2365
33,33,65,2476
PROVE017
1 It is better to eat a dry crust of bread in peace than to have a feast where there is quarreling.
2 A wise servant will rule over the master's disgraceful child and will even inherit a share of what the master leaves his children.
3 A hot furnace tests silver and gold, but the LORD tests hearts.
4 Evil people listen to evil words. Liars pay attention to cruel words.
5 Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker; whoever enjoys someone's trouble will be punished.
6 Old people are proud of their grandchildren, and children are proud of their parents.
7 Fools should not be proud, and rulers should not be liars.
8 Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask. They think it will work every time.
9 Whoever forgives someone's sin makes a friend, but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.
10 A wise person will learn more from a warning than a fool will learn from a hundred lashings.
11 Disobedient people look only for trouble, so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to meet a fool doing foolish things.
13 Whoever gives evil in return for good will always have trouble at home.
14 Starting a quarrel is like a leak in a dam, so stop it before a fight breaks out.
15 The LORD hates both of these things: freeing the guilty and punishing the innocent.
16 It won't do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom, because he doesn't have the ability to be wise.
17 A friend loves you all the time, and a brother helps in time of trouble.
18 It is not wise to promise to pay what your neighbor owes.
19 Whoever loves to argue loves to sin. Whoever brags a lot is asking for trouble.
20 A person with an evil heart will find no success, and the person whose words are evil will get into trouble.
21 It is sad to have a foolish child; there is no joy in being the parent of a fool.
22 A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength.
23 When the wicked accept money to do wrong there can be no justice.
24 The person with understanding is always looking for wisdom, but the mind of a fool wanders everywhere.
25 A foolish son makes his father sad and causes his mother great sorrow.
26 It is not good to punish the innocent or to beat leaders for being honest.
27 The smart person says very little, and one with understanding stays calm.
28 Even fools seem to be wise if they keep quiet; if they don't speak, they appear to understand.
1 A dry crust eaten in peace is better than steak every day along with argument and strife.
2 A wise slave will rule his master's wicked sons and share their estate.
3 Silver and gold are purified by fire, but God purifies hearts.
4 The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are wicked; liars enjoy liars.
5 Mocking the poor is mocking the God who made them. He will punish those who rejoice at others' misfortunes.
6 An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory. A child's glory is his father.
7 Truth from a rebel or lies from a king are both unexpected.
8 A bribe works like magic. Whoever uses it will prosper!
9 Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends.
10 A rebuke to a man of common sense is more effective than a hundred lashes on the back of a rebel.
11 The wicked live for rebellion; they shall be severely punished.
12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool caught in his folly.
13 If you repay evil for good, a curse is upon your home.
14 It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don't let it begin.
15 The Lord despises those who say that bad is good and good is bad.
16 It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has no heart for truth.
17 A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18 It is poor judgment to countersign another's note, to become responsible for his debts.
19 Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for trouble.
20 An evil man is suspicious of everyone and tumbles into constant trouble.
21 It's no fun to be a rebel's father.
22 A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick.
23 It is wrong to accept a bribe to twist justice.
24 Wisdom is the main pursuit of sensible men, but a fool's goals are at the ends of the earth!
25 A rebellious son is a grief to his father and a bitter blow to his mother.
26 How shortsighted to fine the godly for being good! And to punish nobles for being honest!
27-28 The man of few words and settled mind is wise; therefore, even a fool is thought to be wise when he is silent. It pays him to keep his mouth shut.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,242
4,4,7,312
5,5,9,388
6,6,11,493
7,7,13,585
8,8,15,650
9,9,17,755
10,10,19,859
11,11,21,959
12,12,23,1056
13,13,25,1152
14,14,27,1231
15,15,29,1320
16,16,31,1411
17,17,33,1516
18,18,35,1596
19,19,37,1661
20,20,39,1748
21,21,41,1864
22,22,43,1953
23,23,45,2039
24,24,47,2112
25,25,49,2222
26,26,51,2300
27,27,53,2382
28,28,55,2463
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,96
3,3,5,173
4,4,7,241
5,5,9,321
6,6,11,434
7,7,13,521
8,8,15,586
9,9,17,647
10,10,19,721
11,11,21,825
12,12,23,895
13,13,25,980
14,14,27,1041
15,15,29,1115
16,16,31,1187
17,17,33,1271
18,18,35,1355
19,19,37,1449
20,20,39,1511
21,21,41,1590
22,22,43,1632
23,23,45,1716
24,24,47,1770
25,25,49,1869
26,26,51,1950
27,28,53,2046
MOCKING PROVE 17:5
Few acts are as cruel as mocking those who are less fortunate, but many people do it because it makes them feel good to be better off or more successful than someone else. Mocking the poor is mocking the God who made them. We also mock God when we mock the weak, or those who are different, or anyone who is an easy target. When you catch yourself putting down others just for fun, stop. If you don't, you will drag yourself down and anger God.
I Wonder: God's will ,!page "^W0019" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PROVE018
1 Unfriendly people are selfish and hate all good sense.
2 Fools do not want to understand anything. They only want to tell others what they think.
3 Do something evil, and people won't like you. Do something shameful, and they will make fun of you.
4 Spoken words can be like deep water, but wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to honor the wicked or to be unfair to the innocent.
6 The words of fools start quarrels. They make people want to beat them.
7 The words of fools will ruin them; their own words will trap them.
8 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food. People like to gobble them up.
9 A person who doesn't work hard is just like someone who destroys things.
10 The LORD is like a strong tower; those who do right can run to him for safety.
11 Rich people trust their wealth to protect them. They think is like the high walls of a city.
12 Proud people will be ruined, but the humble will be honored.
13 Anyone who answers without listening is foolish and confused.
14 The will to live can get you through sickness, but no one can live with a broken spirit.
15 The mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge; the wise person listens to learn more.
16 Taking a gift to an important man will help get you in to see him.
17 The person who tells one side of a story seems right, until someone else comes and asks questions.
18 Throwing lots can settle arguments and keep the two sides from fighting.
19 A brother who has been insulted is harder to win back than a walled city, and arguments separate people like the barred gates of a palace.
20 People will be rewarded for what they say; they will be rewarded by how they speak.
21 What you say can mean life or death. Those who speak with care will be rewarded.
22 When a man finds a wife, he finds something good. It shows that the LORD is pleased with him.
23 The poor beg for mercy, but the rich give rude answers.
24 Some friends may ruin you, but a real friend will be more loyal than a brother.
1 The selfish man quarrels against every sound principle of conduct by demanding his own way.
2 A rebel doesn't care about the facts. All he wants to do is yell.
3 Sin brings disgrace.
4 A wise man's words express deep streams of thought.
5 It is wrong for a judge to favor the wicked and condemn the innocent.
6-7 A fool gets into constant fights. His mouth is his undoing! His words endanger him.
8 What dainty morsels rumors are. They are eaten with great relish!
9 A lazy man is brother to the saboteur.
10 The Lord
is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.
11 The rich man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!
12 Pride ends in destruction; humility ends in honor.
13 What a shame - yes, how stupid! - to decide before knowing the facts!
14 A man's courage can sustain his broken body, but when courage dies, what hope is left?
15 The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them.
16 A gift does wonders; it will bring you before men of importance!
17 Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.
18 A coin toss ends arguments and settles disputes between powerful opponents.
19 It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you out like iron bars.
20 Ability to give wise advice satisfies like a good meal!
21 Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Men have died for saying the wrong thing!
22 The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is a blessing to him from the Lord.
23 The poor man pleads, and the rich man answers with insults.
24 There are "friends" who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,157
4,4,7,263
5,5,9,343
6,6,11,417
7,7,13,494
8,8,15,567
9,9,17,655
10,10,19,734
11,11,21,820
12,12,23,920
13,13,25,988
14,14,27,1057
15,15,29,1153
16,16,31,1255
17,17,33,1329
18,18,35,1435
19,19,37,1515
20,20,39,1661
21,21,41,1752
22,22,43,1840
23,23,45,1941
24,24,47,2004
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,169
4,4,7,195
5,5,9,252
6,7,11,327
8,8,13,418
9,9,15,489
10,10,17,533
11,11,20,606
12,12,22,712
13,13,24,769
14,14,26,845
15,15,28,938
16,16,30,1021
17,17,32,1092
18,18,34,1185
19,19,36,1267
20,20,38,1410
21,21,40,1472
22,22,42,1573
23,23,44,1664
24,24,46,1730
TRUE FRIEND PROVE 18:24
Many people today feel cut off and alienated from others. Being in a crowd just makes people more aware of their isolation. Lonely people don't need to hear Have a nice day. They need friends who will stick close, listen, care, and offer help when it is needed-in good and bad times. It is better to have one such friend than dozens of superficial acquaintances. Instead of wishing you could find a true friend, seek to become one yourself. There are people who need your friendship. Ask God to reveal them to you, and then take on the challenge of being a true friend.
PROVE019
LOOKS
1 It is better to be poor and honest than to be foolish and tell lies.
2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good. If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake.
3 People's own foolishness ruins their lives, but in their minds they blame the LORD.
4 Wealthy people are always finding more friends, but the poor lose all theirs.
5 A witness who lies will not go free; liars will never escape.
6 Many people want to please a leader, and everyone is friends with those who give gifts.
7 Poor people's relatives avoid them; even their friends stay far away. They run after them, begging, but they are gone.
8 Those who get wisdom do themselves a favor, and those who love learning will succeed.
9 A witness who lies will not go free, liars will die.
10 A fool should not live in luxury. A slave should not rule over princes.
11 Smart people are patient; they will be honored if they ignore insults.
12 An angry king is like a roaring lion, but his kindness is like the dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son will ruin his father, and a quarreling wife is like dripping water.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a wise wife is a gift from the LORD.
15 Lazy people sleep a lot, and idle people will go hungry.
16 Those who obey the commands protect themselves, but those who are careless will die.
17 Being kind to the poor is like lending to the LORD; he will reward you for what you have done.
18 Correct your children while there is still hope; do not let them destroy themselves.
19 People with quick tempers will have to pay for it. If you help them out once, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept correction, and in the end you will be wise.
21 People can make all kinds of plans, but only the LORD' s plan will happen.
22 People want others to be loyal, so it is better to be poor than to be a liar.
23 Those who respect the LORD will live and be satisfied, unbothered by trouble.
24 Though the lazy person puts his hand in the dish, he won't lift the food to his mouth.
25 Whip those who make fun of wisdom, and perhaps foolish people will gain some wisdom. Correct those with understanding, and they will gain knowledge.
26 A son who robs his father and sends away his mother brings shame and disgrace on himself.
27 Don't stop listening to correction, my child, or you will forget what you have already learned.
28 An evil witness makes fun of fairness, and wicked people love what is evil.
29 People who make fun of wisdom will be punished, and the backs of foolish people will be beaten.
1 Better be poor and honest than rich and dishonest.
2 It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown.
3 A man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord!
4 A wealthy man has many "friends"; the poor man has none left.
5 Punish false witnesses. Track down liars.
6 Many beg favors from a man who is generous; everyone is his friend!
7 A poor man's own brothers turn away from him in embarrassment; how much more his friends! He calls after them, but they are gone.
8 He who loves wisdom loves his own best interest and will be a success.
9 A false witness shall be punished, and a liar shall be caught.
10 It doesn't seem right for a fool to succeed or for a slave to rule over princes!
11 A wise man restrains his anger and overlooks insults. This is to his credit.
12 The king's anger is as dangerous as a lion's. But his approval is as refreshing as the dew on grass.
13 A rebellious son is a calamity to his father, and a nagging wife annoys like constant dripping.
14 A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives.
15 A lazy man sleeps soundly - and he goes hungry!
16 Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them means death.
17 When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord - and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!
18 Discipline your son in his early years while there is hope. If you don't you will ruin his life.
19 A short-tempered man must bear his own penalty; you can't do much to help him. If you try once you must try a dozen times!
20 Get all the advice you can and be wise the rest of your life.
21 Man proposes, but God disposes.
22 Kindness makes a man attractive. And it is better to be poor than dishonest.
23 Reverence for God gives life, happiness, and protection from harm.
24 Some men are so lazy they won't even feed themselves!
25 Punish a mocker and others will learn from his example. Reprove a wise man, and he will be the wiser.
26 A son who mistreats his father or mother is a public disgrace.
27 Stop listening to teaching that contradicts what you know is right.
28 A worthless witness cares nothing for truth - he enjoys his sinning too much.
29 Mockers and rebels shall be severely punished.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,174
4,4,7,264
5,5,9,348
6,6,11,416
7,7,13,510
8,8,15,635
9,9,17,727
10,10,19,786
11,11,21,865
12,12,23,943
13,13,25,1035
14,14,27,1124
15,15,29,1218
16,16,31,1282
17,17,33,1374
18,18,35,1476
19,19,37,1568
20,20,39,1683
21,21,41,1763
22,22,43,1845
23,23,45,1930
24,24,47,2015
25,25,49,2109
26,26,51,2265
27,27,53,2362
28,28,55,2465
29,29,57,2548
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,57
3,3,5,115
4,4,7,201
5,5,9,268
6,6,11,315
7,7,13,388
8,8,15,523
9,9,17,599
10,10,19,667
11,11,21,754
12,12,23,837
13,13,25,944
14,14,27,1046
15,15,29,1150
16,16,31,1204
17,17,33,1280
18,18,35,1384
19,19,37,1487
20,20,39,1616
21,21,41,1684
22,22,43,1722
23,23,45,1805
24,24,47,1878
25,25,49,1938
26,26,51,2046
27,27,53,2115
28,28,55,2189
29,29,57,2273
LOOKS PROVE 19:22
You can't do much about the body with which you were born. However, you can do a lot about what is on the inside. Inwardly, you can be as attractive as you want to be. You can have kindness, for example, in any amount you choose. You can control your most important asset: the attractiveness of your character.
PROVE020
1 Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled; it is not wise to get drunk on them.
2 An angry king is like a roaring lion. Making him angry may cost you your life.
3 Foolish people are always fighting, but avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.
4 Lazy farmers don't plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none.
5 People's thoughts can be like a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.
6 Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person.
7 The good people who live honest lives will be a blessing to their children.
8 When a king sits on his throne to judge, he knows evil when he sees it.
9 No one can say, "I am innocent; I have never done anything wrong."
10 The LORD hates both these things: dishonest weights and dishonest measures.
11 Even children are known by their behavior; their actions show if they are innocent and good.
12 The LORD has made both these things: ears to hear and eyes to see.
13 If you love to sleep, you will be poor. If you stay awake, you will have plenty of food.
14 Buyers say, "This is bad. It's no good." Then they go away and brag about what they bought.
15 There is gold and plenty of rubies, but only a few people speak with knowledge.
16 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger's debts, and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.
17 Stolen food may taste sweet at first, but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel.
18 Get advice if you want your plans to work. If you go to war, get the advice of others.
19 Gossips can't keep secrets, so avoid people who talk too much.
20 Those who curse their father or mother will be like a light going out in darkness.
21 Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning will do you no good in the end.
22 Don't say, "I'll pay you back for the wrong you did." Wait for the LORD, and he will make things right.
23 The LORD hates dishonest weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.
24 The LORD decides what a person will do; no one understands what his life is all about.
25 It's dangerous to promise something to God too quickly. After you've thought about it, it may be too late.
26 A wise king sorts out the evil people, and he punishes them as they deserve.
27 The LORD looks deep inside people and searches through their thoughts.
28 Loyalty and truth keep a king in power; he continues to rule if he is loyal.
29 Young men glory in their strength, and old men are honored for their gray hair.
30 Hard punishment will get rid of evil, and whippings can change an evil heart.
1 Wine gives false courage; hard liquor leads to brawls; what fools men are to let it master them, making them reel drunkenly down the street!
2 The king's fury is like that of a roaring lion; to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
3 It is an honor for a man to stay out of a fight. Only fools insist on quarreling.
4 If you won't plow in the cold, you won't eat at the harvest.
5 Though good advice lies deep within a counselor's heart, the wise man will draw it out.
6 Most people will tell you what loyal friends they are, but are they telling the truth?
7 It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father.
8 A king sitting as judge weighs all the evidence carefully, distinguishing the true from false.
9 Who can ever say, "I have cleansed my heart; I am sinless"?
10 The Lord despises every kind of cheating.
11 The character of even a child can be known by the way he acts - whether what he does is pure and right.
12 If you have good eyesight and good hearing, thank God who gave them to you.
13 If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Stay awake, work hard, and there will be plenty to eat!
14 "Utterly worthless!" says the buyer as he haggles over the price. But afterwards he brags about his bargain!
15 Good sense is far more valuable than gold or precious jewels.
16 It is risky to make loans to strangers!
17 Some men enjoy cheating, but the cake they buy with such ill-gotten gain will turn to gravel in their mouths.
18 Don't go ahead with your plans without the advice of others; don't go to war until they agree.
19 Don't tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want them broadcast to the world.
20 God puts out the light of the man who curses his father or mother.
21 Quick wealth is not a blessing in the end.
22 Don't repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
23 The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.
24 Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way?
25 It is foolish and rash to make a promise to the Lord before counting the cost.
26 A wise king stamps out crime by severe punishment.
27 A man's conscience is the Lord's searchlight exposing his hidden motives.
28 If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom stands secure.
29 The glory of young men is their strength; of old men, their experience.
30 Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,93
3,3,5,178
4,4,7,264
5,5,9,354
6,6,11,461
7,7,13,543
8,8,15,625
9,9,17,703
10,10,19,776
11,11,21,859
12,12,23,959
13,13,25,1033
14,14,27,1129
15,15,29,1228
16,16,31,1315
17,17,33,1437
18,18,35,1534
19,19,37,1628
20,20,39,1698
21,21,41,1788
22,22,43,1869
23,23,45,1980
24,24,47,2061
25,25,49,2155
26,26,51,2269
27,27,53,2353
28,28,55,2431
29,29,57,2515
30,30,59,2602
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,147
3,3,5,241
4,4,7,328
5,5,9,394
6,6,11,487
7,7,13,579
8,8,15,637
9,9,17,737
10,10,19,802
11,11,21,850
12,12,23,960
13,13,25,1042
14,14,27,1148
15,15,29,1263
16,16,31,1331
17,17,33,1377
18,18,35,1493
19,19,37,1594
20,20,39,1681
21,21,41,1754
22,22,43,1803
23,23,45,1876
24,24,47,1928
25,25,49,2034
26,26,51,2119
27,27,53,2176
28,28,55,2256
29,29,57,2326
30,30,59,2404
PROVE021
MOTIVES
1 The LORD can control a king's mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases.
2 You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD judges your reasons.
3 Doing what is right and fair is more important to the LORD than sacrifices.
4 Proud looks, proud thoughts, and evil actions are sin.
5 The plans of hard-working people earn a profit, but those who act too quickly become poor.
6 Wealth that comes from telling lies vanishes like a mist and leads to death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, because they refuse to do what is right.
8 Guilty people live dishonest lives, but honest people do right.
9 It is better to live in a corner on the roof than inside the house with a quarreling wife.
10 Evil people only want to harm others. Their neighbors get no mercy from them.
11 If you punish those who make fun of wisdom, a foolish person may gain some wisdom. But if you teach the wise, they will get knowledge.
12 God, who is always right, watches the house of the wicked and brings ruin on every evil person.
13 Whoever ignores the poor when they cry for help will also cry for help and not be answered.
14 A secret gift will calm an angry person; a present given in secrecy will quiet great anger.
15 When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are ruined.
16 Whoever does not use good sense will end up among the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and perfume will never be rich.
18 Wicked people will suffer instead of good people, and those who cannot be trusted will suffer instead of those who do right.
19 It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quarreling and complaining wife.
20 Wise people's houses are full of the best foods and olive oil, but fools waste everything they have.
21 Whoever tries to live right and be loyal finds life, success, and honor.
22 A wise person can defeat a city full of warriors and tear down the defenses they trust in.
23 Those who are careful about what they say keep themselves out of trouble.
24 People who act with stubborn pride are called "proud," "bragger," and "mocker."
25 Lazy people's desire for sleep will kill them, because they refuse to work.
26 All day long they wish for more, but good people give without holding back.
27 The LORD hates sacrifices brought by evil people, particularly when they offer them for the wrong reasons.
28 A lying witness will be forgotten, but a truthful witness will speak on.
29 Wicked people are stubborn, but good people think carefully about what they do.
30 There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the LORD.
31 You can get the horses ready for battle, but it is the LORD who gives the victory.
q q 1 Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king's thoughts. He turns them wherever he wants to.
2 We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our motives.
3 God is more pleased when we are just and fair than when we give him gifts.
6 Dishonest gain will never last, so why take the risk?
7 Because the wicked are unfair, their violence boomerangs and destroys them.
8 A man is known by his actions. An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life.
9 It is better to live in the corner of an attic than with a crabby woman in a lovely home.
10 An evil man loves to harm others; being a good neighbor is out of his line.
11 The wise man learns by listening; the simpleton can learn only by seeing scorners punished.
12 God, the Righteous One, knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked and will bring the wicked to judgment.
13 He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.
14 An angry man is silenced by giving him a gift!
15 A good man loves justice, but it is a calamity to evildoers.
16 The man who strays away from common sense will end up dead!
17 A man who loves pleasure becomes poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches!
18 The wicked will finally lose; the righteous will finally win.
19 Better to live in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining woman.
20 The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.
21 The man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22 The wise man conquers the strong man and levels his defenses.
23 Keep your mouth closed and you'll stay out of trouble.
24 Mockers are proud, haughty, and arrogant.
25-26 The lazy man longs for many things, but his hands refuse to work. He is greedy to get, while the godly love to give!
27 God loathes the gifts of evil men, especially if they are trying to bribe him!
28 No one believes a liar, but everyone respects the words of an honest man.
29 An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will reconsider.
30 No one, regardless of how shrewd or well-advised he is, can stand against the Lord.
31 Go ahead and prepare for the conflict, but victory comes from God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,98
3,3,5,175
4,4,7,257
5,5,9,318
6,6,11,415
7,7,13,498
8,8,15,591
9,9,17,661
10,10,19,758
11,11,21,843
12,12,23,985
13,13,25,1088
14,14,27,1187
15,15,29,1286
16,16,31,1366
17,17,33,1433
18,18,35,1532
19,19,37,1664
20,20,39,1757
21,21,41,1865
22,22,43,1945
23,23,45,2043
24,24,47,2124
25,25,49,2211
26,26,51,2294
27,27,53,2377
28,28,55,2491
29,29,57,2571
30,30,59,2658
31,31,61,2745
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,132
3,3,5,198
4,4,7,278
5,5,9,326
6,6,11,400
7,7,13,459
8,8,15,540
9,9,17,639
10,10,19,734
11,11,21,816
12,12,23,914
13,13,25,1033
14,14,27,1127
15,15,29,1180
16,16,31,1247
17,17,33,1313
18,18,35,1401
19,19,37,1469
20,20,39,1548
21,21,41,1634
22,22,43,1725
23,23,45,1793
24,24,47,1854
25,26,49,1902
27,27,51,2028
28,28,53,2113
29,29,55,2193
30,30,57,2257
31,31,59,2347
MOTIVES PROVE 21:2
People can find an excuse for doing almost anything, but God looks behind the excuse to the motives. We often have to make difficult choices in areas of life where the right action is hard to discern. We can help ourselves make such decisions by trying to identify our motives first, and then asking, Would God be pleased with my real reasons for doing this? God is not pleased when we do good deeds only to receive something back.
PROVE022
1 Being respected is more important than having great riches. To be well thought of is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor are alike in that the LORD made them all.
3 The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.
4 Respecting the LORD and not being proud will bring you wealth, honor, and life.
5 Evil people's lives are like paths covered with thorns and traps. People who guard themselves don't have such problems.
6 Train children how to live right, and when they are old, they will not change.
7 The rich rule over the poor, and borrowers are servants to lenders.
8 Those who plan evil will receive trouble. Their cruel anger will come to an end.
9 Generous people will be blessed, because they share their food with the poor.
10 Get rid of the one who makes fun of wisdom. Then fighting, quarrels, and insults will stop.
11 Whoever loves pure thoughts and kind words will have even the king as a friend.
12 The LORD guards knowledge, but he destroys false words.
13 The lazy person says, "There's a lion outside! I might get killed out in the street!"
14 The words of an unfaithful wife are like a deep trap. Those who make the LORD angry will get caught by them.
15 Every child is full of foolishness, but punishment can get rid of it.
16 Whoever gets rich by mistreating the poor, and gives presents to the wealthy, will become poor.
17 Listen carefully to what wise people say; pay attention to what I am teaching you.
18 It will be good to keep these things in mind so that you are ready to repeat them.
19 I am teaching them to you now so that you will put your trust in the LORD.
20 I have written thirty sayings for you, which give knowledge and good advice.
21 I am teaching you true and reliable words so that you can give true answers to anyone who asks.
22 Do not abuse poor people because they are poor, and do not take away the rights of the needy in court.
23 The LORD will defend them in court and will take the life of those who take away their rights.
24 Don't make friends with quick-tempered people or spend time with those who have bad tempers.
25 If you do, you will be like them. Then you will be in real danger.
26 Don't promise to pay what someone else owes, and don't guarantee anyone's loan.
27 If you cannot pay the loan, your own bed may be taken right out from under you.
28 Don't move an old stone that marks a border, because those stones were set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see people skilled in their work? They will work for kings, not for ordinary people.
1 If you must choose, take a good name rather than great riches; for to be held in loving esteem is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor are alike before the Lord who made them all.
3 A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
4 True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to riches, honor, and long life.
5 The rebel walks a thorny, treacherous road; the man who values his soul will stay away.
6 Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.
7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 The unjust tyrant will reap disaster, and his reign of terror shall end.
9 Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.
10 Throw out the mocker, and you will be rid of tension, fighting, and quarrels.
11 He who values grace and truth is the king's friend.
12 The Lord preserves the upright but ruins the plans of the wicked.
13 The lazy man is full of excuses. "I can't go to work!" he says. "If I go outside, I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!"
14 A prostitute is a dangerous trap; those cursed of God are caught in it.
15 A youngster's heart is filled with rebellion, but punishment will drive it out of him.
16 He who gains by oppressing the poor or by bribing the rich shall end in poverty.
17-19 Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord.
20-21 In the past, haven't I been right? Then believe what I am telling you now and share it with others.
22-23 Don't rob the poor and sick! For the Lord is their defender. If you injure them, he will punish you.
24-25 Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
26-27 Unless you have the extra cash on hand, don't countersign a note. Why risk everything you own? They'll even take your bed!
28 Do not move the ancient boundary marks. That is stealing.
29 Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,120
3,3,5,190
4,4,7,279
5,5,9,365
6,6,11,491
7,7,13,576
8,8,15,650
9,9,17,737
10,10,19,821
11,11,21,920
12,12,23,1007
13,13,25,1070
14,14,27,1163
15,15,29,1279
16,16,31,1356
17,17,33,1459
18,18,35,1549
19,19,37,1639
20,20,39,1721
21,21,41,1805
22,22,43,1908
23,23,45,2018
24,24,47,2120
25,25,49,2220
26,26,51,2294
27,27,53,2381
28,28,55,2468
29,29,57,2572
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,133
3,3,5,205
4,4,7,339
5,5,9,427
6,6,11,520
7,7,13,611
8,8,15,690
9,9,17,768
10,10,19,828
11,11,21,912
12,12,23,970
13,13,25,1042
14,14,27,1180
15,15,29,1258
16,16,31,1351
17,19,33,1438
20,21,35,1573
22,23,37,1682
24,25,39,1792
26,27,41,1898
28,28,43,2030
29,29,45,2094
COMPANIONS PROVE 22:24-25
People tend to become like those around them. Even the negative characteristics sometimes rub off. The Bible exhorts us to be cautious in our choice of companions. Choose companions who have the characteristics you would like to develop in your own life.
PROVE023
1 If you sit down to eat with a ruler, notice the food that is in front of you.
2 Control yourself if you have a big appetite.
3 Don't be greedy for his fine foods, because that food might be a trick.
4 Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; be wise enough to control yourself.
5 Wealth can vanish in the wink of an eye. It can seem to grow wings and fly away like an eagle.
6 Don't eat the food of selfish people; don't be greedy for their fine foods.
7 Selfish people are always worrying about how much the food costs. They tell you, "Eat and drink," but they don't really mean it.
8 You will throw up the little you have eaten, and you will have wasted your kind words.
9 Don't speak to fools; they will only ignore your wise words.
10 Don't move an old stone that marks a border, and don't take fields that belong to orphans.
11 God, their defender, is strong; he will take their side against you.
12 Remember what you are taught, and listen carefully to words of knowledge.
13 Don't fail to punish children. If you spank them, they won't die.
14 If you spank them, you will save them from death.
15 My child, if you are wise, then I will be happy.
16 I will be so pleased if you speak what is right.
17 Don't envy sinners, but always respect the LORD.
18 Then you will have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true.
19 Listen, my child, and be wise. Keep your mind on what is right.
20 Don't drink too much wine or eat too much food.
21 Those who drink and eat too much become poor. They sleep too much and end up wearing rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not forget your mother when she is old.
23 Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding.
24 The father of a good child is very happy; parents who have wise children are glad because of them.
25 Make your father and mother happy; give your mother a reason to be glad.
26 My son, pay attention to me, and watch closely what I do.
27 A prostitute is as dangerous as a deep pit, and an unfaithful wife is like a narrow well.
28 They ambush you like robbers and cause many men to be unfaithful to their wives.
29 Who has trouble? Who has pain? Who fights? Who complains? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 It is people who drink too much wine, who try out all different kinds of strong drinks.
31 Don't stare at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.
32 Later it bites like a snake with poison in its fangs.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will be confused.
34 You will feel dizzy as if you're in a storm on the ocean, as if you're on top of a ship's sails.
35 You will think, "They hit me, but I'm not hurt. They beat me up, but I don't remember it. I wish I could wake up. Then I would get another drink."
1 When dining with a rich man, be on your guard and don't stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.
4-5 Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!
6-8 Don't associate with evil men; don't long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach, and you will vomit it and have to take back your words of appreciation for their "kindness."
9 Don't waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.
10-11 Don't steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; he himself will accuse you.
12 Don't refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.
13-14 Don't fail to correct your children; discipline won't hurt them! They won't die if you use a stick on them! Punishment will keep them out of hell.
15-16 My son, how I will rejoice if you become a man of common sense. Yes, my heart will thrill to your thoughtful, wise words.
17-18 Don't envy evil men but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you. There is hope for you yet!
19-21 O my son, be wise and stay in God's paths; don't carouse with drunkards and gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty. And remember that too much sleep clothes a man with rags. 22 Listen to your father's advice and don't despise an old mother's experience. 23 Get the facts at any price, and hold on tightly to all the good sense you can get. 24-25 The father of a godly man has cause for joy - what pleasure a wise son is! So give your parents joy!
26-28 O my son, trust my advice - stay away from prostitutes. For a prostitute is a deep and narrow grave. Like a robber, she waits for her victims as one after another become unfaithful to their wives.
29-30 Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and 20quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the 20one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. 31 Don't let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. 32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. 33 You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would 20embarrass you no end when sober. 34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. 35 And afterwards you will say, "I didn't even know it when they beat me up. 20. 20. 20. Let's go and have another drink!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,85
3,3,5,136
4,4,7,214
5,5,9,300
6,6,11,401
7,7,13,483
8,8,15,618
9,9,17,711
10,10,19,778
11,11,21,876
12,12,23,952
13,13,25,1033
14,14,27,1106
15,15,29,1163
16,16,31,1219
17,17,33,1275
18,18,35,1331
19,19,37,1410
20,20,39,1481
21,21,41,1536
22,22,43,1634
23,23,45,1730
24,24,47,1819
25,25,49,1925
26,26,51,2005
27,27,53,2070
28,28,55,2167
29,29,57,2255
30,30,59,2373
31,31,61,2468
32,32,63,2572
33,33,65,2633
34,34,67,2707
35,35,69,2811
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,187
6,8,5,321
9,9,7,616
10,11,9,692
12,12,11,843
13,14,13,909
15,16,15,1065
17,18,17,1196
19,25,19,1354
26,28,21,1818
29,35,23,2024
ALCOHOL PROVE 23:29-30
The soothing comfort of alcohol is only temporary. Real relief comes from dealing with the cause of anguish and sorrow, and turning to God for peace. Don't lose yourself in alcohol; find yourself in God.
Moral Dilemmas: Drinking ,!page "^M0019" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PROVE024
1 Don't envy evil people or try to be friends with them.
2 Their minds are always planning violence, and they always talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong.
4 It takes knowledge to fill a home with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 Wise people have great power, and those with knowledge have great strength.
6 So you need advice when you go to war. If you have lots of good advice, you will win.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wisdom. They have nothing to say in a discussion.
8 Whoever makes evil plans will be known as a troublemaker.
9 Making foolish plans is sinful, and making fun of wisdom is hateful.
10 If you give up when trouble comes, it shows that you are weak.
11 Save those who are being led to their death; rescue those who are about to be killed.
12 If you say, "We don't know anything about this," God, who knows what's in your mind, will notice. He is watching you, and he will know. He will reward each person for what he has done.
13 My child, eat honey because it is good. Honey from the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to you. If you find it, you have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true.
15 Don't be wicked and attack a good family's house; don't rob the place where they live.
16 Even though good people may be bothered by trouble seven times, they are never defeated, but the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble.
17 Don't be happy when your enemy is defeated; don't be glad when he is overwhelmed.
18 The LORD will notice and be displeased. He may not be angry with them anymore.
19 Don't envy evil people, and don't be jealous of the wicked.
20 An evil person has nothing to hope for; the wicked will die like a flame that is put out.
21 My child, respect the LORD and the king. Don't join those people who refuse to obey them.
22 The LORD and the king will quickly destroy such people. Those two can cause great disaster!
23 These are also sayings of the wise: It is not good to take sides when you are the judge.
24 Don't tell the wicked that they are innocent; people will curse you, and nations will hate you.
25 But things will go well if you punish the guilty, and you will receive rich blessings.
26 An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips.
27 First, finish your outside work and prepare your fields. After that, you can build your house.
28 Don't testify against your neighbor for no good reason. Don't say things that are false.
29 Don't say, "I'll get even; I'll do to him what he did to me."
30 I passed by a lazy person's field and by the vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds, and the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I thought about what I had seen; I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest.
34 Soon you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.
1 Don't envy godless men; don't even enjoy their company. 2 For they spend their days plotting violence and cheating.
3-4 Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man. Wisdom is mightier than strength.
6 Don't go to war without wise guidance; there is safety in many counselors.
7 Wisdom is too much for a rebel. He'll not be chosen as a counselor!
8 To plan evil is as wrong as doing it.
9 The rebel's schemes are sinful, and the mocker is the scourge of all mankind.
10 You are a poor specimen if you can't stand the pressure of adversity.
11-12 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds.
13-14 My son, honey whets the appetite and so does wisdom! When you enjoy becoming wise, there is hope for you! A bright future lies ahead!
15-16 O evil man, leave the upright man alone and quit trying to cheat him out of his rights. Don't you know that this good man, though you trip him up seven times, will each time rise again? But one calamity is enough to lay you low.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy meets trouble. Let there be no gladness when he falls - 18 for the Lord may be displeased with you and stop punishing him!
19-20 Don't envy the wicked. Don't covet his riches. For the evil man has no future; his light will be snuffed out.
21-22 My son, watch your step before the Lord and the king, and don't associate with radicals. For you will go down with them to sudden disaster, and who knows where it all will end?
23 It is wrong to sentence the poor and let the rich go free. 24 He who says to the wicked, "You are innocent," shall be cursed by many people of many nations; 25 but blessings shall be showered on those who rebuke sin fearlessly.
26 It is an honor to receive a frank reply.
27 Develop your business first before building your house.
28-29 Don't testify spitefully against an innocent neighbor. Why lie about him? Don't say, "Now I can pay him back for all his meanness to me!"
30-31 I walked by the field of a certain lazy fellow and saw that it was overgrown with thorns; it was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. 32-33 Then, as I looked, I learned this lesson:
"A little extra sleep,
A little more slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest"
34 means that poverty will break in upon you suddenly like a robber and violently like a bandit.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,62
3,3,5,153
4,4,7,244
5,5,9,319
6,6,11,401
7,7,13,493
8,8,15,582
9,9,17,646
10,10,19,721
11,11,21,791
12,12,23,884
13,13,25,1076
14,14,27,1162
15,15,29,1291
16,16,31,1385
17,17,33,1524
18,18,35,1613
19,19,37,1699
20,20,39,1766
21,21,41,1863
22,22,43,1960
23,23,45,2059
24,24,47,2155
25,25,49,2258
26,26,51,2352
27,27,53,2414
28,28,55,2516
29,29,57,2612
30,30,59,2681
31,31,61,2768
32,32,63,2879
33,33,65,2958
34,34,67,3043
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,122
5,5,5,265
6,6,7,346
7,7,9,426
8,8,11,499
9,9,13,542
10,10,15,625
11,12,17,701
13,14,19,987
15,16,21,1130
17,18,23,1368
19,20,25,1528
21,22,27,1647
23,25,29,1833
26,26,31,2067
27,27,33,2114
28,29,35,2176
30,33,37,2323
34,34,41,2618
PROVE025
LYING
1 These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 God is honored for what he keeps secret. Kings are honored for what they can discover.
3 No one can measure the height of the skies or the depth of the earth. So also no one can understand the mind of a king.
4 Remove the scum from the silver, so the silver can be used by the silversmith.
5 Remove wicked people from the king's presence; then his government will be honest and last a long time.
6 Don't brag to the king and act as if you are great.
7 It is better for him to give you a higher position than to bring you down in front of the prince. Because of something you have seen,
8 do not quickly take someone to court. What will you do later when your neighbor proves you wrong?
9 If you have an argument with your neighbor, don't tell other people what was said.
10 Whoever hears it might shame you, and you might not ever be respected again.
11 The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.
12 A wise warning to someone who will listen is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.
13 Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them, like the coolness of snow in the summertime.
14 People who brag about gifts they never give are like clouds and wind that give no rain.
15 With patience you can convince a ruler, and a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.
16 If you find honey, don't eat too much, or it will make you throw up.
17 Don't go to your neighbor's house too often; too much of you will make him hate you.
18 When you lie about your neighbors, it hurts them as much as a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting unfaithful people when you are in trouble is like eating with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot.
20 Singing songs to someone who is sad is like taking away his coat on a cold day or pouring vinegar on soda.
21 If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
22 Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
23 As the north wind brings rain, telling gossip brings angry looks.
24 It is better to live in a corner on the roof than inside the house with a quarreling wife.
25 Good news from a faraway place is like a cool drink when you are tired.
26 A good person who gives in to evil is like a muddy spring or a dirty well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor does it bring you honor to brag about yourself.
28 Those who do not control themselves are like a city whose walls are broken down.
1 These proverbs of Solomon were discovered and copied by the aides of King Hezekiah* of Judah:
2-3 It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the king's privilege to discover and invent. You cannot understand the height of heaven, the size of the earth, or all that goes on in the king's mind!
4-5 When you remove dross from silver, you have sterling ready for the silversmith. When you remove corrupt men from the king's court, his reign will be just and fair.
6-7 Don't demand an audience with the king as though you were some powerful prince. It is better to wait for an invitation rather than to be sent back to the end of the line, publicly disgraced!
8-10 Don't be hot-headed and rush to court! You may start something you can't finish and go down before your neighbor in shameful defeat. So discuss the matter with him privately. Don't tell anyone else, lest he accuse you of slander and you can't withdraw what you said.
11 Timely advice is as lovely as gold apples in a silver basket.
12 It is a badge of honor to accept valid criticism.
13 A faithful employee is as refreshing as a cool day in the hot summertime.
14 One who doesn't give the gift he promised is like a cloud blowing over a desert without dropping any rain.
15 Be patient and you will finally win, for a soft tongue can break hard bones.
16 Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!
17 Don't visit your neighbor too often, or you will outwear your welcome!
18 Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an ax, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow.
19 Putting confidence in an unreliable man is like chewing with a sore tooth, or trying to run on a broken foot.
20 Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in his wounds.
21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food! If he is thirsty, give him something to drink! This will make him feel ashamed of himself, and God will reward you.
23 As surely as a wind from the north brings cold, just as surely a retort causes anger!
24 It is better to live in a corner of an attic than in a beautiful home with a cranky, quarrelsome woman.
25 Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.
26 If a godly man compromises with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.
27 Just as it is harmful to eat too much honey, so also it is bad for men to think about all the honors they deserve!
28 A man without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,92
3,3,5,185
4,4,7,311
5,5,9,396
6,6,11,506
7,7,13,564
8,8,15,704
9,9,17,808
10,10,19,897
11,11,21,981
12,12,23,1077
13,13,25,1180
14,14,27,1284
15,15,29,1379
16,16,31,1480
17,17,33,1556
18,18,35,1648
19,19,37,1750
20,20,39,1876
21,21,41,1990
22,22,43,2068
23,23,45,2164
24,24,47,2237
25,25,49,2335
26,26,51,2414
27,27,53,2496
28,28,55,2593
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,98
4,5,4,302
6,7,6,473
8,10,8,671
11,11,10,946
12,12,12,1014
13,13,14,1070
14,14,16,1150
15,15,18,1263
16,16,20,1346
17,17,22,1423
18,18,24,1500
19,19,26,1640
20,20,28,1756
21,22,30,1900
23,23,32,2065
24,24,34,2157
25,25,36,2267
26,26,38,2332
27,27,40,2436
28,28,42,2557
LYING PROVE 25:18
Lying is vicious. Its effects can be as permanent as those of a stab wound. The next time you are tempted to pass on a bit of gossip, imagine yourself striking the victim of your remarks with an axe. This image may shock you into silence.
PROVE026
1 It shouldn't snow in summer or rain at harvest. Neither should a foolish person ever be honored.
2 Curses will not harm someone who is innocent; they are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.
3 Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys, so paddles are good for fools.
4 Don't give fools a foolish answer, or you will be just like them.
5 But answer fools as they should be answered, or they will think they are really wise.
6 Sending a message by a foolish person is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7 A wise saying spoken by a fool is as useless as the legs of a crippled person.
8 Giving honor to a foolish person is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
9 A wise saying spoken by a fool is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.
10 Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by is like an archer shooting at just anything.
11 A fool who repeats his foolishness is like a dog that goes back to what it has thrown up.
12 There is more hope for a foolish person than for those who think they are wise.
13 The lazy person says, "There's a lion in the road! There's a lion in the streets!"
14 Like a door turning back and forth on its hinges, the lazy person turns over and over in bed.
15 Lazy people may put their hands in the dish, but they are too tired to lift the food to their mouths.
16 The lazy person thinks he is wiser than seven people who give sensible answers.
17 Interfering in someone else's quarrel as you pass by is like grabbing a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman shooting deadly, burning arrows
19 is the one who tricks a neighbor and then says, "I was just joking."
20 Without wood, a fire will go out, and without gossip, quarreling will stop.
21 Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.
22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food; people like to gobble them up.
23 Kind words from a wicked mind are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
24 Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they are planning evil.
25 People's words may be kind, but don't believe them, because their minds are full of evil thoughts.
26 Lies can hide hate, but the evil will be plain to everyone.
27 Whoever digs a pit for others will fall into it. Whoever tries to roll a boulder down on others will be crushed by it.
28 Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can ruin others.
1 Honor doesn't go with fools any more than snow with summertime or rain with harvesttime!
2 An undeserved curse has no effect. Its intended victim will be no more harmed by it than by a sparrow or swallow flitting through the sky.
3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a rebel with a rod to his back!
4-5 When arguing with a rebel, don't use foolish arguments as he does, or you will become as foolish as he is! Prick his conceit with silly replies!
6 To trust a rebel to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off your feet and drinking poison!
7 In the mouth of a fool a proverb becomes as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8 Honoring a rebel will backfire like a stone tied to a slingshot!
9 A rebel will misapply an illustration so that its point will no more be felt than a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.
10 The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel!
11 As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
12 There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a man who is conceited.
13 The lazy man won't go out and work. "There might be a lion outside!" he says. 14 He sticks to his bed like a door to its hinges! 15 He is too tired even to lift his food from his dish to his mouth! 16 Yet in his own opinion he is smarter than seven wise men.
17 Yanking a dog's ears is no more foolish than interfering in an argument that isn't any of your business.
18-19 A man who is caught lying to his neighbor and says, "I was just fooling," is like a madman throwing around firebrands, arrows, and death!
20 Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions disappear when gossip stops.
21 A quarrelsome man starts fights as easily as a match sets fire to paper.
22 Gossip is a dainty morsel eaten with great relish.
23 Pretty words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot.
24-26 A man with hate in his heart may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe him; for he is cursing you in his heart. Though he pretends to be so kind, his hatred will finally come to light for all to see.
27 The man who sets a trap for others will get caught in it himself. Roll a boulder down on someone, and it will roll back and crush you.
28 Flattery is a form of hatred and wounds cruelly.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,104
3,3,5,223
4,4,7,313
5,5,9,385
6,6,11,477
7,7,13,571
8,8,15,656
9,9,17,733
10,10,19,816
11,11,21,918
12,12,23,1015
13,13,25,1102
14,14,27,1192
15,15,29,1293
16,16,31,1402
17,17,33,1489
18,18,35,1585
19,19,37,1638
20,20,39,1714
21,21,41,1797
22,22,43,1895
23,23,45,1984
24,24,47,2061
25,25,49,2168
26,26,51,2274
27,27,53,2341
28,28,55,2467
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,239
4,5,7,331
6,6,9,483
7,7,11,585
8,8,13,662
9,9,15,732
10,10,17,854
11,11,19,947
12,12,21,1013
13,16,23,1093
17,17,25,1358
18,19,27,1469
20,20,29,1616
21,21,31,1696
22,22,33,1775
23,23,35,1832
24,26,37,1925
27,27,39,2137
28,28,41,2278
LAZINESS PROVE 26:13-16
If a person is not willing to work, he can find endless excuses to avoid it. But laziness is more dangerous than a prowling lion. The less you do, the less you want to do, and the more useless you become. To overcome laziness, take a few small steps toward change. Set a concrete, realistic goal. Figure out the steps needed to reach it. Pray for strength and persistence. And follow those steps. To keep your excuses from making you useless, stop making useless excuses.
PROVE027
1 Don't brag about tomorrow; you don't know what may happen then.
2 Don't praise yourself. Let someone else do it. Let the praise come from a stranger and not from your own mouth.
3 Stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a complaining fool is worse than either.
4 Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood, but no one can put up with jealousy!
5 It is better to correct someone openly than to have love and not show it.
6 The slap of a friend can be trusted to help you, but the kisses of an enemy are nothing but lies.
7 When you are full, not even honey tastes good, but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.
8 A person who leaves his home is like a bird that leaves its nest.
9 The sweet smell of perfume and oils is pleasant, and so is good advice from a friend.
10 Don't forget your friend or your parent's friend. Don't always go to your family for help when trouble comes. A neighbor close by is better than a family far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make me happy. Then I can respond to any insult.
12 The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.
13 Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger's loan, and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.
14 If you loudly greet your neighbor early in the morning, he will think of it as a curse.
15 A quarreling wife is as bothersome as a continual dripping on a rainy day.
16 Stopping her is like stopping the wind or trying to grab oil in your hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other.
18 Whoever tends a fig tree gets to eat its fruit' and whoever takes care of his master will receive honor.
19 As water reflects your face, so your mind shows what kind of person you are.
20 People will never stop dying and being destroyed, and they will never stop wanting more than they have.
21 A hot furnace tests silver and gold, and people are tested by the praise they receive.
22 Even if you ground up a foolish person like grain in a bowl, you couldn't remove the foolishness.
23 Be sure you know how your sheep are doing, and pay attention to the condition of your cattle.
24 Riches will not go on forever, nor do governments go on forever.
25 Bring in the hay, and let the new grass appear. Gather the grass from the hills.
26 Make clothes from the lambs' wool, and sell some goats to buy a field.
27 There will be plenty of goat's milk to feed you and your family and to make your servant girls healthy.
1 Don't brag about your plans for tomorrow - wait and see what happens.
2 Don't praise yourself; let others do it!
3 A rebel's frustrations are heavier than sand and rocks.
4 Jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger.
5 Open rebuke is better than hidden love!
6 Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!
7 Even honey seems tasteless to a man who is full; but if he is hungry, he'll eat anything!
8 A man who strays from home is like a bird that wanders from its nest.
9 Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume.
10 Never abandon a friend - either yours or your father's. Then you won't need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need.
11 My son, how happy I will be if you turn out to be sensible! It will be a public honor to me.
12 A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences.
13 The world's poorest credit risk is the man who agrees to pay a stranger's debts.
14 If you shout a pleasant greeting to a friend too early in the morning, he will count it as a curse!
15 A constant dripping on a rainy day and a cranky woman are much alike! 16 You can no more stop her complaints than you can stop the wind or hold onto anything with oil-slick hands.
17 A friendly discussion is as stimulating as the sparks that fly when iron strikes iron.
18 A workman may eat from the orchard he tends; anyone should be rewarded who protects another's interests.
19 A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.
20 Ambition and death are alike in this: neither is ever satisfied.
21 The purity of silver and gold can be tested in a crucible, but a man is tested by his reaction to men's praise.
22 You can't separate a rebel from his foolishness though you crush him to powder.
23-24 Riches can disappear fast. And the king's crown doesn't stay in his family 20forever - so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and your herds; 25-27 then there will be lambs' wool enough for clothing and goats' milk enough for food for all your household after the hay is harvested, 20and the new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,71
3,3,5,189
4,4,7,277
5,5,9,362
6,6,11,442
7,7,13,546
8,8,15,660
9,9,17,732
10,10,19,824
11,11,21,995
12,12,23,1074
13,13,25,1164
14,14,27,1285
15,15,29,1380
16,16,31,1462
17,17,33,1544
18,18,35,1608
19,19,37,1720
20,20,39,1804
21,21,41,1915
22,22,43,2009
23,23,45,2114
24,24,47,2215
25,25,49,2287
26,26,51,2375
27,27,53,2453
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,76
3,3,5,122
4,4,7,183
5,5,9,237
6,6,11,282
7,7,13,346
8,8,15,441
9,9,17,516
10,10,19,570
11,11,21,711
12,12,23,810
13,13,25,941
14,14,27,1028
15,16,29,1134
17,17,31,1320
18,18,33,1413
19,19,35,1524
20,20,37,1633
21,21,39,1704
22,22,41,1822
23,27,43,1908
NAGGING PROVE 27:15-16
Nagging, a steady stream of unwanted advice, is a form of torture. People nag because they think they're not getting through, but nagging hinders communication more than it helps. When tempted to engage in this destructive habit, stop and examine your motives. Are you more concerned about yourself- about getting your way or being right-than about the person you are pretending to help? If you truly are concerned about other people, is there a more effective way to get through to them? Surprise them with words of love and patience, and see what happens.
PROVE028
1 Evil people run even though no one is chasing them, but good people are as brave as a lion.
2 When a country is lawless, it has one ruler after another; but when it is led by a man with understanding and knowledge, it continues strong.
3 Rulers who mistreat the poor are like a hard rain that destroys the crops.
4 Those who disobey what they have been taught praise the wicked, but those who obey what they have been taught are against them.
5 Evil people do not understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand it completely.
6 It is better to be poor and innocent than to be rich and wicked.
7 Children who obey what they have been taught are smart, but friends of troublemakers disgrace their parents.
8 Some people get rich by overcharging others, but their wealth will be given to those who are kind to the poor.
9 If you refuse to obey what you have been taught, your prayers will not be heard.
10 Those who lead good people to do wrong will be ruined by their own evil, but the innocent will be rewarded with good things.
11 Rich people may think they are wise, but the poor with understanding will prove them wrong.
12 When good people triumph, there is great happiness, but when the wicked get control, everybody hides.
13 If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy.
14 Those who are always respectful will be happy, but those who are stubborn will get into trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to poor people as a roaring lion or a charging bear.
16 A ruler without wisdom will be cruel, but the one who refuses to take dishonest money will rule a long time.
17 Don't help those who are guilty of murder; let them run until they die.
18 Innocent people will be kept safe, but those who are dishonest will suddenly be ruined.
19 Those who work their land will have plenty of food, but the ones who chase empty dreams instead will end up poor.
20 A truthful person will have many blessings, but those eager to get rich will be punished.
21 It is not good for a judge to take sides, but some will sin for only a piece of bread.
22 Selfish people are in a hurry to get rich and do not realize they soon will be poor.
23 Those who correct others will later be liked more than those who give false praise.
24 Whoever robs his father or mother and says, "It's not wrong," is just like someone who destroys things.
25 A greedy person causes trouble, but the one who trusts the LORD will succeed.
26 Those who trust in themselves are foolish, but those who live wisely will be kept safe.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will have everything he needs, but the one who ignores the poor will receive many curses.
28 When the wicked get control, everybody hides, but when they die, good people do well.
1 The wicked flee when no one is chasing them! But the godly are bold as lions!
2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily; but with honest, sensible leaders there is stability.
3 When a poor man oppresses those even poorer, he is like an unexpected flood sweeping away their last hope.
4 To complain about the law is to praise wickedness. To obey the law is to fight evil.
5 Evil men don't understand the importance of justice, but those who follow the Lord are much concerned about it.
6 Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater.
7 Young men who are wise obey the law; a son who is a member of a lawless gang is a shame to his father.
8 Income from exploiting the poor will end up in the hands of someone who pities them.
9 God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who flout the law.
10 A curse on those who lead astray the godly. But men who encourage the upright to do good shall be given a worthwhile reward.
11 Rich men are conceited, but their real poverty is evident to the poor.
12 When the godly are successful, everyone is glad. When the wicked succeed, everyone is sad.
13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.
14 Blessed is the man who reveres God, but the man who doesn't care is headed for serious trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion or bear attacking them.
16 Only a stupid prince will oppress his people, but a king will have a long reign if he hates dishonesty and bribes.
17 A murderer's conscience will drive him into hell. Don't stop him!
18 Good men will be rescued from harm, but cheaters will be destroyed.
19 Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.
20 The man who wants to do right will get a rich reward. But the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail.
21 Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear case of selling one's soul for a piece of bread.
22 Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to poverty.
23 In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.
24 A man who robs his parents and says, "What's wrong with that?" is no better than a murderer.
25 Greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to prosperity.
26 A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God's wisdom are safe.
27 If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.
28 When the wicked prosper, good men go away; when the wicked meet disaster, good men return.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,99
3,3,5,247
4,4,7,328
5,5,9,462
6,6,11,563
7,7,13,634
8,8,15,749
9,9,17,866
10,10,19,953
11,11,21,1085
12,12,23,1184
13,13,25,1293
14,14,27,1401
15,15,29,1505
16,16,31,1596
17,17,33,1712
18,18,35,1791
19,19,37,1886
20,20,39,2007
21,21,41,2104
22,22,43,2198
23,23,45,2290
24,24,47,2381
25,25,49,2492
26,26,51,2577
27,27,53,2672
28,28,55,2795
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,84
3,3,5,215
4,4,7,327
5,5,9,417
6,6,11,534
7,7,13,593
8,8,15,701
9,9,17,791
10,10,19,858
11,11,21,989
12,12,23,1066
13,13,25,1163
14,14,27,1297
15,15,29,1399
16,16,31,1482
17,17,33,1603
18,18,35,1675
19,19,37,1749
20,20,39,1815
21,21,41,1934
22,22,43,2042
23,23,45,2103
24,24,47,2169
25,25,49,2268
26,26,51,2331
27,27,53,2412
28,28,55,2528
INTENTIONS PROVE 28:9
God does not listen to our prayers if we intend to go back to our sin as soon as we get off our knees. If we want to forsake our sin and follow him, however, he willingly listens-no matter how bad our sin has been. What closes his ears is not the depth of our sin, but the shallowness of our repentance.
PROVE029
1 Whoever is stubborn after being corrected many times will suddenly be hurt beyond cure.
2 When good people do well, everyone is happy, but when evil people rule, everyone groans.
3 Those who love wisdom make their parents happy, but friends of prostitutes waste their money.
4 If a king is fair, he makes his country strong, but if he takes gifts dishonestly, he tears his country down.
5 Those who give false praise to their neighbors are setting a trap for them.
6 Evil people are trapped by their own sin, but good people can sing and be happy.
7 Good people care about justice for the poor, but the wicked are not concerned.
8 People who make fun of wisdom cause trouble in a city, but wise people calm anger down.
9 When a wise person takes a foolish person to court, the fool only shouts or laughs, and there is no peace.
10 Murderers hate an honest person and try to kill those who do right.
11 Foolish people lose their tempers, but wise people control theirs.
12 If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his officers will become wicked.
13 The poor person and the cruel person are alike in that the LORD gave eyes to both of them.
14 If a king judges poor people fairly, his government will continue forever.
15 Correction and punishment make children wise, but those left alone will disgrace their mother.
16 When there are many wicked people, there is much sin, but those who do right will see them destroyed.
17 Correct your children, and you will be proud; they will give you satisfaction.
18 Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled, but those who obey what they have been taught are happy.
19 Words alone cannot correct a servant, because even if he understands, he won't respond.
20 Do you see people who speak too quickly? There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
21 If you spoil your servants when they are young, they will bring you grief later on.
22 An angry person causes trouble; a person with a quick temper sins a lot.
23 Pride will ruin people, but those who are humble will be honored.
24 Partners of thieves are their own worst enemies. If they have to testify in court, they are afraid to say anything.
25 Being afraid of people can get you into trouble, but if you trust the LORD, you will be safe.
26 Many people want to speak to a ruler, but justice comes only from the LORD.
27 Good people hate those who are dishonest, and the wicked hate those who are honest.
1 The man who is often reproved but refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken and never have another chance.
2 With good men in authority, the people rejoice; but with the wicked in power, they groan.
3 A wise son makes his father happy, but a lad who hangs around with prostitutes disgraces him.
4 A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.
5-6 Flattery is a trap; evil men are caught in it, but good men stay away and sing for joy.
7 The good man knows the poor man's rights; the godless don't care.
8 Fools start fights everywhere while wise men try to keep peace.
9 There's no use arguing with a fool. He only rages and scoffs, and tempers flare.
10 The godly pray for those who long to kill them.
11 A rebel shouts in anger; a wise man holds his temper in and cools it.
12 A wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff.
13 Rich and poor are alike in this: each depends on God for light.
14 A king who is fair to the poor shall have a long reign.
15 Scolding and spanking a child helps him to learn. Left to himself, he brings shame to his mother.
16 When rulers are wicked, their people are too; but good men will live to see the tyrant's downfall.
17 Discipline your son and he will give you happiness and peace of mind.
18 Where there is ignorance of God, crime runs wild; but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep his laws.
19 Sometimes mere words are not enough - discipline is needed. For the words may not be heeded.
20 There is more hope for a fool than for a man of quick temper.
21 Pamper a servant from childhood, and he will expect you to treat him as a son!
22 A hot-tempered man starts fights and gets into all kinds of trouble.
23 Pride ends in a fall, while humility brings honor.
24 A man who assists a thief must really hate himself! For he knows the consequence but does it anyway.
25 Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety.
26 Do you want justice? Don't fawn on the judge, but ask the Lord for it!
27 The good hate the badness of the wicked. The wicked hate the goodness of the good.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,190
4,4,7,290
5,5,9,406
6,6,11,488
7,7,13,575
8,8,15,660
9,9,17,754
10,10,19,867
11,11,21,942
12,12,23,1016
13,13,25,1095
14,14,27,1193
15,15,29,1275
16,16,31,1377
17,17,33,1486
18,18,35,1572
19,19,37,1694
20,20,39,1789
21,21,41,1892
22,22,43,1983
23,23,45,2063
24,24,47,2136
25,25,49,2259
26,26,51,2360
27,27,53,2443
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,123
3,3,5,218
4,4,7,317
5,6,9,405
7,7,11,500
8,8,13,571
9,9,15,640
10,10,17,726
11,11,19,780
12,12,21,856
13,13,23,914
14,14,25,984
15,15,27,1046
16,16,29,1150
17,17,31,1255
18,18,33,1331
19,19,35,1460
20,20,37,1559
21,21,39,1627
22,22,41,1712
23,23,43,1787
24,24,45,1844
25,25,47,1951
26,26,49,2024
27,27,51,2101
Scrapbook: "Kristen: Witnessing " ,!page "kristen1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
PROVE030
1 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh. This is his message to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 "I am the most stupid person there is, and I have no understanding.
3 I have not learned to be wise, and I don't know much about God, the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come back down? Who can hold the wind in his hand? Who can gather up the waters in his coat? Who has set in place the ends of the earth? What is his name or his son's name? Tell me, if you know!
5 "Every word of God is true. He guards those who come to him for safety.
6 Do not add to his words, or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.
7 "I ask two things from you, LORD. Don't refuse me before I die.
8 Keep me from lying and being dishonest. And don't make me either rich or poor; just give me enough food for each day.
9 If I have too much, I might reject you and say, `I don't know the LORD.' If I am poor, I might steal and disgrace the name of my God.
10 "Do not say bad things about servants to their masters, or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it.
11 "Some people curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
12 Some people think they are pure, but they are not really free from evil.
13 Some people have such a proud look! They look down on others.
14 Some people have teeth like swords; their jaws seem full of knives. They want to remove the poor from the earth and the needy from the land.
15 "Greed has two daughters named `Give' and `Give.' There are three things that are never satisfied, really four that never say, `I've had enough!':
16 the cemetery, the childless mother, the land that never gets enough rain, and fire that never says, `I've had enough!'
17 "If you make fun of your father and refuse to obey your mother, the birds of the valley will peck out your eyes, and the vultures will eat them.
18 "There are three things that are too hard for me, really four I don't understand:
19 the way an eagle flies in the sky, the way a snake slides over a rock, the way a ship sails on the sea, and the way a man and a woman fall in love.
20 "This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery: She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face; she says, `I haven't done anything wrong.'
21 "There are three things that make the earth tremble, really four it cannot stand:
22 a servant who becomes a king, a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23 a hated woman who gets married, and a maid who replaces her mistress.
24 "There are four things on earth that are small, but they are very wise:
25 Ants are not very strong, but they store up food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers are not very powerful, but they can live among the rocks.
27 Locusts have no king, but they all go forward in formation.
28 Lizards can be caught in the hand, but they are found even in kings' palaces.
29 "There are three things that strut proudly, really four that walk as if they were important:
30 a lion, the proudest animal, which is strong and runs from nothing,
31 a rooster, a male goat, and a king when his army is around him.
32 "If you have been foolish and proud, or if you have planned evil, shut your mouth.
33 Just as stirring milk makes butter, and twisting noses makes them bleed, so stirring up anger causes trouble."
1 These are the messages of Agur, son of Jakeh, addressed to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 I am tired out, O God, and ready to die. I am too stupid even to call myself a human being! 3 I cannot understand man, let alone God. 4 Who else but God goes back and forth to heaven? Who else holds the wind in his fists and wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who but God has created the world? If there is any other, what is his name - and his Son's name - if you know it?
5 Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection. 6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
7 O God, I beg two favors from you before I die: 8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs! 9 For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.
10 Never falsely accuse a man to his employer, lest he curse you for your sin.
11-12 There are those who curse their father and mother and feel themselves faultless despite their many sins. 13-14 They are proud beyond description, arrogant, disdainful. They devour the poor with teeth as sharp as knives!
15-16 There are two things never satisfied, like a leech forever craving more: no, three things! no, four! Hell, the barren womb, a barren desert, fire.
17 A man who mocks his father and despises his mother shall have his eye plucked out by ravens and eaten by vultures.
18-19 There are three things too wonderful for me to understand - no, four!
How an eagle glides through the sky.
How a serpent crawls upon a rock.
How a ship finds its way across the heaving ocean.
The growth of love between a man and a girl.
20 There is another thing too: how a prostitute can sin and then say, "What's wrong with that?"
21-23 There are three things that make the earth tremble - no, four it cannot stand:
A slave who becomes a king.
A rebel who prospers.
A bitter woman when she finally marries.
A servant girl who marries her mistress' husband.
24-28 There are four things that are small but unusually wise:
Ants: they aren't strong, but store up food for the winter.
Cliff badgers: delicate little animals who protect themselves by living among the rocks.
The locusts: though they have no leader, they stay together in swarms.
The lizards: they are easy to catch and kill, yet are found even in king's palaces!
29-31 There are three stately monarchs in the earth - no, four:
The lion, king of the animals. He won't turn aside for anyone.
The peacock.
The male goat.
A king as he leads his army.
32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don't brag about it - cover your mouth with your hand in shame.
33 As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,89
3,3,5,163
4,4,7,247
5,5,9,478
6,6,11,556
7,7,13,636
8,8,15,706
9,9,17,830
10,10,19,970
11,11,21,1085
12,12,23,1157
13,13,25,1237
14,14,27,1306
15,15,29,1454
16,16,31,1608
17,17,33,1734
18,18,35,1886
19,19,37,1975
20,20,39,2130
21,21,41,2286
22,22,43,2375
23,23,45,2452
24,24,47,2529
25,25,49,2608
26,26,51,2679
27,27,53,2757
28,28,55,2824
29,29,57,2909
30,30,59,3009
31,31,61,3084
32,32,63,3155
33,33,65,3245
1,1,1,1
2,4,2,81
5,6,4,459
7,9,6,614
10,10,8,912
11,14,10,994
15,16,12,1223
17,17,14,1379
18,19,16,1500
20,20,22,1754
21,23,24,1853
24,28,30,2090
29,31,36,2468
32,32,42,2663
33,33,44,2790
Ult. Issues: Looking for a Perfect 10 ,!page "^perfect" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
PROVE031
m m 1 These are the words of King Lemuel, the message his mother taught him:
2 "My son, I gave birth to you. You are the son I prayed for.
3 Don't waste your strength on women or your time on those who ruin kings.
4 "Kings should not drink wine, Lemuel, and rulers should not desire beer.
5 If they drink, they might forget the law and keep the needy from getting their rights.
6 Give beer to people who are dying and wine to those who are sad.
7 Let them drink and forget their need and remember their misery no more.
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the rights of all those who have nothing.
9 Speak up and judge fairly, and defend the rights of the poor and needy."
10 It is hard to find a good wife, because she is worth more than rubies.
11 Her husband trusts her completely. With her, he has everything he needs.
12 She does him good and not harm for as long as she lives.
13 She looks for wool and flax and likes to work with her hands.
14 She is like a trader's ship, bringing food from far away.
15 She gets up while it is still dark and prepares food for her family and feeds her servant girls.
16 She inspects a field and buys it. With money she earned, she plants a vineyard.
17 She does her work with energy, and her arms are strong.
18 She knows that what she makes is good. Her lamp burns late into the night.
19 She makes thread with her hands and weaves her own cloth.
20 She welcomes the poor and helps the needy.
21 She does not worry about her family when it snows, because they all have fine clothes to keep them warm.
22 She makes coverings for herself; her clothes are made of linen and other expensive material.
23 Her husband is known at the city meetings, where he makes decisions as one of the leaders of the land.
24 She makes linen clothes and sells them and provides belts to the merchants.
25 She is strong and is respected by the people. She looks forward to the future with joy.
26 She speaks wise words and teaches others to be kind.
27 She watches over her family and never wastes her time.
28 Her children speak well of her. Her husband also praises her,
29 saying, "There are many fine women, but you are better than all of them."
30 Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you, but a woman who respects the LORD should be praised.
V V 1 These are the wise sayings of King Lemuel of Massa, taught to him at his mother's knee:
2 O my son, whom I have dedicated to the Lord, 3 do not spend your time with women - the royal pathway to destruction.
4 And it is not for kings, O Lemuel, to drink wine and whiskey. 5 For if they drink they may forget their duties and be unable to give justice to those who are oppressed. 6-7 Hard liquor is for sick men at the brink of death, and wine for those in deep depression. Let them drink to forget their poverty and misery.
8 You should defend those who cannot help themselves. 9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
10 If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems! 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will richly satisfy his needs. 12 She will not hinder him but help him all her life. 13 She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. 14 She buys imported foods brought by ship from distant ports. 15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plans the day's work for her servant girls. 16 She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her own hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She is energetic, a hard worker, 18 and watches for bargains. She works far into the night!
19-20 She sews for the poor and generously helps those in need. 21 She has no fear of winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them. 22 She also upholsters with finest tapestry; her own clothing is beautifully made - a purple gown of pure linen. 23 Her husband is well known, for he sits in the council chamber with the other civic leaders. 24 She makes belted linen garments to sell to the merchants.
25 She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age. 26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says. 2027 She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is 20never lazy. 28 Her children stand and bless her; so does her husband. He praises 20her with these words: 29 "There are many fine women in the world, but you are the best of them all!"
30 Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised. 31 Praise her for the many fine things she does. These good deeds of hers shall bring her honor and recognition from people of importance.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,144
4,4,7,223
5,5,9,302
6,6,11,395
7,7,13,466
8,8,15,544
9,9,17,652
10,10,19,731
11,11,21,809
12,12,23,889
13,13,25,953
14,14,27,1022
15,15,29,1087
16,16,31,1191
17,17,33,1278
18,18,35,1341
19,19,37,1423
20,20,39,1488
21,21,41,1538
22,22,43,1650
23,23,45,1750
24,24,47,1860
25,25,49,1943
26,26,51,2038
27,27,53,2098
28,28,55,2160
29,29,57,2229
30,30,59,2310
1,1,1,1
2,3,2,93
4,7,4,215
8,9,6,534
10,18,8,665
19,24,10,1277
25,29,12,1708
30,31,14,2133
IDEAL WOMAN PROVE 31:10-31
Proverbs has a lot to say about women. How fitting that the book ends with a picture of the best of them all-a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the Bible is retiring, servile, and entirely domestic. Not so! This woman is an excellent wife and mother. She also is a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor, farmer, seamstress, upholsterer, and merchant. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however. They are a result of her reverence for God. In our society where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned. Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character. The woman described in this chapter has outstanding abilities. Her family's social position is high. In fact, she may not be one woman at all-she may be a composite portrait of ideal womanhood. Do not see her as a model to imitate in every detail; your days are not long enough to do everything she does! See her instead as an inspiration to be all you can be. We can't be just like her, but we can learn from her industry, integrity, and resourcefulness.
VECCLE
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To spare future generations the bitterness of learning through their own experience that life is meaningless apart from God
AUTHOR:
Solomon, although no passages mention him by name
TO WHOM WRITTEN:
Solomon's subjects in particular, and all people in general
DATE WRITTEN:
Probably around 935 B.C., late in Solomon's life
SETTING:
Solomon looks back on his life, much of which was lived apart from God
"Party hearty! Do what feels good. Don't worry about tomorrow because we're all going to die soon anyway." You've probably heard expressions like that, or even know people who live that way. It's a very popular philosophy-but it's not a new one. In fact, essentially the same message appears in the Bible. Centuries ago, King Solomon wrote "every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-it is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Solomon knew what he was talking about. As a very intelligent and wealthy king, he had spent a lifetime experiencing and analyzing everything the world had to offer. Wine, women, song . . . Solomon had done it all. His conclusion? Life is short, boring, and empty, so enjoy pleasure while you can! "Wait a minute," you might interrupt. "You mean one of the Bible writers says that life is meaningless, so we should live it up?" That's right. But there's a punch line. Solomon's last word is that to really enjoy life, we need to keep God right at the center of everything. Without God, people merely exist, moving quickly from the excitement of youth to the bitterness of old age. But with God, we can enjoy each moment, relationship, and experience along the way. Read Ecclesiastes, Solomon's analysis of life, . . . and then have a real party!q
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
ECCLE001
1 These are the words of the Teacher, a son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 The Teacher says, "Useless! Useless! Completely useless! Everything is useless."
3 What do people really gain from all the hard work they do here on earth?
4 People live, and people die, but the earth continues forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets, and then it hurries back to where it rises again.
6 The wind blows to the south; it blows to the north. It blows from one direction and then another. Then it turns around and repeats the same pattern, going nowhere.
7 All the rivers flow to the sea, but the sea never becomes full.
8 Everything is boring, so boring that you don't even want to talk about it. Words come again and again to our ears, but we never hear enough, nor can we ever really see all we want to see.
9 All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. What has happened will happen again; there is nothing new here on earth.
10 Someone might say, "Look, this is new," but really it has always been here. It was here before we were.
11 People don't remember what happened long ago, and in the future people will not remember what happens now. Even later, other people will not remember what was done before them.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I decided to use my wisdom to learn about everything that happens on earth. I learned that God has given us terrible things to face.
14 I looked at everything done on earth and saw that it is all useless, like chasing the wind.
15 If something is crooked, you can't make it straight. If something is missing, you can't say it is there.
16 I said to myself, "I have become very wise and am now wiser than anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are."
17 So I decided to find out about wisdom and knowledge and also about foolish thinking, but this turned out to be like chasing the wind.
18 With much wisdom comes much disappointment; the person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow.
1 The author: Solomon of Jerusalem, King David's son, "The Preacher."
2 In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile. 3-7 For what does a man get for all his hard work?
Generations come and go, but it makes no difference. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere.* The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full, and the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea 20. 20. 20. 8-11 everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content.
History merely repeats itself. Nothing is truly new; it has all been done or said before. What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't exist long ages ago? We don't remember what happened in those former times, and in the future generations no one will remember what we have done back here.
12-15 I, the Preacher, was king of Israel, living in Jerusalem. And I applied myself to search for understanding about everything in the universe. I discovered that the lot of man, which God has dealt to him, is not a happy one. It is all foolishness, chasing the wind. What is wrong cannot be righted; it is water over the dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been.
16-18 I said to myself, "Look, I am better educated than any of the kings before me in Jerusalem. I have greater wisdom and knowledge." So I worked hard to be wise instead of foolish - but now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the more my wisdom, the more my grief; to increase knowledge only increases distress.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,78
3,3,5,165
4,4,7,244
5,5,9,312
6,6,11,397
7,7,13,567
8,8,15,637
9,9,17,831
10,10,19,974
11,11,21,1085
12,12,23,1269
13,13,25,1327
14,14,27,1467
15,15,29,1566
16,16,31,1678
17,17,33,1834
18,18,35,1975
1,1,1,1
2,11,3,74
12,15,7,987
16,18,9,1373
MEANING ECCLE 1:8-11
Many people feel restless and dissatisfied. They wonder, (1) If I am in God's will, why am I so dissatisfied? (2) What is the meaning of life? (3) When I look back on it all, will I be happy with my accomplishments? (4) Why do I feel burned out, disillusioned, dry? (5) What will become of me? In this book, Solomon tests our faith, challenging us to find true and lasting meaning in God alone. If you take a hard look at your life, as Solomon did his, you will see how important serving God is over all other options. Perhaps God is asking you to rethink your purpose and direction in life.
Ult. Issues: Is There Meaning to Life? ,!page "^meaning" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ECCLE002
PARTY
1 I said to myself, "I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself." But I found that this is also useless.
2 It is foolish to laugh all the time, and having fun doesn't accomplish anything.
3 I decided to cheer myself up with wine while my mind was still thinking wisely. I wanted to find a way to enjoy myself and see what was good for people to do during their few days of life.
4 Then I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I made pools of water for myself and used them to water my growing trees.
7 I bought male and female slaves, and slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds and flocks, more than anyone in Jerusalem had ever had before.
8 I also gathered silver and gold for myself, treasures from kings and other areas. I had male and female singers and all the women a man could ever want.
9 I became very famous, even greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this.
10 Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself; I did not miss any pleasure I desired. I was pleased with everything I did, and this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work.
11 But then I looked at what I had done, and I thought about all the hard work. Suddenly I realized it was useless, like chasing the wind. There is nothing to gain from anything we do here on earth.
12 Then I began to think again about being wise, and also about being foolish and doing crazy things. But after all, what more can anyone do? He can't do more than what the other king has already done.
13 I saw that being wise is certainly better than being foolish, just as light is better than darkness.
14 Wise people see where they are going, but fools walk around in the dark. Yet I saw that both wise and foolish people end the same way.
15 I thought to myself, "What happens to a fool will happen to me, too, so what is the reward for being wise?" I said to myself, "Being wise is also useless."
16 The wise person and the fool will both die, and no one will remember either one for long. In the future, both will be forgotten.
17 So I hated life. It made me sad to think that everything here on earth is useless, like chasing the wind.
18 I hated all the things I had worked for here on earth, because I must leave them to someone who will live after me.
19 Someone else will control everything for which I worked so hard here on earth, and I don't know if he will be wise or foolish. This is also useless.
20 So I became sad about all the hard work I had done here on earth.
21 People can work hard using all their wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but they will die, and other people will get the things for which they worked. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. This is also unfair and useless.
22 What do people get for all their work and struggling here on earth?
23 All of their lives their work is full of pain and sorrow, and even at night their minds don't rest. This is also useless.
24 The best that people can do is eat, drink, and enjoy their work. I saw that even this comes from God,
25 because no one can eat or enjoy life without him.
26 If people please God, God will give them wisdom, knowledge, and joy. But sinners will get only the work of gathering and storing wealth that they will have to give to the ones who please God. So all their work is useless, like chasing the wind.
1 I said to myself, "Come now, be merry; enjoy yourself to the full." But I found that this, too, was futile. For it is silly to be laughing all the time; what good does it do?
3 So after a lot of thinking, I decided to try the road of drink, while still holding steadily to my course of seeking wisdom.
Next I changed my course again and followed the path of folly, so that I could experience the only happiness most men have throughout their lives.
4-6 Then I tried to find fulfillment by inaugurating a great public works program: homes, vineyards, gardens, parks, and orchards for myself, and reservoirs to hold the water to irrigate my plantations.
7-8 Next I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born within my household. I also bred great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings before me. I collected silver and gold as taxes from many kings and provinces.
In the cultural arts, I organized men's and women's choirs and orchestras.
And then there were my many beautiful concubines.
9 So I became greater than any of the kings in Jerusalem before me, and with it all I remained clear-eyed, so that I could evaluate all these things. 10 Anything I wanted I took and did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work. This pleasure was, indeed, my only reward for all my labors.
11 But as I looked at everything I had tried, it was all so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
12 Now I began a study of the comparative virtues of wisdom and folly, and anyone else would come to the same conclusion I did - 13-14 that wisdom is of more value than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness; for the wise man sees, while the fool is blind. And yet I noticed that there was one thing that happened to wise and foolish alike - 15 just as the fool will die, so will I. So of what value is all my wisdom? Then I realized that even wisdom is futile. 16 For the wise and fool both die, and in the days to come both will be long forgotten. 17 So now I hate life because it is all so irrational; all is foolishness, chasing the wind.
18 And I am disgusted about this - that I must leave the fruits of all my hard work to others. 19 And who can tell whether my son will be a wise man or a fool? And yet all I have will be given to him - how discouraging!
20-23 So I turned in despair from hard work as the answer to my search for satisfaction. For though I spend my life searching for wisdom, knowledge, and skill, I must leave all of it to someone who hasn't done a day's work in his life; he inherits all my efforts, free of charge. This is not only foolish but unfair. So what does a man get for all his hard work? Days full of sorrow and grief, and restless, bitter nights. It is all utterly ridiculous.
24-26 So I decided that there was nothing better for a man to do than to enjoy his food and drink and his job. Then I realized that even this pleasure is from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy apart from him? For God gives those who please him wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away from him and gives it to those who please him. So here, too, we see an example of foolishly chasing the wind.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,197
4,4,7,392
5,5,9,472
6,6,11,552
7,7,13,632
8,8,15,791
9,9,17,950
10,10,19,1074
11,11,21,1257
12,12,23,1460
13,13,25,1666
14,14,27,1774
15,15,29,1916
16,16,31,2079
17,17,33,2215
18,18,35,2328
19,19,37,2451
20,20,39,2607
21,21,41,2680
22,22,43,2922
23,23,45,2997
24,24,47,3126
25,25,49,3235
26,26,51,3292
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,181
4,6,6,459
7,8,8,665
9,10,12,1025
11,11,14,1351
12,17,16,1496
18,19,18,2154
20,23,20,2377
24,26,22,2833
PARTY ECCLE 2:24-26
Is Solomon recommending we make life a big, wild party? No, he is encouraging us to take pleasure in what we're doing now and to enjoy life because it comes from God's hand. True enjoyment in life comes only as we follow God's guidelines for living. Those who really know how to enjoy life are the ones who take life each day as a gift from God, thanking him for it and serving him in it.
ECCLE003
1 There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.
2 There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
3 There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
5 There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them. There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
6 There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace.
9 Do people really gain anything from their work?
10 I saw the hard work God has given people to do.
11 God has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.
12 So I realize that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live.
13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God.
14 I know that everything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done, and they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to make people respect him.
15 What happens now has happened in the past, and what will happen in the future has happened before. God makes the same things happen again and again.
16 I also saw this here on earth: Where there should have been justice, there was evil; where there should have been right, there was wrong.
17 I said to myself, God has planned a time for every thing and every action, so he will judge both good people and bad.
18 I decided that God leaves it the way it is to test people and to show them they are just like animals.
19 The same thing happens to animals and to people; they both have the same breath, so they both die. People are no better off than the animals, because everything is useless.
20 Both end up the same way; both came from dust and both will go back to dust.
21 Who can be sure that the human spirit goes up to God and that the spirit of an animal goes down into the ground?
22 So I saw that the best thing people can do is to enjoy their work, because that is all they have. No one can help another person see what will happen in the future.
1 There is a right time for everything:
2 A time to be born;
A time to die;
A time to plant;
A time to harvest;
3 A time to kill;
A time to heal;
A time to destroy;
A time to rebuild;
4 A time to cry;
A time to laugh;
A time to grieve;
A time to dance;
5 A time for scattering stones;
A time for gathering stones;
A time to hug;
A time not to hug;
6 A time to find;
A time to lose;
A time for keeping;
A time for throwing away;
7 A time to tear;
A time to repair;
A time to be quiet;
A time to speak up;
8 A time for loving;
A time for hating;
A time for war;
A time for peace.
9 What does one really get from hard work?
10 I have thought about this in connection with all the various kinds of work God has given to mankind. 11 Everything is appropriate in its own time. But though God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so, many cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. 12 So I conclude that, first, there is nothing better for a man than to be happy and to enjoy himself as long as he can; 13 and second, that he should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of his labors, for these are gifts from God.
14 And I know this, that whatever God does is final - nothing can be added or taken from it; God's purpose in this is that man should fear the all-powerful God.
15 Whatever is has been long ago; and whatever is going to be has been before; God brings to pass again what was in the distant past and disappeared.
16 Moreover, I notice that throughout the earth justice is giving way to crime, and even the police courts are corrupt. 17 I said to myself, "In due season God will judge everything man does, both good and bad."
18 And then I realized that God is letting the world go on its sinful way so that he can test mankind, and so that men themselves will see that they are no better than beasts. 19 For men and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an absurdity! 20 All go to one place - the dust from which they came and to which they must return. 21 For who can prove that the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward into dust? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for men than that they should be happy in their work, for that is what they are here for, and no one can bring them back to life to enjoy what will be in the future, so let them enjoy it now.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,87
3,3,5,194
4,4,7,292
5,5,9,389
6,6,11,505
7,7,13,648
8,8,15,762
9,9,17,858
10,10,19,912
11,11,21,967
12,12,23,1126
13,13,25,1233
14,14,27,1332
15,15,29,1536
16,16,31,1692
17,17,33,1837
18,18,35,1962
19,19,37,2072
20,20,39,2252
21,21,41,2336
22,22,43,2456
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,42
3,3,6,122
4,4,10,202
5,5,14,279
6,6,18,382
7,7,22,470
8,8,26,554
9,9,31,638
10,13,33,684
14,14,35,1204
15,15,37,1368
16,17,39,1521
18,22,41,1736
, Ma o
ECCLE004
1 Again I saw all the people who were mistreated here on earth. I saw their tears and that they had no one to comfort them. Cruel people had all the power, and there was no one to comfort those they hurt.
2 I decided that the dead are better off than the living.
3 But those who have never been born are better off still; they have not seen the evil that is done here on earth.
4 I realized the reason people work hard and try to succeed: They are jealous of each other. This, too, is useless, like chasing the wind.
5 Some say it is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing, because you will starve to death.
6 Maybe so, but I say it is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind.
7 Again I saw something here on earth that was useless:
8 I saw a man who had no family, no son or brother. He always worked hard but was never satisfied with what he had. He never asked himself, "For whom am I working so hard? Why don't I let myself enjoy life?" This also is very sad and useless. w
9 Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together.
10 If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help.
11 If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm.
12 An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break.
13 A poor but wise boy is better than a foolish but old king who doesn't listen to advice.
14 A boy became king. He had been born poor in the kingdom and had even gone to prison before becoming king.
15 I watched all the people who live on earth follow him and make him their king.
16 Many followed him at first, but later, they did not like him, either. So fame and power are useless, like chasing the wind.
1 Next I observed all the oppression and sadness throughout the earth - the tears of the oppressed, and no one helping them, while on the side of their oppressors were powerful allies. 2 So I felt that the dead were better off than the living. 3 And most fortunate of all are those who have never been born and have never seen all the evil and crime throughout the earth.
4 Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, chasing the wind. 5-6 The fool won't work and almost starves but feels that it is better to be lazy and barely get by, than to work hard, when in the long run it is all so futile.
7 I also observed another piece of foolishness around the earth. 8 This is the case of a man who is quite alone, without a son or brother, yet he works hard to keep gaining more riches. And to whom will he leave it all, and why is he giving up so much now? It is all so pointless and depressing.
9 Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. 10 If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he's in trouble.
11 Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a lad could come from prison and succeed. He might even become king though born in poverty. 15 Everyone is eager to help a youth like that, even to help him usurp the throne. 16 He can become the leader of millions of people and be very popular. But, then, the younger generation grows up around him and rejects him! So again, it is all foolishness, chasing the wind.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,210
3,3,5,272
4,4,7,391
5,5,9,534
6,6,11,632
7,7,13,798
8,8,15,858
9,9,17,1107
10,10,19,1193
11,11,21,1332
12,12,23,1421
13,13,25,1565
14,14,27,1660
15,15,29,1773
16,16,31,1859
1,3,1,1
4,6,3,376
7,8,5,685
9,10,7,984
11,12,9,1171
13,16,11,1457
ECCLE005
1 Be careful when you go to worship at the Temple. It is better to listen than to offer foolish sacrifices without even knowing you are doing wrong.
2 Think before you speak, and be careful about what you say to God. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth, so say only a few words to God.
3 The saying is true: Bad dreams come from too much worrying, and too many words come from foolish people.
4 If you make a promise to God, don't be slow to keep it. God is not happy with fools, so give God what you promised.
5 It is better not to promise anything than to promise something and not do it.
6 Don't let your words cause you to sin, and don't say to the priest at the Temple, "I didn't mean what I promised." If you do, God will become angry with your words and will destroy everything you have worked for.
7 Many useless promises are like so many dreams; they mean nothing. You should respect God.
8 In some places you will see poor people mistreated. Don't be surprised when they are not treated fairly or given their rights. One officer is cheated by a higher officer who in turn is cheated by even higher officers.
9 The wealth of the country is divided up among them all. Even the king makes sure he gets his share of the profits.
10 Whoever loves money will never have enough money; Whoever loves wealth will not be satisfied with it. This is also useless.
11 The more wealth people have, the more friends they have to help spend it. So what do people really gain? They gain nothing except to look at their riches.
12 Those who work hard sleep in peace; it is not important if they eat little or much. But rich people worry about their wealth and cannot sleep.
13 I have seen real misery here on earth: Money saved is a curse to its owners.
14 They lose it all in a bad deal and have nothing to give to their children.
15 People come into this world with nothing, and when they die they leave with nothing. In spite of all their hard work, they leave just as they came.
16 This, too, is real misery: They leave just as they came. So what do they gain from chasing the wind?
17 All they get are days full of sadness and sorrow, and they end up sick, defeated, and angry.
18 I have seen what is best for people here on earth. They should eat and drink and enjoy their work, because the life God has given them on earth is short.
19 God gives some people the ability to enjoy the wealth and property he gives them, as well as the ability to accept their state in life and enjoy their work.
20 They do not worry about how short life is, because God keeps them busy with what they love to do.
1 As you enter the Temple, keep your ears open and your mouth shut! Don't be a fool who doesn't even realize it is sinful to make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven and you are only here on earth, so let your words be few. Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, so being a fool makes you a blabbermouth. 4 So when you talk to God and vow to him that you will do something, don't delay in doing it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Keep your promise to him. 5 It is far better not to say you'll do something than to say you will and then not do it. 6-7 In that case, your mouth is making you sin. Don't try to defend yourself by telling the messenger from God that it was all a mistake to make the vow. That would make God very angry; and he might* destroy your prosperity. Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words; fear God instead.
8 If you see some poor man being oppressed by the rich, with miscarriage of justice anywhere throughout the land, don't be surprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and the higher officials look up to their superiors. And so the matter is lost in red tape and bureaucracy.
9 And over them all is the king. Oh, for a king who is devoted to his country! Only he can bring order from this chaos.
10 He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! 11 The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth - except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers! 12 The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, but the rich must worry and suffer insomnia.
13-14 There is another serious problem I have seen everywhere - savings are put into risky investments that turn sour, and soon there is nothing left to pass on to one's son. 15 The man who speculates is soon back to where he began - with nothing. 16 This, as I said, is a very serious problem, for all his hard work has been for nothing; he has been working for the wind. It is all swept away. 17 All the rest of his life he is under a cloud - gloomy, discouraged, frustrated, and angry.
18 Well, one thing, at least, is good: It is for a man to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long the Lord may let him live. 19-20 And, of course, it is very good if a man has received wealth from the Lord and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life - that is indeed a gift from God. The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for God gives him joy.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,154
3,3,5,302
4,4,7,413
5,5,9,535
6,6,11,619
7,7,13,838
8,8,15,934
9,9,17,1158
10,10,19,1279
11,11,21,1410
12,12,23,1572
13,13,25,1722
14,14,27,1806
15,15,29,1888
16,16,31,2043
17,17,33,2151
18,18,35,2251
19,19,37,2412
20,20,39,2576
1,7,1,1
8,8,3,896
9,9,5,1192
10,12,7,1315
13,17,9,1716
18,20,11,2208
Scrapbook: "Tammy: Spending time with God every day" ,!page "tammy1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
ECCLE006
1 I have seen something else wrong here on earth that causes serious problems for people.
2 God gives great wealth, riches, and honor to some people; they have everything they want. But God does not let them enjoy such things; a stranger enjoys them instead. This is useless and very wrong.
3 A man might have a hundred children and live a long time, but what good is it if he can't enjoy the good God gives him or have a proper burial? I say a baby born dead is better off than he is.
4 A baby born dead is useless. It returns to darkness without even a name.
5 That baby never saw the sun and never knew anything, but it finds more rest than that man.
6 Even if he lives two thousand years, he doesn't enjoy the good God gives him. Everyone is going to the same place.
7 People work just to feed themselves, but they never seem to get enough to eat.
8 In this way a wise person is no better off than a fool. Then, too, it does a poor person little good to know how to get along in life.
9 It is better to see what you have than to want more. Wanting more is useless- like chasing the wind.
10 Whatever happens was planned long ago. Everyone knows what people are like. No one can argue with God, who is stronger than anyone.
11 The more you say, the more useless it is. What good does it do?
12 People have only a few useless days of life on the earth; their short life passes like a shadow. Who knows what is best for them while they live? Who can tell them what the future will bring?
1 Yes, but there is a very serious evil which I have seen everywhere - 2 God has given to some men very great wealth and honor so that they can have everything they want, but he doesn't give them the health to enjoy it, and they die and others get it all! This is absurd, a hollow mockery, and a serious fault.
3 Even if a man has a hundred sons and as many daughters and lives to be very old, but leaves so little money at his death that his children can't even give him a decent burial - I say that he would be better off born dead. 4 For though his birth would then be futile and end in darkness, without even a name, 5 never seeing the sun or even knowing its existence, yet that is better than to be an old, unhappy man. 6 Though a man lives a thousand years twice over but doesn't find contentment - well, what's the use?
7-8 Wise men and fools alike spend their lives scratching for food and never seem to get enough. Both have the same problem, yet the poor man who is wise lives a far better life. 9 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; mere dreaming of nice things is foolish; it's chasing the wind.
10 All things are decided by fate; it was known long ago what each man would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny.
11 The more words you speak, the less they mean, so why bother to speak at all?
12 In these few days of our empty lifetimes, who can say how one's days can best be spent? Who can know what will prove best for the future after he is gone? For who knows the future?
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,95
3,3,5,300
4,4,7,499
5,5,9,578
6,6,11,675
7,7,13,796
8,8,15,881
9,9,17,1022
10,10,19,1129
11,11,21,1268
12,12,23,1339
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,315
7,9,5,835
10,10,7,1128
11,11,9,1267
12,12,11,1350
ECCLE007
1 It is better to have respect than good perfume. The day of death is better than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a funeral than to a party. We all must die, and everyone living should think about this.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, and sadness has a good influence on you.
4 A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5 It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.
6 The laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorns in a cooking fire. Both are useless.
7 Even wise people are fools if they let money change their thinking.
8 It is better to finish something than to start it. It is better to be patient than to be proud.
9 Don't become angry quickly, because getting angry is foolish.
10 Don't ask, "Why was life better in the `good old days'?" It is not wise to ask such questions.
11 Wisdom is better when it comes with money. They both help those who are alive.
12 Wisdom is like money: they both help. But wisdom is better, because it can save whoever has it.
13 Look at what God has done: No one can straighten what he has bent.
14 When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember: God gives good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
15 In my useless life I have seen both of these: I have seen good people die in spite of their goodness and evil people live a long time in spite of their evil.
16 Don't be too right, and don't be too wise. Why destroy yourself?
17 Don't be too wicked, and don't be foolish. Why die before your time?
18 It is good to grab the one and not let go of the other; those who honor God will hold them both.
19 Wisdom makes a person stronger than ten leaders in a city.
20 Surely there is not a good person on earth who always does good and never sins.
21 Don't listen to everything people say, or you might hear your servant insulting you.
22 You know that many times you have insulted others.
23 I used wisdom to test all these things. I wanted to be wise, but it was too hard for me.
24 I cannot understand why things are as they are. It is too hard for anyone to understand.
25 I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom, to find some meaning for everything. I learned that it is foolish to be evil, and it is crazy to act like a fool.
26 I found that some women are worse than death and are as dangerous as traps. Their love is like a net, and their arms hold men like chains. A man who pleases God will be saved from them, but a sinner will be caught by them.
27 The Teacher says, "This is what I learned: I added all these things together to find some meaning for everything.
28 While I was searching, I did not find one man among the thousands I found. Nor did I find a woman among all these.
29 One thing I have learned: God made people good, but they have found all kinds of ways to be bad."
1 A good reputation is more valuable than the most expensive perfume.
The day one dies is better than the day he is born! 2 It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and it is a good thing to think about it while there is still time. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. 4 Yes, a wise man thinks much of death, while the fool thinks only of having a good time now.
5 It is better to be criticized by a wise man than to be praised by a fool! 6 For a fool's compliment is as quickly gone as paper in fire, and it is silly to be impressed by it.
7 The wise man is turned into a fool by a bribe; it destroys his understanding.
8 Finishing is better than starting! Patience is better than pride! 9 Don't be quick-tempered - that is being a fool.
10 Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than these!
11 To be wise is as good as being rich; in fact, it is better. 12 You can get anything by either wisdom or money, but being wise has many advantages.
13 See the way God does things and fall into line. Don't fight the facts of nature. Who can straighten what he has made crooked? 14 Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other - so that everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life.
15-17 In this silly life I have seen everything, including the fact that some of the good die young and some of the wicked live on and on. So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don't be too wicked either - don't be a fool! Why should you die before your time?
18 Tackle every task that comes along, and if you fear God you can expect his blessing.
19 A wise man is stronger than the mayors of ten big cities! 20 And there is not a single man in all the earth who is always good and never sins.
21-22 Don't eavesdrop! You may hear your servant cursing you! For you know how often you yourself curse others!
23 I have tried my best to be wise. I declared, "I will be wise," but it didn't work. 24 Wisdom is far away and very difficult to find. 25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and the reason for things, 20. 20. 20. to prove to myself the wickedness of folly and that foolishness is madness.
26 A prostitute is more bitter than death. May it please God that you escape from her, but sinners don't evade her snares.
27-28 This is my conclusion, says the Preacher. Step by step I came to this result after researching in every direction: One tenth of one percent of the men I interviewed could be said to be wise, but not one woman!
29 And I found that though God has made men upright, each has turned away to follow his own downward road.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,105
3,3,5,222
4,4,7,301
5,5,9,390
6,6,11,473
7,7,13,570
8,8,15,644
9,9,17,746
10,10,19,814
11,11,21,916
12,12,23,1002
13,13,25,1105
14,14,27,1179
15,15,29,1328
16,16,31,1493
17,17,33,1565
18,18,35,1641
19,19,37,1745
20,20,39,1811
21,21,41,1898
22,22,43,1990
23,23,45,2048
24,24,47,2144
25,25,49,2240
26,26,51,2407
27,27,53,2637
28,28,55,2758
29,29,57,2880
1,4,1,1
5,6,4,458
7,7,6,639
8,9,8,722
10,10,10,843
11,12,12,945
13,14,14,1098
15,17,16,1414
18,18,18,1714
19,20,20,1805
21,22,22,1954
23,25,24,2069
26,26,26,2377
27,28,28,2503
29,29,30,2722
FLATTERY ECCLE 7:5-6
Have you ever been paid a compliment when you knew it was inappropriate or merely an attempt to flatter you? Some people would rather feel good than know the truth. Too often, pleasant compliments are valued above helpful information (Proverbs 27:6). Solomon reminds us that it is far better to face honest criticism than to wallow in the compliments of fools.
ECCLE008
ANSWER
1 No one is like the wise person who can understand what things mean. Wisdom brings happiness; it makes sad faces happy.
2 Obey the king's command, because you made a promise to God.
3 Don't be too quick to leave the king. Don't support something that is wrong, because the king does whatever he pleases.
4 What the king says is law; no one tells him what to do.
5 Whoever obeys the king's command will be safe. A wise person does the right thing at the right time.
6 There is a right time and a right way for everything, yet people often have many troubles.
7 They do not know what the future holds, and no one can tell them what will happen.
8 No one can control the wind or stop his own death. No soldier is released in times of war, and evil does not set free those who do evil.
9 I saw all of this as I considered all that is done here on earth. Sometimes men harm those they control.
10 I saw the funerals of evil people who used to go in and out of the holy place. They were honored in the same towns where they had done evil. This is useless, too.
11 When evil people are not punished right away, it makes others want to do evil, too.
12 Though a sinner might do a hundred evil things and might live a long time, I know it will be better for those who honor God.
13 I also know it will not go well for evil people, because they do not honor God. Like a shadow, they will not last.
14 Sometimes something useless happens on earth. Bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. I say that this is also useless.
15 So I decided it was more important to enjoy life. The best that people can do here on earth is to eat, drink, and enjoy life, because these joys will help them do the hard work God gives them here on earth.
16 I tried to understand all that happens on earth. I saw how busy people are, working day and night and hardly ever sleeping.
17 I also saw all that God has done. Nobody can understand what God does here on earth. No matter how hard people try to understand it, they cannot. Even if wise people say they understand, they cannot; no one can really understand it.
1 How wonderful to be wise, to understand things, to be able to analyze them and interpret them. Wisdom lights up a man's face, softening its hardness.
2-3 Obey the king as you have vowed to do. Don't always be trying to get out of doing your duty, even when it's unpleasant. For the king punishes those who disobey. 4 The king's command is backed by great power, and no one can withstand it or question it. 5 Those who obey him will not be punished. The wise man will find a time and a way to do what he says. 6-7 Yes, there is a time and a way for everything, though man's trouble lies heavy upon him; for how can he avoid what he doesn't know is going to happen?
8 No one can hold back his spirit from departing; no one has the power to prevent his day of death, for there is no discharge from that obligation and that dark battle. Certainly a man's wickedness is not going to help him then.
9-10 I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power of injuring each other. I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man's evil deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had committed their many crimes! How odd! 11 Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. 12 But though a man sins a hundred times and still lives, I know very well that those who fear God will be better off, 13 unlike the wicked, who will not live long, good lives - their days shall pass away as quickly as shadows because they don't fear God.
14 There is a strange thing happening here upon the earth: Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked, and some wicked men as though they were good. This is all very vexing and troublesome!
15 Then I decided to spend my time having fun because I felt that there was nothing better in all the earth than that a man should eat, drink, and be merry, with the hope that this happiness would stick with him in all the hard work that God gives to mankind everywhere.
16-17 In my search for wisdom I observed all that was going on everywhere across the earth - ceaseless activity, day and night. (Of course, only God can see everything, and even the wisest man who says he knows everything, doesn't!)
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,126
3,3,5,192
4,4,7,318
5,5,9,380
6,6,11,487
7,7,13,584
8,8,15,673
9,9,17,816
10,10,19,927
11,11,21,1097
12,12,23,1188
13,13,25,1320
14,14,27,1442
15,15,29,1600
16,16,31,1814
17,17,33,1945
1,1,1,1
2,7,3,156
8,8,5,673
9,13,7,905
14,14,9,1592
15,15,11,1809
16,17,13,2083
ANSWER ECCLE 8:11
We should never assume that God doesn't care if we have sinned, or that sin has no consequences, simply because he hasn't punished us immediately. Unfortunately, it is easier to sin when we don't feel immediate consequences. When a young child does something wrong without being discovered, it will be much easier for him to do the wrong again. But God knows every wrong we commit, and one day we will have to answer for everything we have done (12:14).
ECCLE009
SOCIETY
1 I thought about all this and tried to understand it. I saw that God controls good people and wise people and what they do, but no one knows if they will experience love or hate.
2 Good and bad people end up the same- those who are right and those who are wrong, those who are good and those who are evil, those who are clean and those who are unclean, those who sacrifice and those who do not. The same things happen to a good person as happen to a sinner, to a person who makes promises to God and to one who does not.
3 This is something wrong that happens here on earth: What happens to one happens to all. So people's minds are full of evil and foolish thoughts while they live. After that, they join the dead.
4 But anyone still alive has hope; even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 The living know they will die, but the dead know nothing. Dead people have no more reward, and people forget them.
6 After people are dead, they can no longer love or hate or envy. They will never again share in what happens here on earth.
7 So go eat your food and enjoy it; drink your wine and be happy, because that is what God wants you to do.
8 Put on nice clothes and make yourself look good.
9 Enjoy life with the wife you love. Enjoy all the useless days of this useless life God has given you here on earth, because it is all you have. So enjoy the work you do here on earth.
10 Whatever work you do, do your best, because you are going to the grave, where there is no working, no planning, no knowledge, and no wisdom.
11 I also saw something else here on earth: The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. Time and chance happen to everyone.
12 No one knows what will happen next. Like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a trap, people are trapped by evil when it suddenly falls on them.
13 I also saw something wise here on earth that impressed me.
14 There was a small town with only a few people in it. A great king fought against it and put his armies all around it.
15 Now there was a poor but wise man in the town who used his wisdom to save his town. But later on, everyone forgot about him.
16 I still think wisdom is better than strength. But those people forgot about the poor man's wisdom and stopped listening to what he said.
17 The quiet words of a wise person are better than the shouts of a foolish ruler.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.
- - 1 This, too, I carefully explored - that godly and wise men are in God's will; no one knows whether he will favor them or not. All is chance! 2-3 The same providence confronts everyone, whether good or bad, religious or irreligious, profane or godly. It seems so unfair that one fate comes to all. That is why men are not more careful to be good but instead choose their own mad course, for they have no hope - there is nothing but death ahead anyway.
4 There is hope only for the living. "It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion!" 5 For the living at least know that they will die! But the dead know nothing ; they don't even have their memories.
6 Whatever they did in their lifetimes - loving, hating, envying - is long gone, and they have no part in anything here on earth anymore. 7 So go ahead, eat, drink, and be merry, for it makes no difference to God! 8 Wear fine clothes - with a dash of cologne! 9 Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil. 10 Whatever you do, do well, for in death, where you are going, there is no working or planning, or knowing, or understanding.*
11 Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time. 12 A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare.
13 Here is another thing that has made a deep impression on me as I have watched human affairs: 14 There was a small city with only a few people living in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 There was in the city a wise man, very poor, and he knew what to do to save the city, and so it was rescued. But afterwards no one thought any more about him. 16 Then I realized that though wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, and what he says will not be appreciated. 17 But even so, the quiet words of a wise man are better than the shout of a king of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one rotten apple can spoil a barrelful.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,185
3,3,5,531
4,4,7,730
5,5,9,817
6,6,11,938
7,7,13,1067
8,8,15,1179
9,9,17,1234
10,10,19,1424
11,11,21,1572
12,12,23,1895
13,13,25,2054
14,14,27,2120
15,15,29,2245
16,16,31,2377
17,17,33,2521
18,18,35,2608
1,3,1,1
4,5,3,456
6,10,5,662
11,12,6,1209
13,18,8,1633
SOCIETY ECCLE 9:15-18
Our society honors wealth, attractiveness, and success above wisdom. It is sad to see people trying hard to look important in mankind's eyes while ruining their relationship with God.
ECCLE010
1 Dead flies can make even perfume stink. In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.
2 The heart of the wise leads to right, but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.
3 Even in the way fools walk along the road, they show they are not wise; they show everyone how stupid they are.
4 Don't leave your job just because your boss is angry with you. Remaining calm solves great problems.
5 There is something else wrong that happens here on earth. It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6 Fools are given important positions while gifted people are given lower ones;
7 I have seen servants ride horses while princes walk like servants on foot.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it; anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake;
9 anyone who moves boulders might be hurt by them; and anyone who cuts logs might be harmed by them.
10 A dull ax means harder work. Being wise will make it easier.
11 If a snake bites the tamer before it is tamed, what good is the tamer?
12 The words of the wise bring them praise, but the words of a fool will destroy them.
13 A fool begins by saying foolish things and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.
14 A fool talks too much. No one knows the future, and no one can tell what will happen after death.
15 Work wears fools out; they don't even know how to get home.
16 How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child and whose leaders eat all morning.
17 How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family, whose leaders eat only at mealtime and for strength, not to get drunk.
18 If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall. If he doesn't fix it, the house will leak.
19 A party makes you feel good, wine makes you feel happy, and money buys anything.
20 Don't make fun of the king, and don't make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom. A little bird might carry your words; a bird might fly and tell what you said.
1 Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, a small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man's heart leads him to do right, and a fool's heart leads him to do evil. 3 You can identify a fool just by the way he walks down the street!
4 If the boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit will quiet his bad temper.
5 There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by, a sad situation concerning kings and rulers: 6 For I have seen foolish men given great authority and rich men not given their rightful place of dignity! 7 I have even seen servants riding, while princes walk like servants!
8-9 Dig a well - and fall into it! Demolish an old wall - and be bitten by a snake! When working in a quarry, stones will fall and crush you! There is risk in each stroke of your ax!
10 A dull ax requires great strength; be wise and sharpen the blade.
11 When the horse is stolen, it is too late to lock the barn.
12-13 It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but a fool's speech brings him to ruin. Since he begins with a foolish premise, his conclusion is sheer madness. 14 A fool knows all about the future and tells everyone in detail! But who can really know what is going to happen? 15 A fool is so upset by a little work that he has no strength for the simplest matter.
16-17 Woe to the land whose king is a child and whose leaders are already drunk in the morning. Happy the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders work hard before they feast and drink, and then only to strengthen themselves for the tasks ahead! 18 Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot. 19 A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! 20 Never curse the king, not even in your thoughts, nor the rich man, either; for a little bird will tell them what you've said.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,103
3,3,5,187
4,4,7,305
5,5,9,412
6,6,11,515
7,7,13,599
8,8,15,680
9,9,17,786
10,10,19,891
11,11,21,959
12,12,23,1037
13,13,25,1128
14,14,27,1218
15,15,29,1323
16,16,31,1390
17,17,33,1487
18,18,35,1625
19,19,37,1724
20,20,39,1812
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,273
5,7,5,363
8,9,7,660
10,10,9,846
11,11,11,918
12,15,13,983
16,20,15,1349
MONEY ECCLE 10:19
Government leaders, businesses, families, and even churches get trapped into thinking money is the answer to every problem. But just as the effects of liquor are only temporary, the soothing effect of the last purchase soon wears off, and we have to buy more. Scripture recognizes that money is necessary for survival, but it warns against the love of money (see Matthew 6:24; <%-31 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Money can be dangerous; we use it to deceive ourselves, thinking that wealth is the easiest way to get everything we want. The love of money is sinful because we trust it, rather than God, to solve our problems. Those who pursue money's empty promises will discover one day that they have nothing because they are spiritually bankrupt.
Scrapbook: "Amy: Healing broken friendships " ,!page "amy2" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
ECCLE011
1 Invest what you have, because after a while you will get a return.
2 Invest what you have in several different businesses, because you don't know what disasters might happen.
3 If clouds are full of rain, they will shower on the earth. A tree can fall to the north or south, but it will stay where it falls.
4 Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops.
5 You don't know where the wind will blow, and you don't know how a baby grows inside the mother. In the same way, you don't know what God is doing, or how he created everything.
6 Plant early in the morning, and work until evening, because you don't know if this or that will succeed. They might both do well.
7 Sunshine is sweet; it is good to see the light of day.
8 People ought to enjoy every day of their lives, no matter how long they live. But they should also remember this: You will be dead a long time. Everything that happens then is useless.
9 Young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young; be happy while you are young. Do whatever your heart desires, whatever you want to do. But remember that God will judge you for everything you do.
10 Don't worry, and forget the troubles of your body, because youth and childhood are useless.
1 Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. 2 Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help.
3 When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies. 4 If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
5 God's ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother's womb. 6 Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow - perhaps it all will.
7 It is a wonderful thing to be alive! 8 If a person lives to be very old, let him rejoice in every day of life, but let him also remember that eternity is far longer and that everything down here is futile in comparison.
9 Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it! Do all you want to; take in everything, but realize that you must account to God for everything you do. 10 So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, can make serious mistakes.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,74
3,3,5,186
4,4,7,323
5,5,9,444
6,6,11,627
7,7,13,763
8,8,15,824
9,9,17,1015
10,10,19,1220
1,2,1,1
3,4,3,151
5,6,5,355
7,8,7,624
9,10,9,849
CHOICES ECCLE 11:10
Often people say, It doesn't matter. But many of our choices will be irreversible-they will stay with us for a lifetime. What you do when you're young does matter. Enjoy life now, but don't do anything- physically, morally, or spiritually-that will prevent you from enjoying life when you are old.
I Wonder: Can Christians have fun? ,!page "^W0020" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ECCLE012
1 Remember your Creator while you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years when you say, "I find no pleasure in them."
2 When you get old, the light from the sun, moon, and stars will grow dark; the rain clouds will never seem to go away.
3 At that time your arms will shake and your legs will become weak. Your teeth will fall out so you cannot chew, and your eyes will not see clearly.
4 Your ears will be deaf to the noise in the streets, and you will barely hear the millstone grinding grain. You'll wake up when a bird starts singing, but you will barely hear singing.
5 You will fear high places and will be afraid to go for a walk. Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree. You will limp along like a grasshopper when you walk. Your appetite will be gone. Then you will go to your everlasting home, and people will go to your funeral.
6 Soon your life will snap like a silver chain or break like a golden bowl. You will be like a broken pitcher at a spring, or a broken wheel at a well.
7 You will turn back into the dust of the earth again, but your spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 Everything is useless! The Teacher says that everything is useless.
9 The Teacher was very wise and taught the people what he knew. He very carefully thought about, studied, and set in order many wise teachings.
10 The Teacher looked for just the right words to write what is dependable and true.
11 Words from wise people are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. They are like nails that have been driven in firmly. Altogether they are wise teachings that come from one Shepherd.
12 So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books, and too much study will make you tired.
13 Now, everything has been heard, so I give my final advice: Honor God and obey his commands, because this is all people must do.
1 Don't let the excitement of being young cause you to forget about your Creator. Honor him in your youth before the evil years come - when you'll no longer enjoy living. 2 It will be too late then to try to remember him when the sun and light and moon and stars are dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among your clouds. 3 For there will come a time when your limbs will tremble with age, your strong legs will become weak, and your teeth will be too few to do their work, and there will be blindness too. 4 Then let your lips be tightly closed while eating when your teeth are gone! And you will waken at dawn with the first note of the birds; but you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with quavering voice. 5 You will be afraid of heights and of falling - a white-haired, withered old man, dragging himself along: without sexual desire, standing at death's door, and nearing his everlasting home as the mourners go along the streets.
6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young - before the silver cord of life snaps and the gold bowl is broken; before the pitcher is broken at the fountain and the wheel is broken at the cistern; 7 then the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 All is futile, says the Preacher; utterly futile.
9 But then, because the Preacher was wise, he went on teaching the people all he knew; and he collected proverbs and classified them. 10 For the Preacher was not only a wise man but a good teacher; he not only taught what he knew to the people, but taught them in an interesting manner. 11 The wise man's words are like goads that spur to action. They nail down important truths. Students are wise who master what their teachers tell them.
12 But, my son, be warned: there is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!
13 Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man. 14 For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,140
3,3,5,264
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,607
6,6,11,901
7,7,13,1057
8,8,15,1164
9,9,17,1238
10,10,19,1386
11,11,21,1475
12,12,23,1667
13,13,25,1793
1,5,1,1
6,8,3,964
9,11,5,1316
12,12,7,1759
13,14,9,1900
CURES ECCLE 12:13-14
Solomon presents his antidotes for the two main ailments presented in this book: those who lack purpose and direction in life should respect God and follow his principles for living; those who think life is unfair should remember that God will review every person's life to determine how he or she has responded to him. Have you committed your life to him, both present and future? Does your life measure up to his standards?
Moral Dilemmas: Pleasure ,!page "^M0048" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
VSONGO
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To tell of the love between a bridegroom (King Solomon) and his bride, to affirm the sanctity of marriage, and to picture God's love for his people
AUTHOR:
Solomon
DATE WRITTEN:
Probably early in Solomon's reign
SETTING:
Israel-the Shulamite woman's garden and the king's palace
KEY PEOPLE:
King Solomon, the Shulamite woman, and the daughters of Jerusalem
Check out the words to the top 40 songs, and you'll probably find a sensuous mix of I-got-to-have-you-now lyrics. Check out the supermarket tabloids, and you'll find stories of adultery, divorce, and affairs by an assortment of entertainment figures. The message comes through loud and clear; lust is in, love is out; independence is in, marriage is out. In fact, it seems that commitment has become a dirty word. That's not what God had in mind when he created sex and love, or when he began marriage. Sex is meant to be an exciting, fulfilling physical union of a man and a woman who are protected by the commitment of marriage-not an act of self-gratification. Love is meant to be a self-giving action, not a self-centered emotion. Nowhere are the true meanings of love and sex more beautifully portrayed than in the Song of Solomon. Here we get an intimate glimpse into the personal relationship between the king (Solomon) and his bride. Love, sex, and marriage are celebrated in the context of living the way God designed us to live. Don't fall for cultural lies and myths about love. Read Song of Solomon and commit yourself to living God's way. Believe me, the payoff is terrific!
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
a rea0
SONGO001
A TREAT
1 Solomon's Greatest Song. 2 Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth, because your love is better than wine.
3 The smell of your perfume is pleasant, and your name is pleasant like expensive perfume. That's why the young women love you.
4 Take me with you; let's run together. The king takes me into his rooms. We will rejoice and be happy with you; we praise your love more than wine. With good reason, the young women love you.
5 I'm dark but lovely, women of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Don't look at how dark I am, at how dark the sun has made me. My brothers were angry with me and made me tend the vineyards, so I haven't tended my own vineyard!
7 Tell me, you whom I love, where do you feed your sheep? Where do you let them rest at noon? Why should I look for you near your friend's sheep, like a woman who wears a veil?
8 You are the most beautiful of women. Surely you know to follow the sheep and feed your young goats near the shepherds' tents.
9 My darling, you are like a mare among the king's stallions.
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments, and your neck with jewels.
11 We will make for you gold earrings with silver hooks.
12 The smell of my perfume spreads out to the king on his couch.
13 My lover is like a bag of myrrh that lies all night between my breasts.
14 My lover is like a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En Gedi.
15 My darling, you are beautiful! Oh, you are beautiful, and your eyes are like doves.
16 You are so handsome, my lover, and so pleasant! Our bed is the grass.
17 Cedar trees form our roof; our ceiling is made of juniper wood.
1 This song of songs, more wonderful than any other, was composed by King Solomon:
The Girl:
2 "Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine. 3 How fragrant your cologne, and how great your name! No wonder all the young girls love you! 4 Take me with you; come, let's run!"
The Girl: "The king has brought me into his palace. How happy we will be! Your love is better than wine. No wonder all the young girls love you!"
The Girl: 5 "I am dark but beautiful, O girls of Jerusalem, tanned as the dark tents of Kedar."
King Solomon: "But lovely as the silken tents of Solomon!"
The Girl: 6 "Don't look down on me, you city girls, just because my complexion is so dark - the sun has tanned me. My brothers were angry with me and sent me out into the sun* to tend the vineyards, but see what it has done to me!
The Girl: 7 "Tell me, O one I love, where are you leading your flock today? Where will you be at noon? For I will come and join you there instead of wandering like a vagabond among the flocks of your companions."
King Solomon: 8 "If you don't know, O most beautiful woman in all the world, follow the trail of my flock to the shepherds' tents, and there feed your sheep and their lambs. 9 What a lovely filly you are, my love! 10 How lovely your cheeks are, with your hair falling down upon them! How stately your neck with that long string of jewels. 11 We shall make you gold earrings and silver beads."
The Girl: 12 "The king lies on his bed, enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume. 13 My beloved one is a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts."
King Solomon: 14 "My beloved is a bouquet of flowers in the gardens of Engedi. 15 How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your eyes are soft as doves'. 16 What a lovely, pleasant thing you are, lying here upon the grass, 17 shaded by the cedar trees and firs."
1,2,2,3
3,3,4,114
4,4,6,246
5,5,8,443
6,6,10,550
7,7,12,718
8,8,14,899
9,9,16,1031
10,10,18,1097
11,11,20,1173
12,12,22,1234
13,13,24,1303
14,14,26,1382
15,15,28,1456
16,16,30,1547
17,17,32,1624
1,1,1,1
2,17,3,99
A TREAT SONGO 1:1-4
This vivid description of a love relationship begins with a picture of love itself. Love is sweet, fragrant, happy, and better than wine. We can enjoy love. God created it as a gift to us and a treat for all our senses.
SONGO002
1 I am a rose in the Plain of Sharon, a lily in the valleys.
2 Among the lover is like an apple tree in the woods! I enjoy sitting in his shadow; his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banquet room, and his banner over me is love. 5 Strengthen me with raisins, and refresh me with apples, because I am weak with love. 6 My lover's left hand is under my head, and his right arm holds me tight. 7 Women of Jerusalem, promise me by the gazelles and the deer not to awaken or excite my feelings of love until it is ready. 8 I hear my lover's voice. Here he comes jumping across the mountains, skipping over the hills. 9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young deer. Look, he stands behind our wall peeking through the windows, looking through the blinds. 10 My lover spoke and said to me, "Get up, my darling; let's go away, my beautiful one. 11 Look, the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. 12 Blossoms appear through all the land. The time has come to sing; the cooing of doves is heard in our land. 1
3 There are young figs on the fig trees, and the blossoms on the vines smell sweet. Get up, my darling; let's go away, my beautiful one." 1
4 My beloved is like a dove hiding in the cracks of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff. Show me your face, and let me hear your voice. Your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 1
5 Catch the foxes for us- the little foxes that ruin the vineyards while they are in blossom. 1
6 My lover is mine, and I am his. He feeds among the lilies 1
7 until the day dawns and the shadows disappear. Turn, my lover. Be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountain valleys.
1 The Girl: "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley."
King Solomon: 2 "Yes, a lily among thorns, so is my beloved as compared with any other girls."
The Girl: 3 "My lover is an apple tree, the finest in the orchard as compared with any of the other youths. I am seated in his much-desired shade and his fruit is lovely to eat. 4 He brings me to the banquet hall, and everyone can see how much he loves me. 5 Oh, feed me with your love - your `raisins' and your `apples' - for I am utterly lovesick. 6 His left hand is under my head and with his right hand he embraces me. 7 O girls of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and deer in the park, that you do not awaken my lover. Let him sleep!"
The Girl: 8 "Ah, I hear him - my beloved! Here he comes, leaping upon the mountains and bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or young deer. Look, there he is behind the wall, now looking in at the windows.
10 "My beloved said to me, `Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.
13 The leaves are coming out, and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.'
14 "My dove is hiding behind some rocks, behind an outcrop of the cliff. Call to me and let me hear your lovely voice and see your handsome face.
15 "The little foxes are ruining the vineyards. Catch them, for the grapes are all in blossom.
16 "My beloved is mine and I am his. He is feeding among the lilies! 17 Before the dawn comes and the shadows flee away, come to me, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,66
3,3,5,1031
4,4,7,1174
5,5,9,1369
6,6,11,339
7,7,13,1533
1,9,1,1
10,12,6,949
13,13,8,1180
14,14,9,1318
15,15,11,1467
16,17,13,1565
OVERPOWERED SONGO 2:7
This verse can be more literally translated, O girls of Jerusalem, I adjure you . . . that you stir not up nor awaken love until it please. Feelings of love can create intimacy that overpowers reason. Young people too often are in a hurry to develop an intimate relationship based on their strong feelings. But feelings aren't enough to support a lasting relationship. This verse encourages us not to force romance lest the feelings of love grow faster than the commitment needed to make love last. Patiently wait for feelings of love and commitment to develop together.
SONGO003
1 At night on my bed, I looked for the one I love; I looked for him, but I could not find him.
2 I got up and went around the city, in the streets and squares, looking for the one I love. I looked for him, but I could not find him.
3 The watchmen found me as they patrolled the city, so I asked, "Have you seen the one I love?"
4 As soon as I had left them, I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother's house, to the room where I was born.
5 Women of Jerusalem, promise me by the gazelles and the deer not to awaken or excite my feelings of love until it is ready.
6 Who is this coming out of the desert like a cloud of smoke? Who is this that smells like myrrh, incense, and other spices?
7 Look, it's Solomon's couch with sixty soldiers around it, the finest soldiers of Israel.
8 These soldiers all carry swords and have been trained in war. Every man wears a sword at his side and is ready for the dangers of the night.
9 King Solomon had a couch made for himself of wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver and its braces of gold. The seat was covered with purple cloth that the women of Jerusalem wove with love.
11 Women of Jerusalem, go out and see King Solomon. He is wearing the crown his mother put on his head on his wedding day, when his heart was happy!
1 The Girl: "One night my lover was missing from my bed. I got up to look for him but couldn't find him. 2 I went out into the streets of the city and the roads to seek him, but I searched in vain. 3 The police stopped me, and I said to them, `Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?' 4 It was only a little while afterwards that I found him and held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my childhood home, into my mother's old bedroom. 5 I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and deer of the park, not to awake my lover. Let him sleep."
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 6 "Who is this sweeping in from the deserts like a cloud of smoke along the ground, smelling of myrrh and frankincense and every other spice that can be bought? 7 Look, it is the chariot of Solomon with sixty of the mightiest men of his army surrounding it. 8 They are all skilled swordsmen and experienced bodyguards. Each one has his sword upon his thigh to defend his king against any onslaught in the night. 9 For King Solomon made himself a chariot from the wood of Lebanon. 10 Its posts are silver, its canopy gold, the seat is purple; and the back is inlaid with these words: `With love from the girls of Jerusalem!' "
The Girl: 11 "Go out and see King Solomon, O young women of Zion; see the crown with which his mother crowned him on his wedding day, his day of gladness."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,100
3,3,5,241
4,4,7,341
5,5,9,507
6,6,11,636
7,7,13,765
8,8,15,860
9,9,17,1007
10,10,19,1077
11,11,21,1219
1,11,1,1
SONGO004
1 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are like doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are white like newly sheared sheep just coming from their bath. Each one has a twin, and none of them is missing.
3 Your lips are like red silk thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks behind your veil are like slices of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like David's tower, built with rows of stones. A thousand shields hang on its walls; each shield belongs to a strong soldier.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns, like twins of a gazelle, feeding among the lilies.
6 Until the day dawns and the shadows disappear, I will go to that mountain of myrrh and to that hill of incense.
7 My darling, everything about you is beautiful, and there is nothing at all wrong with you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. Come with me from Lebanon, from the top of Mount Amana, from the tops of Mount Senir and Mount Hermon. Come from the lions' dens and from the leopards' hills.
9 My sister, my bride, you have thrilled my heart; you have thrilled my heart with a glance of your eyes, with one sparkle from your necklace.
10 Your love is so sweet, my sister, my bride. Your love is better than wine, and your perfume smells better than any spice.
11 My bride, your lips drip honey; honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes smell like the cedars of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, you are like a garden locked up, like a walled-in spring, a closed-up fountain.
13 Your limbs are like an orchard of pomegranates with all the best fruit, filled with flowers and nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus, and cinnamon, with trees of incense, myrrh, and aloes- all the best spices.
15 You are like a garden fountain- a well of fresh water flowing down from the mountains of Lebanon.
16 Awake, north wind. Come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and let its sweet smells flow out. Let my lover enter the garden and eat its best fruits.
1 King Solomon: "How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your eyes are those of doves. Your hair falls across your face like flocks of goats that frisk across the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are white as sheep's wool, newly shorn and washed; perfectly matched, without one missing. 3 Your lips are like a thread of scarlet - and how beautiful your mouth. Your cheeks are matched loveliness behind your locks.* 4 Your neck is stately as the tower of David, jeweled with a thousand heroes' shields. 5 Your breasts are like twin fawns of a gazelle, feeding among the lilies. 6 Until the morning dawns and the shadows flee away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. 7 You are so beautiful, my love, in every part of you.
8 "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. We will look down from the summit of the mountain, from the top of Mount Hermon, where the lions have their dens and panthers prowl. 9 You have ravished my heart, my lovely one, my bride; I am overcome by one glance of your eyes, by a single bead of your necklace. 10 How sweet is your love, my darling, my bride. How much better it is than mere wine. The perfume of your love is more fragrant than all the richest spices. 11 Your lips, my dear, are made of honey. Yes, honey and cream are under your tongue, and the scent of your garments is like the scent of the mountains and cedars of Lebanon.
12 "My darling bride is like a private garden, a spring that no one else can have, a fountain of my own. 13-14 You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, with the rarest of perfumes; nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, and perfume from every other incense tree, as well as myrrh and aloes, and every other lovely spice. 15 You are a garden fountain, a well of living water, refreshing as the streams from the Lebanon mountains."
The Girl: 16 "Come, north wind, awaken; come, south wind, blow upon my garden and waft its lovely perfume to my beloved. Let him come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,172
3,3,5,303
4,4,7,434
5,5,9,579
6,6,11,669
7,7,13,787
8,8,15,884
9,9,17,1086
10,10,19,1233
11,11,21,1362
12,12,23,1486
13,13,25,1594
14,14,27,1703
15,15,29,1813
16,16,31,1918
1,7,1,1
8,11,3,764
12,16,5,1405
SEX SONGO 4:12
In comparing his bride to a private garden, Solomon was praising her virginity. Virginity, considered old- fashioned by many people today, has always beenGod's plan for unmarried people-and with good reason. Sex without marriage is cheap. It cannot compare with the joy of giving yourself completely to the one who is totally committed to you.
Moral Dilemmas: Virginity ,!page "^M0071" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
SONGO005
1 I have entered my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey. I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends, and drink; yes, drink deeply, lovers.
2 I sleep, but my heart is awake. I hear my lover knocking. "Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is wet with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night."
3 I have taken off my garment and don't want to put it on again. I have washed my feet and don't want to get them dirty again.
4 My lover put his hand through the opening, and I felt excited inside.
5 I got up to open the door for my lover. Myrrh was dripping from my hands and flowing from my fingers, onto the handles of the lock.
6 I opened the door for my lover, but my lover had left and was gone. When he spoke, he took my breath away. I looked for him, but I could not find him; I called for him, but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen found me as they patrolled the city. They hit me and hurt me; the guards on the wall took away my veil.
8 Promise me, women of Jerusalem, if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
9 How is your lover better than other lovers, most beautiful of women? How is your lover better than other lovers? Why do you want us to promise this?
10 My lover is healthy and tan, the best of ten thousand men.
11 His head is like the finest gold; his hair is wavy and black like a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves by springs of water. They seem to be bathed in cream and are set like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices; they smell like mounds of perfume. His lips are like lilies flowing with myrrh.
14 His hands are like gold hinges, filled with jewels. His body is like shiny ivory covered with sapphires.
15 His legs are like large marble posts, standing on bases of fine gold. He is like a cedar of Lebanon, like the finest of the trees.
16 His mouth is sweet to kiss, and I desire him very much. Yes, daughters of Jerusalem, this is my lover and my friend.
1 King Solomon: "I am here in my garden, my darling, my bride! I gather my myrrh with my spices and eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk."
The Young Women of Jerusalem: "Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply!"
The Girl: 2 "One night as I was sleeping, my heart awakened in a dream. I heard the voice of my beloved; he was knocking at my bedroom door. `Open to me, my darling, my lover, my lovely dove,' he said, `for I have been out in the night and am covered with dew.'
3 "But I said, `I have disrobed. Shall I get dressed again? I have washed my feet, and should I get them soiled?'
4 "My beloved tried to unlatch the door, and my heart was thrilled within me. 5 I jumped up to open it, and my hands dripped with perfume, my fingers with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved, but he was gone. My heart stopped. I searched for him but couldn't find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. 7 The guards found me and struck and wounded me. The watchman on the wall tore off my veil. 8 I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved one, tell him that I am sick with love."
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 9 "O woman of rare beauty, what is it about your loved one that is better than any other, that you command us this?"
The Girl: 10 "My beloved one is tanned and handsome, better than ten thousand others! 11 His head is purest gold, and he has wavy, raven hair. 12 His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, deep and quiet. 13 His cheeks are like sweetly scented beds of spices. His lips are perfumed lilies, his breath like myrrh. 14 His arms are round bars of gold set with topaz; his body is bright ivory encrusted with jewels. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble set in sockets of finest gold, like cedars of Lebanon; none can rival him. 16 His mouth is altogether sweet, lovable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my beloved, my friend."
1,2,1,1
3,3,4,526
4,16,5,641
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,220
3,3,5,415
4,4,7,546
5,5,9,622
6,6,11,760
7,7,13,958
8,8,15,1081
9,9,17,1171
10,10,19,1326
11,11,21,1392
12,12,23,1474
13,13,25,1583
14,14,27,1706
15,15,29,1818
16,16,31,1956
SONGO006
1 Where has your lover gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your lover turn? We will look for him with you.
2 My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies.
3 I belong to my lover, and my lover belongs to me. He feeds among the lilies.
4 My darling, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah, as lovely as the city of Jerusalem, like an army flying flags.
5 Turn your eyes from me, because they excite me too much. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are white like sheep just coming from their bath; each one has a twin, and none of them is missing.
7 Your cheeks behind your veil are like slices of a pomegranate.
8 There may be sixty queens and eighty slave women and so many girls you cannot count them,
9 but there is only one like my dove, my perfect one. She is her mother's only daughter, the brightest of the one who gave her birth. The young women saw her and called her happy; the queens and the slave women also praised her.
10 Who is that young woman that shines out like the dawn? She is as pretty as the moon, as bright as the sun, as wonderful as an army flying flags.
11 I went down into the orchard of nut trees to see the blossoms of the valley, to look for buds on the vines, to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.
12 Before I realized it, my desire for you made me feel like a prince in a chariot.
13 Come back, come back, woman of Shulam. Come back, come back, so we may look at you! Why do you want to look at the woman of Shulam as you would at the dance of two armies?
1 The Young Women of Jerusalem: "O rarest of beautiful women, where has your loved one gone? We will help you find him."
The Girl: 2 "He has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to pasture his flock and to gather the lilies. 3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. He pastures his flock among the lilies!"
King Solomon: 4 "O my beloved, you are as beautiful as the lovely land of Tirzah, yes, beautiful as Jerusalem, and how you capture my heart.
5 Look the other way, for your eyes have overcome me! Your hair, as it falls across your face, is like a flock of goats frisking down the slopes of Gilead. 6 Your teeth are white as freshly washed ewes, perfectly matched and not one missing. 7 Your cheeks are matched loveliness behind your hair. 8 I have sixty other wives, all queens, and eighty concubines, and unnumbered virgins available to me; 9 but you, my dove, my perfect one, are the only one among them all, without an equal! The women of Jerusalem were delighted when they saw you, and even the queens and concubines praise you. 10 `Who is this,' they ask, `arising as the dawn, fair as the moon, pure as the sun, so utterly captivating?'"
The Girl: 11 "I went down into the orchard of nuts and out to the valley to see the springtime there, to see whether the grapevines were budding or the pomegranates were blossoming yet. 12 Before I realized it, I was stricken with terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people."
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 13 "Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you once again."
The Girl: "Why should you seek a mere Shulammite?"
King Solomon: "Because you dance so beautifully."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,233
4,4,7,316
5,5,9,441
6,6,11,568
7,7,13,685
8,8,15,754
9,9,17,850
10,10,19,1083
11,11,21,1235
12,12,23,1395
13,13,25,1483
1,4,1,1
5,13,5,472
hat 0`
SONGO007
1 Your feet are beautiful in sandals, you daughter of a prince. Your round thighs are like jewels shaped by an artist.
2 Your navel is like a round drinking cup always filled with wine. Your stomach is like a pile of wheat surrounded with lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns, like twins of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon near the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the mountain of Lebanon that looks down on Damascus.
5 Your head is like Mount Carmel, and your hair is like purple cloth; the king is captured in its folds.
6 You are beautiful and pleasant; my love, you are full of delights.
7 You are tall like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its bunches of fruit.
8 I said, "I will climb up the palm tree and take hold of its fruit." Let your breasts be like bunches of grapes, the smell of your breath like apples,
9 and your mouth like the best wine. Let this wine go down sweetly for my lover; may it flow gently past the lips and teeth.
10 I belong to my lover, and he desires only me.
11 Come, my lover, let's go out into the country and spend the night in the fields.
12 Let's go early to the vineyards and see if the buds are on the vines. Let's see if the blossoms have already opened and if the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrake flowers give their sweet smell, and all the best fruits are at our gates. I have saved them for you, my lover, the old delights and the new.
1 King Solomon: "How beautiful your tripping feet, O queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the most skilled of craftsmen. 2 Your navel is lovely as a goblet filled with wine. Your waist is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies. 3 Your two breasts are like two fawns, yes, lovely twins.
4 Your neck is stately as an ivory tower, your eyes as limpid pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is shapely like the tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus.
5 "As Mount Carmel crowns the mountains, so your hair is your crown. The king is held captive in your queenly tresses.
6 "Oh, how delightful you are; how pleasant, O love, for utter delight! 7 You are tall and slim like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters of dates. 8 I said, I will climb up into the palm tree and take hold of its branches. Now may your breasts be like grape clusters, the scent of your breath like apples, 9 and your kisses as exciting as the best of wine, smooth and sweet, causing the lips of those who are asleep to speak."
The Girl: 10 "I am my beloved's and I am the one he desires. 11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields and stay in the villages. 12 Let us get up early and go out to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates are in flower. And there I will give you my love. 13 There the mandrakes give forth their fragrance, and the rarest fruits are at our doors, the new as well as old, for I have stored them up for my beloved."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,256
4,4,7,320
5,5,9,501
6,6,11,610
7,7,13,683
8,8,15,768
9,9,17,924
10,10,19,1053
11,11,21,1106
12,12,23,1194
13,13,25,1386
1,3,1,1
4,4,3,324
5,5,5,503
6,13,7,625
MORE LOVE SONGO 7:1-13
As a marriage matures, there should be more love and freedom between marriage partners. It is good and healthy for a married couple to enjoy and appreciate each other's bodies. When marriage partners are secure in their love and relationship, they find the freedom to initiate and enjoy acts of love. As you grow in your relationships to the opposite sex, remember that God knows what he is doing where love and sex are concerned. Don't accept anything less than the kind of love he wants for you: the secure, freeing, wonderful love that you will find only in marriage.
SONGO008
1 I wish you were like my brother who fed at my mother's breasts. If I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would look down on me.
2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house; she is the one who taught me. I would give you a drink of spiced wine from my pomegranates.
3 My lover's left hand is under my head, and his right arm holds me tight.
4 Women of Jerusalem, promise not to awaken or excite my feelings of love until it is ready.
5 Who is this coming out of the desert, leaning on her lover? I woke you under the apple tree where you were born; there your mother gave birth to you.
6 Put me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. Love is as strong as death; jealousy is as strong as the grave. Love bursts into flames and burns like a hot fire.
7 Even much water cannot put out the flame of love; floods cannot drown love. If a man offered everything in his house for love, people would totally reject it.
8 We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What should we do for our sister on the day she becomes engaged?
9 If she is a wall, we will put silver towers on her. If she is a door, we will protect her with cedar boards.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So I was to him, as one who brings happiness.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He rented the vineyards for others to tend, and everyone who rented had to pay twenty-five pounds of silver for the fruit.
12 But my own vineyard is mine to give. Solomon, the twenty-five pounds of silver are for you, and five pounds are for those who tend the fruit.
13 You who live in the gardens, my friends are listening for your voice; let me hear it.
1 The Girl: "Oh, if only you were my brother; then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would laugh at me. 2 I would bring you to my childhood home, and there you would teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, sweet pomegranate wine. 3 His left hand would be under my head and his right hand would embrace me. 4 I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken him until he please."
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 5 "Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved?"
King Solomon: "Under the apple tree where your mother gave birth to you in her travail, there I awakened your love."
The Girl: 6 "Seal me in your heart with permanent betrothal, for love is strong as death, and jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. It flashes fire, the very flame of Jehovah. 7 Many waters cannot quench the flame of love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man tried to buy it with everything he owned, he couldn't do it."
The Girl's Brothers: 8 "We have a little sister too young for breasts. What shall we do if someone asks to marry her?"
King Solomon: 9 "If she has no breasts, we will build upon her a battlement of silver, and if she is a door, we will enclose her with cedar boards.
The Girl: 10 "I am slim, tall, and full-breasted,* and I have found favor in my lover's eyes. 11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon, which he rented out to some farmers there, the rent being one thousand pieces of silver from each. 12 But as for my own vineyard, you, O Solomon, shall have my thousand pieces of silver, and I will give two hundred pieces to those who care for it. 13 O my beloved, living in the gardens, how wonderful that your companions may listen to your voice; let me hear it too. 14 Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or young deer upon the mountains of spices."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,147
3,3,5,298
4,4,7,377
5,5,9,474
6,6,11,630
7,7,13,810
8,8,15,975
9,9,17,1106
10,10,19,1221
11,11,21,1319
12,12,23,1487
13,13,25,1636
1,14,1,1
PRICELESS SONGO 8:6-7
In this final description of their love, the girl includes some of its significant characteristics (see also 1 Corinthians 13). Love is as strong as death; it cannot be killed by time or disaster; and it cannot be bought for any price because it is freely given. Love is priceless, and even the richest king cannot buy it. It must be accepted as a gift from God and then shared within the guidelines God provides.
WALL OR DOOR SONGO 8:8-9
The girl is reflecting on the days when she was younger and under the care of her brothers who wondered how to help her prepare for marriage. They decided that if she was like a wall, standing firm against sexual temptation, they would praise her. But if she was like a door, open to immorality, they would take steps to guard her from doing something foolish. In 8:10, she testifies that she has been like a wall, and thus has found favor in Solomon's eyes.
VISAIA
false
isfirst
PURPOSE:
To call the nation of Judah back to God and to tell of God's salvation through the Messiah
AUTHOR:
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amaz
DATE WRITTEN:
The events of chapters 1-39 occurred during Isaiah's ministry, so they were probably written about 700 B.C. Chapters 40-66, however, may have been written near the end of his life, about 681 B.C.
SETTING:
Isaiah is speaking and writing mainly in Jerusalem
KEY PEOPLE:
Isaiah, his two sons Shear-Jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The book of Isaiah contains both prose and poetry and uses personification (attributing personal qualities to divine beings or inanimate objects). Also, many of the prophecies in Isaiah contain predictions that foretell both a soon-to-occur event and a distant, future event at the same time.
Slowly, on shaky legs, Matt walked to the front of the room, the fluttering in his stomach growing with every step. As he turned to face the class he was sure everyone could hear the relentless pounding of his heart. Wiping his sweat-moistened palms on his pants, he pulled out his note cards and began to speak. Stage fright. We know it all too well. According to many studies, the greatest fear most people have is doing what Matt did . . . giving a speech. You're in front of everyone, exposed and vulnerable-and the pressure can be incredible. Now, if you think that's tough, imagine being a prophet. Not only would you have to speak in public, but usually the messages you would have to give would not be what people want to hear. As a prophet, you would have to speak of sin, judgment, and changes that had to be made. And often you would have to confront kings, men who could pronounce the death sentence on a whim. Sometimes, to really make a point, you would have to act out your messages. That wouldn't be too much fun either, but true prophets spoke out for God, regardless of how they felt. Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived, and the book of Isaiah contains his messages. In this book, you'll see Isaiah in action as he stays close to God and speaks to the people. That takes courage! As you read, listen to God's word for you, and determine to be a person of courage, too, faithfully taking God's message wherever he sends you.
1,1,1,1
1,1,1,1
ISAIA001
1 This is the vision Isaiah son of Amoz saw about what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw these things while Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
2 Heaven and earth, listen, because the LORD is speaking: "I raised my children and helped them grow up, but they have turned against me.
3 An ox knows its master, and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it, but the people of Israel do not know me; my people do not understand."
4 How terrible! Israel is a nation of sin, a people loaded down with guilt, a group of children doing evil, children who are full of evil. They have left the LORD; they hate God, the Holy One of Israel, and have turned away from him as if he were a stranger.%
5 Why should you continue to be punished? Why do you continue to turn against him? Your whole head is hurt, and your whole heart is sick.
6 There is no healthy spot from the bottom of your foot to the top of your head; you are covered with wounds, hurts, and open sores that are not cleaned and covered, and no medicine takes away the pain.
7 Your land is ruined; your cities have been burned with fire. While you watch, your enemies are stealing everything from your land; it is ruined like a country destroyed by enemies.
8 Jerusalem is left alone like an empty shelter in a vineyard, like a hut left in a field of melons, like a city surrounded by enemies.
9 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL allowed a few of our people to live. Otherwise we would have been completely destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
10 Jerusalem, your rulers are like those of Sodom, and your people are like those of Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD; listen to the teaching of our God!
11 The LORD says, "I do not want all these sacrifices. I have had enough of your burnt sacrifices of male sheep and fat from fine animals. I am not pleased by the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 You come to meet with me, but who asked you to do all this running in and out of my Temple's rooms?
13 Don't continue bringing me worthless sacrifices! I hate the incense you burn. I can't stand your New Moons, Sabbaths, and other feast days; I can't stand the evil you do in your holy meetings.
14 I hate your New Moon feasts and your other yearly feasts. They have become a heavy weight on me, and I am tired of carrying it.
15 When you raise your arms to me in prayer, I will refuse to look at you. Even if you say many prayers, I will not listen to you, because your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Stop doing the evil things I see you do. Stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Punish those who hurt others. Help the orphans. Stand up for the rights of widows."
18 The LORD says, "Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool.
19 If you become willing and obey me, you will eat good crops from the land.
20 But if you refuse to obey and if you turn against me, you will be destroyed by your enemies' swords." The LORD himself said these things.
21 The city of Jerusalem once followed the LORD, but she is no longer loyal to him. She used to be filled with fairness; people there lived the way God wanted. But now, murderers live there.
22 Jerusalem, you have become like the scum left when silver is purified; you are like wine mixed with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. They all accept money for doing wrong, and they are paid to cheat people. They don't seek justice for the orphans or kisten to the widows' needs.
24 So the Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL, the Mighty One of Israel, says: "You, my enemies, will not cause me any more trouble. I will pay you back for what you did.
25 I will turn against you and clean away all your wrongs as if with soap; I will take all the worthless things out of you.
26 I will bring back judges as you had long ago; your counselors will be like those you had in the beginning. Then you will be called the City That Is Right with God, the Loyal City."
27 By doing what is fair, Jerusalem will be free again. By doing what is right, her people who come back to the LORD will have freedom.
28 But sinners and those who turn against him will be destroyed; those who have left the LORD will die.
29 "You will be ashamed, because you have worshiped gods under the oak trees. You will be disgraced, because you have worshiped idols in your gardens.
30 You will be like an oak whose leaves are dying or like a garden without water.
31 Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood, and their works will be like sparks. They will burn together, and no one will be able to put out that fire."
1These are the messages that came to Isaiah, son of Amoz, in the visions he saw during the reigns of King Uzziah, King Jotham, King Ahaz, and King Hezekiah - all kings of Judah. In these messages God showed him what was going to happen to Judah and Jerusalem in the days ahead.
2 Listen, O heaven and earth, to what the Lord is saying:
The children I raised and cared for so long and tenderly have turned against me. 3 Even the animals - the donkey and the ox - know their owner and appreciate his care for them, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still don't care.
4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are! They walk bent-backed beneath their load of guilt. Their fathers before them were evil too. Born to be bad, they have turned their backs upon the Lord and have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have cut themselves off from his help.
5-6 Oh, my people, haven't you had enough of punishment? Why will you force me to whip you again and again? Must you forever rebel? From head to foot you are sick and weak and faint, covered with bruises and welts and infected wounds, unanointed and unbound. 7 Your country lies in ruins; your cities are burned; while you watch, foreigners are destroying and plundering everything they see. 8 You stand there helpless and abandoned like a watchman's shanty in the field when the harvesttime is over - or when the crop is stripped and robbed.
9 If the Lord Almighty had not stepped in to save a few of us, we would have been wiped out as Sodom and Gomorrah were. 10 An apt comparison! Listen, you leaders of Israel, you men of Sodom and Gomorrah, as I call you now. Listen to the Lord. Hear what he is telling you! 11 I am sick of your sacrifices. Don't bring me any more of them. I don't want your fat rams; I don't want to see the blood from your offerings. 12-13 Who wants your sacrifices when you have no sorrow for your sins? The incense you bring me is a stench in my nostrils. Your holy celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath, and your special days for fasting - even your most pious meetings - all are frauds! I want nothing more to do with them. 14 I hate them all; I can't stand the sight of them. 15 From now on, when you pray with your hands stretched out to heaven, I won't look or listen. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are those of murderers; they are covered with the blood of your innocent victims.
16 Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. 17 Learn to do good, to be fair and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows.
18 Come, let's talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool! 19 If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich! 20 But if you keep on turning your backs and refusing to listen to me, you will be killed by your enemies; I, the Lord, have spoken.
21 Jerusalem, once a faithful wife! And now a prostitute! Running after other gods! Once "The City of Fair Play," but now a gang of murderers. 22 Once like sterling silver; now mixed with worthless alloy! Once so pure, but now diluted like watered-down wine! 23 Your leaders are rebels, companions of thieves; all of them take bribes and won't defend the widows and orphans. 24 Therefore the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel, says: I will pour out my anger on you, my enemies! 25 I myself will melt you in a smelting pot and skim off your slag.
26 And afterwards I will give you good judges and wise counselors like those you used to have. Then your city shall again be called "The City of Justice" and "The Faithful Town."
27 Those who return to the Lord, who are just and good, shall be redeemed. 28 (But all sinners shall utterly perish, for they refuse to come to me.) 29 Shame will cover you, and you will blush to think of all those times you sacrificed to idols in your groves of "sacred" oaks. 30 You will perish like a withered tree or a garden without water. 31 The strongest among you will disappear like burning straw; your evil deeds are the spark that sets the straw on fire, and no one will be able to put it out.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,186
3,3,5,332
4,4,7,478
5,5,9,747
6,6,11,890
7,7,13,1101
8,8,15,1297
9,9,17,1438
10,10,19,1596
11,11,21,1759
12,12,23,1961
13,13,25,2073
14,14,27,2278
15,15,29,2413
16,16,31,2588
17,17,33,2702
18,18,35,2826
19,19,37,3014
20,20,39,3095
21,21,41,3247
22,22,43,3445
23,23,45,3560
24,24,47,3767
25,25,49,3929
26,26,51,4059
27,27,53,4250
28,28,55,4390
29,29,57,4498
30,30,59,4654
31,31,61,4740
1,1,1,1
2,3,3,283
4,4,6,601
5,8,8,878
9,15,10,1424
16,17,12,2442
18,20,14,2638
21,25,16,3087
26,26,18,3633
27,31,20,3815
CUT OFF ISAIA 1:4-9
As long as the people of Judah continued to sin, they cut themselves off from God's help. Has sin ever made you feel lonely and separated from God? Remember, God does not abandon you-it is your sin that cuts you off from him. The only sure cure for this kind of loneliness is to restore a meaningful relationship with God by confessing your sin, obeying his instructions, and communicating regularly with him (see Psalm 140:13; Isaiah 1:16-19; 1 John 1:9).
STAINS ISAIA 1:18
A deep stain is virtually impossible to remove from clothing; the stain of sin seems equally permanent. But God can remove the stain of sin from our lives just as he promised to do for the Israelites. We don't have to go through life permanently soiled. Through prayer we can be assured that Christ has forgiven our worst sins and removed our most indelible stains (Psalm 51:1-7).
Moral Dilemmas: So Religious ,!page "^M0063" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ISAIA002
TRUST
1 Isaiah son of Amoz saw this message about Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days the mountain on which the LORD' s Temple stands will become the most important of all mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and people from all nations will come streaming to it.
3 Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. Then God will teach us his ways, and we will obey his teachings." His teachings will go out from Jerusalem; the message of the LORD will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will settle arguments among the nations and will make decisions for many nations. Then they will make their swords into plows and their spears into hooks for trimming trees. Nations will no longer fight other nations, nor will they train for war anymore.
5 Come, family of Jacob, and let us follow the way of the LORD.
6 LORD, you have left your people, the family of Jacob, because they have become filled with wrong ideas from people in the East. They try to tell the future like the Philistines, and they have completely accepted those foreign ideas.
7 Their land has been filled with silver and gold; there are a great many treasures there. Their land has been filled with horses; there are many chariots there.
8 Their land is full of idols. The people worship these idols they made with their own hands and shaped with their own fingers.
9 People will not be proud any longer but will bow low with shame. God, do not forgive them.
10 Go into the caves of the cliffs; dig holes and hide in the ground from the anger of the LORD and from his great power!
11 Proud people will be made humble, and they will bow low with shame. At that time only the LORD will still be praised.
12 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL has a certain day planned when he will punish the proud and those who brag, and they will no longer be important.
13 He will bring down the tall cedar trees from Lebanon and the great oak trees of Bashan,
14 all the tall mountains and the high hills,
15 every tall tower and every high, strong wall,
16 all the trading ships and the beautiful ships.
17 At that time proud people will be made humble, and they will bow low with shame. At that time only the LORD will be praised,
18 but all the idols will be gone.
19 People will run to caves in the rocky cliffs and will dig holes and hide in the ground from the anger of the LORD and his great power, when he stands to shake the earth.
20 At that time people will throw away their gold and silver idols, which they made for themselves to worship; they will throw them away to the bats and moles.
21 Then the people will hide in caves and cracks in the rocks from the anger of the LORD and his great power, when he stands to shake the earth.
22 You should stop trusting in people to save you, because people are only human; they aren't able to help you.
w w 1This is another message to Isaiah from the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord will become the world's greatest attraction, and people from many lands will flow there to worship the Lord.
3 "Come," everyone will say, "let us go up the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel; there he will teach us his laws, and we will obey them." For in those days the world will be ruled from Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will settle international disputes; all the nations will convert their weapons of war into implements of peace.
Then at the last all wars will stop and all military training will end. 5 O Israel, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord and be obedient to his laws!
6 The Lord has rejected you because you welcome foreigners from the East who practice magic and communicate with evil spirits, as the Philistines do.
7 Israel has vast treasures of silver and gold, and great numbers of horses and chariots 8 and idols - the land is full of them! They are man-made, and yet you worship them! 9 Small and great, all bow before them; God will not forgive you for this sin.
10 Crawl into the caves in the rocks and hide in terror from his glorious majesty, 11 for the day is coming when your proud looks will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted. 12 On that day the Lord Almighty will move against the proud and haughty and bring them to the dust. 13 All the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks of Bashan shall bend low, 14 and all the high mountains and hills, 15 and every high tower and wall, 16 and all the proud ocean ships and trim harbor craft - all shall be crushed before the Lord that day. 17 All the glory of mankind will bow low; the pride of men will lie in the dust, and the Lord alone will be exalted. 18 And all idols will be utterly abolished and destroyed.
19 When the Lord stands up from his throne to shake up the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into the holes in the rocks and into the caves because of the glory of his majesty. 20 Then at last they will abandon their gold and silver idols to the moles and bats 21 and crawl into the caverns to hide among the jagged rocks at the tops of the cliffs, to try to get away from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth. 22 Puny man! Frail as his breath! Don't ever put your trust in him!
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,70
3,3,5,280
4,4,7,563
5,5,9,831
6,6,11,899
7,7,13,1141
8,8,15,1309
9,9,17,1447
10,10,19,1546
11,11,21,1677
12,12,23,1804
13,13,25,1948
14,14,27,2048
15,15,29,2099
16,16,31,2153
17,17,33,2207
18,18,35,2342
19,19,37,2381
20,20,39,2562
21,21,41,2730
22,22,43,2884
1,1,1,1
2,2,2,84
3,5,4,252
6,6,7,755
7,9,9,908
10,18,11,1164
19,22,13,1889
TRUST ISAIA 2:22
People are puny compared to God. They are undependable, sinful, and mortal. Often we trust human beings with our lives and our futures instead of trusting the all-knowing God. Beware of people who want you to trust them instead of God. Remember that only God is completely reliable, because only God loves us with an eternal love (Psalm 100:5).
ISAIA003
1 Understand this: The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL will take away everything Judah and Jerusalem need- all the food and water,
2 the heroes and great soldiers, the judges and prophets, people who do magic and older leaders,
3 the military leaders and government leaders, the counselors, the skilled craftsmen, and those who try to tell the future.
4 The LORD says, "I will cause young boys to be your leaders, and foolish children will rule over you.
5 People will be against each other; everyone will be against his neighbor. Young people will not respect older people, and common people will not respect important people."
6 At that time a man will grab one of his brothers from his own family and say, "You have a coat, so you will be our leader. These ruins will be under your control."
7 But that brother will stand up and say, "I cannot help you, because I do not have food or clothes in my house. You will not make me your leader."
8 This will happen because Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen. The things they say and do are against the LORD; they turn against him.
9 The look on their faces shows they are guilty; like the people of Sodom, they are proud of their sin. They don't care who sees it. How terrible it will be for them, because they have brought much trouble on themselves.
10 Tell those who do what is right that things will go well for them, because they will receive a reward for what they do.
11 But how terrible it will be for the wicked! They will be punished for all the wrong they have done.
12 Children treat my people cruelly, and women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you in the wrong way and turn you away from what is right.
13 The LORD takes his place in court and stands to judge the people.
14 The LORD presents his case against the older leaders and other leaders of his people: "You have burned the vineyard. Your houses are full of what you took from the poor.
15 What gives you the right to crush my people and grind the faces of the poor into the dirt?" The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL says this.
16 The LORD says, "The women of Jerusalem are proud. They walk around with their heads held high, and they flirt with their eyes. They take quick, short steps, making noise with their ankle bracelets."
17 So the Lord will put sores on the heads of those women in Jerusalem, and he will make them lose their hair.
18 At that time the Lord will take away everything that makes them proud: their beautiful ankle bracelets, their headbands, their necklaces shaped like the moon,
19 their earrings, bracelets, and veils,
20 their scarves, ankle chains, the cloth belts worn around their waists, their bottles of perfume, and charms,
21 their signet rings, nose rings,
22 their fine robes, capes, shawls, and purses,
23 their mirrors, linen dresses, turbans, and long shawls.
24 Instead of wearing sweet-smelling perfume, they will stink. Instead of fine cloth belts, they will wear the ropes of captives. Instead of having their hair fixed in fancy ways, they will be bald. Instead of fine clothes, they will wear clothes of sadness. Instead of being beautiful, they will wear the brand of a captive.
25 At that time your men will be killed with swords, and your heroes will die in war.
26 There will be crying and sadness near the city gates. Jerusalem will be like a woman who has lost everything and sits on the ground.
1The Lord will cut off Jerusalem's and Judah's food and water supplies 2 and kill her leaders; he will destroy her armies, judges, prophets, elders, 3 army officers, businessmen, lawyers, magicians, and politicians. 4 Israel's kings will be like babies, ruling childishly. 5 And the worst sort of anarchy will prevail - everyone stepping on someone else, neighbors fighting neighbors, youths revolting against authority, criminals sneering at honorable men.
6 In those days a man will say to his brother, "You have some extra clothing, so you be our king and take care of this mess."
7 "No!" he will reply. "I cannot be of any help! I have no extra food or clothes. Don't get me involved!"
8 Israel's civil government will be in utter ruin because the Jews have spoken out against their Lord and will not worship him; they offend his glory. 9 The very look on their faces gives them away and shows their guilt. And they boast that their sin is equal to the sin of Sodom; they are not even ashamed. What a catastrophe! They have doomed themselves.
10 But all is well for the godly man. Tell him, "What a reward you are going to get!" 11 But say to the wicked, "Your doom is sure. You too shall get your just deserts. Your well-earned punishment is on the way."
12 O my people! Can't you see what fools your rulers are? Weak as women! Foolish as little children playing king. True leaders? No, misleaders! Leading you down the garden path to destruction.
13 The Lord stands up! He is the great Prosecuting Attorney presenting his case against his people! 14 First to feel his wrath will be the elders and the princes, for they have defrauded the poor. They have filled their barns with grain extorted from the helpless peasants.
15 "How dare you grind my people in the dust like that?" the Lord Almighty will demand of them.
16 Next he will judge the haughty Jewish women, who mince along, noses in the air, tinkling bracelets on their ankles, with wanton eyes that rove among the crowds to catch the glances of the men. 17 The Lord will send a plague of scabs to ornament their heads! He will expose their nakedness for all to see. 18 No longer shall they tinkle with self-assurance as they walk. For the Lord will strip away their artful beauty and their ornaments, 19 their necklaces and bracelets and veils of shimmering gauze. 20 Gone shall be their scarves and ankle chains, headbands, earrings, and perfumes; 21 their rings, jewels, 22 party clothes, negligees, capes, ornate combs, and purses; 23 their mirrors, lovely lingerie, beautiful dresses, and veils. 24 Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, they'll stink; for sashes they'll use ropes; their well-set hair will all fall out; they'll wear sacks instead of robes.
All their beauty will be gone; all that will be left to them is shame and disgrace. 25-26 Their husbands shall die in battle; the women, ravaged, shall sit crying on the ground.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,127
3,3,5,232
4,4,7,365
5,5,9,475
6,6,11,656
7,7,13,829
8,8,15,981
9,9,17,1134
10,10,19,1360
11,11,21,1487
12,12,23,1594
13,13,25,1749
14,14,27,1826
15,15,29,2007
16,16,31,2144
17,17,33,2354
18,18,35,2470
19,19,37,2637
20,20,39,2683
21,21,41,2803
22,22,43,2843
23,23,45,2900
24,24,47,2966
25,25,49,3300
26,26,51,3390
1,5,1,1
6,6,3,463
7,7,5,592
8,9,7,701
10,11,9,1061
12,12,11,1277
13,14,13,1473
15,15,15,1750
16,26,17,1849
DRESS ISAIA 3:16-26
The women of Judah had placed their emphasis on clothing and jewelry rather than on God. They dressed to be noticed, to gain approval, and to be fashionable. Instead of being concerned about the oppression around them (3:14-15), they were self-serving and self-centered. Those who misuse their possessions will end up with nothing. These verses are not an indictment against clothing and jewelry, but a judgment on those who use them lavishly while blind to the needs of others. When God blesses you, don't flaunt your wealth. Use what you have to help others.
ISAIA004
1 At that time seven women will grab one man and say, "We will eat our own bread and make our own clothes, but please marry us! Please, take away our shame."
2 At that time the LORD' s branch will be very beautiful and great. The people still living in Israel will be proud of what the land grows.
3 Those who are still living in Jerusalem will be called holy; their names are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4 The Lord will wash away the filth from the women of Jerusalem. He will wash the bloodstains out of Jerusalem and clean the city with the spirit of fairness and the spirit of fire.
5 Then the LORD will cover Mount Zion and the people who meet there with a cloud of smoke during the day and with a bright, flaming fire at night. There will be a covering over every person.
6 This covering will protect the people from the heat of the sun and will provide a safe place to hide from the storm and rain.
1At that time so few men will be left alive that seven women will fight over each of them and say, "Let us all marry you! We will furnish our own food and clothing; only let us be called by your name so that we won't be mocked as old maids."
2-4 Those whose names are written down to escape the destruction of Jerusalem will be washed and rinsed of all their moral filth by the horrors and the fire. They will be God's holy people. And the land will produce for them its lushest bounty and its richest fruit.
5 Then the Lord will provide shade on all Jerusalem - over every home and all its public grounds - a canopy of smoke and cloud throughout the day, and clouds of fire at night, covering the Glorious Land, 6 protecting it from daytime heat and from rains and storms.
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,247
5,5,5,517
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,163
3,3,5,312
4,4,7,438
5,5,9,631
6,6,11,827
ISAIA005
1 Now I will sing for my friend a song about his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a hill with very rich soil.
2 He dug and cleared the field of stones and planted the best grapevines there. He built a tower in the middle of it and cut out a winepress as well. He hoped good grapes would grow there, but only bad ones grew.
3 My friend says, "You people living in Jerusalem, and you people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for my vineyard than I have already done? Although I expected good grapes to grow, why were there only bad ones?
5 Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will remove the hedge, and it will be burned. I will break down the stone wall, and it will be walked on.
6 I will ruin my field. It will not be trimmed or hoed, and weeds and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."
7 The vineyard belonging to the LORD ALL-POWERFUL is the nation of Israel; the garden that he loves is the people of Judah. He looked for justice, but there was only killing. He hoped for right living, but there were only cries of pain.
8 How terrible it will be for you who add more houses to your houses and more fields to your fields until there is no room left for other people. Then you are left alone in the land.
9 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL said this to me: "The fine houses will be destroyed; the large and beautiful houses will be left empty.
10 At that time a ten-acre vineyard will make only six gallons of wine, and ten bushels of seed will grow only half a bushel of grain."
11 How terrible it will be for people who rise early in the morning to look for strong drink, who stay awake late at night, becoming drunk with wine.
12 At their parties they have lyres, harps, tambourines, flutes, and wine. They don't see what the LORD has done or notice the work of his hands.
13 So my people will be captured and taken away, because they don't really know me. All the great people will die of hunger, and the common people will die of thirst.
14 So the place of the dead wants more and more people, and it opens wide its mouth. Jerusalem's important people and common people will go down into it, with their happy and noisy ones.
15 So the common people and the great people will be brought down; those who are proud will be humbled.
16 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will receive glory by judging fairly; the holy God will show himself holy by doing what is right.
17 Then the sheep will go anywhere they want, and lambs will feed on the land that rich people once owned.
18 How terrible it will be for those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them as people pull wagons with ropes.
19 They say, "Let God hurry; let him do his work soon so we may see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we will know what it is."
20 How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad and bad things good, who think darkness is light and light is darkness, who think sour is sweet and sweet is sour.
21 How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise and believe they are clever.
22 How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine and are champions at mixing drinks.
23 They take money to set the guilty free and don't allow good people to be judged fairly.
24 They will be destroyed just as fire burns straw or dry grass. They will be destroyed like a plant whose roots rot and whose flower dies and blows away like dust. They have refused to obey the teachings of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL and have hated the message from the Holy God of Israel.
25 So the LORD has become very angry with his people, and he has raised his hand to punish them. Even the mountains are frightened. Dead bodies lie in the streets like garbage. But the LORD is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
26 He raises a banner for the nations far away. He whistles to call those people from the ends of the earth. Look! The enemy comes quickly!
27 Not one of them becomes tired or falls down. Not one of them gets sleepy and falls asleep. Their weapons are close at hand, and their sandal straps are not broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp, and all of their bows are ready to shoot. The horses' hoofs are hard as rocks, and their chariot wheels move like a whirlwind.
29 Their shout is like the roar of a lion; it is loud like a young lion. They growl as they grab their captives. There is no one to stop them from taking their captives away.
30 On that day they will roar like the waves of the sea. And when people look at the land, they will see only darkness and pain; all light will become dark in this thick cloud.
1Now I will sing a song about his vineyard to the one I love. My Beloved has a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He plowed it and took out all the rocks and planted his vineyard with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower and cut a winepress in the rocks. Then he waited for the harvest, but the grapes that grew were wild and sour and not at all the sweet ones he expected.
3 Now, men of Jerusalem and Judah, you have heard the case! You be the judges! 4 What more could I have done? Why did my vineyard give me wild grapes instead of sweet? 5 I will tear down the fences and let my vineyard go to pasture to be trampled by cattle and sheep. 6 I won't prune it or hoe it, but let it be overgrown with briars and thorns. I will command the clouds not to rain on it anymore.
7 I have given you the story of God's people. They are the vineyard that I spoke about. Israel and Judah are his pleasant acreage! He expected them to yield a crop of justice but found bloodshed instead. He expected righteousness, but the cries of deep oppression met his ears.
8 You buy up property so others have no place to live. Your homes are built on great estates so you can be alone in the midst of the earth! 9 But the Lord Almighty has sworn your awful fate - with my own ears I heard him say, "Many a beautiful home will lie deserted, their owners killed or gone. 10 An acre of vineyard will not produce a gallon of juice! Ten bushels of seed will yield a one-bushel crop!"
11 Woe to you who get up early in the morning to go on long drinking bouts that last till late at night - woe to you drunken bums. 12 You furnish lovely music at your grand parties; the orchestras are superb! But for the Lord you have no thought or care. 13 Therefore I will send you into exile far away because you neither know nor care that I have done so much for you. Your great and honored men will starve, and the common people will die of thirst.
14 Hell is licking its chops in anticipation of this delicious morsel, Jerusalem. Her great and small shall be swallowed up, and all her drunken throngs. 15 In that day the haughty shall be brought down to the dust; the proud shall be humbled; 16 but the Lord Almighty is exalted above all, for he alone is holy, just, and good. 17 In those days flocks will feed among the ruins. Lambs and calves and kids will pasture there!
18 Woe to those who drag their sins behind them like a bullock on a rope.
19 They even mock the Holy One of Israel and dare the Lord to punish them. "Hurry up and punish us, O Lord," they say. "We want to see what you can do!" 20 They say that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise and shrewd in their own eyes! 22 Woe to those who are "heroes" when it comes to drinking and boast about the liquor they can hold. 23 They take bribes to pervert justice, letting the wicked go free and putting innocent men in jail. 24 Therefore God will deal with them and burn them. They will disappear like straw on fire. Their roots will rot and their flowers wither, for they have thrown away the laws of God and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. 25 That is why the anger of the Lord is hot against his people; that is why he has reached out his hand to smash them. The hills will tremble, and the rotting bodies of his people will be thrown as refuse in the streets. But even so, his anger is not ended; his hand is heavy on them still.
26 He will send a signal to the nations far away, whistling to those at the ends of the earth, and they will come racing toward Jerusalem. 27 They never weary, never stumble, never stop; their belts are tight, their bootstraps strong; they run without stopping for rest or for sleep. 28 Their arrows are sharp; their bows are bent; sparks fly from their horses' hoofs, and the wheels of their chariots spin like the wind. 29 They roar like lions and pounce upon the prey. They seize my people and carry them off into captivity with none to rescue them. 30 They growl over their victims like the roaring of the sea. Over all Israel lies a pall of darkness and sorrow, and the heavens are black.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,124
3,3,5,344
4,4,7,462
5,5,9,609
6,6,11,777
7,7,13,921
8,8,15,1166
9,9,17,1359
10,10,19,1494
11,11,21,1643
12,12,23,1797
13,13,25,1950
14,14,27,2122
15,15,29,2316
16,16,31,2431
17,17,33,2565
18,18,35,2682
19,19,37,2812
20,20,39,2974
21,21,41,3158
22,22,43,3254
23,23,45,3368
24,24,47,3463
25,25,49,3756
26,26,51,4022
27,27,53,4170
28,28,55,4341
29,29,57,4503
30,30,59,4683
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,384
7,7,5,786
8,10,7,1067
11,13,9,1477
14,17,11,1934
18,18,13,2363
19,20,15,2440
21,25,17,2741
26,30,19,3526
@$X$.&
HEROES ISAIA 5:13:30
The nation's heroes-the great and honored men-would suffer the same humiliation as the common people. Why? Because they lived by their own values rather than God's. Many of today's heroes in TV, movies, and books are idolized because of their ability to live as they please. Are your heroes those who defy God, or those who defy the world in order to serve God?
Ult. Issues: Who Is God? ,!page "^god" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ISAIA006
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple.
2 Heavenly creatures of fire stood above him. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face, two wings to cover its feet, and two wings for flying.
3 Each creature was calling to the others: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD ALL-POWERFUL. His glory fills the whole earth."
4 Their calling caused the frame around the door to shake, as the Temple filled with smoke.
5 I said, "Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure, but I have seen the King, the LORD ALL-POWERFUL."
6 One of the heavenly creatures used a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the altar. Then he flew to me with the hot coal in his hand.
7 The creature touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, "Look, your guilt is taken away, because this hot coal has touched your lips. Your sin is taken away."
8 Then I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Whom can I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, "Here I am. Send me!"
9 Then the Lord said, "Go and tell this to the people: `You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn.'
10 Make the minds of these people dumb. Shut their ears. Cover their eyes. Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed."D
11 Then I asked, "Lord, how long should I do this?" He answered, "Until the cities are destroyed and the people are gone, until there are no people left in the houses, until the land is destroyed and left empty.
12 The LORD will send the people far away, and the land will be left empty.
13 One-tenth of the people will be left in the land, but it will be destroyed again. These people will be like an oak tree whose stump is left when the tree is chopped down. The people who remain will be like a stump that will sprout again."
1The year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord! He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the Temple was filled with his glory. 2 Hovering about him were mighty, six-winged angels of fire. With two of their wings they covered their faces with two others they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 In a great antiphonal chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with his glory." 4 Such singing it was! It shook the Temple to its foundations, and suddenly the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, "My doom is sealed, for I am a foul-mouthed sinner, a member of a sinful, foul-mouthed race; and I have looked upon the King, the Lord of heaven's armies."
6 Then one of the mighty angels flew over to the altar and with a pair of tongs picked out a burning coal. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, "Now you are pronounced `not guilty' because this coal has touched your lips. Your sins are all forgiven."
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go?"
And I said, "Lord, I'll go! Send me."
9 And he said, "Yes, go. But tell my people this: `Though you hear my words repeatedly, you won't understand them. Though you watch and watch as I perform my miracles, still you won't know what they mean.' 10 Dull their understanding, close their ears, and shut their eyes. I don't want them to see or to hear or to understand, or to turn to me to heal them."
11 Then I said, "Lord, how long will it be before they are ready to listen?"
And he replied, "Not until their cities are destroyed - without a person left - and the whole country is an utter wasteland, 12 and they are all taken away as slaves to other countries far away, and all the land of Israel lies deserted! 13 Yet a tenth - a remnant - will survive; and though Israel is invaded again and again and destroyed, yet Israel will be like a tree cut down, whose stump still lives to grow again."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,121
3,3,5,292
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,513
6,6,11,677
7,7,13,820
8,8,15,991
9,9,17,1109
10,10,19,1284
11,11,21,1540
12,12,23,1757
13,13,25,1841
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,544
6,7,5,718
8,8,7,974
9,10,10,1110
11,13,12,1473
GREATNESS ISAIA 6:1
Isaiah's lofty view of God in 6:1-4 gives us a sense of God's greatness, mystery, and power. Isaiah's recognition of his sinfulness before God encourages us to confess our sin. His picture of forgiveness reminds us that we, too, are forgiven. When we recognize how great our God is, how sinful we are, and the extent of his forgiveness, we will be energized to do his work. How does your concept of the greatness of God measure up to Isaiah's?
ISAIA007
1 Now Ahaz was the son of Jotham, who was the son of Uzziah. When Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to fight against it. But they were not able to defeat the city.vled."D
2 Ahaz king of Judah received a message saying, "The armies of Aram and Israel have joined together." When Ahaz heard this, he and the people were frightened. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blown by the wind.
3 Then the LORD told Isaiah, "You and your son SHEAR-JASHUB should go and meet Ahaz at the place where the water flows into the upper pool, on the road where people do their laundry.
4 Tell Ahaz, `Be careful. Be calm and don't worry. Don't let those two men, Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah, scare you. Don't be afraid of their anger or Aram's anger, because they are like two barely burning sticks that are ready to go out."
5 They have made plans against you, saying,
6 "Let's fight against Judah and tear it apart. We will divide the land for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel the new king of Judah."
7 But I, the Lord GOD, say, "`Their plan will not succeed; it will not happen,
8 because Aram is led by the city of Damascus, and Damascus is led by its weak king, Rezin. Within sixty-five years Israel will no longer be a nation.
9 Israel is led by the city of Samaria, and Samaria is led by its weak king, the son of Remaliah. If your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last.' "
10 Then the LORD spoke to Ahaz again, saying,
11 "Ask for a sign from the LORD your God to prove to yourself that these things are true. It may be a sign from as deep as the place of the dead or as high as the heavens."
12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign or test the LORD."
13 Then Isaiah said, "Ahaz, descendant of David, listen carefully! Isn't it bad enough that you wear out the patience of people? Do you also have to wear out the patience of my God?
14 The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel.
15 He will be eating milk curds and honey when he learns to reject what is evil and to choose what is good.
16 You are afraid of the kings of Israel and Aram now. But before the child learns to choose good and reject evil, the lands of Israel and Aram will be empty.
17 The LORD will bring troubled times to you, your people, and to the people of your father's family. They will be worse than anything that has happened since Israel separated from Judah. The LORD will bring the king of Assyria to fight against you.
18 "At that time the LORD will whistle for the Egyptians, and they will come like flies from Egypt's faraway streams. He will call for the Assyrians, and they will come like bees.
19 These enemies will camp in the deep ravines and in the cliffs, by the thornbushes and watering holes.
20 The Lord will hire Assyria and use it like a razor to punish Judah. It will be as if the Lord is shaving the hair from Judah's head and legs and removing Judah's beard.
21 "At that time a person will be able to keep only one young cow and two sheep alive.
22 There will be only enough milk for that person to eat milk curds. All who remain in the land will go back to eating just milk curds and honey.
23 In this land there are now vineyards that have a thousand grapevines, which are worth about twenty-five pounds of silver. But these fields will become full of weeds and thorns.
24 The land will become wild and useful only as a hunting ground.
25 People once worked and grew food on these hills, but at that time people will not go there, because the land will be filled with weeds and thorns. Only sheep and cattle will go to those places."
1During the reign of Ahaz (the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah), Jerusalem was attacked by King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel (the son of Remaliah). But it was not taken; the city stood. 2 However, when the news came to the royal court, "Syria is allied with Israel against us!" the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear as the trees of a forest shake in a storm.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet King Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub, your son. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that leads from Gihon Spring to the upper reservoir, near the road that leads down to the bleaching field. 4 Tell him to quit worrying. Tell him he needn't be frightened by the fierce anger of those two has-beens, Rezin and Pekah. 5 Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are coming against you.
"They say, 6 `We will invade Judah and throw her people into panic. Then we'll fight our way into Jerusalem and install the son of Tabeel as their king.'
7 "But the Lord God says: This plan will not succeed, 8 for Damascus will remain the capital of Syria alone, and King Rezin's kingdom will not increase its boundaries. And within sixty-five years Ephraim, too, will be crushed and broken.
9 Samaria is the capital of Ephraim alone, and King Pekah's power will not increase. You don't believe me? If you want me to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say."
10 Not long after this, the Lord sent this further message to King Ahaz:
11 "Ask me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will indeed crush your enemies as I have said. Ask anything you like, in heaven or on earth."
12 But the king refused. "No," he said, "I'll not bother the Lord with anything like that."
13 Then Isaiah said: O House of David, you aren't satisfied to exhaust my patience; you exhaust the Lord's as well! 14 All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign - a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, "God is with us"). 15-16 By the time this child is weaned and knows right from wrong, the two kings you fear so much - the kings of Israel and Syria - will both be dead.
17 But later on, the Lord will bring a terrible curse on you and on your nation and your family. There will be terror such as has not been known since the division of Solomon's empire into Israel and Judah - the mighty king of Assyria will come with his great army!
18 At that time the Lord will whistle for the army of Upper Egypt, and of Assyria too, to swarm down upon you like flies and destroy you, like bees to sting and to kill. 19 They will come in vast hordes, spreading across the whole land, even into the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny parts, as well as to all your fertile acres. 20 In that day the Lord will take this "razor" - these Assyrians you have hired to save you - and use it on you to shave off everything you have: your land, your crops, your people.
21-22 When they finally stop plundering, the whole nation will be a pastureland; whole flocks and herds will be destroyed, and a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep left. But the abundant pastureland will yield plenty of milk, and everyone left will live on curds and wild honey. 23 At that time the lush vineyards will become patches of briars. 24 All the land will be one vast thornfield, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. 25 No one will go to the fertile hillsides where once the gardens grew, for thorns will cover them; cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,264
3,3,5,494
4,4,7,686
5,5,9,941
6,6,11,989
7,7,13,1131
8,8,15,1215
9,9,17,1373
10,10,19,1552
11,11,21,1604
12,12,23,1782
13,13,25,1850
14,14,27,2038
15,15,29,2166
16,16,31,2282
17,17,33,2455
18,18,35,2711
19,19,37,2901
20,20,39,3011
21,21,41,3188
22,22,43,3280
23,23,45,3435
24,24,47,3620
25,25,49,3691
1,2,1,1
3,6,3,399
7,8,5,983
9,9,7,1224
10,10,9,1404
11,11,10,1478
12,12,12,1620
13,16,14,1715
17,17,16,2140
18,20,18,2409
21,25,20,2926
Scrapbook: "Jason: Dealing with peer pressure " ,!page "jason1" of book "mbi_sbk.tbk"
ISAIA008
1 The LORD told me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: `MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ.'
2 I will gather some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah."
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she became pregnant and had a son. The LORD told me, "Name the boy MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ,
4 because the king of Assyria will take away all the wealth and possessions of Damascus and Samaria before the boy learns to say `my father' or `my mother.' "
5 Again the LORD spoke to me, saying,
6 "These people refuse to accept the slow-moving waters of the pool of Shiloah and are terrified of Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah.
7 So I, the Lord, will bring the king of Assyria and all his power against them, like a powerful flood of water from the Euphrates River. The Assyrians will be like water rising over the banks of the river, flowing over the land.
8 That water will flow into Judah and pass through it, rising to Judah's throat. Immanuel, this army will spread its wings like a bird until it covers your whole country."
9 Be broken, all you nations, and be smashed to pieces. Listen, all you faraway countries. Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces!
10 Make your plans for the fight, but they will be defeated. Give orders to your armies, but they will be useless, because God is with us.
11 The LORD spoke to me with his great power and warned me not to follow the lead of the rest of the people. He said,
12 "People are saying that others make plans against them, but you should not believe them. Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things.
13 But remember that the LORD ALL-POWERFUL is holy. He is the one you should fear; he is the one you should dread.
14 Then he will be a place of safety for you. But for the two families of Israel, he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that makes them fall. He will be like a trap for the people of Jerusalem, and he will catch them in his trap.
15 Many people will fall over this rock. They will fall and be broken; they will be trapped and caught."
16 Make an agreement. Seal up the teaching while my followers are watching.
17 I will wait for the LORD to help us, the LORD who is ashamed of the family of Israel. I will wait for him.
18 I am here, and with me are the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and proofs for the people of Israel from the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, who lives on Mount Zion.
19 Some people say, "Ask the mediums and fortune-tellers, who whisper and mutter, what to do." But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead?
20 You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the LORD. The mediums and fortune-tellers do not speak the word of the LORD, so their words are worth nothing.
21 People will wander through the land troubled and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God.
22 They will look around them at their land and see only trouble, darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.
1Again the Lord sent me a message: "Make a large signboard and write on it the birth announcement of the son I am going to give you. Use capital letters! His name will be Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means `Your enemies will soon be destroyed."
2 I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, both known as honest men, to watch me as I wrote so they could testify that I had written it before the child was even on the way.
3 Then I had sexual intercourse with my wife and she conceived and bore me a son. And the Lord said, "Call him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 4 This name prophesies that within a couple of years, before this child is even old enough to say `Daddy' or `Mommy,' the king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away their riches."
5 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said:
6 "Since the people of Jerusalem are planning to refuse my gentle care and are enthusiastic about asking King Rezin and King Pekah to come and aid them, 7-8 therefore I will overwhelm my people with Euphrates' mighty flood; the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies will rage against them. This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into your land of Judah, O Immanuel, submerging it from end to end."
9-10 Do your worst, O Syria and Israel, our enemies, but you will not succeed - you will be shattered. Listen to me, all you enemies of ours: Prepare for war against us - and perish! Yes! Perish! Call your councils of war, develop your strategies, prepare your plans of attacking us, and perish! For God is with us.
11 The Lord has said in strongest terms: Do not under any circumstances go along with the plans of Judah to surrender to Syria and Israel. 12 Don't let people call you a traitor for staying true to God. Don't you panic as so many of your neighbors are doing when they think of Syria and Israel attacking you. 13 Don't fear anything except the Lord of the armies of heaven! If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. 14-15 He will be your safety; but Israel and Judah have refused his care and thereby stumbled against the Rock of their salvation and lie fallen and crushed beneath it: God's presence among them has endangered them! 16 Write down all these things I am going to do, says the Lord, and seal them up for the future. Entrust them to some godly man to pass on down to godly men of future generations.
17 I will wait for the Lord to help us, though he is hiding now. My only hope is in him. 18 I and the children God has given me have symbolic names that reveal the plans of the Lord of heaven's armies for his people: Isaiah means "Jehovah will save (his people)," Shear-jashub means "A remnant shall return," and Maher-shalal-hash-baz means "Your enemies will soon be destroyed." 19 So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting witches and mediums? Don't listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God?
20 "Check these witches' words against the Word of God!" he says. "If their messages are different than mine, it is because I have not sent them; for they have no light or truth in them. 21 My people will be led away captive, stumbling, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rave and shake their fists at heaven and curse their King and their God. 22 Wherever they look there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. And they will be thrust out into the darkness."
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,218
4,4,7,349
5,5,9,515
6,6,11,558
7,7,13,698
8,8,15,936
9,9,17,1112
10,10,19,1300
11,11,21,1443
12,12,23,1567
13,13,25,1730
14,14,27,1849
15,15,29,2115
16,16,31,2228
17,17,33,2312
18,18,35,2428
19,19,37,2606
20,20,39,2831
21,21,41,3005
22,22,43,3171
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,250
3,4,5,449
5,5,7,792
6,8,8,837
9,10,10,1255
11,16,12,1574
17,19,14,2391
20,22,16,2979
CHOICES ISAIA 8:6
Because the people of Judah rejected God's gentle care, choosing instead to seek help from other nations, God would punish them. Here we see two distinct attributes of God-his love and his wrath. Ignoring God's love and guidance results in sin and invites his wrath. We must recognize the consequences of our choices. God seeks to protect us from bad choices, but he still gives us the freedom to make them.
BLAME ISAIA 8:21
After rejecting God's plan for their lives, the people of Judah blamed God for their trials. People continually blame God for their self-induced problems. How do you respond to the unpleasant results of your sin? Where do you fix the blame? Instead of blaming God, look for ways to grow through your failures.
ISAIA009
1 But suddenly there will be no more gloom for the land that suffered. In the past God made the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali hang their heads in shame, but in the future those lands will be made great. They will stretch from the road along the Mediterranean Sea to the land beyond the Jordan River and north to Galilee, the land of people who are not Israelites.
2 Before those people lived in darkness, but now they have seen a great light. They lived in a dark land, but a light has shined on them.
3 God, you have caused the nation to grow and made the people happy. And they have shown their happiness to you, like the joy during harvest time, like the joy of people taking what they have won in war.
4 Like the time you defeated Midian, you have taken away their heavy load and the heavy pole from their backs and the rod the enemy used to punish them.
5 Every boot that marched in battle and every uniform stained with blood has been thrown into the fire.
6 A child has been born to us; God has given a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.
7 Power and peace will be in his kingdom and will continue to grow forever. He will rule as king on David's throne and over David's kingdom. He will make it strong by ruling with justice and goodness from now on and forever. The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will do this because of his strong love for his people.
8 The Lord sent a message against the people of Jacob; it says that God will judge Israel.
9 Then everyone in Israel, even the leaders in Samaria, will know that God has sent it. Those people are proud and brag by saying,
10 "These bricks have fallen, but we will build again with cut stones. These small trees have been chopped down, but we will put great cedars there."
11 But the LORD has brought the enemies of Rezin against them; he has stirred up their enemies against them.
12 The Arameans came from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they ate up Israel with their armies. But the LORD was still angry; his hand was still raised to punish the people.
13 But the people did not return to the one who had struck them; they did not follow the LORD ALL-POWERFUL.
14 So the LORD cut off Israel's head and tail, taking away both the branch and stalk in one day.
15 The older leaders and important men were the head, and the prophets who speak lies were the tail.
16 Those who led the people led them in the wrong direction, and those who followed them were destroyed.
17 So the Lord is not happy with the young people, nor will he show mercy to the orphans and widows. All the people are separated from God and are very evil; they all speak lies. But the LORD is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
18 Evil is like a small fire. First, it burns weeds and thorns. Next, it burns the larger bushes in the forest, and they all go up in a column of smoke.
19 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL is angry, so the land will be burned. The people are like fuel for the fire; no one will try to save his brother or sister.
20 People will grab something on the right, but they will still be hungry. They will eat something on the left, but they will not be filled. Then they will each turn and eat their own children.
21 The people of Manasseh will fight against the people of Ephraim, and Ephraim will fight against Manasseh. Then both of them will turn against Judah. But the LORD is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
1Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair shall not go on forever. Though soon the land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be under God's contempt and judgment, yet in the future these very lands, Galilee and Northern Transjordan, where lies the road to the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness shall see a great Light - a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of the shadow of death. 3 For Israel will again be great, filled with joy like that of reapers when the harvest time has come, and like that of men dividing up the plunder they have won. 4 For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the vast host of the Midianites by Gideon's little band. 5 In that glorious day of peace there will no longer be the issuing of battle gear; no more the blood-stained uniforms of war; all such will be burned.
6 For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: "Wonderful," "Counselor," "The Mighty God," "The Everlasting Father," "The Prince of Peace." 7 His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of his father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations of the world. This is going to happen because the Lord of heaven's armies has dedicated himself to do it!
8-10 The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel who says that though our land lies in ruins now, we will rebuild it better than before. The sycamore trees are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars! 11-12 The Lord's reply to your bragging is to bring your enemies against you - the Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west. With bared fangs they will devour Israel. And even then the Lord's anger against you will not be satisfied - his fist will still be poised to smash you. 13 For after all this punishment you will not repent and turn to him, the Lord of heaven's armies. 14-15 Therefore the Lord, in one day, will destroy the leaders of Israel and the lying prophets. 16 For the leaders of his people have led them down the paths of ruin.
17 That is why the Lord has no joy in their young men and no mercy upon even the widows and orphans, for they are all filthy-mouthed, wicked liars. That is why his anger is not yet satisfied, but his fist is still poised to smash them all. 18 He will burn up all this wickedness, these thorns and briars; and the flames will consume the forests too, and send a vast cloud of smoke billowing up from their burning. 19-20 The land is blackened by that fire, by the wrath of the Lord of heaven's armies. The people are fuel for the fire. Each fights against his brother to steal his food but will never have enough. Finally they will even eat their own children! 21 Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh - and both against Judah. Yet even after all of this, God's anger is not yet satisfied. His hand is still heavy upon them to crush them.
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PRIDE ISAIA 9:8-10
Israel was called a braggart for saying, in essence, We've faced a temporary setback, but by our own strength we will rebuild our city. Though God made Israel a nation and gave them the land they occupied, the people puttheir trust in themselves rather than in him. Too often we take pride in our accomplishments, forgetting that God has given us every ability we have. We even become proud of our unique status as Christians. God is not pleased with any pride or trust in ourselves because it cuts off our contact with him.
ISAIA010
REMNANT
1 How terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws, and those who write laws that make life hard for people.
2 They are not fair to the poor, and they rob my people of their rights. They allow people to steal from widows and to take from orphans what really belongs to them.
3 How will you explain the things you have done? What will you do when your destruction comes from far away? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your riches then?
4 You will have to bow down among the captives or fall down among the dead bodies. But the LORD is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
5 God says, "How terrible it will be for the king of Assyria. I use him like a rod to show my anger; in anger I use Assyria like a club.
6 I send it to fight against a nation that is separated from God. I am angry with those people, so I command Assyria to fight against them, to take their wealth from them, to trample them down like dirt in the streets.
7 But Assyria's king doesn't understand that I am using him; he doesn't know he is a tool for me. He only wants to destroy other people and to defeat many nations.
8 The king of Assyria says to himself, `All of my commanders are like kings.
9 The city Calno is like the city Carchemish. The city Hamath is like the city Arpad. The city Samaria is like the city Damascus.
10 I defeated those kingdoms that worship idols, and those idols were more than the idols of Jerusalem and Samaria.
11 As I defeated Samaria and her idols, I will also defeat Jerusalem and her idols.' "
12 When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will punish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very proud, and his pride has made him do these evil things, so God will punish him.
13 The king of Assyria says this: "By my own power I have done these things; by my wisdom I have defeated many nations. I have taken their wealth, and, like a mighty one, I have taken their people.
14 I have taken the riches of all these people, like a person reaching into a bird's nest. I have taken these nations, like a person taking eggs. Not one raised a hand or opened its mouth to stop me."
15 An ax is not better than the person who swings it. A saw is not better than the one who uses it. A stick cannot control the person who picks it up. A club cannot pick up the person!
16 So the Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL will send a terrible disease upon Assyria's soldiers. The strength of Assyria will be burned up like a fire burning until everything is gone.
17 God, the Light of Israel, will be like a fire; the Holy One will be like a flame. He will be like a fire that suddenly burns the weeds and thorns.
18 The fire burns away the great trees and rich farmlands, destroying everything. It will be like a sick person who wastes away.
19 The trees left standing will be so few that even a child could count them.
20 At that time some people will be left alive in Israel from the family of Jacob. They will not continue to depend on the person who defeated them. They will learn truly to depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
21 Those who are left alive in Jacob's family will again follow the powerful God.
22 Israel, your people are many, like the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be left alive to return to the LORD. God has announced that he will destroy the land completely and fairly.
23 The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL will certainly destroy this land, as he has announced.
24 This is what the Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL says: "My people living in Jerusalem, don't be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and raise a stick against you, as Egypt did.
25 After a short time my anger against you will stop, and then I will turn my anger to destroying them."
26 Then the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will beat the Assyrians with a whip as he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise his stick over the waters as he did in Egypt.
27 Then the troubles that Assyria puts on you will be removed, and the load they make you carry will be taken away.
28 The army of Assyria will enter near Aiath. Its soldiers will walk through Migron. They will store their food in Micmash.
29 The army will go over the pass. The soldiers will sleep at Geba. The people of Ramah will be afraid, and the people at Gibeah of Saul will run away.
31 The people of Madmenah are running away; the people of Gebim are hiding.
32 This day the army will stop at Nob. They will shake their fist at Mount Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Watch! The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL with his great power will chop them down like a great tree. Those who are great will be cut down; those who are important will fall to the ground.
34 He will cut them down as a forest is cut down with an ax. And the great trees of Lebanon will fall by the power of the Mighty One.
1Woe to unjust judges and to those who issue unfair laws, says the Lord, 2 so that there is no justice for the poor, the widows, and orphans. Yes, it is true that they even rob the widows and fatherless children.
3 Oh, what will you do when I visit you in that day when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn then for your help? Where will your treasures be safe? 4 I will not help you; you will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the slain. And even then my anger will not be satisfied, but my fist will still be poised to strike you. 5-6 Assyria is the whip of my anger; his military strength is my weapon upon this godless nation, doomed and damned; he will enslave them and plunder them and trample them like dirt beneath his feet. 7 But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world. 8 He will declare that every one of his princes will soon be a king, ruling a conquered land.
9 "We will destroy Calno just as we did Carchemish," he will say, "and Hamath will go down before us as Arpad did; and we will destroy Samaria just as we did Damascus. 10 Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose idols were far greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 so when we have defeated Samaria and her idols, we will destroy Jerusalem with hers."
12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purpose, then he will turn upon the Assyrians and punish them too - for they are proud and haughty men.
13 They boast, "We in our own power and wisdom have won these wars. We are great and wise. By our own strength we broke down the walls and destroyed the people and carried off their treasures. 14 In our greatness we have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs, and no one can move a finger or open his mouth to peep against us!"
15 But the Lord says, "Shall the ax boast greater power than the man who uses it? Is the saw greater than the man who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by itself?"
16 Because of all your evil boasting, O king of Assyria, the Lord of Hosts will send a plague among your proud troops and strike them down. 17 God, the Light and Holy One of Israel, will be the fire and flame that will destroy them. In a single night he will burn those thorns and briars, the Assyrians who destroyed the land of Israel.
18 Assyria's vast army is like a glorious forest, yet it will be destroyed. The Lord will destroy them, soul and body, as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Only a few from all that mighty army will be left; so few a child could count them!
20 Then at last those left in Israel and in Judah will trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, instead of fearing the Assyrians. 21 A remnant of them will return to the mighty God. 22 But though Israel be now as many as the sands along the shore, yet only a few of them will be left to return at that time; God has rightly decided to destroy his people. 23 Yes, it has already been decided by the Lord God to consume them.
24 Therefore the Lord God says, "O my people in Jerusalem, don't be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you just as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 It will not last very long; in a little while my anger against you will end, and then it will rise against them to destroy them."
26 The Lord Almighty will send his angel to slay them in a mighty slaughter like the time when Gideon triumphed over Midian at the rock of Oreb or the time God drowned the Egyptian armies in the sea. 27 On that day God will end the bondage of his people. He will break the slave-yoke off their necks and destroy it as decreed.
28-29 Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! Now they are at Aiath, now at Migron; they are storing some of their equipment at Michmash and crossing over the pass; they are staying overnight at Geba. Fear strikes the city of Ramah; all the people of Gibeah - the city of Saul - are running for their lives. 30 Well may you scream in terror, O people of Gallim. Shout out a warning to Laish, for the mighty army comes. O poor Anathoth, what a fate is yours! 31 There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing, and the citizens of Gebim are preparing to run. 32 But the enemy stops at Nob for the remainder of that day. He shakes his fist at Jerusalem on Mount Zion.
33 Then, look, look! The Lord, the Lord of the armies of heaven, is chopping down the mighty tree! He is destroying all of that vast army, great and small alike, both officers and men. 34 He, the Mighty One, will cut down the enemy as a woodsman's ax cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon.
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REMNANT ISAIA 10:20-21
Those who remained faithful to God despite the horrors of the invasion were called the remnant. The key to being a part of the remnant was faith. Being a descendant of Abraham, living in the Promised Land, having trusted God at one time-none of these characteristics were good enough. Are you relying on your Christian heritage, the rituals of worship, or past experiences to put you in a right relationship with God? The key to being set apart by God is faith in him.
ISAIA011
JUDGING
1 A new branch will grow from a stump of a tree; so a new king will come from the family of Jesse.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power. The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the LORD.
3 This king will be glad to obey the LORD. He will not judge by the way things look or decide by what he hears.
4 But he will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions for the poor people of the land. At his command evil people will be punished, and by his words the wicked will be put to death.
5 Goodness and fairness will give him strength, like a belt around his waist.
6 Then wolves will live in peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down to rest with goats. Calves, lions, and young bulls will eat together, and a little child will lead them.
7 Cows and bears will eat together in peace. Their young will lie down to rest together. Lions will eat hay as oxen do.
8 A baby will be able to play near a cobra's hole, and a child will be able to put his hand into the nest of a poisonous snake.
9 They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain, because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the sea is full of water.
10 At that time the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples. The nations will come together around him, and the place where he lives will be filled with glory.
11 At that time the Lord will again reach out and take his people who are left alive in Assyria, North Egypt, South Egypt, Cush, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the islands of the sea.
12 God will raise a banner as a sign for all nations, and he will gather the people of Israel who were forced from their country. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from all parts of the earth.
13 At that time Israel will not be jealous anymore, and Judah will have no more enemies. Israel will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not hate Israel.
14 But Israel and Judah will attack the Philistines on the west. Together they will take the riches from the people of the east. They will conquer Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will be under their control.
15 The LORD will dry up the Red Sea of Egypt. He will wave his arm over the Euphrates River and dry it up with a scorching wind. He will divide it into seven small rivers so that people can walk across them with their sandals on.
16 So God's people who are left alive will have a way to leave Assyria, just like the time the Israelites came out of Egypt.
1The royal line of David will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot - yes, a new Branch from the old root. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight will be obedience to the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay, 4 but will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked who oppress them. 5 For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth.
6 In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all. 7 The cows will graze among bears; cubs and calves will lie down together, and lions will eat grass like the cows. 8 Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes, and a little child who puts his hand in a nest of deadly adders will pull it out unharmed. 9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so shall the earth be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
10 In that day he who created the royal dynasty of David will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place. 11 At that time the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Upper and Lower Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastal lands. 12 He will raise a flag among the nations for them to rally to; he will gather the scattered Israelites from the ends of the earth. 13 Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end; they will not fight each other anymore. 14 Together they will fly against the nations possessing their land on the east and on the west, uniting forces to destroy them, and they will occupy the nations of Edom and Moab and Ammon.
15 The Lord will dry a path through the Red Sea and wave his hand over the Euphrates, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams that can easily be crossed. 16 He will make a highway from Assyria for the remnant there, just as he did for all of Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.
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JUDGING ISAIA 11:3-5
We all long for fair treatment from others, but do we give it? We hate those who base their judgments on appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. But we can be quick to judge others using those same criteria. Only Christ can be the perfectly fair judge. And only as Christ governs our hearts can we learn to be as fair in our treatment of others as we expect them to be with us.
ISAIA012
1 At that time you will say: "I praise you, LORD! You were angry with me, but you are not angry with me now! You have comforted me.
2 God is the one who saves me; I will trust him and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD gives me strength and makes me sing. He has saved me."
3 You will receive your salvation with joy as you would draw water from a well.
4 At that time you will say, "Praise the LORD and worship him. Tell everyone what he has done and how great he is.
5 Sing praise to the LORD, because he has done great things. Let all the world know what he has done.
6 Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem, because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes."
1On that day you will say, "Praise the Lord! He was angry with me, but now he comforts me. 2 See, God has come to save me! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; he is my salvation. 3 Oh, the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation!"
4 In that wonderful day you will say, "Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the world about his wondrous love.
How mighty he is!" 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. 6 Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy. For great and mighty is the Holy One of Israel, who lives among you.
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ISAIA013
1 God showed Isaiah son of Amoz this message about Babylon:
2 Raise a flag on the bare mountain. Call out to the men. Raise your hand to signal them to enter through the gates for important people.
3 I myself have commanded those people whom I have separated as mine. I have called those warriors to carry out my anger. They rejoice and are glad to do my will.
4 Listen to the loud noise in the mountains, the sound of many people. Listen to the noise among the kingdoms, the sound of nations gathering together. The LORD ALL-POWERFUL is calling his army together for battle.
5 This army is coming from a faraway land, from the edge of the horizon. In anger the LORD is using this army like a weapon to destroy the whole country.
6 Cry, because the LORD' s day of judging is near; the Almighty is sending destruction.
7 People will be weak with fear, and their courage will melt away.
8 Everyone will be afraid. Pain and hurt will grab them; they will hurt like a woman giving birth to a baby. They will look at each other in fear, with their faces red like fire.
9 Look, the LORD' s day of judging is coming- a terrible day, a day of God's anger. He will destroy the land and the sinners who live in it.
10 The stars will not show their light; the skies will be dark. The sun will grow dark as it rises, and the moon will not give its light.
11 The LORD says, "I will punish the world for its evil and wicked people for their sins. I will cause proud people to lose their pride, and I will destroy the pride of those who are cruel to others.
12 People will be harder to find than pure gold; there will be fewer people than there is fine gold in Ophir.
13 I will make the sky shake, and the earth will be moved from its place by the anger of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL at the time of his burning anger.
14 "Then the people from Babylon will run away like hunted deer or like sheep who have no shepherd. Everyone will turn back to his own people; each will run back to his own land.
15 Everyone who is captured will be killed; everyone who is caught will be killed with a sword.
16 Their little children will be beaten to death in front of them. Their houses will be robbed and their wives raped.
17 "Look, I will cause the armies of Media to attack Babylon. They do not care about silver or delight in gold.
18 Their soldiers will shoot the young men with arrows; they will show no mercy on children, nor will they feel sorry for little ones.
19 Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms, and the Babylonians are very proud of it. But God will destroy it like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 No one will ever live there or settle there again. No Arab will put a tent there; no shepherd will bring sheep there.
21 Only desert animals will live there, and their houses will be full of wild dogs. Owls will live there, and wild goats will leap about in the houses.
22 Wolves will howl within the strong walls, and wild dogs will bark in the beautiful buildings. The end of Babylon is near; its time is almost over."
1This is the vision God showed Isaiah (son of Amoz) concerning Babylon's doom.
2 See the flags waving as their enemy attacks. Shout to them, O Israel, and wave them on as they march against Babylon to destroy the palaces of the rich and mighty. 3 I, the Lord, have set apart these armies for this task; I have called those rejoicing in their strength to do this work, to satisfy my anger. 4 Hear the tumult on the mountains! Listen as the armies march! It is the tumult and the shout of many nations. The Lord Almighty has brought them here, 5 from countries far away. They are his weapons against you, O Babylon. They carry his anger with them and will destroy your whole land.
6 Scream in terror, for the Lord's time has come, the time for the Almighty to crush you. 7 Your arms lie paralyzed with fear; the strongest hearts melt 8 and are afraid. Fear grips you with terrible pangs, like those of a woman in labor. You look at one another, helpless, as the flames of the burning city reflect upon your pallid faces. 9 For see, the day of the Lord is coming, the terrible day of his wrath and fierce anger. The land shall be destroyed and all the sinners with it. 10 The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars or sun or moon.
11 And I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sin; I will crush the arrogance of the proud man and the haughtiness of the rich. 12 Few will live when I have finished up my work.
Men will be as scarce as gold - of greater value than the gold of Ophir. 13 For I will shake the heavens in my wrath and fierce anger, and the earth will move from its place in the skies.
14 The armies of Babylon will run until exhausted, fleeing back to their own land like deer chased by dogs, wandering like sheep deserted by their shepherd. 15 Those who don't run will be butchered. 16 Their little children will be dashed to death against the pavement right before their eyes; their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. 17 For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. 18 The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young people of Babylon or the babies or the children.
19 And so Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be as utterly destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah were when God sent fire from heaven; 20 Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in. The nomads will not even camp there. The shepherds won't let their sheep stay overnight. 21 The wild animals of the desert will make it their home. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live there, and the demons will come there to dance. 22 Hyenas and jackals will den within the palaces. Babylon's days are numbered; her time of doom will soon be here.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,65
3,3,5,210
4,4,7,381
5,5,9,615
6,6,11,775
7,7,13,867
8,8,15,939
9,9,17,1126
10,10,19,1276
11,11,21,1418
12,12,23,1625
13,13,25,1739
14,14,27,1888
15,15,29,2073
16,16,31,2175
17,17,33,2299
18,18,35,2420
19,19,37,2567
20,20,39,2717
21,21,41,2845
22,22,43,3001
1,1,1,1
2,5,3,84
6,10,5,687
11,13,7,1265
14,18,10,1655
19,22,12,2231
UTTER RUIN ISAIA 13:20
Even before Babylon became a world power, Isaiah prophesied that, though it would shine for a while, its destruction would be so complete that the land would never again be inhabited. Babylon, located in present-day Iraq, still lies in utter ruin.
ISAIA014
POWER
1 The LORD will show mercy to the people of Jacob, and he will again choose the people of Israel. He will settle them in their own land. Then Non-israelite people will join the Israelites and will become a part of the family of Jacob.
2 Nations will take the Israelites back to their land. Then those men and women from the other nations will become slaves to Israel in the LORD' s land. In the past the Israelites were their slaves, but now the Israelites will defeat those nations and rule over them.
3 The LORD will take away the Israelites' hard work and will comfort them. They will no longer have to work hard as slaves.
4 On that day Israel will sing this song about the king of Babylon: The cruel king who ruled us is finished; his angry rule is finished!
5 The LORD has broken the scepter of evil rulers and taken away their power.
6 The king of Babylon struck people in anger again and again. He ruled nations in anger and continued to hurt them.
7 But now, the whole world rests and is quiet. Now the people begin to sing.
8 Even the pine trees are happy, and the cedar trees of Lebanon rejoice. They say, "The king has fallen, so no one will ever cut us down again."
9 The place of the dead is excited to meet you when you come. It wakes the spirits of the dead, the leaders of the world. It makes kings of all nations stand up from their thrones to greet you.
10 All these leaders will make fun of you and will say, "Now you are weak, as we are. Now you are just like us."
11 Your pride has been sent down to the place of the dead. The music from your harps goes with it. Flies are spread out like your bed beneath you, and worms cover your body like a blanket.
12 King of Babylon, morning star, you have fallen from heaven, even though you were as bright as the rising sun! In the past all the nations on earth bowed down before you, but now you have been cut down.
13 You told yourself, "I will go up to heaven. I will put my throne above God's stars. I will sit on the mountain of the gods, on the slopes of the sacred mountain.
14 I will go up above the tops of the clouds. I will be like God Most High."
15 But you were brought down to the grave, to the deep places where the dead are.
16 Those who see you stare at you. They think about what has happened to you and say, "Is this the same man who caused great fear on earth, who shook the kingdoms,
17 who turned the world into a desert, who destroyed its cities, who captured people in war and would not let them go home?"
18 Every king of the earth has been buried with honor, each in his own grave.
19 But you are thrown out of your grave, like an unwanted branch. You are covered by bodies that died in battle, by bodies to be buried in a rocky pit. You are like a dead body other soldiers walk on.
20 You will not be buried with those bodies, because you ruined your own country and killed your own people. The children of evil people will never be mentioned again.
21 Prepare to kill his children, because their father is guilty. They will never again take control of the earth; they will never again fill the world with their cities.
22 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL says this: "I will fight against those people; I will destroy Babylon and its people, its children and their descendants," says the LORD.
23 "I will make Babylon fit only for owls and for swamps. I will sweep Babylon as with a broom of destruction," says the LORD ALL-POWERFUL.
24 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL has made this promise: "These things will happen destroy the king of Assyria in my country; I will trample him on my mountains. He placed a heavy load on my people, but that weight will be removed. 26 "This is what I plan to do for all the earth. And this is the hand that I have raised over all nations." 27 When the LORD ALL-POWERFUL makes a plan, no one can stop it. When the LORD raises his hand to punish people, no one can stop it. 28 This message was given in the year that King Ahaz died: 29 Country of Philistia, don't be happy that the king who struck you is now dead. He is like a snake that will give birth to another dangerous snake. The new king will be like a quick, dangerous snake to bite you. 30 Even the poorest of my people will be able to eat safely, and people in need will be able to lie down in safety. But I will kill your family with hunger, and all your people who are left will die. 31 People near the city gates, cry out! Philistines, be frightened, because a cloud of dust comes from the north. It is an army, full of men ready to fight. 32 What shall we tell the messengers from Philistia? Say that the LORD has made Jerusalem strong and that his poor people will go there for safety.
1But the Lord will have mercy on the Israelis; they are still his special ones. He will bring them back to settle once again in the land of Israel. And many nationalities will come and join them there and be their loyal allies. 2 The nations of the world will help them to return, and those coming to live in their land will serve them. Those enslaving Israel will be enslaved - Israel shall rule her enemies!
3 In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, 4 you will jeer at the king of Babylon and say, "You bully, you! At last you have what was coming to you! 5 For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule." 6 You persecuted my people with unceasing blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip. You were unrestrained in tyranny. 7 But at last the whole earth is at rest and is quiet! All the world begins to sing! 8 Even the trees of the woods - the fir trees and cedars of Lebanon - sing out this joyous song: "Your power is broken; no one will bother us now; at last we have peace."
9 The denizens of hell crowd to meet you as you enter their domain. World leaders and earth's mightiest kings, long dead, are there to see you. 10 With one voice they all cry out, "Now you are as weak as we are!" 11 Your might and power are gone; they are buried with you. All the pleasant music in your palace has ceased; now maggots are your sheet, worms your blanket!
12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground - mighty though you were against the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, "I will ascend to heaven and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne. I will preside on the Mount of Assembly far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High." 15 But instead, you will be brought down to the pit of hell, down to its lowest depths. 16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, "Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? 17 Can this be the one who destroyed the world and made it into a shambles, who demolished its greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?"
18 The kings of the nations lie in stately glory in their graves, 19 but your body is thrown out like a broken branch; it lies in an open grave, covered with the dead bodies of those slain in battle. It lies as a carcass in the road, trampled and mangled by horses' hoofs. 20 No monument will be given you, for you have destroyed your nation and slain your people. Your son will not succeed you as the king. 21 Slay the children of this sinner. Do not let them rise and conquer the land nor rebuild the cities of the world.
22 I, myself, have risen against him, says the Lord of heaven's armies, and will cut off his children and his children's children from ever sitting on his throne. 23 I will make Babylon into a desolate land of porcupines, full of swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of the armies of heaven. 24 He has taken an oath to do it! For this is his purpose and plan. 25 I have decided to break the Assyrian army when they are in Israel and to crush them on my mountains; my people shall no longer be their slaves. 26 This is my plan for the whole earth - I will do it by my mighty power that reaches everywhere around the world. 27 The Lord, the God of battle, has spoken - who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?
28 This is the message that came to me the year King Ahaz died:
29 Don't rejoice, Philistines, that the king who smote you is dead. That rod is broken, yes; but his son will be a greater scourge to you than his father ever was! From the snake will be born an adder, a fiery serpent to destroy you! 30 I will shepherd the poor of my people; they shall graze in my pasture! The needy shall lie down in peace. But as for you - I will wipe you out with famine and the sword. 31 Weep, Philistine cities - you are doomed. All your nation is doomed. For a perfectly trained army is coming down from the north against you. 32 What then shall we tell the reporters? Tell them that the Lord has founded Jerusalem and is determined that the poor of his people will find a refuge within her walls.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,243
3,3,5,515
4,4,7,645
5,5,9,792
6,6,11,877
7,7,13,998
8,8,15,1079
9,9,17,1231
10,10,19,1430
11,11,21,1550
12,12,23,1744
13,13,25,1954
14,14,27,2123
15,15,29,2204
16,16,31,2290
17,17,33,2463
18,18,35,2600
19,19,37,2682
20,20,39,2890
21,21,41,3066
22,22,43,3248
23,23,45,3418
24,32,47,3562
1,2,1,1
3,8,3,415
9,11,5,1091
12,17,7,1465
18,21,9,2217
22,27,11,2744
28,28,13,3529
29,32,14,3594
POWER ISAIA 14:5-6
Power is temporary. God permitted Babylon to have power for a purpose-to chastise his wayward people. When the purpose ended, so did the power. Beware of placing confidence in human power-one day it will fade, no matter how secure it appears.
ISAIA015
ENEMY
1 This is a message about Moab: In one night armies took the wealth from Ar in Moab, and it was destroyed. In one night armies took the wealth from Kir in Moab, and it was destroyed.
2 The people of Dibon go to the places of worship to cry. The people of Moab cry for the cities of Nebo and Medeba. Every head and beard has been shaved to show how sad Moab is.
3 In the streets they wear rough cloth to show their sadness. On the roofs and in the public squares, they are crying loudly.
4 People in the cities Heshbon and Elealeh cry out loud. You can hear their voices far away in the city Jahaz. Even the soldiers are frightened; they are shaking with fear.
5 My heart cries with sorrow for Moab. Its people run away to Zoar for safety; they run to Eglath Shelishiyah. People are going up the mountain road to Luhith, crying as they go. People are going on the road to Horonaim, crying over their destruction.ule over them.
6 But the water of Nimrim has dried up. The grass has dried up, and all the plants are dead; nothing green is left.
7 So the people gather up what they have saved and carry it across the Ravine of the Poplars.
8 Crying is heard everywhere in Moab. Their crying is heard as far away as the city Eglaim; it is heard as far away as Beer Elim.
9 The water of the city Dibon is full of blood, and I, the LORD, will bring even more troubles to Dibon. A few people living in Moab have escaped the enemy, but I will send lions to kill them.
1Here is God's message to Moab: In one night your cities of Ar and Kir will be destroyed. 2 Your people in Dibon go mourning to their temples to weep for the fate of Nebo and Medeba; they shave their heads in sorrow and cut off their beards. 3 They wear sackcloth through the streets, and from every home comes the sound of weeping. 4 The cries from the cities of Heshbon and Elealeh are heard far away, even in Jahaz. The bravest warriors of Moab cry in utter terror.
5 My heart weeps for Moab! His people flee to Zoar and Eglath. Weeping, they climb the upward road to Luhith, and their crying will be heard all along the road to Horonaim. 6 Even Nimrim River is desolate! The grassy banks are dried up and the tender plants are gone. 7 The desperate refugees take only the possessions they can carry and flee across the Brook of Willows. 8 The whole land of Moab is a land of weeping from one end to the other. 9 The stream near Dibon will run red with blood, but I am not through with Dibon yet! Lions will hunt down the survivors, both those who escape and those who remain.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,192
3,3,5,377
4,4,7,510
5,5,9,693
6,6,11,978
7,7,13,1103
8,8,15,1205
9,9,17,1342
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,474
ENEMY ISAIA 15:1
Moab was east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites were descendants of Lot through his incestuous relationship with his older daughter (Genesis 19:31-38). Moab had always been Israel's enemy. They oppressed Israel and invaded their land (Judges 3:12-14), fought against Saul (1 Samuel 14:47), and fought against David (2 Samuel 8:2,11-12). Moab would be punished for its harsh treatment of Israel.
ISAIA016
1 Send the king of the land the payment he demands. Send a lamb from Sela through the desert to the mountain of Jerusalem.
2 The women of Moab try to cross the river Arnon like little birds that have fallen from their nest.
3 They say: "Help us. Tell us what to do. Protect us from our enemies as shade protects us from the noon sun. Hide us, because we are running for safety! Don't give us to our enemies.
4 Let those of us who were forced out of Moab live in your land. Hide us from our enemies." The robbing of Moab will stop. The enemy will be defeated; those who hurt others will disappear from the land.
5 Then a new loyal king will come; this faithful king will be from the family of David. He will judge fairly and do what is right.
6 We have heard that the people of Moab are proud and very conceited. They are very proud and angry, but their bragging means nothing.
7 So the people of Moab will cry; they will all be sad. They will moan and groan for the raisin cakes they had in Kir Hareseth.
8 But the fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah cannot grow grapes; foreign rulers have destroyed the grapevines. The grapevines once spread as far as the city of Jazer and into the desert; they had spread as far as the sea.
9 I cry with the people of Jazer for the grapevines of Sibmah. I will cry with the people of Heshbon and Elealeh. There will be no shouts of joy, because there will be no harvest or ripe fruit.
10 There will be no joy and happiness in the orchards and no songs or shouts of joy in the vineyards. No one makes wine in the winepresses, because I have put an end to shouts of joy.
11 My heart cries for Moab like a harp playing a funeral song; I am very sad for Kir Hareseth.
12 The people of Moab will go to their places of worship and will try to pray. But when they go to their temple to pray, they will not be able.
13 Earlier the LORD said these things about Moab.
14 Now the LORD says, "In three years all those people and what they take pride in will be hated. (This is three years as a hired helper would count time.) There will be a few people left, but they will be weak."
1Moab's refugees at Sela send lambs as a token of alliance with the king of Judah. 2 The women of Moab are left at the fords of the Arnon River like homeless birds. 3 The ambassadors, who accompany the gift to Jerusalem plead for advice and help. "Give us sanctuary. Protect us. Do not turn us over to our foes. 4-5 Let our outcasts stay among you; hide them from our enemies! God will reward you for your kindness to us. If you let Moab's fugitives settle among you, then when the terror is past, God will establish David's throne forever, and on that throne he will place a just and righteous King."
6 Is this proud Moab, concerning which we heard so much? His arrogance and insolence are all gone now! 7 Therefore all Moab weeps. Yes, Moab, you will mourn for stricken Kir-hareseth, 8 and for the abandoned farms of Heshbon and the vineyards at Sibmah. The enemy warlords have cut down the best of the grapevines; their armies spread out as far as Jazer in the deserts, and even down to the sea. 9 So I wail and lament for Jazer and the vineyards of Sibmah. My tears shall flow for Heshbon and Elealeh, for destruction has come upon their summer fruits and harvests. 10 Gone now is the gladness, gone the joy of harvest. The happy singing in the vineyards will be heard no more; the treading out of the grapes in the winepresses has ceased forever. I have ended all their harvest joys.
11 I will weep, weep, weep, for Moab; and my sorrow for Kir-hareseth will be very great. 12 The people of Moab will pray in anguish to their idols at the tops of the hills, but it will do no good; they will cry to their gods in their idol temples, but none will come to save them. 13-14 All this concerning Moab has been said before; but now the Lord says that within three years, without fail, the glory of Moab shall be ended, and few of all its people will be left alive.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,130
3,3,5,237
4,4,7,425
5,5,9,632
6,6,11,770
7,7,13,911
8,8,15,1043
9,9,17,1286
10,10,19,1490
11,11,21,1680
12,12,23,1779
13,13,25,1927
14,14,27,1982
1,5,1,1
6,10,3,607
11,14,5,1397
ISAIA017
1 This is a message about Damascus: "The city of Damascus will be destroyed; only ruins will remain.
2 People will leave the cities of Aroer. Flocks will wander freely in those empty towns, and there will be no one to bother them.
3 The strong, walled cities of Israel will be destroyed. The government in Damascus will end. Those left alive of Aram will be like the glory of Israel," says the LORD ALL-POWERFUL.
4 "At that time Israel's wealth will all be gone. Israel will be like someone who has lost much weight from sickness.
5 That time will be like the grain harvest in the Valley of Rephaim. The workers cut the wheat. Then they cut the heads of grain from the plants and collect the grain.
6 That time will also be like the olive harvest, when a few olives are left. Two or three olives are left in the top branches. Four or five olives are left on full branches," says the LORD, the God of Israel.
7 At that time people will look to God, their Maker; their eyes will see the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not trust the altars they have made, nor will they trust what their hands have made, not even the Asherah idols and altars.
9 In that day all their strong cities will be empty. They will be like the cities the Hivites and the Amorites left when the Israelites came to take the land. Everything will be ruined.
10 You have forgotten the God who saves you; you have not remembered that God is your place of safety. You plant the finest grapevines and grapevines from faraway places.
11 You plant your grapevines one day and try to make them grow, and the next day you make them blossom. But at harvest time everything will be dead; a sickness will kill all the plants.
12 Listen to the many people! Their crying is like the noise from the sea. Listen to the nations! Their crying is like the crashing of great waves.
13 The people roar like the waves, but when God speaks harshly to them, they will run away. They will be like chaff on the hills being blown by the wind, or like tumbleweeds blown away by a storm.
14 At night the people will be very frightened. Before morning, no one will be left. So our enemies will come to our land, but they will become nothing.
1This is God's message to Damascus, capital of Syria:
Look, Damascus is gone! It is no longer a city - it has become a heap of ruins! 2 The cities of Aroer are deserted. Sheep pasture there, lying quiet and unafraid, with no one to chase them away. 3 The strength of Israel and the power of Damascus will end, and the remnant of Syria shall be destroyed. For as Israel's glory departed, so theirs, too, will disappear, declares the Lord Almighty. 4 Yes, the glory of Israel will be very dim when poverty stalks the land. 5 Israel will be as abandoned as the harvested grain fields in the valley of Rephaim. 6 Oh, a very few of her people will be left, just as a few stray olives are left on the trees when the harvest is ended, two or three in the highest branches, four or five out on the tips of the limbs. That is how it will be in Damascus and Israel - stripped bare of people except for a few of the poor who remain.
7 Then at last they will think of God their Creator and have respect for the Holy One of Israel. 8 They will no longer ask their idols for help in that day, neither will they worship what their hands have made! They will no longer have respect for the images of Ashtaroth and the sun idols.
9 Their largest cities will be as deserted as the distant wooded hills and mountaintops and become like the abandoned cities of the Amorites, deserted when the Israelites approached (so long ago).
10 Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you - the Rock who can hide you; therefore, even though you plant a wonderful, rare crop of greatest value, 11 and though it grows so well that it will blossom on the very morning that you plant it, yet you will never harvest it - your only harvest will be a pile of grief and incurable pain.
12 Look, see the armies thundering toward God's land. 13 But though they roar like breakers rolling upon a beach, God will silence them. They will flee, scattered like chaff by the wind, like whirling dust before a storm. 14 In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn her enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,110
3,3,5,245
4,4,7,432
5,5,9,555
6,6,11,730
7,7,13,945
8,8,15,1047
9,9,17,1189
10,10,19,1379
11,11,21,1557
12,12,23,1749
13,13,25,1903
14,14,27,2107
1,6,1,1
7,8,4,928
9,9,6,1222
10,11,8,1422
12,14,10,1776
DEPENDENCE ISAIA 17:7-11
God's message to Damascus is one of complete destruction. The Assyrians had turned from the God who could save them and depended instead on their idols and their own strength. No matter how successful they were, God's judgment was sure. Often we depend on the trappings of success (e.g., expensive cars, clothes, homes) to give us fulfillment. But God says we will reap grief and pain if we depend on things of this world to give us eternal security. If we don't want the same treatment Damascus received, we must turn from these false allurements and trust in God.
ISAIA018
1 How terrible it will be for the land beyond the rivers of Cush. It is filled with the sound of wings.
2 That land sends messengers across the sea; they go on the water in boats made of reeds. Go, quick messengers, to a people who are tall and smooth-skinned, who are feared everywhere. They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations. Their land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, look! Everyone who lives in the world, look! You will see a banner raised on a mountain. You will hear a trumpet sound.
4 The LORD said to me, "I will quietly watch from where I live, like heat in the sunshine, like the dew in the heat of harvest time."
5 The time will come, after the flowers have bloomed and before the harvest, when new grapes will be budding and growing. The enemy will cut the plants with knives; he will cut down the vines and take them away.
6 They will be left for the birds of the mountains and for the wild animals. Birds will feed on them all summer, and wild animals will eat them that winter."
7 At that time a gift will be brought to the LORD ALL-POWERFUL from the people who are tall and smooth-skinned, who are feared everywhere. They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations. Their land is divided by rivers. These gifts will be brought to the place of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, to Mount Zion.
1Ah, land beyond the upper reaches of the Nile, where winged sailboats glide along the river! 2 Land that sends ambassadors in fast boats down the Nile! Let swift messengers return to you, O strong and supple nation feared far and wide, a conquering, destroying nation whose land the upper Nile divides. And this is the message sent to you:
3 When I raise my battle flag upon the mountain, let all the world take notice! When I blow the trumpet, listen! 4 For the Lord has told me this: Let your mighty army now advance against the land of Israel. God will watch quietly from his Temple in Jerusalem - serene as on a pleasant summer day or a lovely autumn morning during harvesttime. 5 But before you have begun the attack, and while your plans are ripening like grapes, he will cut you off as though with pruning shears. He will snip the spreading tendrils. 6 Your mighty army will be left dead on the field for the mountain birds and wild animals to eat; the vultures will tear bodies all summer, and the wild animals will gnaw bones all winter. 7 But the time will come when that strong and mighty nation, a terror to all both far and near, that conquering, destroying nation whose land the rivers divide, will bring gifts to the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem, where he has placed his name.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,397
4,4,7,558
5,5,9,696
6,6,11,912
7,7,13,1075
1,2,1,1
3,3,2,344
ISAIA019
UNITY
1 This is a message about Egypt: Look, the LORD is coming on a fast cloud to enter Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before him, and Egypt's courage will melt away.
2 The LORD says, "I will cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves. People will fight with their relatives; neighbors will fight neighbors; cities will fight cities; kingdoms will fight kingdoms.
3 The Egyptians will be afraid, and I will ruin their plans. They will ask advice from their idols and spirits of the dead, from their mediums and fortune-tellers."
4 The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL says, "I will hand Egypt over to a hard master, and a powerful king will rule over them."
5 The sea will become dry, and the water will disappear from the Nile River.
6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will decrease and dry up. All the water plants will rot;
7 all the plants along the banks of the Nile will die. Even the planted fields by the Nile will dry up, blow away, and disappear.
8 The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the Nile, will groan and cry; those who fish in the Nile will be sad.
9 All the people who make cloth from flax will be sad, and those who weave linen will lose hope.
10 Those who weave cloth will be broken. All those who work for money will be sad.
11 The officers of the city of Zoan are fools; the wise men who advise the king of Egypt give wrong advice. How can you say to him, `I am wise'? How can you say, `I am from the old family of the kings'?
12 Egypt, where are your wise men? Let them show you what the LORD ALL-POWERFUL has planned for Egypt.
13 The officers of Zoan have been fooled; the leaders of Memphis have believed false things. So the leaders of Egypt lead that nation the wrong way.
14 The LORD has made the leaders confused. They have led Egypt to wander in the wrong ways, like drunk people stumbling in their own vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do; no one there can help.
16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will be afraid of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, because he will raise his hand to strike them down.
17 The land of Judah will bring fear to Egypt. Anyone there who hears the name Judah will be afraid, because the LORD ALL-POWERFUL has planned terrible things for them.
18 At that time five cities in Egypt will speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan, and they will promise to be loyal to the LORD ALL-POWERFUL. One of these cities will be named the City of Destruction.
19 At that time there will be an altar for the LORD in the middle of Egypt and a monument to the LORD at the border of Egypt.
20 This will be a sign and a witness to the LORD ALL-POWERFUL in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the LORD for help, he will send someone to save and defend them. He will rescue them from those who hurt them.
21 So the LORD will show himself to the Egyptians, and then they will know he is the LORD. They will worship God and offer many sacrifices. They will make promises to the LORD and will keep them.
22 The LORD will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will come back to the LORD, and he will listen to their prayers and heal them.
23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together.
24 At that time Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together, which will be a blessing for the earth.
25 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will bless them, saying, "Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, I made you. Israel, I own you. You are all blessed!"
1This is God's message concerning Egypt:
Look, the Lord is coming against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud; the idols of Egypt tremble; the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. 2 I will set them to fighting against each other - brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province. 3 Her wise counselors are all at their wits' end to know what to do; they plead with their idols for wisdom and call upon mediums, wizards, and witches to show them what to do. 4 I will hand over Egypt to a hard, cruel master, to a vicious king, says the Lord Almighty.
5 And the waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields; the ditches will be parched and dry, 6 their channels fouled with rotting reeds. 7 All green things along the riverbank will wither and blow away. All crops will perish; everything will die. 8 The fishermen will weep for lack of work; those who fish with hooks and those who use the nets will all be unemployed. 9 The weavers will have no flax or cotton, for the crops will fail. 10 Great men and small - all will be crushed and broken.
11 What fools the counselors of Zoan are! Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is utterly stupid and wrong. Will they still boast of their wisdom? Will they dare tell Pharaoh about the long line of wise men they have come from? 12 What has happened to your "wise counselors," O Pharaoh? Where has their wisdom gone? If they are wise, let them tell you what the Lord is going to do to Egypt. 13 The "wise men" from Zoan are also fools, and those from Memphis are utterly deluded. They are the best you can find, but they have ruined Egypt with their foolish counsel. 14 The Lord has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so that all their suggestions are wrong; they make Egypt stagger like a sick drunkard. 15 Egypt cannot be saved by anything or anybody - no one can show her the way.
16 In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women, cowering in fear beneath the upraised fist of God. 17 Just to speak the name of Israel will strike deep terror in their hearts, for the Lord Almighty has laid his plans against them.
18 At that time five of the cities of Egypt will follow the Lord Almighty and will begin to speak the Hebrew language. One of these will be Heliopolis, "The City of the Sun." 19 And there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt in those days and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 This will be for a sign of loyalty to the Lord Almighty; then when they cry to the Lord for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a Savior - and he shall deliver them.
21 In that day the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and give their sacrifices and offerings to him; they will make promises to God and keep them. 22 The Lord will smite Egypt and then restore her! For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their plea and heal them.
23 In that day Egypt and Iraq will be connected by a highway, and the Egyptians and the Iraqi will move freely back and forth between their lands, and they shall worship the same God. 24 And Israel will be their ally; the three will be together, and Israel will be a blessing to them. 25 For the Lord will bless Egypt and Iraq because of their friendship with Israel. He will say, "Blessed be Egypt, my people; blessed be Iraq, the land I have made; blessed be Israel, my inheritance!"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,178
3,3,5,396
4,4,7,569
5,5,9,694
6,6,11,775
7,7,13,882
8,8,15,1029
9,9,17,1151
10,10,19,1252
11,11,21,1339
12,12,23,1547
13,13,25,1654
14,14,27,1809
15,15,29,1953
16,16,31,2014
17,17,33,2166
18,18,35,2344
19,19,37,2551
20,20,39,2682
21,21,41,2908
22,22,43,3108
23,23,45,3263
24,24,47,3468
25,25,49,3577
1,4,1,1
5,10,4,603
11,15,6,1112
16,17,8,1904
18,20,10,2145
21,22,12,2631
23,25,14,2962
UNITY ISAIA 19:23-25
In Jesus Christ, former enemies may unite in love. In Christ, people and nations who are poles apart politically will bow at his feet as brothers and sisters; Christ breaks down every barrier that threatens relationships.
ISAIA020
1 Sargon king of Assyria sent a military commander to Ashdod to attack that city. So the commander attacked and captured it.
2 Then the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, "Take the rough cloth off your body, and take your sandals off your feet." So Isaiah obeyed and walked around naked and barefoot.
3 Then the LORD said, "Isaiah my servant has walked around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign against Egypt and Cush.
4 The king of Assyria will carry away prisoners from Egypt and Cush. Old people and young people will be led away naked and barefoot, with their buttocks bare. So the Egyptians will be shamed.
5 People who looked to Cush for help will be afraid, and those who were amazed by Egypt's glory will be shamed.
6 People who live near the sea will say, `Look at those countries. We trusted them to help us. We ran to them so they would save us from the king of Assyria. So how will we be able to escape?' "
1In the year when Sargon, king of Assyria, sent the commander-in-chief of his army against the Philistine city of Ashdod and captured it, 2 the Lord told Isaiah, the son of Amoz, to take off his clothing, including his shoes, and to walk around naked and barefoot. And Isaiah did as he was told.
3 Then the Lord said, My servant Isaiah, who has been walking naked and barefoot for the last three years, is a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners, making them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5-6 Then how dismayed the Philistines will be, who counted on "Ethiopia's power" and their "glorious ally," Egypt! And they will say, "If this can happen to Egypt, what chance have we?"
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,135
3,3,5,330
4,4,7,465
5,5,9,667
6,6,11,783
1,2,1,1
3,3,3,301
ISAIA021
A A 1 This is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Disaster is coming from the desert like wind blowing in the south. It is coming from a terrible country.
2 I have seen a terrible vision. I see traitors turning against you and people taking your wealth. Elam, attack the people! Media, surround the city and attack it! I will bring an end to the pain the city causes.
3 I saw those terrible things, and now I am in pain; my pains are like the pains of giving birth. What I hear makes me very afraid; what I see causes me to shake with fear.
4 I am worried, and I am shaking with fear. My pleasant evening has become a night of fear.
5 They set the table; they spread the rugs; they eat and drink. Leaders, stand up. Prepare the shields for battle!
6 The Lord said to me, "Go, place a lookout for the city and have him report what he sees.
7 If he sees chariots and teams of horses, donkeys, or camels, he should pay very close attention."
8 Then the lookout called out, "My master, each day I stand in the watchtower watching; every night I have been on guard.
9 Look, I see a man coming in a chariot with a team of horses." The man gives back the answer, "Babylon has fallen. It has fallen! All the statues of her gods lie broken on the ground."
10 My people are crushed like grain on the threshing floor. My people, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, from the God of Israel.
11 This is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Edom, "Watchman, how much of the night is left? Watchman, how much longer will it be night?"
12 The watchman answers, "Morning is coming, but then night will come again. If you have something to ask, then come back and ask."
13 This is a message about Arabia: A group of traders from Dedan spent the night near some trees in Arabia.
14 They gave water to thirsty travelers; the people of Tema gave food to those who were escaping.
15 They were running from swords, from swords ready to kill, from bows ready to shoot, from a hard battle.
16 This is what the Lord said to me: "In one year all the glory of the country of Kedar will be gone. (This is a year as a hired helper counts time.)
17 At that time only a few of the archers, the soldiers of Kedar, will be left alive." The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
, , 1This is God's message concerning Babylon: Disaster is roaring down upon you from the terrible desert, like a whirlwind sweeping from the Negeb. 2 I see an awesome vision: oh, the horror of it all! God is telling me what he is going to do. I see you plundered and destroyed. Elamites and Medes will take part in the siege. Babylon will fall, and the groaning of all the nations she enslaved will end. 3 My stomach constricts and burns with pain; sharp pangs of horror are upon me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth to a child. I faint when I hear what God is planning; I am terrified, blinded with dismay. 4 My mind reels; my heart races; I am gripped by awful fear. All rest at night - so pleasant once - is gone; I lie awake, trembling.
5 Look! They are preparing a great banquet! They load the tables with food; they pull up their chairs to eat. . . . Quick, quick, grab your shields and prepare for battle! You are being attacked!
6-7 Meanwhile (in my vision) the Lord had told me, "Put a watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees. When he sees riders in pairs on donkeys and camels, tell him, `This is it!"
8-9 So I put the watchman on the wall, and at last he shouted, "Sir, day after day and night after night I have been here at my post. Now at last - look! Here come riders in pairs!"
Then I heard a Voice shout out, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground."
10 O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you all that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has said.
11 This is God's message to Edom: Someone from among you keeps calling, calling to me: "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? How much time is left?" 12 The watchman replies, "Your judgment day is dawning now. Turn again to God, so that I can give you better news. Seek for him, then come and ask again!"
13 This is God's message concerning Arabia:
O caravans from Dedan, you will hide in the deserts of Arabia. 14 O people of Tema, bring food and water to these weary fugitives! 15 They have fled from drawn swords and sharp arrows and the terrors of war! 16 "But a long year from now," says the Lord, "the great power of their enemy, the mighty tribe of Kedar, will end. 17 Only a few of its stalwart archers will survive." The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,160
3,3,5,382
4,4,7,559
5,5,9,656
6,6,11,776
7,7,13,872
8,8,15,980
9,9,17,1108
10,10,19,1301
11,11,21,1457
12,12,23,1621
13,13,25,1760
14,14,27,1872
15,15,29,1975
16,16,31,2086
17,17,33,2240
1,4,1,1
5,5,3,749
6,7,5,948
8,9,7,1138
10,10,10,1443
11,12,12,1558
13,17,14,1886
THE NEWS ISAIA 21:11-12
Everyone wants to hear the good news that all troubles are over and prosperity lies ahead. The watchman tells how to get that good news-turn to God, and seek him with all your heart. Without God,the news of world events and the world's future is anything but good. Without God, our personal future is bad news.
ISAIA022
1 This is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is wrong with you people? Why are you on your roofs?
2 This city was a very busy city, full of noise and wild parties. Now your people have been killed, but not with swords, nor did they die in battle.
3 All your leaders ran away together, but they have been captured without using a bow. All you who were captured tried to run away before the enemy came.
4 So I say, "Don't look at me. Let me cry loudly. Don't hurry to comfort me about the destruction of Jerusalem."
5 The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL has chosen a special day of riots and confusion. People will trample each other in the Valley of Vision. The city walls will be knocked down, and the people will cry out to the mountain.
6 The soldiers from Elam will gather their arrows and their chariots and men on horses. Kir will prepare their shields.
7 Your nicest valleys will be filled with chariots. Horsemen will be ordered to guard the gates of the city.
8 The walls protecting Judah will fall. At that time the people of Jerusalem depended on the weapons kept at the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw that the walls of Jerusalem had many cracks that needed repairing. You stored up water in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you tore down houses to repair the walls with their stones.
11 You made a pool between the two walls to save water from the old pool, but you did not trust the God who made these things; you did not respect the One who planned them long ago.
12 The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL told the people to cry and be sad, to shave their heads and wear rough cloth.
13 But look, the people are happy and are having wild parties. They kill the cattle and the sheep; they eat the food and drink the wine. They say, "Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die."
14 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL said to me: "You people will die before this guilt is forgiven." The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL said this.
15 This is what the Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL says: "Go to this servant Shebna, the manager of the palace.
16 Say to him, `What are you doing here? Who said you could cut out a tomb for yourself here? Why are you preparing your tomb in a high place? Why are you carving out a tomb from the rock?
17 Look, mighty one! The LORD will throw you away. He will take firm hold of you
18 and roll you tightly into a ball and throw you into another country. There you will die, and there your fine chariots will remain. You are a disgrace to your master's house.
19 I will force you out of your important job, and you will be thrown down from your important place.'
20 "At that time I will call for my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
21 I will take your robe and put it on him and give him your belt. I will hand over to him the important job you have, and he will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and the family of Judah.
22 I will put the key to the house of David around his neck. If he opens a door, no one will be able to close it; if he closes a door, no one will be able to open it.
23 He will be like an honored chair in his father's house. I will make him strong like a peg that is hammered into a strong board.
24 All the honored and important things of his family will depend on him; all the adults and little children will depend on him. They will be like bowls and jars hanging on him.
25 "At that time," says the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, "the peg hammered into the strong board will weaken. It will break and fall, and everything hanging on it will be destroyed." The LORD says this.
1This is God's message concerning Jerusalem: What is happening? Where is everyone going? Why are they running to the rooftops? What are they looking at? 2 The whole city is in terrible uproar. What's the trouble in this busy, happy city? Bodies! Lying everywhere, slain by plague and not by sword. 3 All your leaders flee; they surrender without resistance. The people slip away but they are captured too. 4 Let me alone to weep. Don't try to comfort me - let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed. 5 Oh, what a day of crushing trouble! What a day of confusion and terror from the Lord God of heaven's armies! The walls of Jerusalem are breached, and the cry of death echoes from the mountainsides. 6-7 Elamites are the archers; Syrians drive the chariots; the men of Kir hold up the shields. They fill your choicest valleys and crowd against your gates.
8 God has removed his protecting care. You run to the armory for your weapons! 9-11 You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs repair! You check over the houses and tear some down for stone for fixing walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the lower pool! But all your feverish plans will not avail, for you never ask for help from God, who lets this come upon you. He is the one who planned it long ago. 12 The Lord God called you to repent, to weep and mourn, to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins, and to wear clothes made of sackcloth to show your remorse. 13 But instead, you sing and dance and play, and feast and drink. "Let us eat, drink, and be merry," you say: "What's the difference, for tomorrow we die." 14 The Lord Almighty has revealed to me that this sin will never be forgiven you until the day you die.
15-16 Furthermore, the same Lord God of the armies of heaven has told me this: Go and say to Shebna, the palace administrator: "And who do you think you are, building this beautiful sepulchre in the rock for yourself? 17 For the Lord who allowed you to be clothed so gorgeously will hurl you away, sending you into captivity, O strong man! 18 He will wad you up in his hands like a ball and toss you away into a distant, barren land; there you will die, O glorious one - you who disgrace your nation!
19 "Yes, I will drive you out of office," says the Lord, "and pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, to replace you. 21 He shall have your uniform and title and authority, and he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah. 22 I will give him responsibility over all my people; whatever he says will be done; none will be able to stop him. 23-24 I will make of him a strong and steady peg to support my people; they will load him with responsibility, and he will be an honor to his family name." 25 But the Lord will pull out that other peg that seems to be so firmly fastened to the wall! It will come out and fall to the ground, and everything it supports will fall with it, for the Lord has spoken.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,111
3,3,5,267
4,4,7,425
5,5,9,547
6,6,11,779
7,7,13,904
8,8,15,1021
9,9,17,1161
10,10,19,1282
11,11,21,1395
12,12,23,1586
13,13,25,1698
14,14,27,1905
15,15,29,2038
16,16,31,2151
17,17,33,2354
18,18,35,2439
19,19,37,2627
20,20,39,2735
21,21,41,2807
22,22,43,3016
23,23,45,3192
24,24,47,3336
25,25,49,3524
1,7,1,1
8,14,3,875
15,18,5,1744
19,25,7,2248
SUFFER ISAIA 22:4
Isaiah had warned his people, but they did not repent-so they experienced God's judgment. Because Isaiah cared for the people, he was hurt by their punishment and he mourned deeply for them. Sometimes people we care for ignore our attempts to help them, and then they suffer the consequences of actions we tried to stop. We grieve at those times because of our concern. God expects us to be involved with others-this may cause us to suffer with them.
DESPAIR ISAIA 22:13-14
The people said, Let us eat, drink, and be merry because they had given up hope. Today, we see people giving up hope as well. There are two common responses to hopelessness: despair and self-indulgence. But this life is not all there is, so we should not act as if we have no hope. The proper response is to turn to God and trust in his promise of a perfect and just future in the new world he will create.
ISAIA023
1 This is a message about Tyre: You trading ships, cry! The houses and harbor of Tyre are destroyed. This news came to the ships from the land of Cyprus.
2 Be silent, you who live on the island of Tyre; you merchants of Sidon, be silent. Sailors have made you rich.
3 They traveled the sea to bring grain from Egypt; the sailors of Tyre brought grain from the Nile Valley and sold it to other nations.
4 Sidon, be ashamed. Strong city of the sea, be ashamed, because the sea says: "I have not felt the pain of giving birth; I have not reared young men or women."
5 Egypt will hear the news about Tyre, and it will make Egypt hurt with sorrow.
6 You ships should return to Tarshish. You people living near the sea should be sad.
7 Look at your once happy city! Look at your old, old city! People from that city have traveled far away to live.
8 Who planned Tyre's destruction? Tyre made others rich. Its merchants were treated like princes, and its traders were greatly respected.
9 It was the LORD ALL-POWERFUL who planned this. He decided to make these proud people unimportant; he decided to disgrace those who were greatly respected.
10 Go through your land, people of Tarshish, like the Nile goes through Egypt. There is no harbor for you now!
11 The LORD has stretched his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He commands that Canaan's strong, walled cities be destroyed.
12 He said, "Sidon, you will not rejoice any longer, because you are destroyed. Even if you cross the sea to Cyprus, you will not find a place to rest."
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians; it is not a country now. Assyria has made it a place for wild animals. Assyria built towers to attack it; the soldiers took all the treasures from its cities, and they turned it into ruins.
14 So be sad, you trading ships, because your strong city is destroyed.
15 At that time people will forget about Tyre for seventy years, which is the length of a king's life. After seventy years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song:
16 "Oh woman, you are forgotten. Take your harp and walk through the city. Play your harp well. Sing your song often. Then people will remember you."
17 After seventy years the LORD will deal with Tyre, and it will again have trade. It will be like a prostitute for all the nations of the earth.
18 The profits will be saved for the LORD. Tyre will not keep the money she earns but will give them to the people who serve the LORD, so they will have plenty of food and nice clothes.
1This is God's message to Tyre:
Weep, O ships of Tyre, returning home from distant lands! Weep for your harbor, for it is gone! The rumors that you heard in Cyprus are all true. 2-3 Deathly silence is everywhere. Stillness reigns where once your hustling port was full of ships from Sidon, bringing merchandise from far across the ocean, from Egypt and along the Nile. You were the merchandise mart of the world. 4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, stronghold of the sea. For you are childless now! 5 When Egypt hears the news, there will be great sorrow. 6 Flee to Tarshish, men of Tyre, weeping as you go. 7 This silent ruin is all that's left of your once joyous land. What a history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant lands!
8 Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, empire builder and top trader of the world? 9 The Commander of the armies of heaven has done it to destroy your pride and show his contempt for all the greatness of mankind. 10 Sail on, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor is gone. 11 The Lord holds out his hand over the seas; he shakes the kingdoms of the earth; he has spoken out against this great merchant city, to destroy its strength.
12 He says, "Never again, O dishonored virgin, daughter of Sidon, will you rejoice, will you be strong. Even if you flee to Cyprus, you will find no rest."
13 It will be the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, who consign Tyre to the wild beasts. They will lay siege to it, raze its palaces, and make it a heap of ruins. 14 Wail, you ships that ply the oceans, for your home port is destroyed!
15-16 For seventy years Tyre will be forgotten. Then, in the days of another king, the city will come back to life again; she will sing sweet songs as a harlot sings who, long absent from her lovers, walks the streets to look for them again and is remembered. 17 Yes, after seventy years, the Lord will revive Tyre, but she will be no different than she was before; she will return again to all her evil ways around the world. 18 Yet the distant time will come when her businesses will give their profits to the Lord! They will not be hoarded but used for good food and fine clothes for the priests of the Lord!
1,7,1,1
8,11,4,745
12,12,6,1181
13,14,8,1340
15,18,10,1577
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,160
3,3,5,281
4,4,7,424
5,5,9,596
6,6,11,680
7,7,13,769
8,8,15,887
9,9,17,1034
10,10,19,1207
11,11,21,1323
12,12,23,1468
13,13,25,1626
14,14,27,1862
15,15,29,1938
16,16,31,2113
17,17,33,2275
18,18,35,2425
ISAIA024
1 Look! The LORD will destroy the earth and leave it empty; he will ruin the surface of the land and scatter its people.
2 At that time the same thing will happen to everyone: to common people and priests, to slaves and masters, to women slaves and their women masters, to buyers and sellers, to those who borrow and those who lend, to bankers and those who owe the bank.
3 The earth will be completely empty. The wealth will all be taken, because the LORD has commanded it.
4 The earth will dry up and die; the world will grow weak and die; the great leaders in this land will become weak.
5 The people of the earth have ruined it, because they do not follow God's teachings or obey God's laws or keep their agreement with God that was to last forever.
6 So a curse will destroy the earth. The people of the world are guilty, so they will be burned up; only a few will be left.
7 The new wine will be bad, and the grapevines will die. People who were happy will be sad.
8 The happy music of the tambourines will end. The happy sounds of wild parties will stop. The joyful music from the harps will end.
9 People will no longer sing while they drink their wine. The beer will taste bitter to those who drink it.
10 The ruined city will be empty, and people will hide behind closed doors.
11 People in the streets will ask for wine, but joy will have turned to sadness; all the happiness will have left.
12 The city will be left in ruins, and its gates will be smashed to pieces.
13 This is what will happen all over the earth and to all the nations. The earth will be like an olive tree after the harvest or like the few grapes left on a vine after harvest.
14 The people shout for joy. From the west they praise the greatness of the LORD.
15 People in the east, praise the LORD. People in the islands of the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
16 We hear songs from every part of the earth praising God, the Righteous One. But I said, "I am dying! I am dying! How terrible it will be for me! Traitors turn against people; with their dishonesty, they turn against people."
17 There are terrors, holes, and traps for the people of the earth.
18 Anyone who tries to escape from the sound of terror will fall into a hole. Anyone who climbs out of the hole will be caught in a trap. The clouds in the sky will pour out rain, and the foundations of the earth will shake.
19 The earth will be broken up; the earth will split open; the earth will shake violently.
20 The earth will stumble around like someone who is drunk; it will shake like a hut in a storm. Its sin is like a heavy weight on its back; it will fall and never rise again.
21 At that time the LORD will punish the powers in the sky above and the rulers on earth below.
22 They will be gathered together like prisoners thrown into a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison. After much time they will be punished.
23 The moon will be embarrassed, and the sun will be ashamed, because the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will rule as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's leaders will see his greatness.
1Look! The Lord is overturning the land of Judah and making it a vast wasteland of destruction. See how he is emptying out all its people and scattering them over the face of the earth. 2 Priests and people, servants and masters, slave girls and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors - none will be spared. 3 The land will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken. 4-5 The land suffers for the sins of its people. The earth languishes, the crops wither, the skies refuse their rain. The land is defiled by crime; the people have twisted the laws of God and broken his everlasting commands. 6 Therefore the curse of God is upon them; they are left desolate, destroyed by the drought. Few will be left alive.
7 All the joys of life will go: the grape harvest will fail, the wine will be gone, the merrymakers will sigh and mourn. 8 The melodious chords of the harp and timbrel are heard no more; the happy days are ended. 9 No more are the joys of wine and song; strong drink turns bitter in the mouth.
10 The city lies in chaos; every home and shop is locked up tight to keep out looters. 11 Mobs form in the streets, crying for wine; joy has reached its lowest ebb; gladness has been banished from the land. 12 The city is left in ruins; its gates are battered down. 13 Throughout the land the story is the same - only a remnant is left.
14 But all who are left will shout and sing for joy; those in the west will praise the majesty of God, 15-16 and those in the east will respond with praise. Hear them singing to the Lord from the ends of the earth, singing glory to the Righteous One!
But my heart is heavy with grief, for evil still prevails and treachery is everywhere. 17 Terror and the captivity of hell are still your lot, O men of the world. 18 When you flee in terror, you will fall into a pit, and if you escape from the pit, you will step into a trap, for destruction falls from the heavens upon you; the world is shaken beneath you. 19 The earth has broken down in utter collapse; everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. 20 The world staggers like a drunkard; it shakes like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the sins of the earth are very great.
21 On that day the Lord will punish the fallen angels in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. 22 They will be rounded up like prisoners and imprisoned in a dungeon until they are tried and condemned. 23 Then the Lord of heaven's armies will mount his throne in Zion and rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the elders of his people. Such glory there will be that all the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away.
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STOP SIN ISAIA 24:4-5
Not only the people suffered from their sins; even the land suffered with bad crops and crime. Today we see the results of sin in our own land-pollution, crime, poverty, and more. Sin affects every aspect of society so extensively that even those faithful to God suffer. We cannot blame God for these conditions because human sin has brought them about. The more we who are believers renounce sin and share God's Word with others, the more we slow our society's deterioration. We must not give up: sin is rampant, but we can make a difference.
ISAIA025
1 LORD, you are my God. I honor you and praise you, because you have done amazing things. You have always done what you said you would do; you have done what you planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a pile of rocks and have destroyed her walls. The city our enemies built with strong walls is gone; it will never be built again.
3 People from powerful nations will honor you; cruel people from strong cities will fear you.
4 You protect the poor; you protect the helpless when they are in danger. You are like a shelter from storms, like shade that protects them from the heat. The cruel people attack like a rainstorm beating against the wall,
5 like the heat in the desert. But you, God, stop their violent attack. As a cloud cools a hot day, you silence the songs of those who have no mercy.
6 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will prepare a feast on this mountain for all people. It will be a feast with all the best food and wine, the finest meat and wine.
7 On this mountain God will destroy the veil that covers all nations, the veil that stretches over all peoples;
8 he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away every tear from every face. He will take away the shame of his people from the earth. The LORD has spoken.
9 At that time people will say, "Our God is doing this! We have waited for him, and he has come to save us. This is the LORD. We waited for him, so we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us."
10 The LORD will protect Jerusalem, but he will crush our enemy Moab like straw that is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will spread their arms in it like a person who is swimming. But God will bring down their pride, and all the clever things they have made will mean nothing.
12 Moab's high walls protect them, but God will destroy these walls. He will throw them down to the ground, even to the dust.
1O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said! 2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. The strongest forts are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore strong nations will shake with fear before you; ruthless nations will obey and glorify your name.
4 But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter from merciless men who are like a driving rain that melts down an earthen wall. 5 As a hot, dry land is cooled by clouds, you will cool the pride of ruthless nations. 6 Here on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the Lord Almighty will spread a wondrous feast for everyone around the world - a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. 7 At that time he will remove the cloud of gloom, the pall of death that hangs over the earth; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken - he will surely do it!
9 In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God in whom we trust, for whom we waited. Now at last he is here." What a day of rejoicing! 10 For the Lord's good hand will rest upon Jerusalem, and Moab will be crushed as straw beneath his feet and left to rot. 11 God will push them down just as a swimmer pushes down the water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil works. 12 The high walls of Moab will be demolished and brought to dust.
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,60"t
ISAIA026
CONFESS
1 At that time people will sing this song in Judah: We have a strong city. God protects us with its strong walls and defenses.
2 Open the gates, and the good people will enter, those who follow God.
3 You, LORD, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.
4 So, trust the LORD always, because he is our Rock forever.
5 He will destroy the proud city, and he will punish the people living there. He will bring that high city down to the ground and throw it down into the dust.
6 Then those who were hurt by the city will walk on its ruins; those who were made poor by the city will trample it under their feet.
7 The path of life is level for those who are right with God; LORD, you make the way of life smooth for those people.
8 But, LORD, we are waiting for your way of justice. Our souls want to remember you and your name.
9 My soul wants to be with you at night, and my spirit wants to be with you at the dawn of every day. When your way of justice comes to the land, people of the world will learn the right way of living.
10 Evil people will not learn to do good even if you show them kindness. They will continue doing evil, even if they live in a good world; they never see the LORD' s greatness.
11 LORD, you are ready to punish those people, but they do not see that. Show them your strong love for your people. Then those who are evil will be ashamed. Burn them in the fire you have prepared for your enemies.
12 LORD, all our success is because of what you have done, so give us peace.
13 LORD, our God, other masters besides you have ruled us, but we honor only you.
14 Those masters are now dead; their ghosts will not rise from death. You punished and destroyed them and erased any memory of them.
15 LORD, you multiplied the number of your people; you multiplied them and brought honor to yourself. You made the borders of the land wide.
16 LORD, people remember you when they are in trouble; they say quiet prayers to you when you punish them.
17 LORD, when we are with you, we are like a woman giving birth to a baby; she cries and has pain from the birth.
18 In the same way, we had pain. We gave birth, but only to wind. We don't bring salvation to the land or make new people for the world.
19 Your people have died, but they will live again; their bodies will rise from death. You who lie in the ground, wake up and be happy! The dew covering you is like the dew of a new day; the ground will give birth to the dead.
20 My people, go into your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide in your rooms for a short time until God's anger is finished.
21 The LORD will leave his place to punish the people of the world for their sins. The earth will show the blood of the people who have been killed; it will not cover the dead any longer.
1Listen to them singing! In that day the whole land of Judah will sing this song:
"Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of his salvation!" 2 Open the gates to everyone, for all may enter in who love the Lord. 3 He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! 4 Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength. 5 He humbles the proud and brings the haughty city to the dust; its walls come crashing down. 6 He presents it to the poor and needy for their use.
7 But for good men the path is not uphill and rough! God does not give them a rough and treacherous path, but smooths the road before them. 8 O Lord, we love to do your will! Our hearts' desire is to glorify your name. 9 All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God; for only when you come in judgment on the earth to punish it will people turn away from wickedness and do what is right.
10 Your kindness to the wicked doesn't make them good; they keep on doing wrong and take no notice of your majesty. 11 They do not listen when you threaten; they will not look to see your upraised fist. Show them how much you love your people. Perhaps then they will be ashamed! Yes, let them be burned up by the fire reserved for your enemies.
12 Lord, grant us peace; for all we have and are has come from you. 13 O Lord our God, once we worshiped other gods; but now we worship you alone. 14 Those we served before are dead and gone; never again will they return. You came against them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten. 15 O praise the Lord! He has made our nation very great. He has widened the boundaries of our land!
16 Lord, in their distress they sought for you. When your punishment was on them, they poured forth a whispered prayer. 17 How we missed your presence, Lord! We suffered as a woman giving birth who cries and writhes in pain. 18 We too have writhed in agony, but all to no avail. No deliverance has come from all our efforts. 19 Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God's light of life will fall like dew upon them!
20 Go home, my people, and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord's wrath against your enemies has passed. 21 Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide the murderers. The guilty will be found.
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CONFESS ISAIA 26:21
When God comes to judge the earth, the guilty will find no place to hide. Jesus said that secret plots will become public information because his truth, like a light shining in a dark corner, will reveal them (Matthew 10:26). Instead of trying to hide your shameful thoughts and actions from God, confess them to him and receive his forgiveness.
ISAIA027
1 At that time the LORD will punish Leviathan, the gliding snake. He will punish Leviathan, the coiled snake, with his great and hard and powerful sword. He will kill the monster in the sea.
2 At that time people will sing about the pleasant vineyard.
3 "I, the LORD, will care for that vineyard; I will water it at the right time. No one will hurt it, because I will guard it day and night.
4 I am not angry. If anyone builds a wall of thornbushes in war, I will march to it and burn it.
5 But if anyone comes to me for safety and wants to make peace with me, he should come and make peace with me."
6 In the days to come, the people of Jacob will be like a plant with good roots; Israel will grow like a plant beginning to bloom. Then the world will be filled with their children.
7 The LORD has not hurt his people as he hurt their enemies; his people have not been killed like those who tried to kill them.
8 He will settle his argument with Israel by sending it far away. Like a hot desert wind, he will drive it away.
9 This is how Israel's guilt will be forgiven; this is how its sins will be taken away: Israel will crush the rocks of the altar to dust, and no statues or altars will be left standing for the Asherah idols.
10 At that time the strong, walled city will be empty like a desert. Calves will eat grass there. They will lie down there and eat leaves from the branches.
11 The limbs will become dry and break off, so women will use them for firewood. The people refuse to understand, so God will not comfort them; their Maker will not be kind to them.
12 At that time the LORD will begin gathering his people one by one from the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt. He will separate them from others as grain is separated from chaff.
13 Many of my people are now lost in Assyria. Some have run away to Egypt. But at that time a great trumpet will be blown, and all those people will come and worship the LORD on that holy mountain in Jerusalem.
1In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent, the dragon of the sea.
2 In that day of Israel's freedom let this anthem be their song:
3 Israel is my vineyard; I, the Lord, will tend the fruitful vines; every day I'll water them, and day and night I'll watch to keep all enemies away. 4-5 My anger against Israel is gone. If I find thorns and briars bothering her, I will burn them up, unless these enemies of mine surrender and beg for peace and my protection. 6 The time will come when Israel will take root and bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with her fruit!
7-8 Has God punished Israel as much as he has punished her enemies? No, for he has devastated her enemies, while he has punished Israel but a little, exiling her far from her own land as though blown away in a storm from the east. 9 And why did God do it? It was to purge away her sins, to rid her of all her idol altars and her idols. They will never be worshiped again. 10 Her walled cities will be silent and empty, houses abandoned, streets grown up with grass, cows grazing through the city munching on twigs and branches.
11 My people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used to burn beneath the pots. They are a foolish nation, a witless, stupid people, for they turn away from God. Therefore, he who made them will not have pity on them or show them his mercy. 12 Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together one by one like handpicked grain, selecting them here and there from his great threshing floor that reaches all the way from the Euphrates River to the Egyptian boundary. 13 In that day the great trumpet will be blown, and many about to perish among their enemies, Assyria and Egypt, will be rescued and brought back to Jerusalem to worship the Lord in his holy mountain.
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10 Y0B\&
ISAIA028
Z"r"($
1 How terrible it will be for Samaria, the pride of Israel's drunken people! That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant set on a hill above a rich valley where drunkards live.
2 Look, the Lord has someone who is strong and powerful. Like a storm of hail and strong wind, like a sudden flood of water pouring over the country, he will throw Samaria down to the ground.
3 That city, the pride of Israel's drunken people, will be trampled underfoot.
4 That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant set on a hill above a rich valley. That city will be like the first fig of summer. Anyone who sees it quickly picks it and eats it.
5 At that time the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will be like a beautiful crown, like a wonderful crown of flowers for his people who are left alive.
6 Then he will give wisdom to the judges who must decide cases and strength to those who battle at the city gate.
7 But now those leaders are drunk with wine; they stumble from drinking too much beer. The priests and prophets are drunk with beer and are filled with wine. They stumble from too much beer. The prophets are drunk when they see their visions; the judges stumble when they make their decisions.
8 Every table is covered with vomit, so there is not a clean place anywhere.
9 The LORD is trying to teach the people a lesson; he is trying to make them understand his teachings. But the people are like babies too old for breast milk, like those who no longer nurse at their mother's breast.
10 So they make fun of the LORD' s prophet and say: "A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there."
11 So the LORD will use strange words and foreign languages to speak to these people.
12 God said to them, "Here is a place of rest; let the tired people come and rest. This is the place of peace." But the people would not listen.
13 So the words of the LORD will be, "A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there." They will fall back and be defeated; they will be trapped and captured.
14 So listen to the LORD' s message, you who brag, you leaders in Jerusalem.
15 You say, "We have made an agreement with death; we have a contract with death. When terrible punishment passes by, it won't hurt us. Our lies will keep us safe, and our tricks will hide us."
16 Because of these things, this is what the Lord GOD says: "I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem, a tested stone. Everything will be built on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in it will never be disappointed.
17 I will use justice as a measuring line and goodness as the standard. The lies you hide behind will be destroyed as if by hail. They will be washed away as if in a flood.
18 Your agreement with death will be erased; your contract with death will not help you. When terrible punishment comes, you will be crushed by it.
19 Whenever punishment comes, it will take you away. It will come morning after morning; it will defeat you by day and by night. Those who understand this punishment will be terrified."
20 You will be like the person who tried to sleep on a bed that was too short and with a blanket that was too narrow to wrap around himself.
21 The LORD will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in the Valley of Gibeon. He will do his work, his strange work. He will finish his job, his strange job.
22 Now, you must not make fun of these things, or the ropes around you will become tighter. The Lord GOD ALL-POWERFUL has told me how the whole earth will be destroyed.
23 Listen closely to what I tell you; listen carefully to what I say.
24 A farmer does not plow his field all the time; he does not go on working the soil.
25 He makes the ground flat and smooth. Then he plants the dill and scatters the cumin. He plants the wheat in rows, the barley in its special place, and other wheat as a border around the field.
26 His God teaches him and shows him the right way.
27 A farmer doesn't use heavy boards to crush dill; he doesn't use a wagon wheel to crush cumin. He uses a small stick to break open the dill, and with a stick he opens the cumin.
28 The grain is ground to make bread. People do not ruin it by crushing it forever. The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff with his cart, but he does not let his horses grind it.
29 This lesson also comes from the LORD ALL-POWERFUL, who gives wonderful advice, who is very wise.
1Woe to the city of Samaria, surrounded by her rich valley - Samaria, the pride and delight of the drunkards of Israel! Woe to her fading beauty, the crowning glory of a nation of men lying drunk in the streets! 2 For the Lord will send a mighty army (the Assyrians) against you; like a mighty hailstorm he will burst upon you and dash you to the ground. 3 The proud city of Samaria - yes, the joy and delight of the drunkards of Israel - will be hurled to the ground and trampled beneath the enemies' feet. 4 Once glorious, her fading beauty surrounded by a fertile valley will suddenly be gone, greedily snatched away as an early fig is hungrily snatched and gobbled up!
5 Then at last the Lord Almighty himself will be their crowning glory, the diadem of beauty to his people who are left. 6 He will give a longing for justice to your judges and great courage to your soldiers who are battling to the last before your gates. 7 But Jerusalem is now led by drunks! Her priests and prophets reel and stagger, making stupid errors and mistakes. 8 Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.
9 "Who does Isaiah think he is," the people say, "to speak to us like this! Are we little children, barely old enough to talk? 10 He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time and in such simple words!"
11 But they won't listen; the only language they can understand is punishment! So God will punish them by sending against them foreigners who speak strange gibberish! Only then will they listen to him! 12 They could have rest in their own land if they would obey him, if they were kind and good. He told them that, but they wouldn't listen to him. 13 So the Lord will spell it out for them again, repeating it over and over in simple words whenever he can; yet over this simple, straightforward message they will stumble and fall and be broken, trapped and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem:
15 You have struck a bargain with Death, you say, and sold yourselves to the devil in exchange for his protection against the Assyrians. "They can never touch us," you say, "for we are under the care of one who will deceive and fool them."
16 But the Lord God says, "See, I am placing a Foundation Stone in Zion - a firm, tested, precious Cornerstone that is safe to build on. He who believes need never run away again. 17 I will take the line and plummet of justice to check the foundation wall you built; it looks so fine, but it is so weak a storm of hail will knock it down! The enemy will come like a flood and sweep it away, and you will be drowned. 18 I will cancel your agreement of compromise with Death and the devil, so when the terrible enemy floods in, you will be trampled into the ground. 19 Again and again that flood will come and carry you off, until at last the unmixed horror of the truth of my warnings will finally dawn on you."
20 The bed you have made is far too short to lie on; the blankets are too narrow to cover you. 21 The Lord will come suddenly and in anger, as at Mount Perazim and Gibeon, to do a strange, unusual thing - to destroy his own people! 22 So scoff no more, lest your punishment be made even greater, for the Lord God has plainly told me that he is determined to crush you.
23-24 Listen to me, listen as I plead: Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever harrowing the soil and never planting it? 25 Does he not finally plant his many kinds of grain, each in its own section of his land? 26 He knows just what to do, for God has made him see and understand. 27 He doesn't thresh all grains the same. A sledge is never used on dill, but it is beaten with a stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cummin, but it is beaten softly with a flail. 28 Bread grain is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. 29 The Lord Almighty is a wonderful teacher and gives the farmer wisdom.
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Z"r"($
SIMPLICITY ISAIA 28:13
God used repetition and simple words to get his messages through to the people. Do you find that God has to teach you the same lessons over and over? The simplicity of God's message can be a stumbling block for some (28:9-10), leading them to think it must have little value. We must not be too proud to heed God's simple message.
ISAIA029
1 How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem, the city where David camped. Your festivals have continued year after year.
2 I will attack Jerusalem, and that city will be filled with sadness and crying. It will be like an altar to me.
3 I will put armies all around you, Jerusalem; I will surround you with towers and with devices to attack you.
4 You will be pulled down and will speak from the ground; I will hear your voice rising from the ground. It will sound like the voice of a ghost; your words will come like a whisper from the dirt.
5 Your many enemies will become like fine dust; the many cruel people will be like chaff that is blown away. Everything will happen very quickly.
6 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will come with thunder, earthquakes, and great noises, with storms, strong winds, and a fire that destroys.
7 Then all the nations that fight against Jerusalem will be like a dream; all the nations that attack her will be like a vision in the night.
8 They will be like a hungry man who dreams he is eating, but when he awakens, he is still hungry. They will be like a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking, but when he awakens, he is still weak and thirsty. It will be the same way with all the nations who fight against Mount Zion.
9 Be surprised and amazed. Blind yourselves so that you cannot see. Become drunk, but not from wine. Trip and fall, but not from beer.
10 The LORD has made you go into a deep sleep. He has closed your eyes. (The prophets are your eyes.) He has covered your heads. (The seers are your heads.)
11 This vision is like the words of a book that is closed and sealed. You may give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But he will say, "I can't read the book, because it is sealed."
12 Or you may give the book to someone who cannot read and tell him to read it. But he will say, "I don't know how to read."
13 The Lord says: "These people say they love me; they show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. The honor they show me is nothing but human rules.
14 So I will continue to amaze these people by doing more and more miracles. Their wise men will lose their wisdom; their wise men will not be able to understand."
15 How terrible it will be for those who try to hide things from the LORD and who do their work in darkness. They think no one will see them or know what they do.
16 You are confused. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that an object can tell the one who made it, "You didn't make me." This is like a pot telling its maker, "You don't know anything."
17 In a very short time, Lebanon will become rich farmland, and the rich farmland will seem like a forest.
18 At that time the deaf will hear the words in a book. Instead of having darkness and gloom, the blind will see.
19 The LORD will make the poor people happy; they will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 Then the people without mercy will come to an end; those who do not respect God will disappear. Those who enjoy doing evil will be gone:
21 those who lie about others in court, those who trap people in court, those who lie and take justice from innocent people in court.
22 This is what the LORD who set Abraham free says to the family of Jacob: "Now the people of Jacob will not be ashamed or disgraced any longer.
23 When they see all their children, the children I made with my hands, they will say my name is holy. They will agree that the Holy One of Jacob is holy, and they will respect the God of Israel.
24 People who do wrong will now understand. Those who complain will accept being taught."
1Woe to Jerusalem, the city of David. Year after year you make your many offerings, 2 but I will send heavy judgment upon you, and there will be weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem shall become as her name "Ariel" means - an altar covered with blood. 3 I will be your enemy. I will surround Jerusalem and lay siege against it, and build forts around it to destroy it. 4 Your voice will whisper like a ghost from the earth where you lie buried.
5 But suddenly your ruthless enemies will be driven away like chaff before the wind. 6 In an instant, I, the Lord of Hosts, will come upon them with thunder, earthquake, whirlwind, and fire. 7 And all the nations fighting Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! 8 As a hungry man dreams of eating but is still hungry, and as a thirsty man dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when he wakes up, so your enemies will dream of victorious conquest, but all to no avail.
9 You are amazed, incredulous? You don't believe it? Then go ahead and be blind if you must! You are stupid - and not from drinking, either! Stagger, and not from wine! 10 For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and seers, 11 so all of these future events are a sealed book to them. When you give it to one who can read, he says, "I can't, for it's sealed." 12 When you give it to another, he says, "Sorry, I can't read."
13 And so the Lord says, "Since these people say they are mine but they do not obey me, and since their worship amounts to mere words learned by rote, 14 therefore I will take awesome vengeance on these hypocrites and make their wisest counselors as fools."
15 Woe to those who try to hide their plans from God, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! "God can't see us," they say to themselves. "He doesn't know what is going on!" 16 How stupid can they be! Isn't he, the Potter, greater than you, the jars he makes? Will you say to him, "He didn't make us"? Does a machine call its inventor dumb?
17 Soon - and it will not be very long - the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fruitful field again, a lush and fertile forest. 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the blind will see my plans. 19 The meek will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord, and the poor shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. 20 Bullies will vanish and scoffers will cease, and all those plotting evil will be killed - 21 the violent man who fights at the drop of a hat, the man who waits in hiding to beat up the judge who sentenced him, and the men who use any excuse to be unfair.
22 That is why the Lord who redeemed Abraham says: "My people will no longer pale with fear or be ashamed. 23 For when they see the surging birth rate and the expanding economy, then they will fear and rejoice in my name; they will praise the Holy One of Israel and stand in awe of him. 24 Those in error will believe the truth, and complainers will be willing to be taught!
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HYPOCRISY ISAIA 29:13-14
The people claimed to belong to God, but because they were disobedient and merely went through the motions, God punished them. Religion had become routine instead of real. Isaiah condemned the people for being hypocrites (29:13). Jesus quoted this verse (Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6-7) when he spoke to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. We all are capable of hypocrisy. Often we slip into routine forms of worship that mean nothing to us. If we want to be called God's people, we must be obedient and worship him honestly and sincerely.
HIDING ISAIA 29:15-16
The people of Jerusalem tried to hide their plans from God. They thought God couldn't see them and didn't know what was happening. It's strange that so many people think they can hide from God. In Psalm 139 we learn that God has examined us and knows everything about us. Would you be embarrassed if your best friends knew your personal thoughts? Remember that God knows all of them.
ISAIA030
1 The LORD said, "How terrible it will be for these stubborn children. They make plans, but they don't ask me to help them. They make agreements with other nations, without asking my Spirit. They are adding more and more sins to themselves.
2 They go down to Egypt for help without asking me about it first. They hope they will be saved by the king of Egypt; they want Egypt to protect them.
3 But hiding in Egypt will bring you only shame; Egypt's protection will only disappoint you.
4 Your officers have gone to Zoan, and your messengers have gone to Hanes,
5 but they will be put to shame, because Egypt is useless to them. It will give no help and will be of no use; it will cause them only shame and embarrassment."
6 This is a message about the animals in southern Judah: Southern Judah is a dangerous place full of lions and lionesses, poisonous snakes and darting snakes. The messengers travel through there with their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasure on the backs of camels. They carry them to a nation that cannot help them,
7 to Egypt whose help is useless. So I call that country Rahab the DO-NOTHING.
8 Now write this on a sign for the people, write this on a scroll, so that for the days to come this will be a witness forever.
9 These people are like children who lie and refuse to obey; they refuse to listen to the LORD' s teachings.
10 They tell the seers, "Don't see any more visions!" They say to the prophets, "Don't tell us the truth! Say things that will make us feel good; see only good things for us.
11 Stop blocking our path. Get out of our way. Stop telling us about God, the Holy One of Israel."
12 So this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "You people have refused to accept this message and have depended on cruelty and lies to help you.
13 You are guilty of these things. So you will be like a high wall with cracks in it that falls suddenly and breaks into small pieces.
14 You will be like a clay jar that breaks, smashed into many pieces. Those pieces will be too small to take coals from the fire or to get water from a well."
15 This is what the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved. If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong." But you don't want to do that.
16 You say, "No, we need horses to run away on." So you will run away on horses. You say, "We will ride away on fast horses." So those who chase you will be fast.
17 One enemy will make threats, and a thousand of your men will run away. Five enemies will make threats, and all of you will run from them. You will be left alone like a flagpole on a hilltop, like a banner on a hill.
18 The LORD wants to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The LORD is a fair God, and everyone who waits for his help will be happy.
19 You people who live on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will not cry anymore. The LORD will hear your crying, and he will comfort you. When he hears you, he will help you.
20 The Lord has given you sorrow and hurt like the bread and water you ate every day. He is your teacher; he will not continue to hide from you, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes.
21 If you go the wrong way- to the right or to the left- you will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the right way. You should go this way."
22 You have statues covered with silver and gold, but you will ruin them for further use. You will throw them away like filthy rags and say, "Go away!"
23 At that time the LORD will send rain for the seeds you plant in the ground, and the ground will grow food for you. The harvest will be rich and great, and you will have plenty of food in the fields for your animals.
24 Your oxen and donkeys that work the soil will have all the food they need. You will have to use shovels and pitchforks to spread all their food.
25 Every mountain and hill will have streams filled with water. These things will happen after many people are killed and the towers are pulled down.
26 At that time the light from the moon will be bright like the sun, and the light from the sun will be seven times brighter than now, like the light of seven days. These things will happen when the LORD bandages his broken people and heals the hurts he gave them.
27 Look! The LORD comes from far away. His anger is like a fire with thick clouds of smoke. His mouth is filled with anger, and his tongue is like a burning fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing river, which rises to the throat. He will judge the nations as if he is sifting them through the strainer of destruction. He will place in their mouths a bit that will lead them the wrong way.
29 You will sing happy songs as on the nights you begin a festival. You will be happy like people listening to flutes as they come to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
30 The LORD will cause all people to hear his great voice and to see his powerful arm come down with anger, like a great fire that burns everything, like a great storm with much rain and hail.
31 Assyria will be afraid when it hears the voice of the LORD, because he will strike Assyria with a rod.
32 When the LORD punishes Assyria with a rod, he will beat them to the music of tambourines and harps; he will fight against them with his mighty weapons.
33 Topheth has been made ready for a long time; it is ready for the king. It was made deep and wide with much wood and fire. And the LORD' s breath will come like a stream of burning sulfur and set it on fire.
1Woe to my rebellious children, says the Lord; you ask advice from everyone but me and decide to do what I don't want you to do. You yoke yourselves with unbelievers, thus piling up your sins. 2 For without consulting me you have gone down to Egypt to find aid and have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection.
3 But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be disappointed, humiliated and disgraced, for he can't deliver on his promises to save you. 4 For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes, 5 yet it will all turn out to your shame - he won't help one little bit!
6 See them moving slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt - donkeys and camels laden down with treasure to pay for Egypt's aid. On through the badlands they go, where lions and swift venomous snakes live - and Egypt will give you nothing in return! 7 For Egypt's promises are worthless! "The Reluctant Dragon," I call her!
8 Now go and write down this word of mine concerning Egypt, so that it will stand until the end of time, forever and forever, as an indictment of Israel's unbelief. 9 For if you don't write it, they will claim I never warned them. "Oh no," they'll say, "you never told us that!"
For they are stubborn rebels. 10-11 They tell my prophets, "Shut up - we don't want any more of your reports!" Or they say, "Don't tell us the truth; tell us nice things; tell us lies. Forget all this gloom; we've heard more than enough about your `Holy One of Israel' and all he says."
12 This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:
Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in frauds and lies and won't repent, 13 therefore calamity will come upon you suddenly, as upon a bulging wall that bursts and falls; in one moment it comes crashing down. 14 God will smash you like a broken dish; he will not act sparingly. Not a piece will be left large enough to use for carrying coals from the hearth, or a little water from the well. 15 For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved; in quietness and confidence is your strength; but you'll have none of this.
16 "No," you say. "We will get our help from Egypt; they will give us swift horses for riding to battle." But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! 17 One of them will chase a thousand of you! Five of them will scatter you until not two of you are left together. You will be like lonely trees on the distant mountaintops. 18 Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them.
19 O my people in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more, for he will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. He will answer you. 20 Though he give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, yet he will be with you to teach you - with your own eyes you will see your Teacher. 21 And if you leave God's paths and go astray, you will hear a Voice behind you say, "No, this is the way; walk here."22 And you will destroy all your silver idols and gold images and cast them out like filthy things you hate to touch. "Ugh!" you'll say to them. "Be gone!"
23 Then God will bless you with rain at planting time and with wonderful harvests and with ample pastures for your cows. 24 The oxen and young donkeys that till the ground will eat grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. 25 In that day when God steps in to destroy your enemies, he will give you streams of water flowing down each mountain and every hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sunlight brighter than seven days! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and to cure the wounds he gave them.
27 See, the Lord comes from afar, aflame with wrath, surrounded by thick rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his words consume like fire. 28 His wrath pours out like floods upon them all, to sweep them all away. He will sift out the proud nations and bridle them and lead them off to their doom.
29 But the people of God will sing a song of solemn joy, like songs in the night when holy feasts are held; his people will have gladness of heart, as when a flutist leads a pilgrim band to Jerusalem to the Mountain of the Lord, the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord shall cause his majestic voice to be heard and shall crush down his mighty arm upon his enemies with angry indignation and devouring flames, with tornados, terrible storms, and huge hailstones. 31 The voice of the Lord shall punish the Assyrians, who had been his rod of punishment. 32 And when the Lord smites them, his people will rejoice with music and song. 33 The funeral pyre has long been ready, prepared for Molech, the Assyrian god; it is piled high with wood. The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano, will set it all on fire.
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I Wonder: Hypocrites ,!page "^W0021" of book "mbi_txt.tbk"
ISAIA031
1 How terrible it will be for those people who go down to Egypt for help. They think horses will save them. They think their many chariots and strong horsemen will save them. But they don't trust God, the Holy One of Israel, or ask the LORD for help.
2 But he is wise and can bring them disaster. He does not change his warnings. He will rise up and fight against the evil people and against those who try to help evil people.
3 The Egyptians are only people and are not God. Their horses are only animals and are not spirit. The LORD will stretch out his arm, and the one who helps will stumble, and the people who wanted help will fall. All of them will be destroyed together.
4 The LORD says this to me: "When a lion or a lion's cub kills an animal to eat, it stands over the dead animal and roars. A band of shepherds may be assembled against it, but the lion will not be afraid of their yelling or upset by their noise. So the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 The LORD ALL-POWERFUL will defend Jerusalem like birds flying over their nests. He will defend and save it; he will `pass over' and save Jerusalem."
6 You children of Israel, come back to the God you fought against.
7 The time is coming when each of you will stop worshiping idols of gold and silver, which you sinned by making.
8 "Assyria will be defeated by a sword, but not the sword of a person; Assyria will be destroyed, but not by a person's sword. Assyria will run away from the sword of God, but its young men will be caught and made slaves.
9 They will panic, and their protection will be destroyed. Their commanders will be terrified when they see God's battle flag," says the LORD, whose fire is in Jerusalem and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
1Woe to those who run to Egypt for help, trusting their mighty cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Holy One of Israel and consulting him. 2 In his wisdom, he will send great evil on his people and will not change his mind. He will rise against them for the evil they have done and crush their allies too. 3 For these Egyptians are mere men, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. All will fail together.
4-5 But the Lord has told me this: When a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, he pays no attention to the shepherd's shouts and noise. He goes right on and eats. In such manner the Lord will come and fight upon Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away! He, the Lord Almighty, will hover over Jerusalem as birds hover round their nests, and he will defend the city and deliver it.
6 Therefore, O my people, though you are such wicked rebels, come, return to God. 7 I know the glorious day will come when every one of you will throw away his gold idols and silver images - which in your sinfulness you have made.
8 The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by swords of men. The "sword of God" will smite them. They will panic and flee, and the strong young Assyrians will be taken away as slaves. 9 Even their generals will quake with terror and flee when they see the battle flags of Israel, says the Lord. For the flame of God burns brightly in Jerusalem.
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IDOLS ISAIA 31:7
Someday these people would throw their idols away, recognizing that the idols were nothing but wood or stone. Idols such as money, fame, or success are seductive. Instead of contributing to our spiritual development, they rob us of our thoughts, time, energy, and devotion to God. At first they seem exciting and promise to take us places, but in the end we will find that we have become their slaves. We need to recognize their worthlessness now, before they rob us of our freedom.
ISAIA032
AT EASE
1 A king will rule in a way that brings justice, and leaders will make fair decisions.
2 Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind, like a safe place in a storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like a cool shadow from a large rock in a hot land.
3 People will look to the king for help, and they will truly listen to what he says.
4 People who are now worried will be able to understand. Those who cannot speak clearly now will then be able to speak clearly and quickly.
5 Fools will not be called great, and people will not respect the wicked.
6 A fool says foolish things, and in his mind he plans evil. A fool does things that are wicked, and he says wrong things about the LORD. A fool does not feed the hungry or let thirsty people drink water.
7 The wicked person uses evil like a tool. He plans ways to take everything from the poor. He destroys the poor with lies, even when the poor person is in the right.
8 But a good leader plans to do good, and those good things make him a good leader.
9 You women who are calm now, stand up and listen to me. You women who feel safe now, hear what I say.
10 You women feel safe now, but after one year you will be afraid. There will be no grape harvest and no summer fruit to gather.
11 Women, you are calm now, but you should shake with fear. Women, you feel safe now, but you should tremble. Take off your nice clothes and put rough cloth around your waist to show your sadness.
12 Beat your breasts in grief, because the fields that were pleasant are now empty. Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes.
13 Cry for the land of my people, in which only thorns and weeds now grow. Cry for the city that once was happy and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.
14 The palace will be empty; people will leave the noisy city. Strong cities and towers will be empty. Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.
15 This will continue until God pours his Spirit from above upon us. Then the desert will be like a fertile field and the fertile field like a forest.
16 Justice will be found even in the desert, and fairness will be found in the fertile fields.
17 That fairness will bring peace, and it will bring calm and safety forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful places and in safe homes and in calm places of rest.
19 Hail will destroy the forest, and the city will be completely destroyed.
20 But you will be happy as you plant seeds near every stream and as you let your cattle and donkeys wander freely.
1Look, a righteous King is coming, with honest princes! 2 He will shelter Israel from the storm and wind. He will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cooling shadow of a mighty rock within a hot and weary land. 3 Then at last the eyes of Israel will open wide to God; his people will listen to his voice. 4 Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and understanding, and those who stammer in uncertainty will speak out plainly.
5 In those days the ungodly, the atheists, will not be heroes! Wealthy cheaters will not be spoken of as generous, outstanding men! 6 Everyone will recognize an evil man when he sees him, and hypocrites will fool no one at all. Their lies about God and their cheating of the hungry will be plain for all to see. 7 The smooth tricks of evil men will be exposed, as will all the lies they use to oppress the poor in the courts. 8 But good men will be generous to others and will be blessed of God for all they do.
9 Listen, you women who loll around in lazy ease; listen to me and I will tell you your reward: 10 In a short time - in just a little more than a year - suddenly you'll care, O careless ones. For the crops of fruit will fail; the harvest will not take place. 11 Tremble, O women of ease; throw off your unconcern. Strip off your pretty clothes - wear sackcloth for your grief. 12 Beat your breasts in sorrow for those bountiful farms of yours that will soon be gone, and for those fruitful vines of other years. 13 For your lands will thrive with thorns and briars; your joyous homes and happy cities will be gone. 14 Palaces and mansions will all be deserted, the crowded cities empty. Wild herds of donkeys and goats will graze upon the mountains where the watchtowers are, 15 until at last the Spirit is poured down on us from heaven. Then once again enormous crops will come. 16 Then justice will rule through all the land, 17 and out of justice, peace. Quietness and confidence will reign forever more.
18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home, 19 but the Assyrians will be destroyed and their cities laid low. 20 And God will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant, bountiful crops will spring up, and their flocks and herds will graze in green pastures.
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AT EASE ISAIA 32:9-13
The people turned their backs on God and concentrated on their own best interests. This warning is not just to the women of Israel, but to all who sit back in their thoughtless ease, enjoying crops, clothes, land, and cities while an enemy approaches. Wealth and luxury bring false security, lulling us into thinking all is well when disaster is around the corner. By abandoning God's purpose for our lives, we also abandon his help.
ISAIA033
1 How terrible it will be for you who destroy others but have not been destroyed yet. How terrible it will be for you, traitor, whom no one has turned against yet. When you stop destroying, others will destroy you. When you stop turning against others, they will turn against you.
2 LORD, be kind to us. We have waited for your help. Give us strength every morning. Save us when we are in trouble.
3 Your powerful voice makes people run away in fear; your greatness causes the nations to run away.
4 Like locusts, your enemies will take away the things you stole in war. Like locusts rushing about, they will take your wealth.
5 The LORD is very great, and he lives in a high place. He fills Jerusalem with fairness and justice.
6 He will be your safety. He is full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Respect for the LORD is the greatest treasure.
7 See, brave men are crying out in the streets; those who tried to bring peace are crying loudly.
8 There is no one on the roads, no one walking in the paths. People have broken the agreements they made. They refuse to believe the proof from witnesses. No one respects other people.
9 The land is sick and dying; Lebanon is ashamed and dying. The Plain of Sharon is dry like the desert, and the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying.
10 The LORD says, "Now, I will stand up and show my greatness. Now, I will become important to the people.
11 You people do useless things that are like hay and straw. A destructive wind will burn you like fire.
12 People will be burned until their bones become like lime; they will burn quickly like dry thornbushes."
13 You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done. You people who are near me, learn about my power.
14 The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid; those who are separated from God shake with fear. They say, "Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?"
15 A person who does what is right and speaks what is right, who refuses to take money unfairly, who refuses to take money to hurt others, who does not listen to plans of murder, who refuses to think about evil-
16 this is the kind of person who will be safe. He will be protected as he would be in a high, walled city. He will always have bread, and he will not run out of water.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. You will see the land that stretches far away.
18 You will think about the terror of the past: "Where is that officer? Where is the one who collected the taxes? Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?"
19 No longer will you see those proud people from other countries, whose strange language you couldn't understand.
20 Look at Jerusalem, the city of our festivals. Look at Jerusalem, that beautiful place of rest. It is like a tent that will never be moved; the pegs that hold her in place will never be pulled up, and her ropes will never be broken.
21 There the LORD will be our Mighty One. That land is a place with streams and wide rivers, but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers; no powerful ship will sail on them.
22 This is because the LORD is our judge. The LORD makes our laws. The LORD is our king. He will save us.
23 You sailors from other lands, hear: The ropes on your boats hang loose. The mast is not held firm. The sails are not spread open. Then your great wealth will be divided. There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share.
24 No one living in Jerusalem will say, "I am sick." The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.
1Woe to you, Assyrians, who have destroyed everything around you but have never felt destruction for yourselves. You expect others to respect their promises to you, while you betray them! Now you, too, will be betrayed and destroyed.
2 But to us, O Lord, be merciful, for we have waited for you. Be our strength each day and our salvation in the time of trouble. 3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee. 4 Just as locusts strip the fields and vines, so Jerusalem will strip the fallen army of Assyria!
5 The Lord is very great and lives in heaven. He will make Jerusalem the home of justice and goodness and righteousness. 6 An abundance of salvation is stored up for Judah in a safe place, along with wisdom and knowledge and reverence for God.
7 But now your ambassadors weep in bitter disappointment, for Assyria has refused their cry for peace. 8 Your roads lie in ruins; travelers detour on back roads. The Assyrians have broken their peace pact and care nothing for the promises they made in the presence of witnesses - they have no respect for anyone. 9 All the land of Israel is in trouble; Lebanon has been destroyed; Sharon has become a wilderness; Bashan and Carmel are plundered.
10 But the Lord says: I will stand up and show my power and might. 11 You Assyrians will gain nothing by all your efforts. Your own breath will turn to fire and kill you. 12 Your armies will be burned to lime, like thorns cut down and tossed in the fire. 13 Listen to what I have done, O nations far away! And you that are near, acknowledge my might!
14 The sinners among my people shake with fear. "Which one of us," they cry, "can live here in the presence of this all-consuming, Everlasting Fire?" 15 I will tell you who can live here: All who are honest and fair, who reject making profit by fraud, who hold back their hands from taking bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong. 16 Such as these shall dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress of safety; food will be supplied to them, and they will have all the water they need.
17 Your eyes will see the King in his beauty and the highlands of heaven far away. 18 Your mind will think back to this time of terror when the Assyrian officers outside your walls are counting your towers and estimating how much they will get from your fallen city. 19 But soon they will all be gone. These fierce, violent people with a strange, jabbering language you can't understand will disappear.
20 Instead you will see Jerusalem at peace, a place where God is worshiped, a city quiet and unmoved. 21 The glorious Lord will be to us as a wide river of protection, and no enemy can cross. 22 For the Lord is our Judge, our Lawgiver and our King; he will care for us and save us. 23 The enemies' sails hang loose on broken masts with useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God; even the lame will win their share. 24 The people of Israel will no longer say, "We are sick and helpless," for the Lord will forgive them their sins and bless them.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,293
3,3,5,420
4,4,7,527
5,5,9,660
6,6,11,766
7,7,13,891
8,8,15,993
9,9,17,1184
10,10,19,1338
11,11,21,1449
12,12,23,1559
13,13,25,1671
14,14,27,1784
15,15,29,1993
16,16,31,2214
17,17,33,2388
18,18,35,2492
19,19,37,2667
20,20,39,2789
21,21,41,3033
22,22,43,3216
23,23,45,3329
24,24,47,3598
1,1,1,1
2,4,3,239
5,6,5,551
7,9,7,798
10,13,9,1247
14,16,11,1601
17,19,13,2174
20,24,15,2580
PROMISES ISAIA 33:1
The Assyrians continually broke their promises but demanded that others keep theirs. It is easy to put ourselves in the same selfish position, demanding our rights while violating the rights of others. Broken promises shatter trust and destroy relationships. Determine to make no promises you can't keep; and, equally important, ask forgiveness for past promises you have broken. Exercise the same fairness with others that you demand for yourself.
ISAIA034
1 All you nations, come near and listen. Pay attention, you peoples! The earth and all the people in it should listen, the world and everything in it.
2 The LORD is angry with all the nations; he is angry with their armies. He will destroy them and kill them all.
3 Their bodies will be thrown outside. The stink will rise from the bodies, and the blood will flow down the mountains.
4 The sun, moon, and stars will dissolve, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll. The stars will fall like dead leaves from a vine or dried-up figs from a fig tree.
5 The LORD' s sword in the sky is covered with blood. It will cut through Edom and destroy those people as an offering to the LORD.
6 The LORD' s sword will be covered with blood; it will be covered with fat, with the blood from lambs and goats, with the fat from the kidneys of sheep. This is because the LORD decided there will be a sacrifice in Bozrah and much killing in Edom.
7 The oxen will be killed, and the cattle and the strong bulls. The land will be filled with their blood, and the dirt will be covered with their fat.
8 The LORD has chosen a time for punishment. He has chosen a year when people must pay for the wrongs they did to Jerusalem.
9 Edom's rivers will be like hot tar. Its dirt will be like burning sulfur. Its land will be like burning tar.
10 The fires will burn night and day; the smoke will rise from Edom forever. Year after year that land will be empty; no one will ever travel through that land again.
11 Birds and small animals will own that land, and owls and ravens will live there. God will make it an empty wasteland; it will have nothing left in it.
12 The important people will have no one left to rule them; the leaders will all be gone.
13 Thorns will take over the strong towers, and wild bushes will grow in the walled cities. It will be a home for wild dogs and a place for owls to live.
14 Desert animals will live with the hyenas, and wild goats will call to their friends. Night animals will live there and find a place of rest.
15 Owls will nest there and lay eggs. When they hatch open, the owls will gather their young under their wings. Hawks will gather with their own kind.
16 Look at the LORD' s scroll and read what is written there: None of these will be missing; none will be without its mate. God has given the command, so his Spirit will gather them together.
17 God has divided the land among them, and he has given them each their portion. So they will own that land forever and will live there year after year.
1Come here and listen, O nations of the earth; let the world and everything in it hear my words. 2 For the Lord is enraged against the nations; his fury is against their armies. He will utterly destroy them and deliver them to slaughter. 3 Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land; the mountains will flow with their blood. 4 At that time the heavens above will melt away and disappear just like a rolled-up scroll, and the stars will fall as leaves, as ripe fruit from the trees.
5 And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, then watch, for it will fall upon Edom, the people I have doomed. 6 The sword of the Lord is sated with blood; it is gorged with flesh as though used for slaying lambs and goats for sacrifice. For the Lord will slay a great sacrifice in Edom and make a mighty slaughter there. 7 The strongest will perish, young boys and veterans too. The land will be soaked with blood, and the soil made rich with fat. 8 For it is the day of vengeance, the year of recompense for what Edom has done to Israel. 9 The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire.
10 This judgment on Edom will never end. Its smoke will rise up forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to generation; no one will live there anymore. 11 There the hawks and porcupines will live, and owls and ravens. For God will observe that land and find it worthy of destruction. He will test its nobles and find them worthy of death. 12 It will be called "The Land of Nothing," and its princes soon will all be gone. 13 Thorns will overrun the palaces, nettles will grow in its forts, and it will become the haunt of jackals and a home for ostriches. 14 The wild animals of the desert will mingle there with wolves and hyenas. Their howls will fill the night. There the night-monsters will scream at each other, and the demons will come there to rest. 15 There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs; she will hatch her young and nestle them beneath her wings, and the kites will come, each one with its mate.
16 Search the book of the Lord and see all that he will do; not one detail will he miss; not one kite will be there without a mate, for the Lord has said it, and his Spirit will make it all come true. 17 He has surveyed and subdivided the land and deeded it to those doleful creatures; they shall possess it forever, from generation to generation.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,167
3,3,5,289
4,4,7,417
5,5,9,592
6,6,11,731
7,7,13,990
8,8,15,1147
9,9,17,1279
10,10,19,1394
11,11,21,1566
12,12,23,1727
13,13,25,1821
14,14,27,1980
15,15,29,2130
16,16,31,2286
17,17,33,2486
1,4,1,1
5,9,3,531
10,15,5,1186
16,17,7,2120
ISAIA035
1 The desert and dry land will become happy; the desert will be glad and will produce flowers. Like a flower,
2 it will have many blooms. It will show its happiness, as if it were shouting with joy. It will be beautiful like the forest of Lebanon, as beautiful as the hill of Carmel and the Plain of Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the LORD and the splendor of our God.
3 Make the weak hands strong and the weak knees steady.
4 Say to people who are frightened, "Be strong. Don't be afraid. Look, your God will come, and he will punish your enemies. He will make them pay for the wrongs they did, but he will save you."
5 Then the blind people will see again, and the deaf will hear.
6 Crippled people will jump like deer, and those who can't talk now will shout with joy. Water will flow in the desert, and streams will flow in the dry land.
7 The burning desert will have pools of water, and the dry ground will have springs. Where wild dogs once lived, grass and water plants will grow.
8 A road will be there; this highway will be called "The Road to Being Holy." Evil people will not be allowed to walk on that road; only good people will walk on it. No fools will go on it.
9 No lions will be there, nor will dangerous animals be on that road. They will not be found there. That road will be for the people God saves;
10 the people the LORD has freed will return there. They will enter Jerusalem with joy, and their happiness will last forever. Their gladness and joy will fill them completely, and sorrow and sadness will go far away.
1Even the wilderness and desert will rejoice in those days; the desert will blossom with flowers. 2 Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the Lebanon mountains, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and Sharon's meadows; for the Lord will display his glory there, the excellency of our God.
3 With this news bring cheer to all discouraged ones. 4 Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, "Be strong, fear not, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and sing! Springs will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground will become a pool, with springs of water in the thirsty land. Where desert jackals lived, there will be reeds and rushes!
8 And a main road will go through that once-deserted land; it will be named "The Holy Highway." No evil-hearted men may walk upon it. God will walk there with you; even the most stupid cannot miss the way. 9 No lion will lurk along its course, nor will there be any other dangers; only the redeemed will travel there. 10 These, the ransomed of the Lord, will go home along that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them all sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness will be there.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,116
3,3,5,390
4,4,7,451
5,5,9,649
6,6,11,719
7,7,13,886
8,8,15,1041
9,9,17,1235
10,10,19,1384
1,2,1,1
3,7,3,357
8,10,5,952
VISION ISAIA 35:1
In chapters 1 - 35, Isaiah delivered a message of judgment on all nations, including Israel and Judah, for rejecting God. Although there were glimpses of relief and restoration for the remnant of faithful believers, the climate of wrath, fury, judgment, and destruction prevailed. Now Isaiah breaks through with a vision of beauty and encouragement. God is just as complete in his mercy as he is severe in his judgment. God's complete moral perfection is revealed by his hatred of all sin, and this leads to judgment. This same moral perfection is revealed in his love for all he has created. This leads to mercy for those who have been less than perfect but who have sincerely loved and obeyed him.
ISAIA036
1 During Hezekiah's fourteenth year as king, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the strong, walled cities of Judah and captured them.
2 The king of Assyria sent out his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When the commander came near the waterway from the upper pool on the road where people do their laundry, he stopped.
3 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah went out to meet him. Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.
4 The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah this: "`The great king, the king of Assyria, says: What can you trust in now?
5 You say you have battle plans and power for war, but your words mean nothing. Whom are you trusting for help so that you turn against me?
6 Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a splintered walking stick. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and hurt you. The king of Egypt will hurt all those who depend on him.
7 You might say, "We are depending on the LORD our God," but Hezekiah destroyed the LORD' s altars and the places of worship. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar."
8 "`Now make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them.
9 You cannot defeat one of my master's least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen?
10 I have not come to attack and destroy this country without an order from the LORD. The LORD himself told me to come to this country and destroy it.' "
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew, because the people on the city wall can hear you."
12 But the commander said, "My master did not send me to tell these things only to you and your king. He sent me to speak also to those people sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine like you."
13 Then the commander stood and shouted loudly in the Hebrew language, "Listen to what the great king, the king of Assyria says,
14 The king says you should not let Hezekiah fool you, because he can't save you.
15 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting the LORD by saying, `The LORD will surely save us. This city won't be handed over to the king of Assyria.'
16 "Don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, `Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own well.
17 After that I will come and take you to a land like your own- a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.'
18 "Don't let Hezekiah fool you, saying, `The LORD will save us.' Has a god of any other nation saved his people from the power of the king of Assyria?
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? They did not save Samaria from my power.
20 Not one of all the gods of these countries has saved his people from me. Neither can the LORD save Jerusalem from my power."
21 The people were silent. They didn't answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, "Don't answer him."
22 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes to show how upset they were. (Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.) The three men went to Hezekiah and told him what the field commander had said.
1So in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came to fight against the walled cities of Judah and conquered them. 2 Then he sent his personal representative with a great army from Lachish to confer with King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. He camped near the outlet of the upper pool, along the road going past the field where cloth is bleached.
3 Then Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was the prime minister of Israel, and Shebna, the king's scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the royal secretary, formed a truce team and went out of the city to meet with him. 4 The Assyrian ambassador told them to go and say to Hezekiah, "The mighty king of Assyria says you are a fool to think that the king of Egypt will help you. 5 What are the Pharaoh's promises worth? Mere words won't substitute for strength, yet you rely on him for help and have rebelled against me! 6 Egypt is a dangerous ally. She is a sharpened stick that will pierce your hand if you lean on it. That is the experience of everyone who has ever looked to her for help. 7 But perhaps you say, `We are trusting in the Lord our God!' Oh? Isn't he the one your king insulted, tearing down his temples and altars in the hills and making everyone in Judah worship only at the altars here in Jerusalem? 8-9 My master, the king of Assyria, wants to make a little bet with you! - that you don't have 2,000 men left in your entire army! If you do, he will give you 2,000 horses for them to ride on! With that tiny army, how can you think of proceeding against even the smallest and worst contingent of my master's troops? For you'll get no help from Egypt. 10 What's more, do you think I have come here without the Lord's telling me to take this land? The Lord said to me, `Go and destroy it!'"
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to him, "Please talk to us in Aramaic, for we understand it quite well. Don't speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear."
12 But he replied, "My master wants everyone in Jerusalem to hear this, not just you. He wants them to know that if you don't surrender, this city will be put under siege until everyone is so hungry and thirsty that he will eat his own dung and drink his own urine."
13 Then he shouted in Hebrew to the Jews listening on the wall, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria:
14 "Don't let Hezekiah fool you - nothing he can do will save you. 15 Don't let him talk you into trusting in the Lord by telling you the Lord won't let you be conquered by the king of Assyria. 16 Don't listen to Hezekiah, for here is the king of Assyria's offer to you: Give me a present as a token of surrender; open the gates and come out, and I will let you each have your own farm and garden and water, 17 until I can arrange to take you to a country very similar to this one - a country where there are bountiful harvests of grain and grapes, a land of plenty. 18 Don't let Hezekiah deprive you of all this by saying the Lord will deliver you from my armies. Have any other nation's gods ever gained victory over the armies of the king of Assyria? 19 Don't you remember what I did to Hamath and Arpad? Did their gods save them? And what about Sepharvaim and Samaria? Where are their gods now? 20 Of all the gods of these lands, which one has ever delivered their people from my power? Name just one! And do you think this God of yours can deliver Jerusalem from me? Don't be ridiculous!"
21 But the people were silent and answered not a word, for Hezekiah had told them to say nothing in reply. 22 Then Eliakim (son of Hilkiah), the prime minister, and Shebna, the royal scribe, and Joah (son of Asaph), the royal secretary, went back to Hezekiah with clothes ripped to shreds as a sign of their despair and told him all that had happened.
1,1,1,1
2,2,3,145
3,3,5,379
4,4,7,553
5,5,9,689
6,6,11,836
7,7,13,1058
8,8,15,1269
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18,18,35,2905
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20,20,39,3187
21,21,41,3321
22,22,43,3455
1,2,1,1
3,10,3,380
11,11,4,1776
12,12,6,1952
13,13,8,2222
14,20,9,2343
21,22,11,3440
DECEIT ISAIA 36:7
The team from Assyria claimed that Hezekiah insulted God by tearing down his altars in the hills and making the people worship in Jerusalem. But Hezekiah's reform sought to eliminate idol worship (which occurred mainly in the hills) so that the people worshiped only the true God. Either the Assyrians didn't know about the religion of the true God, or they wanted to deceive the people into thinking they had angered a powerful god.
In the same way, Satan tries to confuse or deceive us. People don't necessarily need to be sinful to be ineffective for God; they need only be confused about what God wants. To avoid Satan's deceit, study God's Word carefully and regularly. When you know what God says, you will not fall for Satan's lies.
ISAIA037
ANSWER
1 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad he was. Then he went into the Temple of the LORD.
2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the palace manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the older priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing rough cloth when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 They told Isaiah, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of sorrow and punishment and disgrace, as when a child should be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it.
4 The king of Assyria sent his field commander to make fun of the living God. Maybe the LORD your God will hear what the commander said and will punish him for it. So pray for the few of us who are left alive."
5 When Hezekiah's officers came to Isaiah,
6 he said to them, "Tell your master this: The LORD says, `Don't be afraid of what you have heard. Don't be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have spoken against me.
7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to die by the sword there."
8 The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.
9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 "Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don't be fooled by the god you trust. Don't believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.
11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do not think you will be saved.
12 Did the gods of those people save them? My ancestors destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar.
13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Temple of the LORD. He spread the letter out before the LORD
15 and prayed to the LORD:
16 "LORD ALL-POWERFUL, you are the God of Israel, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings, only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
17 Hear, LORD, and listen. Open your eyes, LORD, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to insult the living God.
18 "It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these countries and their lands.
19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, but they were only wood and rock statues that people made. So the kings have destroyed them.
20 Now, LORD our God, save us from the king's power so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, LORD, are the only God."
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.
22 So this is what the LORD has said against Sennacherib: The people of Jerusalem hate you and make fun of you; the people of Jerusalem laugh at you as you run away.
23 You have insulted me and spoken against me; you have raised your voice against me. You have a proud look on your face, which is against me, the Holy One of Israel!
24 You have sent your messengers to insult the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have gone to the tops of the mountains, to the highest mountains of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its best pine trees. I have gone to its greatest heights and its best forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign countries and drunk water there. By the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt."
26 "`King of Assyria, surely you have heard. Long ago I, the LORD, planned these things. Long ago I designed them, and now I have made them happen. I allowed you to turn those strong, walled cities into piles of rocks.
27 The people in those cities were weak; they were frightened and put to shame. They were like grass in the field, like tender, young grass, like grass on the housetop that is burned by the wind before it can grow.
28 "`I know when you rest, when you come and go, and how you rage against me.
29 Because you rage against me, and because I have heard your proud words, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. Then I will force you to leave my country the same way you came.'
30 "Then the LORD said, `Hezekiah, I will give you this sign: This year you will eat the grain that grows wild, and the second year you will eat what grows wild from that. But in the third year, plant grain and harvest it. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 Some of the people in the family of Judah will escape. Like plants that take root, they will grow strong and have many children.
32 A few people will come out of Jerusalem alive; a few from Mount Zion will live. The strong love of the LORD ALL-POWERFUL will make this happen.'
33 "So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: `He will not enter this city or even shoot an arrow here. He will not fight against it with shields or build a ramp to attack the city walls.
34 He will return to his country the same way he came, and he will not enter this city,' says the LORD.
35 `I will defend and save this city for my sake and for David, my servant.' "
36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.
38 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. So Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon became king of Assyria.
1When King Hezekiah heard the results of the meeting, he tore his robes and wound himself in coarse cloth used for making sacks, as a sign of humility and mourning, and went over to the Temple to pray. 2 Meanwhile he sent Eliakim his prime minister, and Shebna his royal scribe, and the older priests - all dressed in sackcloth - to Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz. 3 They brought him this message from Hezekiah:
"This is a day of trouble and frustration and blasphemy; it is a serious time, as when a woman is in heavy labor trying to give birth and the child does not come. 4 But perhaps the Lord your God heard the blasphemy of the king of Assyria's representative as he scoffed at the living God. Surely God won't let him get away with this. Surely God will rebuke him for those words. Oh, Isaiah, pray for us who are left!"
5 So they took the king's message to Isaiah.
6 Then Isaiah replied, "Tell King Hezekiah that the Lord says: Don't be disturbed by this speech from the servant of the king of Assyria and his blasphemy. 7 For a report from Assyria will reach the king that he is needed at home at once, and he will return to his own land, where I will have him killed."
8-9 Now the Assyrian envoy left Jerusalem and went to
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